Fear
Chong-chong-chong
Hwik
"......"
Chong-chong-chong
Hwik
"......"
"Hey. Why are you following me?"
"......"
"You're not following me? Am I mistaking things? Then well..."
I intentionally turned back around and started walking in the direction I had come from.
Chong-chong-chong
Chong-chong-chong
Ah, she really is following me.
Jeong Eunchae.
The Management Bureau's next-generation ace and national star player... has been quietly tagging along behind me for a while now.
I already thought she was a weird person when she picked a fight while crying, but...
Now that she's determinedly following me, it's actually a bit terrifying...
"Look, at least say something... You're following me like this because you have business with me, right? Talking about strange things earlier... Is it because of the Sage's Necklace?"
"......"
"Agh, this is suffocating."
Is she originally of that personality?
Whenever I saw her interviews on TV, she had a super confident and cold image,
But her appearance right now... how should I put it, she looks somewhat dense...
Her eye area was still slightly swollen from how much she cried earlier.
"Excuse me..."
Finally.
She, who had been following me without a word the whole time, opened her mouth.
"Phone number..."
"What?"
"Your phone number..."
"Phone number? My phone number?"
Ggeudeok
"Why?"
"......."
"Is it because of the Sage's Necklace? Once I get it returned, I'll inform the Management Bureau anyway, so tell them to prepare a lot of money. You can just contact me through the Management Bureau."
"......"
As this strange confrontation between Jeong Eunchae and me continued in the middle of the street, people walking by began to recognize her one by one and gather round.
"It's Jeong Eunchae! It's really Jeong Eunchae!"
"Look at how small her face is! How can a person's face be that small?"
"She's so pretty, seriously! She wouldn't even need to climb the tower, she could just be a celebrity!"
"Hey, you fool! If the next-generation ace doesn't climb the tower, who will? What, do you want the Tower of Trials to collapse so we all die together?"
"Haa... Just think about her fighting hideous monsters with that slender body. If even a scratch gets on that pretty face... Heuk!"
The onlookers who had started gathering one by one were soon making a huge fuss with their respective companions, and it seemed that I, standing opposite Jeong Eunchae, caught their eyes as well.
"By the way, who's that guy?"
"Boyfriend? Ey, no way, right?"
"A boyfriend for Player Jeong Eunchae-nim, who doesn't have a single scandal? Don't speak so carelessly. Look at how that guy looks, even his clothes are shabby—"
Hey, you're the one speaking carelessly... I can hear everything, you know.
As too many people suddenly gathered, I felt uncomfortable and tried to quickly leave the spot.
However.
Cheok
"...Uh?"
Jeong Eunchae grabbed the hem of my clothes with her hand, which was as jade-white and slender as a gemstone.
"......Let go."
"......"
"I told you to let go."
"......"
That small, thin hand had tremendous grip strength...
No matter how much I tugged at my clothes trying to pull away, it wouldn't budge at all.
Gripping with full power, her already white hand turned even paler.
"W-What? Why is Player Jeong Eunchae-nim holding onto that guy's hem... Ah! A pickpocket?"
"Player Jeong Eunchae-nim! Should we help you?"
"You punk, what did you do to Player Jeong Eunchae-nim?"
This is fucking unfair.
Just because Jeong Eunchae was holding onto my hem and wouldn't let go,
The onlookers naturally treated me like a criminal.
Whether Jeong Eunchae couldn't see those many people or not, she kept holding onto my hem while staring intently at me with her clear, sparkling eyes.
"No, let go! People are misunderstanding. I'm not a pickpocket! I have plenty of money! Ah, this... agh!"
I have 20 billion won in my bank account...
As if determined never to let go, Jeong Eunchae even brought her other hand into play, clinging onto the hem of my clothes.
"...Phone number."
"Ah, fine, fine! I'll give it to you. Giving it to you will do, right?"
To escape this moment as quickly as possible, I gave her my phone number.
Only after hearing my phone number did she release one hand, pull out her own phone, and dial the digits.
Diririririri
The phone in my pants pocket rang loudly,
And only then did she let go with her remaining hand.
Wow, was she holding on just to check if it was the right number? Thorough, isn't she...
Right around when I began to think she was a bit scary,
The murmuring around us struck my ears.
"W-What's this now? Did Player Jeong Eunchae-nim just get that guy's number?"
"Ey, no way. There must be some story behind it."
"Right? Of course, otherwise it makes no sense."
Watching the onlookers who refused to believe that Jeong Eunchae had gotten my number even after witnessing it clearly with their own eyes, I vowed to quickly go to a department store and get myself fitted with flashy designer clothes.
Ssiik
Huh?
The corners of her mouth while tapping her phone seemed to curl up slightly.
