Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Ruins of Moretti
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The blinding light that had filled his vision vanished along with the notification.
"...Huh?"
Woojin couldn't help but feel bewildered when he opened his eyes.
"Moretti... the village?"
He had definitely logged out, hadn't he?
The game had ended, right?
So why... was he seeing this tiresome landscape again?
The fountain behind him, the cobblestone streets scattered throughout the village.
Nothing had changed.
No... everything had changed too much.
Everything was in ruins.
The village was little more than a wasteland.
"How did... this happen?"
Kwaaaang---!!!
Before he could even grasp the situation, a ferocious explosion roared out.
The fountain behind him shattered into pieces like it had detonated.
"Ugh, uwaaak!!!"
Woojin threw himself to the ground and rolled away.
Warruruk...!!!
The debris from the destroyed fountain came crashing down on him.
"Huk... huk..."
Dust billowed up, and as he shielded his face with his arms and curled up, he slowly opened his eyes.
'I... I survived.'
But it was too soon to relax.
Jjeok... jjeojjeok...
Kwagagang...!!
The burning buildings around him collapsed with a crash.
Woojin instinctively protected his head with both hands and bolted forward.
[Kieeeek---!!]
[Keeeek---!!]
At that moment, roars like eardrum-shattering shrieks echoed out, and Woojin hurriedly scanned his surroundings.
"The village..."
It was all red.
Thick black smoke rose toward the sky, and flames raged throughout the village.
[Kieee---!!!!]
The roar sounded again.
And when the source of the roar appeared before his eyes, Woojin could only stand there dumbfounded.
"What the hell happened..."
That was when it happened.
"Get your head down!!"
A rough shout came from behind him.
Woojin ducked without even turning around.
Peok---!!!
A dull thud rang out, and something sticky and warm trickled down over the back of his hand covering the nape of his neck.
Tok---.
Something fell onto his shoulder.
"Huk!"
When he opened his eyes, Woojin let out a scream.
What had fallen in front of him was the head of a bizarre monster resembling a bat.
"Damn gargoyles! So they've pushed this far in. If Moretti's this bad... the Central Continent must be a nightmare."
Woojin looked up.
A bloodied old man in armor stood before him, breathing raggedly.
"An adventurer? New face. You made it this far, huh."
"Yes?"
"You look young, but getting here means you're lucky. You're heading to the Lion King's stronghold too, right?"
The man said to Woojin.
"L-Lion King?"
...Who the hell was that?
"But be careful. This is faceless monster territory now. Back in the day, it was newbie hunting grounds like the Dark Forest. But now..."
The man glanced around as he spoke to him.
"It's one of the most dangerous spots. Those cursed Müllenga bastards... if those idiots hadn't screwed around, Moretti wouldn't have turned into this."
'Faceless monsters? And what's Müllenga?'
It was all unfamiliar terminology.
Unable to make sense of the situation, Woojin just stared at the man in confusion.
"Value your life. If you survive, we'll meet again someday..."
"Wait a second!"
"...?"
"What the hell is this place? What happened to the village? The tower... where's the tower?"
This guy knew the world.
He couldn't just let him go like this.
The village lay in ruins, but the most alien thing was the tower's absence.
The very purpose of Evil Tail.
The massive tower piercing the sky, visible anywhere on the continent.
It was gone.
"Tower?"
But the man tilted his head as if wondering what he was talking about.
"The Labyrinth Tower! The one with 100 floors... where monsters live!"
Game or not, if this was the world of Evil Tail he knew, there had to be a tower.
"A 100-floor tower...? You mean Bandarius's tower? That's been collapsed for ages..."
"...Yes? Collapsed?"
Woojin was speechless at his response.
"The last expedition hit the 99th floor ten years ago."
The old man spoke as if it was obvious, but Woojin couldn't comprehend it at all.
'T-Ten... years ago?'
Woojin couldn't hide his shock.
'We've barely cleared the 10th floor...?'
"Isn't this year 87 in the Akedo calendar?"
"87? What are you talking about? It's been 50 years since then."
"Fifty years...?"
"Hold on."
Something was off about his words.
It wasn't just the date.
The 100th floor?
If they'd cleared 99, why did the tower collapse?
Shouldn't the final floor still be there?
[Kieeeek---!!!]
A flock of gargoyles darkened the sky overhead, roaring as if ready to dive at any moment, snapping Woojin out of his confusion.
"We need to hurry. Night's falling."
The man grabbed Woojin's arm.
"If you want to live, follow me."
"Ugh, uwaak?!"
The old man yanked Woojin's arm, lifting him effortlessly.
'What strength...'
But before he could dwell on it, the old man was already sprinting out of the village toward the forest.
"W-Wait!"
The night of the ruins.
The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.
"...What? You're not from this world? And even if you die, you resurrect?"
They had left the village and holed up in a small cave in the forest.
"Man... must be nice living in a world like that."
Unlike Woojin, who spoke gravely, the old man just chuckled lightly.
'Of course he wouldn't believe it.'
Woojin thought the same himself.
If he went further and said it was a game and his real life was elsewhere, he'd be called insane for sure.
'And with this outfit...'
Woojin awkwardly patted down his body.
Worn leather armor and a sword at his waist.
Clink.
In the pouch on the other side, he could see the potions from his inventory.
Right now, he wasn't Kim Woojin from reality.
He was Evil Tail's level 10 warrior.
Khan.
'How the hell did this happen... I definitely saw the logout notification.'
A different world, not reality.
And he was here in his game character's form.
