The Mysterious Mage of the Fifth Floor (2)

One thing I learned after visiting Kim Hayeon’s place was that she, much like Seol-ah, wasn't exactly your typical girl. Even a quick glance around the apartment gave off the distinct vibe of a place where a guy might live. Aside from the lack of gym equipment and the fact that it was somewhat decorated, the presence of posters featuring female game characters and stacks of manga made it clear this wasn't a "normal" home. It felt a bit mean to compare her to someone who kept reptiles, but… anyway. It meant her place was far from the home of the "girly girl" I’d imagined.

"You're really looking around, aren't you?"

"Oh… I was just looking. I’m not 'touring' or anything."

Had I been staring too hard? Worried that I’d been rude, I immediately prepared to get to the point. Even though Hayeon had invited me, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I hadn't come just to gawk at her apartment.

"No, it’s not like I told you not to look around."

"Anyway. What I wanted to talk about is that mage who appears on the fifth floor."

"Oh, right. That’s what it was."

"I read the entire walkthrough, but… oh, right, when I got there, it wasn't a Great Worm that appeared, but a Giant Worm. You have no idea how huge it was. So, the Giant Worm—"

Hayeon watched Lee Ha-neul chattering away in front of her, adopting a posture that made it look like she was listening intently. It was a necessary precaution; if Ha-neul realized she wasn't actually paying attention, she’d surely get angry. Since there was no longer any risk of being suspected of not listening, Hayeon just enjoyed watching Ha-neul babble on with such passion.

'It’s so cute how she’s bragging about what happened in the Tower…'

It was cute to the point where she felt that watching this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alone was a crime against humanity. Every time Ha-neul paused as if seeking agreement, Hayeon would nod, and for some reason, she felt an urge to put something in that mouth.

'Ah, I have cookies right here.'

They were handmade cookies she’d bought to have with her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠coffee. Since the cookies were quite thick and large, she thought Ha-neul would look adorable holding one.

"So, I was watching from there, and it was so chilling… huh?"

-Slide-

As Hayeon slid a cookie in front of her, Ha-neul, who had been passionately explaining her heroic exploits in the Tower, paused for a moment. …She seemed to ponder it for a second, made eye contact with Hayeon, and then immediately picked up the cookie.

'Is she going to eat it right away…?'

Watching Ha-neul pick up the cookie with her tiny, fern-like hands, Hayeon thought she looked just like a squirrel holding an acorn. Come to think of it, she even had a plump tail… maybe they weren't so different after all.

Hayeon watched Ha-neul take a bite with her dainty mouth and suddenly wondered if there was a way to get a few of those fallen scales. …Not that she planned to sell them. It was more for her private collection. To be precise, it was for healing her body and mind whenever she was having a bad day. The fluffy, soft scent of the scales had been so soothing, but it felt like the fragrance had faded quite a bit.

'It would be a bit much to ask for those expensive things, wouldn't it…?'

She still didn't know why Ha-neul had given them to her as a gift out of the blue last time, but Hayeon still had a sense of shame. Besides, if anyone knew she was finding peace of mind by sniffing scales that traded for 18 million won, they’d definitely look at her like she was a lunatic.

…The cookie is good. Wait. The cookie isn't the important thing here. There were mountains of floors left to clear. I shouldn't be getting distracted by a piece of junk snack…!

"Hey, Kim Hayeon. Why are you looking at me so intensely? You were listening to what I said, right?"

"…Hm? Of course I was."

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like she had been focused on something other than my story. Her expression clearly said she had zero interest in the fifth-floor mage and was probably thinking about wanting to pat my head or something.

"Listen properly. This is serious."

The fact that the effect of the Forgotten Royal Ring, which blocks a fatal attack once, had been triggered was a massive problem. I’d have to keep climbing the Tower, so what would happen if I ran into a guy like that again? I’d probably be pulverized into dust. I needed information to climb the Tower safely. And, well, a small part of it was to brag that I was the first to find something no one else had. After all, being the first discoverer of something like this is very important.

"Alright. I’ll focus."

"Anyway, I cleared the fifth-floor boss and met a mage, and he seemed incredibly strong. My gut says A-rank… no, S-rank or higher?"

"Hey… what kind of NPC is that strong?"

"And as soon as I thought we made eye contact, I was out of there, but I think I died instantly from an attack that flew at me at the same time."

"What on earth is up with the Mystic difficulty… wait, what?"

Hayeon, who had been giving me a standard reaction, had her eyes widen and looked genuinely shocked the moment she heard I’d died once. Her reaction was even more intense than I’d expected. Hayeon, who couldn't close her mouth for a moment, looking momentarily flustered, finally managed to speak.

"…You died once? What does that mean? Is your body okay? What happened?"

"It’s all thanks to this."

I answered while fiddling with the Forgotten Royal Ring on my index finger. Hayeon naturally shifted her gaze to my hand.

