Betrayal (4)
Betrayal (4)
I thought I had misheard. Han-young asked again.
"......What?"
"We discovered the Ruler on the 30th Floor this time. Planning a raid. Could use your help......."
Dojin mumbled something after that, but it didn't reach Han-young's ears. A piercing pi-i-i- tinnitus paralyzed his hearing.
His head throbbed from the ear-splitting ring. But he had no room to care about that—his mind was a whirlwind of complexity.
'Already... up to the 30th Floor?'
He cautiously glanced at Dojin. Back in school days, he hadn't paid the guy much mind.
Dojin was the kinda loner who didn't chat much with others, but at the same time, he reeked of danger like a walking bomb.
For a school bully, it was more about sniffing out that vibe than raw power. It's not the strong who survive—it's the survivors who are strong. In that sense, Han-young was a top-tier bully, expert at spotting kids weaker than him.
That mindset crumbled during clashes with kids from other schools. When friction hit with outsiders, what mattered most was brute strength.
Han-young's own lack of raw power had always been his complex, so in the Otherworld, he'd snagged the Cheat Ability of Super Strength.
Sure, the other kids had gotten powerful abilities too, so he couldn't just strut around recklessly......
But one thing was certain: Dojin was below him.
'The punk who didn't even know about the Leveling System and whimpered on floors 1 and 2... how the hell.......'
Inferiority complex. That emotion started bubbling up. The reason he'd acted superior giving Dojin advice, and taken his request on the 10th Floor—it all stemmed from thinking he was better.
If that turned out wrong? He didn't even want to imagine it.
He glared at Dojin cautiously. Dojin's eyes hadn't changed much since dropping into the Otherworld.
That confidence like he could do anything. Han-young knew it came from overwhelming power. He'd been the same.
He'd just crumbled at the 25th Floor wall.
"......You, how far up have you gone?"
"Me? Still 30th Floor. Long way to go. You? Considering you were ahead of us... 40th Floor by now?"
"......5th Floor."
"5th? 45th?"
"......No."
"Then 35th Floor?"
"......Yeah."
In the end, Han-young spat out a lie. It protected his fragile pride.
Dojin genuinely admired him, seeing him in a new light. As far as he knew, Han-young hadn't formed a party or trained any martial arts.
And yet, 35th Floor... reaching that far with just Super Strength meant there was something special about him.
Whether it was talent or hidden effort.
"Awesome. So, can you help out this time?"
"......Yeah, I'll help later, so head out for today."
"Uh... looks like you came when you're not feeling great. Sorry about that."
Dojin said that and left the mansion. The moment he stepped out, the punks upstairs peeked at Han-young's mood and came down.
"Uh, uh? Han-young, you're back?"
"......Who, who opened the door?"
"Huh? The door? Well, we......."
"Are you insane?"
Murderous intent flickered in Han-young's eyes. He wanted to unleash this frustration right now. On anyone......
'Impressive... 35th Floor, huh.'
Dojin recalled Han-young's words as he left the mansion. An uncharted territory Dojin hadn't even set foot in yet.
Monsters on the 35th Floor were on par with the Ogres or Salamanders he'd seen at the festival.
Beasts that shattered logic, with presences straight out of myths. At that level, they weren't something you could just brute-force with Super Strength.
Those monsters would have Super Strength as a baseline anyway.
No matter how much Super Strength a human-sized Han-young unleashed, he couldn't outmuscle monsters weighing over a hundred times his body weight.
'Doing it with just Super Strength... impressive.'
Dojin was starting to feel the strain of climbing higher with swordsmanship alone. That's why he'd commissioned a sword from Lastina.
Wield a Magic Sword, bond with the girls to boost abilities, surpass physical limits via Leveling System......
Even after all that, monsters remained unpredictable killers.
"Would I lose in a fight with Han-young?"
The thought flickered dimly.
Human-vs-human was his specialty, but it wouldn't work against someone on a clear level above.
'Can't let this slide.'
His heart raced. Knowing Han-young was stronger ignited his competitive fire—he couldn't sit still.
In the end, his steps toward home veered toward the Dungeon. Even on a weekend, the entrance buzzed.
Adventurers too numerous to count, plus merchants hawking gear, food, supplies to cash in.
It hadn't been like this before. The Dungeon had changed, breathing life into the city.
