The Mysterious Mage of the Fifth Floor
“...It was affected by the Dragon Tongue.”
...Wait, monsters could be affected by the Dragon Tongue? This mysterious man seemed to know more about the language than I did. He began searching the surroundings, perhaps looking for the person who had used it. ...But there was no one else who could use the Dragon Tongue besides me.
Then, a realization struck me. Back when Seol-ah had recorded my test of the Dragon Tongue, I hadn't actually spoken the words aloud. I had simply written them and read them with my eyes. Yet, in the video, I was shown fluently reciting the language. The only logical conclusion was that I unconsciously spoke the words whenever I read them. That meant the person this mysterious man was hunting was me.
Facing someone who could treat an A-rank hunter like a joke, without even knowing if they were hostile or friendly, was an incredibly dangerous gamble. Just as I reached for the button to exit the tower to escape before any harm could be done, I froze.
‘...Did we just make eye contact?’
My hiding spot was obscured by a massive stalagmite, and it was pitch black; making eye contact should have been nearly impossible. However, seeing him prepare a powerful skill, I quickly pressed the exit button.
The scenery shifted from the eerie cave, through the familiar stream of light, to the alien design of the Black Tower entrance.
“Huff... huff... haa.”
I almost died... What would have happened if I’d been hit by that skill? To think that someone capable of unleashing such a powerful attack so casually would appear as early as the 5th floor... The Mystic difficulty really was out of its mind. Still, I was glad to be out safely. Then again, no matter how fast a skill was, it couldn't be faster than my finger hitting the exit button.
[Topaz - Solid Shield has been destroyed. (Remaining cooldown: 9 minutes 58 seconds)]
[Ruby - Life effect has been triggered. (Remaining cooldown: 30 days)]
“...Huh?”
The mysterious man unleashed an attack skill toward the giant stalagmite in the darkness. He was certain that someone possessing the power of a dragon had been there. But as the smoke from the skill cleared, there was nothing.
“...There was definitely something here.”
Since it was possible they had fled before his attack landed, the man began to scan the area, using that spot as his starting point. However, what he found wasn't a person with dragon power, but a mural praising dragons.
“...Tsk.”
The dragon depicted in the mural was one the man knew all too well. Tenebris. Seeing the mural made his blood boil. With a face twisted in rage, he prepared another attack skill. It looked as if he held a black hole in his palm. His attack slammed into the ordinary wall that bore the mural.
KWAANG-! BANG! KWA-AANG-!!
It was an attack skill far too powerful to be used for something as trivial as breaking a wall. Before the sheer destructive force, the wall crumbled into nothingness.
Unable to hide his seething anger, the man spat out a single name.
“Tenebris...!”
“Master, is something troubling you?”
Breaking the sharp atmosphere, an elderly man with a prominent beard stepped forward. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be the man's right-hand man. The man gave a short, concise order the moment he saw him.
“Search this place for any suspicious individuals. Right now.”
“Understood...”
Following the command, his subordinates moved in unison. The mysterious man didn't even glance at them, instead staring back at the rubble that had once been the mural. His subordinate quietly approached his side and spoke in a calm tone that contrasted with the man's own.
“You have always spoken of the Black Dragon, Master.”
“...She made me this way. Into this miserable, wretched state.”
The man's anger showed no signs of cooling. It was as if he had been created solely to hate Tenebris. After staring at the rubble for a long time, the man created a portal leading to somewhere else.
“Follow me. We have somewhere to be.”
“As you wish.”
After they passed through the portal, only the worthless pile of stones remained.
“Haa... It feels so good to be back.”
“...”
As soon as I returned home from the tower, I was watching Tube while being held by Seol-ah. I’d thought my finger was faster than the exit button, but both of the ring's effects had been shattered. That meant an attack capable of killing me instantly had been launched before I could even perceive it, and I had been helpless against it. Before I could even think of a countermeasure, I needed an activity to soothe my frazzled nerves. I had been binge-watching baby animal videos, and at some point, Seol-ah had come over and hugged me from behind. Normally, I would have shaken her off, but for some reason, the sense of stability made me let it slide for a moment. However, Seol-ah started stroking my tail, and it began to feel a bit uncomfortable. It was time to start practicing social distancing.
“Seol-ah, wouldn't you like to let go of this oppa now?”
“Eh? I don't want to.”
No, what kind of reaction is that? Why on earth would she like a guy like me this much...?
“Why are you like this today? Let's hear the reason.”
“You're just too cute to help it...! You're holding your arms out to watch Tube while I hug you, how could that not be cute?!”
“...”
What. That's the reason...?
I looked up at her face, wondering if she was joking, but she seemed completely sincere.
