Chapter 308
Chapter 308
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: The Will of the Four Seasons Tower
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The black paper said it wanted to meet us, and with those words, a pure white light flashed, changing the scenery around us.
We slowly looked around.
It was a space filled with countless golden gears meshing and turning.
It evoked the inside of a clockwork mechanism, giving a dreamlike feeling.
Sensing the faint mystical energy, I realized this wasn't an ordinary space within the tower.
“……Where is this?”
“The black paper said it wanted to see us, so isn't this the heart of the tower?”
The heart of the tower, true to its name, referred to the central space that controlled all of the tower's mana, mysteries, and everything else.
As a crucial area handling everything in the tower, it was a special space that no one could enter without the tower's invitation.
[Welcome, everyone.]
At that moment, a voice echoed from somewhere.
It resonated in our minds like the will of the tower itself, so we couldn't pinpoint its direction.
Soon after, footsteps approached—thud, thud—and stopped in front of us. Turning our heads, we saw a beautiful blond young man looking at us.
[Allow me to introduce myself. I am the 'Tower of the Four Seasons,' the will of the tower upon which you all stand.]
Everyone was surprised to see the Tower of the Four Seasons appear in human form.
“……The tower?”
[Yes. I am the manager of this tower, and the tower itself. I borrowed a human form to meet you all. What do you think?]
The tower raised both arms and smiled briefly before continuing.
[In any case, the reason I called you all here is because I really wanted to meet you in person……!]
The tower seemed somehow excited.
Its voice tone rose, and its gestures grew larger.
[Facing countless trials…… Yet overcoming them all with strong bonds……! I, the Tower of the Four Seasons, was moved by your friendship.]
It suddenly started spouting cringeworthy lines straight out of a teen drama. Even the voice tone was theatrical.
I'd thought its suspicious behavior with the black paper hinted at some ulterior motive, but seeing it now, that didn't seem to be the case.
[So, with the wish that your bonds grow even stronger, I thought I'd grant you a special blessing.]
But its following words left me momentarily dazed.
“A special blessing?”
[Yes. It's the Blessing of Bonds.]
The Blessing of Bonds.
Just from the name, it felt similar to the Thread of Bonds I'd gotten from Gretel.
I didn't know exactly what ability it had, but getting a blessing instead of an item was quite satisfying.
Items could be bought with money, but traits could only be obtained with points.
At that moment, a sphere of pure white light began to manifest in front of us. It soon seeped into our bodies.
[You have acquired the adaptive trait, 'Blessing of Bonds (A)'.]
[The Bond of Fate has been applied to Lee Seojun, Kim Sunwoo, Choi Seoyoon, Yoon Hayoung, Shin Youngjun, and Yoo Ahra.]
[Mana increases by 1.]
Confirming the messages, I immediately used the Outsider's Benefit to check the trait's information.
［Blessing of Bonds (A)］
Description: A blessing that strongly enhances the power of bonds.
［Passive Effect］
►Blessing of Bonds
When near someone connected by bonds, your vitality slightly increases.
［Active Effect］
►Bond of Fate
You can share your life force with someone connected by bonds.
However, the recipient only acquires 20% of the shared life force.
I'd thought it would be a trait like Gretel's Thread of Bonds that made each other stronger, but it was a bit different from what I'd imagined.
It was a type of healing trait that allowed healing someone connected by bonds at the cost of your own life force.
The inefficient 20% figure was a slight drawback, but from my position where I needed to prevent Lee Seojun's death, it felt like an extra insurance policy, so I was satisfied.
“Blessing of Bonds……”
The others also seemed to have felt the effects of the blessing they'd received.
“……Hmm, is this good?”
“Not bad. The efficiency is low, but it might come in handy someday.”
Yoo Ahra responded to Shin Youngjun's words. Then Lee Seojun chimed in.
“I like this trait.”
“Me too. I like the name Blessing of Bonds.”
Yoon Hayoung said with a smile.
“I like it too. Regardless of anything else, if something bad happens to someone here, I can help them.”
As Choi Seoyoon said that, she glanced subtly in my direction.
I could faintly sense the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
She pretended not to care, but deep down, the goblin's prophecy had been weighing on her mind.
Seeing that, I felt grateful yet unnecessarily sorry at the same time.
[I'm glad you all seem satisfied with my gift. The Blessing of Bonds I've given you will ensure your bonds aren't easily broken.]