"I thought it looked unusual from the moment I first saw it."

"It’s a Mystic-difficulty hidden item, if you please."

"Whoa… let me see!"

A look? I didn't mind. It wasn't like it would wear out from being looked at, and I just had to show it long enough for her to see the status window. I held it in front of Hayeon’s gaze for about three seconds while wearing the ring. That was enough time to view the status window.

"Let’s see… let’s take a look."

Hayeon examined the status window intently, muttering lines like an item appraiser. At first, she was reading the item’s information in a lighthearted mood, but as she went on, she couldn't hide her admiration for the effects of the gems.

"Wow… it has both a shield effect and an additional life effect? I’ve never even heard of an item like this existing."

"Isn't it insane?"

"At this rate, I can’t even imagine how much it would go for if you put it on a hunter equipment auction site…?"

Hunter auction sites are where items with various powerful effects are listed. Given the nature of hunters who work in dangerous environments where they could die, items with an "additional life" option attached to them fetch tens of billions of won, even if they are low-grade. And even those usually have conditions or are single-use. The cooldown might be a bit long, but an item that provides additional life without conditions would be incredibly expensive. But I have no intention of selling it. If I have an overpowered item like this, I should use it myself. Why would I sell it?

"Phew… anyway, do you know anything about the mage NPC that appears on the fifth floor?"

"No? I don't."

"Then why did you ask to see me at your place? You told me at the start that you had something you wanted to ask about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the fifth-floor mage."

"I just wanted to invite you over once."

…I thought it was a bit absurd, but I held my tongue. It wasn't like there were many people I could talk to seriously and trust anyway. Taking Seol-ah as an example, I could trust her, but she wasn't someone I could talk to seriously. She wasn't interested in hunters to begin with; she was interested in monsters. If I hoped to get any information by talking to her, I’d be the fool. She’d probably just say something like, "I want to touch your tail again."

"Well, if you've never seen him… ah, should I try drawing a montage?"

"That’s a good idea. I’ve been exploring the Tower for a really long time, you know. If you draw it, I might recognize him."

I just said it on a whim. For one thing, I’m terrible at drawing. But maybe I could get a clue from it. I thought it was worth a try.

"I’ll try drawing it. Do you have a tablet or something?"

"Ah, no. I don't have a tablet."

Hayeon seemed quite interested in electronic devices, as she had stacks of various old consoles. She doesn't have a tablet? It’s a bit suspicious, but it can't be helped. Should I draw it on the floor then? As I was thinking that, Hayeon walked somewhere and started looking for something.

"Is there something else?"

"Hmm… ah, found it! Here it is!"

The item Hayeon brought back with a beaming expression was none other than a sketchbook. And it wasn't a simple design that adults would use, but one covered in cute characters.

"…What is this."

"It’s a sketchbook and crayons."

That’s not what I asked. Why did you bring that out?

"I’m glad I didn't throw away the ones I used when I was little."

Judging by the lack of wear, it was definitely not something she had been using. It looked like she had prepared it just because I was coming. But since I was the one borrowing the place, I didn't think it was my place to say this was bad or that was bad, so I silently picked up the crayons.

Is this right…? As I started drawing lines with the crayons, Hayeon stuck to my side and started watching the drawing. But I didn't care and decided to focus entirely on drawing the montage. Grasping the identity of the NPC from the Tower to ensure my safety. I focused solely on that and started drawing.

The drawing completed after a long struggle was… a montage so miserable that even if I said a child drew it, people would believe it. No, it was questionable whether this could even be called a montage. But there was no need to be disappointed. The reason this drawing sucked wasn't because I was actually a child. It was just because my drawing skills sucked…!

"Whoa…."

Hayeon, who was watching the drawing from the side, nodded as if she’d realized something, then jumped up and started rummaging through the cupboards. …Did she figure something out?

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for where the formula was."

…Thinking about it, maybe I can't talk seriously with her either.

"Anyway, I’ve seen this NPC before."

"R-really? Where?"

"In the latter half of the desert stage? I think he was a high-ranking official in the Zaharat Kingdom."

Does that mean Hayeon has also faced this NPC directly? And that too, back when she was a beginner who hadn't even climbed to the 10th floor of the Black Tower?

"…How on earth did you survive?"

"Nothing happened in the first place. If his appearance hadn't been so unique, I would have forgotten him."

According to Hayeon’s eyewitness account, that man was a high-ranking official of the Zaharat Kingdom and meant he was just NPC #1 passing by like background scenery. An NPC you’d pass by without even being able to exchange a single word if you didn't provoke him. No, then why did he do that to me? He sent me, the Giant Worm corpse, and the cave goblin all in one go with some kind of space-distorting magic.

"…But given the atmosphere, it seems like you’ve really gotten on that NPC’s bad side."

"I guess I’ll just have to hope he doesn't show up again?"

Hmm. Things might get a little annoying from here on out.