The Place Where Death Lingered #4

There was a brief skirmish.

Despite twisting and turning, desperately unleashing magic to evade, the opponent eventually crumbled under the combined assault of Doyun and Aira.

They were one, and we were two.

It was a structure inherently disadvantageous to the side with more variables to manage.

'W-what is this?'

The Alchemist of Oblivion stared at the situation with a look of utter indignation.

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't even an honorable death after a fierce battle.

He was just dangling in mid-air like a freshly caught rabbit.

For an alchemist who had lived his life fueled by his own arrogance, this was the ultimate humiliation being forced upon him.

"U-ugh...!"

"Now, now, don't waste your energy for nothing."

Doyun was just as surprised.

Even though he had received special training from Wine-jwa, he never imagined the results would yield such high expectations.

'Not bad at all.'

Secretly feeling good about the outcome, Doyun looked up at the Alchemist of Oblivion with a triumphant expression.

"If you continue to be uncooperative from here on out, you're going to have a very painful time."

"He's going to have a painful time!"

Aira, standing beside him, chimed in excitedly, echoing Doyun's words.

"I, I don't know anything...!"

"Hey, come on. You clearly do."

How could he claim ignorance after acting so high and mighty just moments ago? This was clearly because the bond between himself and that alchemist hadn't deepened enough yet.

"Aira."

"Yeah! Hehe."

Like clockwork.

Realizing Doyun's intention, Aira immediately swung her chains.

"Uwaaah...!"

The alchemist was sent flying across the pale, glowing moon. It meant he had been launched into the air.

-Whoosh! Whoosh!

'This is the power of civilization.'

That alchemist wouldn't know. In the modern world, humans had created a terrifying torture device called a rollercoaster just to enjoy extreme thrills.

"Gurgle..."

When he was brought back down to the ground, the alchemist was foaming at the mouth with a deathly pale face. Doyun lightly slapped his head to wake him up and demanded answers once more.

"Want to go again?"

"I, I'll talk."

"Yeah, yeah. See? It would've been better if you'd just done that from the start."

"....."

The trembling Alchemist of Oblivion stared at Doyun. A brief silence followed.

"Well? Why are you staring?"

"W-well, what exactly do you want me to tell you..."

"The situation in this village, and the woman you mentioned."

To be precise, information about the 'Object' lurking on the 15th floor.

When he mentioned that, the now-docile Alchemist of Oblivion opened his mouth.

"I, I only came here after hearing rumors. A village swept away by a terrible monster born from a fanatic. And I was captivated by that magic."

"And then?"

"So, I set up shop here and continued my research on the experiments I was originally conducting. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the footsteps of the noble one I was chasing."

"Why couldn't you find them?"

"Those Demon Hunter bastards...!"

Demon Hunters?

"Ah."

Doyun recalled the breadcrumbs floating around the Gallery. One of the components that could be called the main theme of the 15th floor. The story of the Demon Hunters and their tragic scapegoats. According to Wine-jwa, the Object on the 15th floor was also connected to that.

The exhausted alchemist shouted as if vomiting the words out.

"I, I really don't know anything! I've only been here for a few years! During that time, I was just busy avoiding the eyes of those Demon Hunter bastards...!"

"Are those guys that strong?"

"....."

Silence was an affirmation.

After roughly gauging the combat power of the entities lurking in this stage, Doyun thought for a moment.

'Did I squeeze everything I could out of him?'

Information aside, what about the hidden piece?

"W-why are you looking at me with those eyes again..."

"I'm debating whether to kill you or let you live."

"...! P-please, spare me."

"Why should I? Is there a reason you deserve to live? Didn't you kidnap and kill other innocent people just for your own amusement?"

At those words, the Alchemist of Oblivion gulped. It was a reaction that showed he felt the sting of guilt himself.

"...That is."

As Doyun watched the alchemist, who couldn't easily find his voice as if his throat were blocked,

Because the status window decided to end the conversation on its own, the alchemist's body began to gradually turn into magic.

"Wait, hold on."

Doyun continued, flustered, but the alchemist's body had already turned into a cluster of light.

"Are you serious?"

"He disappeared!"

Doyun glared at the status window with a sense of futility.

"What the."

He caught the paper fluttering down from the air.

"Oh-ho."

It was a quite interesting reward. For those who were unpredictable, it actually reduced hostility. It was definitely not a bad reward.

He even leveled up as a bonus. With the dopamine party unfolding, Doyun's frustration and anger temporarily subsided.

"Well, this is fine."

Thus, another brief darkness descended. As Doyun comfortably surrendered his body to the sensation, a familiar landscape welcomed him.

The half-destroyed village, no different from before.

The place where death lingered.

Doyun asked Aira just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in case.

"Aira."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know this place?"

"Hmm... No?"

Of course she wouldn't. It was the expected answer. There was no way she could have known. Because the current Aira was certainly a different person from the True Ancestor.

'Then.'

It would be easier to think that the Object on the 15th floor was also someone completely different.

