Nothing Remained
“Jack? You still alive?”
After the battle with Hob was over, Ha-yeon approached Jack, who had collapsed from the poison. His eyes flickered slightly. He'd been impressed by her victory for a moment, but now an ominous possibility crossed his mind.
...She's coming.
The recent fight replayed in his head. The small frame, the young face. Her skill with the dagger, and the strength to take down Hob.
I thought she was just some naive kid...
Jack swallowed dryly. Anyone who'd rolled around in the Tower for long knew the truth. Normal people among climbers were rare. She handled a dagger with ease despite her age. She stayed calm in danger. She fought a raider without hesitation. People like that were never ordinary.
No way...
Delusions started spinning in Jack's head.
Has she been hiding her strength all this time?
Pretending to be clueless on purpose. Acting weak on purpose. Then cleaning everyone up when the chance came. Maybe she was another type of raider, one Jack hadn't encountered before.
...Silencing me.
A chill ran down his spine.
Me too...
He might die. Jack's body trembled.
That's when Ha-yeon crouched down beside him.
“...?”
She casually grabbed his arm.
“Can you stand?”
It was a motion to help him up. Jack looked dazed for a second.
“Heh... uh?”
Ha-yeon tilted her head.
“You cold?”
She'd noticed his shaking.
“Is it the poison...?”
“...”
A brief silence. Jack cautiously opened his mouth.
“...You gonna let me live?”
“Huh?”
Ha-yeon's face was genuinely puzzled.
“No, I...”
Jack gave an awkward laugh.
“Never mind.”
Only then did he grasp the situation. This kid wasn't that type. Just a talented newbie. Of course, that wasn't common either.
...Still a rare breed.
Jack muttered to himself. That's when it happened.
“...Ughhh.”
A low groan came from behind. Ha-yeon and Jack turned at the same time. It was Hob, collapsed on the ground. He was still breathing.
“Ngh.”
Jack leaned on Ha-yeon and barely stood. His legs weren't working right yet. He asked lowly,
“...Not finishing him off?”
Ha-yeon's gaze flicked to Hob. She seemed to ponder for a moment.
“...Hmm.”
After a short think, she replied.
“...It'd leave a bad taste.”
Jack blinked, then muttered as if he got it.
“You've never killed before, have you?”
Ha-yeon shrugged.
“Heh, newbies get like that.”
“So, have you killed, Jack?”
That shady face, that wicked chuckle. As an experienced hunter, had he killed people too—?
“I haven't killed anyone either.”
“...”
This guy's been acting like he knows everything since earlier, but he couldn't even identify the poison. What a klutz.
Jack looked sheepish under Ha-yeon's pitiful gaze.
“If it's bothering you that much, I could handle it?”
“No, I just... wanna leave him.”
The fight earlier had been for survival. But now was different. An already defeated opponent. Someone who couldn't even move. Finishing them off personally was a whole other thing from battle.
“Someday...”
Ha-yeon said quietly.
“There might come a time when I have to get ruthless.”
In the Tower, that moment arrived. To survive. For comrades. To climb higher. Ha-yeon would have to stain her hands with blood one day too.
“But not yet.”
She shook her head.
“...I don't want that experience.”
As if responding to her words, the central campfire burned quietly.
*
In the end, Ha-yeon left Hob as he was. She didn't look back.
Hob's wounds weren't light. The dagger had sunk deep, and he'd lost a lot of blood. Leaving him like that meant he would likely die.
...Still.
Ha-yeon's steps didn't stop. He'd tried to kill her. Fed her poison, tried to steal her gear, silence her. She wasn't saintly enough to care for someone like that. She might get betrayed again, and besides, she had no spare energy now.
Jack was barely walking beside her. The poison hadn't fully left his system. Supporting one person was burden enough.
...If he dies like that.
Ha-yeon thought inwardly.
That'll be Hob's fate.
It was common in the Tower. Some climbed up, others stayed down. Dead or not. No point worrying now.
“...Ahem.”
Jack coughed beside her.
“Can you walk?”
Ha-yeon asked.
“Slowly, yeah.”
Jack gave a wry smile.
“Poison's nasty stuff.”
They started moving slowly like that. It wasn't long before.
“...Huh?”
Ha-yeon's steps halted. One side of the plain. The grass was flattened. And in the center.
A person lay collapsed.
“...”
Ha-yeon's eyes widened.
“Enson...?”