We all looked at the tower.
The tower smiled and spoke again.
[Well then, it's about time to send you back to the human world. It was truly an honor to meet such special guests amid my boring routine.]
The tower's gaze subtly turned toward me. Then it gave a sly wink.
[……And finally, as the tower—no, as a mystery—I offer you some advice.]
The tower's gaze toward me shifted to Lee Seojun.
[A moment of crucial choice may come. I advise you to think in advance about what your top priority truly is.]
Whether it had been a vacation or a tower conquest, we'd completed the ambiguous Four Seasons Tower conquest and returned to the human world.
Stepping outside, I blankly looked up at the Tower of the Four Seasons.
Having gone through so much, it felt like waking from a long dream.
The others seemed to feel the same, silently gazing up at the tower.
“The vacation's finally over.”
Yoon Hayoung was the first to break the silence. Her voice carried both regret and refreshment. Shin Youngjun chuckled and stretched grandly.
“Ah~ That was fun. The final reward was personally disappointing, but I got this spear, so I'm satisfied.”
Shin Youngjun lightly swung the A-Rank spear 'Summer's Destroyer' he'd bought in the Four Seasons Tower.
The others checked their own acquired items.
Since many had been bought with crystal shards, their bags were full.
For reference, all remaining crystal shards had vanished.
Then Yoon Hayoung pulled out the 'Compass of Bonds'.
“In the end, we brought this back to reality too.”
At that, everyone took their own compasses from their pockets.
Looking down at my Compass of Bonds, I said,
“Let's destroy this.”
I'd pondered a lot about disposing of the Compass of Bonds, but considering future plans, destruction seemed best.
Beyond just hiding 'Kim Jinwoo's' identity, there were other reasons.
Yoon Hayoung turned to me with a puzzled expression.
“……Destroy it? Why?”
“We should respect personal privacy.”
At my words, Yoo Ahra also fell into thought before nodding.
“Kim Sunwoo has a point. No matter what, this compass does invade personal privacy. Infusing it with mana was just due to the circumstances.”
At Yoo Ahra's words, everyone wore contemplative expressions. They were conflicted by her persuasive argument.
I added one more point to her claim.
“Above all, this compass could become our weakness.”
“Weakness?”
“Imagine if terrorists or demons stole it. What then?”
At my words, everyone made an 'oh' face.
“……You're right. I hadn't thought of that.”
Lee Seojun rubbed his chin with a serious expression.
In the near future, if things didn't deviate from the original plot, everyone here would be active in the Special Forces Team.
Since they'd face all sorts of villains, the Compass of Bonds could indeed become a weakness.
“I wouldn't mind if only I was at risk, but if it endangers everyone here, that's a different story.”
Lee Seojun eventually agreed with my opinion.
“……It's a shame. Even briefly, it created memories, and it felt like proof of our bond, so I liked it.”
“How about this?”
Choi Seoyoon interjected into Yoon Hayoung's mutter. All eyes turned to her.
“Instead of destroying them, let's bury them together somewhere.”
“Bury them?”
“Yeah, we can store them in a place only we know.”
Lee Seojun smirked at Choi Seoyoon's suggestion.
“That sounds good.”
“Oh. Nice. Yeah, I was reluctant to destroy them anyway. Burying them somewhere works.”
Shin Youngjun backed Choi Seoyoon's idea.
“I'm in favor!”
Yoon Hayoung shouted with a spirited voice unlike before.
“That should be fine.”
Yoo Ahra nodded too. Then all eyes turned to me.
Eyes full of expectation.
Meeting their gazes, I sighed deeply and said,
“No helping it. Let's do that then.”
“Okay!”
Yoon Hayoung jumped for joy like a child.
“Then where should we store them?”
“Somewhere safe. And a place only we know.”
At my words, Lee Seojun seemed to ponder before speaking.
“How about the back mountain of the Wizard Academy?”
“The back mountain?”
“I know a spot that's out of sight. You probably know it too.”
He was probably referring to near the hidden lair of Jin Cheonwoo in the back mountain. It was indeed inconspicuous and hard to find.
“Sounds good. Let's go with that.”
With the decision made, we rode the gate back to the Wizard Academy for the first time in a while.
The school was empty due to the break.
We grabbed a few items from the dorms and the magic tool shop, then headed up the back mountain to our destination.
A bit further up from here was Jin Cheonwoo's lair.
“I didn't know there was a place like this.”