Feeling a smug glow of pride that it was thanks to him, Dojin entered. No line—he slipped right in and headed straight to the 11th Floor.
Darkness engulfed him instantly. He didn't resist; it swallowed him whole.
The dark curtain, now so familiar it felt friendly, devoured all light and sound. Beyond it, he could've sworn he heard an Orc's cry.
'Just my imagination.'
But he drew his sword. It naturally blocked the Orc's blade. When Dojin froze in surprise, the Orc swung again.
Chaeng—sparks flew, briefly parting the dark curtain. The clash of steel rang out. That's when Dojin realized why he could hear inside the curtain.
'Demon-Slaying Sword.......'
A sword that slays magic. It cuts anything made of magic power. Monsters, of course—and with skill, even spells.
The dark curtain was a supernatural phenomenon, physically impossible. Naturally fueled by magic power. Meaning, the Demon-Slaying Sword could slice it.
'Even sheathed, it pushed back the curtain?'
Details were unclear. What mattered: a way to use sound and some vision inside the curtain.
For a skilled swordsman, that tiny edge could make all the difference.
Chwaaak—!
At Level 3, Dojin had no trouble with this floor's monsters. He cleaved the Orc in seconds and pressed upward.
Up, up, higher still. As he ascended, monsters started launching lethal strikes from the darkness.
But his instincts caught every threat. With the curtain no longer blocking them, his sharp senses detected each approach.
The more it cut magic, the stronger the sword felt. The curtain thinned more and more. By the time Dojin reached the 25th Floor, it was gone entirely.
Step step—the monsters approaching unaware of him until the curtain vanished spotted Dojin and recoiled in shock. The Orc Warrior swiftly slashed at the sudden intruder.
But here, no dark curtain blinded them. Dojin and the monster alike fought without sight, relying on senses and experience in extreme conditions.
'I get it.'
In that extreme, Dojin closed his eyes. Plugged his ears. Immersed in himself. Unlike the pitch-black outer world, his inner world blazed with pure white light.
In the white space, his own form appeared first. Height 185, weight 73, arm and leg lengths, head size, torso—all detailed.
Dojin viewed himself in third person. Then he sketched the enemy. The Dungeon. Black-and-white lines formed, revealing the Orc.
No light at all, yet he knew the Orc's face, its genitals' shape, its sword style—everything.
'Got a feel for it.'
State of Absolute Calm. His mind in ultimate immersion went beyond observing the world—it created a new one.
"Chwi-i-i-ik!"
The Orc charged, snorting fiercely. Dojin foresaw every move before it happened. Closing in on the predictable Orc, he swung in a perfect arc.
The Orc died without grasping what hit it. Dungeon monsters turn to Magic Stones upon death, so Dojin scooped it up before it hit the ground and opened his eyes.
Reality remained dark.
But his mind painted it clearer than anything.
Enlightenment is always bittersweet—sweet when you taste it, bitter in hindsight.
What do I mean......
"Argh!"
Dojin crumpled from Eunha's kick to his head. Her aerial 1800° spin packed all that rotational force and her body weight into one point—instant, but fierce enough to blank his mind.
"D-Do, Dojin!"
Eunha, who never dreamed he'd fail to dodge, freaked out and rushed over, cradling his head in her lap, fidgeting anxiously.
Moments later, Dojin opened his eyes, feeling soft flesh and pain on his head—heaven and hell in one.
"......Where's this."
"Y-You're awake, Dojin? Here, how many fingers?"
"Eunha......?"
Dojin blinked, scanning around. His eyes widened as he asked.
"Where are we...? And why're you here...?"
"Y-You don't remember?"
"......Nope."
"W-What do we do—!?"
Big trouble. Eunha flailed in panic. With Dojin using her lap as a pillow, she couldn't even go call Aram......
Dojin grinned slyly watching her squirm. He covered his face with one hand to hide it.
But he couldn't hide his shaking body from stifled chuckles. Seeing Dojin twitch, Eunha realized it was a prank.
"......Dojin?"
"—Puhaha, sorry sorry, Eunha, your reaction's just too good......."
"......Don't do that again."
"Yeah yeah, sorry."
Eunha puffed her cheeks like a kid and turned away. Was it instinct? She looked just like a hamster—impossible not to laugh.