What was she trying to do by being so desperate for my number like that? Does she really want to contact me directly to ask to borrow the Sage's Necklace?
"Alright, we're done now, right? Then I'm off."
"...I'll call you..."
"There's still way more than a month left before the Sage's Necklace is returned, so there's no real need to call... Ah, wouldn't contacting me through the Management Bureau be more comfortable for you in the first place?"
"......Let's go eat meat."
"...Pardon?"
"...I'll buy you meat... me..."
She bowed her head deeply as her face flushed bright red.
Why is she saying she'll buy meat?
"I have plenty of money. Buying meat for what... It's not like we're close enough to eat together after just meeting."
"......I'll call you!"
Leaving behind those last words that she would call, she covered her face and ran off like crazy.
Left behind, I also quickly vacated the spot due to the fierce glares of the onlookers.
'Even while crying earlier, she kept harping on about meat... Do I look pitiful? Why does she keep trying to feed me meat...?'
Mulling over her incomprehensible words, I hailed a taxi.
"Ahjussi, please take me to the nearest department store."
"The limit... is damn small..."
At the department store I arrived at, thinking I would come out dripping head to toe in resplendent luxury brands, I barely managed to match a single outfit of top and bottoms before returning home.
It was because I hadn't raised my credit card limit.
Truly, money is meant to be spent by those who are used to spending it...
Watching a mere scrap of a T-shirt cost over a million won, I felt like raising the limit to my heart's content would lead to big trouble, so I just used up my existing limit and walked out.
Even with 20 billion won in my bank account, I couldn't throw away this habit of acting destitute.
"It's because I'm not rich enough yet. If I had insane amounts of money, I wouldn't even be able to act destitute if I tried. I don't even know when my lifespan will end, so shouldn't I live in luxury while I can? Let's just make money."
I entered the tower.
<You have entered the 27th floor of the Tower of Trials>
It felt suffocating, as if I had entered a massive furnace.
Tremendous heat.
All over the floor, bright red magma flowed like water in a stream,
And the occasional sparks flying up were threatening enough to melt all your flesh at the slightest touch.
If it were me before pressing the 50-Year Button, just breathing in a place like this would have drained my Health continuously.
<Defeat 10 Magma Golems 0/10>
Eoseulleong eoseulleong
A Magma Golem approached my way.
It wasn't a fast stride, but staring at that immense size, there would certainly be players whose feet froze on the spot.
"Who said golems are better than goblins? Did they even take a proper look at that absurdly huge size?"
Back in my Management Bureau days, I had studied by watching registered players' strategy videos and interviews, so I roughly knew, but...
Facing it in person, the tremendous physique was all too overwhelming.
"Why isn't mental fortitude included in all stats..."
I am definitely strong.
Ridiculously strong.
So strong that even I cannot accurately gauge it...
But right now,
Looking at those golems slowly walking toward me while dripping crimson, blood-like magma,
My heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst.
It's so terrifying.
A fear of pain engraved deep to the bone.
While climbing the tower up to the 24th floor, I almost died countless times.
I was injured so many times, over and over.
But.
Pain is something you never get used to.
The fear inside me did not easily fade away.
Before I knew it, the pack of Magma Golems arrived right in front of me.
Even if they seemed to walk leisurely, since their bodies were naturally huge, their stride length must have exceeded normal levels.
One of the guys who had already come right in front of my eyes thrust its giant rock fist toward me.
Though internally surprised by the unexpectedly speedy attack, I lightly took a step.
Swiik
As expected, my Agility exceeding 3,000 would never allow an attack of that level to hit.
When I commanded my legs to move, it felt like moving to the targeted spot almost simultaneously.
It wasn't just a matter of feeling light on my feet.
It felt as though physics didn't even apply.
"Uukuukuuuu"
The Magma Golem uttered a strange sound and turned back toward me.
Kung-kung-kung-kung
As the guy started to run, the ground rumbled loudly as if an earthquake had hit.
"I'll overcome it. Even the fear of pain."
I had no intention of dodging the guy's upcoming attack charging at me.
I couldn't remain cowering like a scared child forever.
Even if just to overcome my PTSD, I would deliberately take the guy's fist.
Of course, it was also something I was pulling off relying on my tremendous Health of a whopping 3,200.
Risking one's life to eliminate fear would be foolish, but if I had the Health to endure getting hit several times, it was a different story.
The charging guy even utilized its momentum to hurl its absurdly huge rock fist at me.
Kwa-ang
"......Uh?"
Kwajik kwajijik seureureuk
<Defeat 10 Magma Golems 1/10>
Starting from the guy's fist that touched my face down to its torso, the guy crumbled, shattering into pieces.
The guy had shattered into pieces like a plastic toy hit by a dump truck.
Though that side was the one that looked like the dump truck...