“Yeah. I don't go to the back mountain often, so I didn't know.”
As everyone looked around in wonder, Lee Seojun squatted and brushed the dirt on the ground.
“Hmm. This spot looks good.”
“Okay.”
We dug into the soil with the shovel we'd prepared. Once there was enough space, we placed the 'Concealment Storage Box' we'd bought from the magic tool shop inside.
Then we opened the lid and carefully placed the 'Compasses of Bonds' inside.
“This feels like burying a time capsule.”
Yoo Ahra muttered, looking at the compasses in the box.
At that moment, Yoon Hayoung clapped as if to draw everyone's attention.
“Let's take a commemorative photo. Gather here.”
Yoon Hayoung held up a camera she'd brought from the dorm.
Seeing it, I furrowed my brow.
“……How many photos are we taking?”
No exaggeration—since entering the Four Seasons Tower, we'd probably taken hundreds of photos.
Yoon Hayoung replied,
“They're all memories. And we don't have any group photos. I even brought a tripod to take one together this time.”
Yoon Hayoung raised the tripod in her hand. Lee Seojun gave a wry smile and patted my shoulder.
“Come on, it's the last one. Just this once.”
“……Fine, since it's the last one.”
“Then we're taking it? Alright, everyone stand there.”
We gathered amiably in front of the time capsule and looked at the camera on the tripod.
Yoon Hayoung finished setting the timer and quickly ran over to us.
I gave a light smile toward the camera.
Click. The shutter sounded, and like a Polaroid, a clear, high-quality photo emerged from the top of the camera right away.
“Oh. The photo comes out right away?”
“See? Did it come out well?”
Yoon Hayoung stared at the photo Shin Youngjun asked about and gave a faint smile.
“Everyone looks great. Let's bury this photo in the box too.”
“The photo too?”
“Yeah, we'll open it together later. Hmm. In about 20 years? Sunwoo, what do you think?”
Twenty years later……
A distant time. I wondered what I'd be like then.
Would I still be in this world by then?
Lost in such questions with my lips pressed tight, Yoon Hayoung called,
“Sunwoo?”
I turned to her and nodded.
“Yeah. Let's do it. August, 20 years from now.”
“Okay.”
We placed the photo at the very bottom of the box.
We closed the lid and carefully covered it with soil.
This box had a concealment function that no magic tool could detect.
No one but us would ever find it.
And so, we buried our memories.
A week later, I returned home.
Entering the living room, Gretel, who had been doing a puzzle alone, turned her gaze toward me.
“Nyaang!”
Gretel ran to me with a delighted face. I scooped her up.
“Gretel~ Did you behave?”
Gretel shook her head. She was appealing that she'd been bored and lonely.
I'd left her alone for nearly a week to conquer the tower, so I felt sorry.
I stroked Gretel's back and glanced toward the kitchen.
“But you ate well on your own, I see.”
On the sink counter, dishes were neatly stacked. They'd even been washed, with a bit of moisture remaining. She cleaned them spotlessly.
Cooking her own meals and doing the dishes too.
What a smart tree in the world.
Feeling proud, I hugged Gretel tightly.
After setting Gretel down, I flopped exhausted onto the sofa.
After a week of living outside, sitting on the sofa like this brought peace to my heart.
“……Home is the best after all.”
As I thought back to our time in the Four Seasons Tower.
There had been hardships, but true to its reputation as a tourist tower, there were plenty of fun memories too.
After living intensely every day with anxiety over Lee Seojun's death, it had been a long time since I'd forgotten everything and just enjoyed myself.
Then, the goblin's prophecy suddenly resurfaced.
“Gretel.”
At my call, Gretel turned to me.
“If I die, what will you do?”
“......Nyaang?”
Gretel looked up at me with puzzled eyes. As if asking if I was going to die.
“……Well, humans can't live forever. You're immortal, but I—”
“Nyaang! Nyaang!”
Gretel cut me off and cried out.
Her round eyes welled up with moisture, soon spilling tears like chicken droppings.
I'd unnecessarily startled her and picked her up again.
“It was just a hypothetical. I'm not dying. Why would I?”
“Nyaang……”
I lightly patted Gretel's back.
Even so, her tears didn't stop. She even sobbed pitifully.
I'd really said something unnecessary.
Time passed, and once she calmed down a bit, Gretel's tears stopped.
I stroked her once more and set her down.
