Evergreen Tower (5)
A long, dangling tongue.
The moment I saw it, I urgently released the strength from my hand.
The snake fell limply from my grip and dropped to the ground.
"Uh... uh..."
Thud.
I caught the falling snake with both hands, breaking out in a cold sweat.
No movement.
Did it die?
No, more importantly...
"Why'd you come along?"
This guy was a monster from the third floor.
It shouldn't be able to come to the fourth.
Countless people had tried in the Tutorial Tower, and they all agreed on that rule.
So it should be impossible...
"Is it possible here because this is the Evergreen Tower?"
No.
That couldn't be it.
When I caught the Bloody Mantis on the second floor,
I had a fragment of its exoskeleton in my left hand.
But that fragment vanished the moment I entered the third floor.
Meaning items from other floors can't cross over.
But this guy did.
What the hell?
It didn't make sense.
Was it something special about this guy?
I stared intently at the snake with its tongue lolling out long and limp.
When coiled up, it was small enough to fit in one hand.
Now, it was stretched out, tongue dangling.
"Hey."
"......"
"I know you're not dead."
Playing dead like that.
I narrowed my eyes at the black snake.
The hand I'd grabbed it with was my left—not my right.
Just normal human grip strength.
No way a monster couldn't handle that.
Especially one that was so tough disguised as a slime.
Under my piercing gaze, the snake twitched and slowly lifted its head.
"Kkung."
This bastard just clicked its tongue.
Right in my face.
It coiled up on my palm, sulking that it hadn't been eaten.
"Hey."
"......"
"I know you understand me, even if you ignore me."
Slither.
It uncoiled quietly and stared right at me.
Locking eyes with its beady black ones, I asked,
"Who are you?"
"Kkung?"
"You're no ordinary snake."
"Kkuung. Kkuk. Kkuuuk."
What was it saying?
But there was no way I could understand its babbling.
I'm an idiot.
Of course asking a question I couldn't get an answer to.
I put figuring out its identity on hold and asked the next one.
"Do you know about this tower?"
"......Kkung?"
It tilted its head like, What are you talking about?
From that, I realized it didn't know about the "tower."
So, approach it differently.
"Hey, do you know where this is?"
"Kkung!"
Like Of course!, it thumped its chest with its tail.
Then it slithered down from my palm and looked around.
And then...
"Kkuk."
It froze, shocked.
I crouched down beside it and flicked its head with my index finger.
"You don't know where we are?"
"......Kkung."
It drooped its head at my words.
It really didn't know.
This was a problem.
As I scratched the back of my head, it thumped the ground with its tail, looking wronged.
"Kkuuk! Kkuk!"
"What? It's my fault we ended up in this weird place?"
"Kkuk!"
Fair enough.
I didn't choose to drop into some unknown forest either.
Okay, last one.
The thing I'd wondered since the first floor.
"Hey. Do you know where the World Tree is?"
"Kkung."
It nodded firmly, like it knew.
That confirmed it.
All floors of the Evergreen Tower were connected.
I suspected because it was all forest, but yeah.
First, second, third, fourth floors.
The entire Evergreen Tower was one big forest.
So I'd wondered.
Maybe all floors were stages within a single forest.
And the answer matched my guess.
That's why the Earth Bear from the first showed up on the second.
And why this guy from the third knew about the World Tree, our fourth-floor goal.
I quietly looked away from it, staring into space.
System.
The "Find the World Tree" message there.
This time, it wasn't about killing monsters.
It was reaching a specific destination.
So to go to the next floor, I had to find that World Tree...
Should I go find it?
I'd hitched my urgent goal of 1.5% synchronization.
I could go home now.
But no real reason to rush back.
I had to find it eventually.
Might as well do it now.
Rubbing my chin, I glanced down.
The snake was scurrying back and forth busily.
"Hey."
"Kkung?"
"You're sure you know where the World Tree is?"
"Kkung!"
It nodded vigorously.
Seemed like it did.
Then...
"Guide me to the World Tree."
"Kkung?"
"You're lost too, right?"
"......Kkung."
It was lost like me.
If we got to a place it knew, we'd reach the World Tree faster.
If we're wandering anyway, better with company than alone.
It eyed me like Why me?
Expected that.
So I made an offer it couldn't refuse.
"Guide me to the World Tree, and I'll protect you."
This guy was strong.
Or rather, it could be strong.
If it ate enough and built up power.
One form of that strength was its slime disguise on the third floor.
And now.
It had lost all that stored power because of me.
That's why it didn't counterattack properly when I let my guard down.
If it was really strong, when I canceled Black Dragon and relaxed, it would've bitten through my hand.
Taken my hand clean off with a real attack.
But it didn't.
Just a nibble, then played dead to escape.
The meaning was clear.