It was him. The man who'd led them as party leader. But it was too late. His body was cold, eyes half-open staring at the sky.
“...”
Ha-yeon's mouth tightened. Just earlier, they'd been walking together, talking, hunting monsters. To die so easily like this.
“...Tch.”
Jack clicked his tongue softly. Ha-yeon said nothing. She just stood there, staring at Enson's corpse. Then a thought struck her.
...Me too.
If her luck had been a bit worse. She might be lying there now.
A chill ran down her spine. The realization of nearly dying hit her gradually.
“...Should we bury him?”
Ha-yeon said quietly. Jack glanced at her.
“...Yeah.”
They started digging nearby dirt. Not deep, but enough for one body. They moved Enson. Ha-yeon looked at his face one last time, then covered it with soil.
A cold wind swept across the dark plain.
“...Let's go.”
Ha-yeon said. They walked on. A bit more quietly this time.
*
Surprisingly, Hob survived.
Dark plain. Night camp shrouded in deep darkness. The campfire had gone out; only wind rustled the grass.
“...Urgh.”
Hob's fingers twitched on the dirt ground.
“Hah... hah...”
He flipped over, breathing raggedly. The dagger wound throbbed. Blood had clotted, but pain surged with every move.
“...I'll kill her.”
Hob's eyes gleamed.
“Kill... I'll kill her. I'll definitely kill that bitch...!”
He ground his teeth, muttering. How to kill her. No more slip-ups this time. Use the deadliest poison. He could get it on the black market. Nerve-melting poison. Blood-clotting poison. Asphyxiation toxin. Dozens of methods flashed in his mind.
“Ha... haha...”
He shakily rose. The moment he set foot on the plain.
“That'd be a problem.”
A languid voice. Low, spreading across the plain.
“...!”
Hob froze. He whipped his head around. But the pitch-black plain was empty. Just grass swaying.
“Who’s there!”
Hob shouted. Instead of reply, the voice flowed from the darkness again.
“Touching that young lady would be a bit inconvenient~”
Smooth, oddly light tone.
“...”
Chill down Hob's spine. He scanned around again. No one. But the voice was clear.
Slither.
The plain's shadow shifted slightly. From it, a figure slowly emerged. Long black hair, light combat gear. A woman with relaxed eyes.
“...You.”
Hob's eyes twisted in rage.
“Who the hell are you to butt in—.”
His words didn't finish.
“...?”
Hob's gaze slowly dropped. To his stomach. It was already pierced by the woman's sword, blood pouring out.
“Guh...”
Blood spilled from his mouth. When? How? He hadn't even felt it.
The woman lightly twisted the blade.
“Ah.”
She said leisurely.
“Forgot to explain.”
Blood dripped to the ground. Hob's vision blurred. Her voice continued.
“She's our client's granddaughter.”
She slowly pulled the sword out.
Squelch.
His body shook.
“So I was...”
The woman smiled.
“...Just watching.”
Her name was Sehir. A famous hunter everyone knew. Leader of the Shadow Mercenaries, who'd already climbed high floors.
Truth was, she'd been there from the start. On Song Han-su's request. To ensure his granddaughter's safety. So she'd watched Ha-yeon and Hob's fight too. Ready to step in if needed.
But.
“...Not bad.”
Sehir muttered. Ha-yeon's movements came to mind. Small build, lacking power. But precise judgment and motion more than made up for it.
Her strikes are a bit soft.
Sehir shrugged.
Well, she was a normal person originally.
That was forgivable. More important was the talent. Sehir's eyes narrowed.
“Thought it was a boring job.”
Just bodyguard duty for Seongjin Group's heiress, a typical chaebol kid. But seeing it firsthand exceeded her expectations.
She shook the blood from her sword.
“Worth watching.”
Her gaze went far. Into the darkness. Across the plain. Ha-yeon's receding back.
Sehir smiled faintly. Then a voice from behind.
“Captain.”
Someone emerged from the shadows.
“No anomalies nearby.”
Sehir nodded.
“Mm.”
She said brightly.
“Then let's clean up.”
Sehir clapped once. The shadows at her feet writhed.
Squirm.
Squirm.
Slither.
Hob's corpse slowly sank into the quivering shadows like a swamp. Without a trace.
Soon, the body vanished completely. Sehir and her subordinate melted into the darkness too.
Moments later.
The plain held only the extinguished campfire. No traces remained of the camp where someone had stayed.