Gretel looked at me, then bowed her head and walked into the room staring at the floor.
Watching her back, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
“......Sigh.”
I leaned back on the sofa again.
I hadn't shown it, but hearing about my death honestly weighed heavily on my mind.
I could now understand why Jin Cheonwoo was so obsessed with immortality.
What would happen if I died?
Would that be the end of my life, or would I regress to the past again like when Lee Seojun died?
Either way, I never wanted to go through that.
“Oh, right.”
Come to think of it, hadn't I accumulated quite a few points this time?
I immediately checked my held points.
[Held Points: 225,000]
“Oh.”
I'd finally reached the target of 220,000 points.
The trait discount coupon was the minimum points needed to buy an SS-rank trait when used.
Finally, I was going to buy an SS-rank trait.
A faint smile formed from the proud feeling.
I browsed the point shop thoroughly.
“……This is the one.”
［Blessing of the Moon (SS)］
Category: Trait
Description: The blood of a yokai that guards the moon
［Passive Effect］
►Moon's Embrace
On the night of a full moon, receiving moonlight increases all stats by 5 times.
Price: 400,000
Once a month.
The effect only activates on full moon nights, but it has the advantage of decisively gaining the upper hand against villains.
With the [Ability Condition Change Ticket (???)] I had, I could offset the tricky activation condition to some extent.
At this point where I didn't know how much time I had left, no trait was better.
There was also the option of buying a skill instead of a trait, but skills sold in the point shop had one big drawback.
Harsh restrictions.
Long cooldowns. Or massive mana consumption.
They were nerfed compared to existing abilities, so it honestly felt like a loss.
“Alright, this it is.”
Endless deliberation wouldn't help.
[You use the '45% Comprehensive Discount Coupon for SS-Rank and Below (???).']
['Blessing of the Moon (SS)' is discounted by 180,000 points.]
[You have purchased 'Blessing of the Moon (SS)'.]
[You have achieved the 'SS-Rank Trait Purchase' achievement.]
[As a reward, you acquire 10,000 points.]
A pure white light floated in the air. It soon seeped into my chest.
With this, I had obtained an SS-rank trait.
Somewhere in Gangwon Province, in Han Sejin's hidden villa.
Elin looked down at the various magic tools on the table.
“What's this?”
At Elin's question, Han Sejin smiled and said,
“They're equipment I'm providing to ensure the job gets done properly.”
“Equipment?”
Elin looked at the magic tools. The faint energy emanating from them indicated they were no ordinary items.
“We need to deal with Kim Jinwoo definitively this time. I've prepared these for any contingencies.”
Elin checked the appraisal performance sheets under each magic tool one by one.
Clothes, gloves, shoes, various spell scrolls……
All were S-rank items said to be hard to buy even with money.
Elin gave a bewildered smile.
“……Anyone would think we're off to hunt a catastrophe-level beast.”
To kill Kim Jinwoo, a mere A-rank wizard, not even S-rank.
It was excessively overprepared.
Like using a cattle knife to kill a chicken.
But Han Sejin shrugged indifferently.
“The Han family has more than enough magic tools like these.”
“……Fine. They're not my stuff anyway, and I'll make sure to take care of Kim Jinwoo.”
“And the one we encountered last time will join us too.”
He was probably referring to the S-rank demon from the funeral.
Teaming up with a demon didn't sit well, but orders were absolute, so Elin had no choice.
In this setup, she couldn't lose even if she wanted to.
Two S-ranks, plus tremendous magic tool support.
A-rank wizard Kim Jinwoo was as good as dead.
“But you said you'd create an opportunity—how long do I have to wait?”
At Elin's question, Han Sejin pulled something from his pocket and held it out.
Elin took it.
It was a paper invitation.
“......What's this?”
“After my father's death, to announce the Han family's reconstruction and new beginning, a banquet will be held.”
Elin stared at the invitation.
“Kim Jinwoo will attend this?”
“Yes, he'll definitely come.”
“But a banquet has lots of people. Is that okay?”
Han Sejin leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
“Of course, I'll arrange a separate venue. A space where no one will notice…… something like that.”
Han Sejin lifted the corner of his mouth. Elin felt disgust inwardly at the smile.
“Mark my words: once this is over, our relationship ends.”
“Yes, of course. I'll cheer for your clan's revival from afar.”
Elin turned her gaze back to the invitation.
It read [Night of the Full Moon].