So I was sure.
"......Kkung."
It couldn't refuse.
As expected, it nodded, and I grinned.
"Good. Hop on."
I reached down to it on the ground.
It understood and climbed up my hand.
Staring at it on my palm, I muttered,
"We're sticking together for a bit, so 'hey' feels impersonal."
Hmm...
Maybe give it a proper name?
"How about Kkungkkung...?"
"Kkuuk!"
Chomp!
It bit my hand hard—no way.
Not painful, but the message was clear.
Okay, what then... Ah!
"Cheori."
"Kkung?"
"What about Cheori?"
It was eating steel when we met.
So, Cheori. Seemed perfect.
"Kkuuuk!"
Didn't like it, apparently.
It gnawed at my hand with all its might.
Didn't hurt before, but now it stung.
Hated it that much?
Wincing at the persistent prickling in my left hand, I yelled,
"Fine, Cheori it is!"
"Kkung?"
"Cheori. Your name. Cool?"
"Kkung!"
This one worked?
It finally let go after chomping away.
I ignored the red marks on my hand and said,
"Alright, nice to meet you, Cheori."
"Kkung!"
I stroked its wagging tail with my right hand and took a step forward.
"Let's go, Cheori."
"Kkung kkung!"
Cheori climbed my arm with a bright cry, settling on my right shoulder.
Oh, by the way, something I forgot to say.
Your surname is Kang.
Kang Cheori.
* * *
About 30 minutes in, I stopped and gaped down.
"That was close."
A sheer cliff, carved straight down.
Grass had been thick right up to the edge—I nearly plummeted.
Shivering at the dizzying height, I tilted my head back to the sky.
"More importantly, sunset here too."
The sky was already red.
Night would come soon.
We hadn't gone far, but the sun was setting.
"Gotta move at dawn."
If I'd hit another cliff in the dark?
Splat.
Better wait for daylight to avoid risks.
And most of all...
"Kkung......"
Cheori was wilting.
What?
Sick?
Staring at the droopy guy, it hit me late.
"No way. You're hungry?"
"Kkung!"
It whipped my cheek with its tail, like Finally noticed?
Not fair.
I'm not hungry.
Forgot about eating entirely.
"Your food's ore, right?"
"Kkung."
Ore, huh.
Rubbing my chin, I peeked down the cliff.
There's a cave midway down.
Mid-cliff, a cave mouth.
Short deliberation, then nod.
Black Dragon
Crunch.
Hand mutated, I told the one on my shoulder,
"Hold tight, don't fall."
"Kkung."
Whoosh.
Cheori wrapped its tail snug around my neck.
I leaped off the cliff.
Rumble crunch.
Five gashes parallel on the cliff face.
I controlled my speed by clawing the wall, heading for the cave.
"Here."
Nearing the cave, I clenched my right hand full force, halting completely, and slipped inside.
Inside the pitch-black cave—no light at all—I scanned around.
"Too dark to see shit."
Figured a cave meant ore, but can't see a thing.
Then Cheori hopped off my neck and slithered ahead.
"Kkung."
Fwoosh.
Flames burst from its mouth.
Tiny, but enough to light the dark cave.
"......You breathe fire too?"
"Kkung."
Short reply, then deeper in.
Soon, it gaped at a gem like amethyst embedded in the wall...
"Mm......"
Chomp, chomp.
A gem bigger than my fist.
Palm-sized snake couldn't handle it.
I sighed long, grabbed it with my left, yanked it free, and punched the gem.
"There."
Clatter.
Gem shards scattered on the floor.
Set it down, and it gulped whole chunks down ravenously.
"How'd you eat that huge steel lump as a slime?"
"Kkuk, kku guk."
"Melted it with slime? You're something else."
Wait, why am I understanding it roughly now?
Propping my chin, long sigh, I looked outside.
It was long dark out.
"Crash here tonight."
Not sleepy, but mentally drained.
Close eyes and rest.
I lay using a gem chunk as pillow and shut my eyes.
"Nom."
Only sound of Cheori munching gems in my ears.
* * *
Next day.
Sun barely up, I rose and looked beside.
Cheori, belly full, yawned lazily and climbed my arm.
"Okay, where to now... Huh?"
Thwap.
It climbed and thumped my cheek with its tail.
I eyed it like What?
Cheori ignored me, staring fixedly one direction.
I swallowed dryly.
"You know that place?"
"Kkuk."
It knew.
From the short cry, I widened my eyes.
"World Tree that way?"
"Kkuk!"
World Tree.
This floor's goal.
Found faster than expected.
Bringing Cheori was right.
I activated Black Dragon and dashed out.
"Hold on tight!"
"Kkuk!"
Grinning, I jumped down the cliff.
We'll reach the World Tree today.