“Besides, when you came back from the tower earlier, you looked so anxious, like you were being chased by something, but you calmed down as soon as I hugged you. If that's not cute, what is?”
“...”
“And it's cute how you chatter on about what happened in the tower. You're just like a baby.”
After that, Seol-ah continued to pour out an endless list of reasons why I was cute, to the point where it was embarrassing to even listen. Just as I thought she might finally stop, she delivered the finishing blow.
“Your nose is soft and squishy, too. Children always have soft noses...!”
She said that while poking my nose. True to her claim, it was a tiny, soft nose.
“Just as a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body, a cute mind dwells in a cute body...”
“...”
“So, you were the one who seduced me first, oppa...”
Hearing that I was basically a baby because of reasons like that made me feel like something inside me was about to shatter. I must not be swayed...! I am not the type to fall for this kind of gaslighting...! A real man doesn't accept this kind of soft, coddling affection!
“Then I have no choice but to escape myself...! Ughhh...!”
I struggled with all my might to get out of her arms, but Seol-ah's grip didn't waver in the slightest.
“Ugh... Ughhh...!!”
After five, no, ten minutes of struggling, I finally gave up and asked her to let me go, and only then was I released. ...And even then, it was only because she was satisfied. Anyway, I had real work to do. I sat in my chair and prepared to access the website to find some useful information on the Hunter Gallery. Come to think of it, I should warn Seol-ah. If she keeps bothering me while I'm concentrating, nothing will get done.
“Hey, don't bother me now. I have things to look into.”
“Ugh... I'm completely satisfied...”
I sighed at Seol-ah, who was sprawled out on my bed looking pleased with herself, and finished setting up my connection to the Hunter Gallery.
“Alright, VPN ready. Password ready!”
If someone as ridiculous as that man had appeared on the 5th floor, it would surely have become a massive issue among the people. I immediately typed in every relevant search term I could think of: 'After clearing 5th floor', '5th floor NPC', '5th floor mage', and so on. I didn't know if that mysterious man was actually a mage, but if a man in a fancy robe showed off power close to magic, 'mage' was the only logical deduction.
However, no matter how much I searched, not a single person on the Hunter Gallery was talking about the individual I had met.
“Hmm... Should I just ask directly?”
I had no choice but to post a question in the Q&A tab and wait for the comments to roll in.
[Title: What's up with the crazy NPC attacking people on the 5th floor of the Black Tower?]
I cut through the 5th-floor Giant Worm cleanly and was looking around the cave when a mural appeared. Suddenly, a mage NPC in a fancy robe approached and blasted me with a super strong attack.
Does anyone know who this is?
Sigh... Forget it. How are they going to live a proper hunter life being this narrow-minded? Since they were framing me as someone who hadn't even been to the 5th floor, I posted the photo of the mural I'd taken earlier as evidence.
The Hunter Gallery users finally reacted with things like, 'I guess you did go there?', but they still didn't believe me, saying it was too different from the facts known so far. I asked about the mural since I'd posted the photo, but the answers were lackluster.
Looking at the comments, it seemed that the mural didn't just appear in the Mystic difficulty. However, since no one had learned the dragon language, they were just dismissing it as graffiti. I didn't want to reveal too much information, so I deleted the post about the mysterious man. Just in case, I checked other hunters' 5th-floor raid photos, and I could see the mural faintly appearing in the darkness. It was definitely appearing regardless of difficulty. But I knew the truth about the mural, and I had information that an unsettling NPC appeared. I needed someone to talk to about this seriously. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I sent a message to Kim Hayeon.
[ Ha-neul: Do you know about the mage that appears on the 5th floor? I found something weird. ]
I told her I had something serious to discuss, and an appointment was set immediately. ...I thought it was strange how directly the appointment was made, but maybe she didn't have any raid scheduling today. It wasn't important.
[ HeyKimWork: If it's important, come to my place? ]
I had thought about meeting at a cafe... but that wasn't important either. I got ready to leave without much thought.
“I have an appointment, so I'm heading out.”
“Eh...? Then what about me...?! I'm already here at your house...!”
What are you talking about... Did I ever make an appointment with Seol-ah in the first place...? Honestly, since I changed, she's been at my house so often that I feel like she's practically family. Come to think of it, she always just breaks into my house like this. She does all the housework so naturally that I didn't pay much attention, but she's just a younger sister I've known for a while, not my actual sister. If her breaking into my house counts as an appointment, I'd never be able to go anywhere.
“But I'll be so sad if you're not here when I want to pet you...!”
“That's your problem...! I have to go out...!”
Fortunately, after ten seconds of struggling, I was able to shake Seol-ah off and head out.