'Plus, that village was definitely Moretti.'
Ruined as it was, Woojin was certain.
It was the starter village for newbie zones.
Monsters around it were just slimes fit for playful fights.
But...
'Gargoyles were flying around.'
High-level monsters only seen on the Central Continent.
This world was similar to the game he knew, but completely different.
'How many of those things are out there?'
The thought made his body tremble uncontrollably, against his will.
"Here."
Then the old man handed him something.
A fragrant, nutty aroma.
Gurgle...
Absurdly, hunger replaced the trembling.
"You need a full belly to fight, whether against enemies or yourself."
Woojin bowed his head and took the bowl from the man.
"Something I had before the Central Continent fell. Hard to come by these days."
The bowl held a thin, watery soup.
Diluted with water, it was bland.
But...
Gulp. Gulp.
Woojin devoured it greedily.
"Not bad, right?"
The old man smiled faintly, as if understanding.
"Ha..."
After emptying the bowl, Woojin finally exhaled.
The warm sensation sliding down his throat spread pleasantly through his body.
Ridiculous as it was, this plain soup felt like the best thing he'd ever eaten.
"A privilege only survivors get to experience."
The old man poured water into Woojin's bowl and added the rest of his soup as he spoke.
"Name's Raoul."
"Kim Woo... no, Khan."
Woojin glanced at his outfit again and corrected himself.
There had to be a reason he came here in this form.
"So... where exactly is this place?"
"Right, you said you're from another world?"
Raoul asked teasingly.
"...It's true. There's a place just like this. Well, it's not my real home either, but... anyway, they're still clearing the 10th floor of the tower there."
"10th floor? Heh... whether it's true or not, sounds like a happy world."
"Yes?"
Raoul gave Woojin a wry smile.
"Fine, you sound crazy, but I'll play along. It's been half a year since I last had a chat."
He looked at Woojin.
For some reason, it felt like he'd asked something he shouldn't have.
"The tower appeared out of nowhere. Adventurers challenged it. Insane rewards and resources inside, making kingdoms prosper."
"But... why did it turn into this?"
"We thought the prosperity would last forever."
"What happened on the 99th floor?"
Raoul shook his head at Woojin's question.
"The world didn't fall because of the 99th. It changed when we cleared just the 60th."
"..."
"Monsters started pouring out from the tower into the world."
Grind---.
He gnashed his teeth.
"But we didn't just take it. We pushed through the tower desperately. Clinging to the hope on the stele at the 60th floor, right when monsters flooded out."
"What did it say?"
Woojin asked in a trembling voice.
"Clear the 100th floor, and any wish, any miracle will come true."
Gulp.
Woojin swallowed dryly without realizing.
'If that's real...'
Could clearing the final 100th floor grant his wish to return to reality?
"But that's where it ended. Reaching the 100th is impossible."
As if reading his mind, Raoul spoke softly.
"Why?"
"No way to get to the 100th."
Raoul pointed outside the cave.
"See that? The floating castle in the sky. That's the tower's 100th floor."
"...Yes?"
It was unthinkable.
'The tower's final floor... in the sky?'
Speechless, Woojin blankly looked up.
Raoul filled his bowl with water, scraped the last of the soup, and wrapped himself in his cloak as he sat.
"Time to give up. How do you reach a tower floating in the sky? All Central Continent kingdoms are gone... only hope left is fleeing to the Lion King's rumored sanctuary."
With that, he turned as if to sleep.
"You got a meal out of me, so I'll rest first. Fair enough? Wake me when the hourglass runs out. About two hours."
Was he that trusting? Or confident in his skills?
'What? Already asleep?'
He started snoring the moment he closed his eyes.
"Hoo."
After the hectic moments passed, left alone in the silence, Woojin finally reflected on his situation.
Trapped in a game, and now another world?
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The administrator's words from the plaza came to mind.
-[R&C Technology] Hits 100 Billion Revenue!!
-Young CEO Making World Headlines, TOP 20!!
-Kim Woojin's Crew Expands from Asia to the Globe!
He'd once graced front pages everywhere.
From rags to success story.
A living legend, as the headlines said.
And yet...
'Now I can't be sure of anything.'
Even his memories of himself felt shaky.
He'd just loved games.
People envied his success, but every day was a brutal, suffocating grind.
For him, short gaming sessions were the only respite from cutthroat society.
But...
He placed a hand on the sword at his waist.
A weight unlike in the game.
And a keen edge.
A real sword.
Golf, squash, climbing, swimming—he'd learned plenty in reality, including kendo.
He'd competed in decent tournaments, so he had some confidence with a sword.
That was why he'd picked warrior in Evil Tail, but the moment he gripped this one, he realized.
Could he really use it properly?
Its heavy, crude feel was worlds apart from a wooden practice sword.
"...Login."
Woojin glanced at Raoul and murmured quietly.
No response.
He sighed softly.
He didn't even know how he'd logged out and ended up here.
"Ahem, login!"
Even louder, still nothing.
'I wanted out so bad... and now I want back in.'
It was maddening, but Woojin kept composing himself.
"Status window!!"
He tried one more time, just in case.
Nothing happened.
Then Raoul stirred from his sleep.
"Ah, it's nothing. Just a prayer I say before bed..."
Shh.
Raoul raised a finger to his lips, ignoring him.
"No rest tonight."
Clack---.
Raoul gripped his sword, presence concealed.
He gazed at the cave entrance and spoke lowly to Woojin.
"Monster."
Woojin's embarrassed gaze wavered too.