The Unbreakable Fate's Thread
??? Floor
"…."
"You got lucky. If he'd been a Manifestation-rank ability user, this would've been a real headache."
Han Yuseon stretched her arms behind her head with a casual grin, utterly unfazed by the mangled corpses strewn across the ground. It felt a bit off-putting, like she was pretending nothing had happened, but…
No reason to stop her.
I was the one who'd basically sentenced that S-rank hunter to death from the start. If I'd wanted to, I could've told her to hold back—but I didn't want to. To be precise, all I'd thought was kill him.
I stared quietly at the body on the floor. His face was twisted in terror, as if he'd glimpsed something he absolutely shouldn't have.
"Death is natural here—or maybe anywhere."
Lost in thought, I suddenly felt Han Yuseon lean in close. I met her gaze without flinching. She smiled reassuringly, but her eyes were locked in cold detachment.
…
I knew it all too well. Ever since the Tower appeared, death had woven itself into our everyday lives. Developing countries had no way to control their hunters. America bred them with overwhelming capital, bolstering their military might. It was a powder keg ready to blow at any moment—no excuses or reasons needed.
Even without the Tower… death always lingered nearby. If anything, the push to conquer it might be the only thing preventing all-out war.
"So don't justify it or blame yourself. Just accept it as it is."
"Is that how it works?"
Han Yuseon nodded and gestured toward the dense forest around us. I turned to look—scattered monster corpses lay hacked apart in chunks.
"Exactly. They attacked first. We gave them a chance, and they blew it. Giving them that chance was mercy enough to begin with."
"Yeah, fair enough."
I decided to take it at face value. I killed them. Or they killed me. I could've spared them. But going public would've been too risky.
That was it. End of story.
I nodded. Tried to smile, but my lips wouldn't budge. Honestly, accepting someone's death so nonchalantly felt… disorienting.
"Anyway, dinner's hanwoo tonight."
As always, I dodged. Reality. Everything right in front of me.
"Come to think of it, I burned more energy today, so I'll grab some omakase from outside."
"You mean they deliver that…? Wait, you're saying you're eating it alone?"
"…."
I shot her an irritated glare, and she averted her eyes.
"You freeloading jerk."
"Even I get hurt when you look at me with such contempt."
"That's the point."
"On second thought, your contempt is quite rare and precious, Dollmaster."
Han Yuseon bantered nonsense to lighten the mood. Even as she did, she kept tying off loose ends—our score kept climbing.
Then—
You've gathered enough score within the time limit.
Hunted a human far above your level!
+20 Stat Points
The Tower Owner is watching!
So that's why they do ability hunting?
Killing hunters gave insane rewards. And Argos's Eyes—those screamed puppet material at first glance…
The Dimension Dagger, though. I eyed the glowing dagger in my hand, then swung it experimentally.
Whoosh.
No spatial rift. But that guy had definitely torn open a gap with it…
What the—?
Han Yuseon watched me fumble around, searching for some activation method, then covered her mouth and snickered.
"That dagger's user-bound. No compatibility, no use."
"Ah."
Embarrassed, I ducked my head. My face burned.
Idiot! Why didn't you say so sooner?!
I'd hoped it'd be useful in fights, perfect for ambushes…
She chuckled. "Besides, anything not human can't really ambush anyway. Can't even pierce proper skin."
"Useless egg, then. Sell it later if I can."
"Too risky right now. Traced back to its previous owner easy."
Han Yuseon hummed thoughtfully, staring at the dagger in her hand.
"Such pretty hands…"
"You're not looking at the dagger, you jerk."
"Ahem. We'll hold onto it for now."
First things first—get out of this forest and think later.
Shhkk…
Elysia, will you exit the Tower?
Unregistered hunter with the Korean Association. Clear will be publicized as unregistered!
The space warped.
Floor level changed to the top floor!
Fate's Thread unravels!
The red text screamed danger. My eyes widened.
…!
This wasn't my cozy apartment.
Shhkk.
The scene shifted. A massive, pitch-black cavernous space filled my vision—like a cave deep inside the Tower.
In the center of that enormous darkness, my gaze locked instinctively on it.
A silver-haired girl seated on a throne. Motionless like a lonely queen on her seat, yet her presence crushed down with overwhelming pressure.
Han Yuseon… she's gone.
I furrowed my brow. If she'd been here, she'd have done something by now—but nothing. No presence at all.
This should've panicked me. My sole protector, vanished in this deadly situation.
"…"
The girl slowly raised her head. Our eyes met. Her silver pupils gleamed with icy void—not cold, but empty.
What is she?
I swallowed dryly. We just stared in silence. Only the drip, drip of falling water echoed in the quiet.
She let out a small, amused chuckle, propping her chin on her hand. Humming softly, her eyes narrowed.
"Dost thou have words for Us after so long?"
Her voice was melodic—childlike in its youthfulness, yet slow like an elder's. Archaic formality dripped from every syllable.
I stayed silent. Opening my mouth here might get me killed.
…Speculating now, she's probably a Transcendent-grade hidden boss like on Floor 3.
Worst case? The Tower Owner.
She watched me intently, then smirked and extended her hand.
…?
Her pale fingers. A golden thread wound around her ring finger.
I hadn't noticed before—it connected straight to me.
Fate's Thread.
She giggled behind her sleeve at my shock, the sound crystalline in the stillness.
"Heehee… hahaha…."
"…."
"Huu… ha."
The laughter twisted into hollow emptiness, then cut off. Her face crumpled. She gnashed her teeth.
A total shift from before. Her bloodshot silver eyes glared at her ring finger, fury boiling beneath.
She flailed at the intangible golden thread, trying to rip it free.
"Rip it… rip it off…!"
Like a child throwing a tantrum. But—
Shhkk…
The background warped with her movements. Grand fortress. Cozy cabin. Wasteland littered with corpses. And—
Crackle! Crrackle!
"Aaaah! Rip it off!"
Space shattered. Like glass fracturing into shards, cracks spiderwebbed out—each reflecting a different realm, like peering through a warped mirror.
"Hiiiiaaah!"
She clawed at her hair in frenzy, shrieking as she raised her clenched fist high—then slammed it down on the armrest.
BOOM—!
The spaces exploded into fragments. What remained: a dilapidated cabin. She slumped in a rickety chair, a hollow laugh bubbling from her lips.
"Ha… haha."
Empty echoes. As I watched, she turned to me. Her eyes swirled with tangled emotions—resentment, bitterness… and pity.
The golden thread on her ring finger. She stared blankly, then spoke.
"…It won't break."
I hadn't said a word the whole time.
"We'll meet again soon. Then… probably."
She closed her eyes.
"For atonement, We must descend. Abandoning all."
Like her closed eyes, my vision went pitch black.
A hand reached out.
Doll Creation
Text floated before me. I hadn't commanded it, but the skill triggered on its own.
The man wanted to breathe life into his doll. He sought the greatest mage, who shook his head upon hearing the request. "I can grant life, but at a tremendous cost. It will never fulfill your heart. The man said it didn't matter. It will be human-like, but unable to sate your endless greed. Like all dolls, it will surely be discarded." The man said it didn't matter. The mage cast the spell with a warning.
Dolls are surely destined to be discarded.