"Hmm."

He decided not to overcomplicate things and just think simply.

"...."

Nah, that can't be it.

Putting the somewhat ominous thoughts aside, he waited a while for his companion who hadn't returned yet.

-Shwack!

Just like that, he welcomed back Lakiya Belz, who returned with a bewildered expression.

"Ah, oh."

"You cleared it?"

"...Somehow."

"Did you get the reward?"

At that, Lakiya Belz showed him what she was holding in her hand. A certificate of subjugation with the same appearance as the one Doyun had.

"Nice."

"You have one too."

"Yeah."

"That's a relief."

Hadn't they cleared the same quest in the first place? Doyun thought about the linked quest on the next floor.

"What are you going to do?"

Before that, he decided to ask for her intentions first.

"...."

The bright yellow pupils stared intently at Doyun for a moment.

"Why?"

"A-are you going back to Earth?"

"I have to. I have reports to make, and if I don't go back right away, people will worry."

He thought of the Hunter seniors who would be pacing around anxiously. Since it had been hard to even see their faces lately due to everyone's schedules, he, who had more leeway than them, had to be the one to pay attention first.

"...Is that so."

"Are you going straight up?"

"Yeah. There's the linked quest, and I'm thinking of using this reward right away."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

-Flutter, flutter.

Lakiya Belz replied, lightly shaking the subjugation document.

Had she decided to go straight up? Considering her sister's personality, the decision to climb the floors immediately like this might not be so strange.

However, he felt a sense of regret thinking that his guide was slipping away so easily.

"H-hey, by any chance, would you like to go together again..."

"Hmm... I have a place I'm affiliated with."

"...I see. Still, you can think about it again anytime. This path is always open, after all."

"....?"

Are we talking about the same subject right now? Doyun felt a sense of doubt at the strangely twisted conversation.

"Then."

Lakiya Belz vanished before his eyes in an instant. It meant she had gone to the next floor.

"Yeah."

Doyun also naturally intended to return to his original place accordingly. Starting with the quest located on the 10th floor. To analyze his growth trend so far, he organized the things he needed to do on Earth in advance.

Just like that.

Doyun returned to the familiar modern civilization he had missed.

#

Performing the now-familiar daily routine. He submitted his return report with Officer Choi Geonwoo and proceeded with a simple mental contamination test. Naturally, the figures were normal. Doyun was living a healthy daily life of conquering the Tower.

"It's truly amazing... the progress and performance ability of this level..."

"Hey, why are you being so burdensome?"

"Ah, no, it's not just empty words, really."

While brushing off the officer's gaze, which now looked as if he were seeing a monster, he entered the association building with ease.

"Kya, this is it."

It's a bit awkward to say, but the interior of the Tower has a very outdated appearance. Starting with the cleanliness issues and the smell, the terrible stench of blood and rotting flesh are just bonuses. That's why Doyun liked this place. Even if it was a workspace for work.

"Phew!"

After finishing his shower and heading to the Hunter facility, an empty space welcomed him this time.

"Everyone must be very busy."

"Lately, the research on the Tower's abnormal phenomena has been serious, so we are also accelerating our conquest."

Does anything change if you do that? He was genuinely curious and wanted to ask, but Officer Choi Geonwoo's position was truly ambiguous. So, he decided to just let it go.

"Then, should I go back in?"

"R-rest, are you going back immediately without even resting?"

"Well... if there are no other Hunters, there's nothing much to do."

Doyun realized his position, where he could now proceed with the conquest on his own.

"This has its own kind of fun, too."

"....?"

"Just kidding."

When he threw out a line in the awkward atmosphere, the officer's face changed to a look as if he were seeing something unknown.

"Ah, right."

"Yes."

"What happened to the Hunters from other countries? That..."

Aren't there those 'Tower-sick' people who spewed ominous things? He was curious about the movements of the insane Hunters belonging to that side, represented by Hanaoka Miyu.

'It's really going crazy.'

The inside of the Tower is a political arena, and the outside is a den of lunatics. It was a situation where it might be harder to find a normal Hunter.

"...Actually."

Officer Choi Geonwoo, whose face had darkened, opened his mouth with difficulty.

"The Hunter belonging to Japan, Ms. Hanaoka Miyu, is asking for news about you, Doyun. Ever since your last meeting, she seems strangely interested."

"Is that so?"

What kind of scheme is this crazy woman plotting again? It would be nice to meet her once and dig it out, but Doyun was still hungry. A craving for power. At the very least, to confront her in earnest, he had to grow stronger as soon as possible.

"A-are you planning to meet her?"

"Hey, I'm busy enough with the conquest, why would I do that? If there's no external schedule I absolutely have to attend, I want to go straight back into the Tower."

The Object and the Demon Hunters. Before the sensations from that place faded, he had a desire to immerse himself in the conquest quickly.

"Then."

After spending time on Earth like that, and finishing only what he needed to do, Doyun entered the interior of the Tower immediately.