It's Your Fault
What is a tower, anyway?
… Honestly, I had no idea either. That's why I'd asked Daon to come check it out with me.
“……”
“Ah, no, I mean, it's not possible because…!”
I let my arm drop limply and stared at her with a blank expression, and she started rambling some explanation.
She'd already cleared the 30th floor, towers could only be cleared solo, she had no way to return to the starting 1st floor, and so on.
“… Ah, got it.”
I sort of understood. But…
“I guess we'll have to see for ourselves once we try.”
For starters, whether I was even recognized as a 'person' was something we needed to test.
In the end, we couldn't check, but I'd seen the Association's equipment appraisal recognize my body before.
If I was treated as equipment or something else, maybe I could enter even the solo-only floors of the tower alongside her.
“Let's go.”
I shot to my feet.
“Pardon? Oh, sure.”
Daon followed awkwardly behind me as we headed out the front door.
*
“Hmm.”
The scenery around the tower was starting to feel familiar now.
It was midday, and the place was packed with crowds of people.
According to Daon, Korea had other towers, but this one near Namsan Tower Gate was the only one in Seoul.
“Let's hurry and check it out.”
I stuck close to Daon's side, glancing around wildly as we walked.
Once again, those massive vendor stalls caught my eye.
“Ah.”
I raised my elbow and nudged Daon's hip.
“What's wrong?”
“Let's avoid that one…”
The junk dealer from before.
The JW Guild's weapon stall.
The clerks manning it looked like the same ones as last time, so I wanted to dodge any hassle.
Their shoddy quality was still the same, too.
“… Yes, of course.”
Daon and I slipped through the gaps between other stalls and the crowds.
Even as we moved, she kept glancing at me sideways, like she had something to say.
“What?”
“Well, um…”
She scratched her cheek, hesitating for a moment before continuing.
“There are so many people…! You might get lost…! Wouldn't it be better if we held hands?”
With that, she held out her palm to me.
That won't happen.
But saying it out loud felt weird. Truth was, I had a great sense of direction.
Ever since these ears and tail appeared, I could see the Earth's magnetic field like a natural compass.
And I could sense the faint vibrations from Sawol at her waist.
“Hmm…”
Still, she looked so eager. It felt a bit mean to refuse.
“Sure, why not.”
I nodded and took her right hand in mine.
Her face lit up instantly.
“Ahem.”
She let out an embarrassed cough and we kept walking.
The tower entrance soon came into view. People were still lined up waiting to enter.
I started to slip my hand free and join the hunter line ahead when—
Grab.
Daon gripped my hand again and pointed off in another direction with her finger.
“We go that way.”
She was pointing diagonally across from the tower's main entrance, to another one.
“After the 30th floor, you enter through a different gate. I saw it online, so I'm not totally sure, but…”
“I see.”
What a discriminatory tower.
Following her, we turned away from the long line of hunters and headed that way. A much larger, arch-shaped entrance appeared—nearly deserted.
Hidden in the shady tree cover, I hadn't noticed it last time.
“Shall we…?”
Daon took a deep breath, then stepped toward the entrance.
Still holding my hand, of course.
That instant—
—BEEEEEP!
A warning blared.
The deafening noise hit my head like a hammer, leaving my ears ringing.
“Ugh…”
It wasn't just me—Daon clutched her ears and dropped to the ground.
I squinted and looked around.
No one approached or even glanced our way. The alarm must be just for us.
“W-wait a second.”
Daon pulled her foot back from the entrance.
The alarm cut off instantly, leaving only the usual quiet wind.
“What was that?”
“Well, um…”
Daon explained the status window that had popped up in front of her eyes.
Something about 'only one piece of non-standard tower equipment allowed.'
Her face showed a tangle of confusion and doubt.
“Hmm…”
From the looks of it, the tower didn't count me as a person…
It probably meant Sawol as the non-standard equipment.
So the tower's message…
“Guess it's either me or Sawol. Only one of us can go in.”
Daon let out a sigh at my guess.
“I-I want to go with you, Dan-nim… But without Sawol, I'm too weak…”
Her posture and expression sank fast.
I patted her shoulder silently.
Well, there'd be another chance.
Patting the much taller Daon's shoulder made my arm ache, so I stopped quickly and turned around.
“Can't be helped.”
Going into the tower with Daon was off the table. Next time, I'd try the 1st floor solo.
I was super strong, after all. I could handle it alone.
Probably.
“I'm sorry…”
I shook my head at her apology and turned to leave.
It wasn't anyone's fault.
If anything, maybe mine for being too overpowered.
… Probably.
“Ahem.”
The pathetic stats from the Association kept flashing in my mind, but I coughed to ignore it.
It had to be a glitch. Definitely.
As we turned to head home with Daon—
“Th-this won't do…!”
A commotion erupted from the main tower entrance where the hunters were lined up.
I whipped my head that way.
“If you can't pay back the money, settle it with goods!!”
“I-I want to, but!”
Two people arguing heatedly.
One was a skinny woman in casual clothes, the other a burly, muscular man.
The colorful tattoos snaking up his arms and legs caught my eye.
Looked like a childish guy who loved doodles, despite his tough appearance.
“Hm?”
But what really grabbed me was the ring on the woman's finger.
“I-I can't give this to anyone else…!”
That was why they were bickering.
The childish thug was trying to snatch the ring, while the woman flailed and just kept saying 'no.'
Yeah, she really can't.
That ring was my failed creation. The very first one I'd put up at auction.
I walked toward them like I was drawn by a spell.
“J-just give me a little more time…”
“That's already a week!!”
Their voices sharpened as I approached.
Finally right beside them, they stopped fighting and looked down at me.
Two gazes overlapped on me. But mine was fixed solely on the silver ring on her slender finger.
“Grown-ups are talking, so go play with toys or…”
“Did you buy that?”
I cut off the musclehead's snap at me and asked the woman directly.
His face twisted in wounded pride.
“Wh-what the…!”
He grimaced and reached to shove me away, but…
“What do you think you're doing?”
Daon blocked him faster.
“And who the hell are y—”
The man scanned Daon up and down.
From her hair, her features, down to Sawol at her waist.
“L-Lee Daon…?”
He stammered in shock and backed away.
Then he whipped around, pointed at the woman wearing my failed ring, and—
“Y-you… See you tomorrow.”
He bolted. I stared up at the ring over his retreating back.
Stainless steel. My first real creation with this body.
A failure, sure, but I wanted to check if something had gone wrong with it.
Thankfully—and obviously—it was in the exact same state as when I'd made it.
“Th-thank you…”
The woman bowed to me and Daon.
“Wasn't really for you, but… what's going on?”
At Daon's question, the woman explained everything.
A crazy-powerful item that popped up at auction. Borrowing money from the black guild Iron Fist to buy it.
“Hmm…”
She'd tried entering the tower to make money because of the 'non-transferable' option I'd set, but chickened out and stalled for days.
Man, everyone had their issues…
“You messed up.”
“You really did.”
Just stories that made me sigh.
“Y-yes…”
She knew it too, blushing as she stared at the ground.