115. The Trembling Sword

Turning his head, Carpe spotted a group heading toward the Red Tower.

"Huh?"

Once he confirmed the face at the center of the crowd, Carpe couldn't help but react the same as everyone else.

Long black hair contrasting sharply with her pristine white armor.

And the blue sword at her waist was practically her signature.

Cheongeom.

Korea's rank 1 and the world's rank 5 player.

She was also riding high in the entertainment industry, making her one of the most famous Last Savior players on the planet right now.

Even Carpe, who knew nothing about celebrities, had seen her face plastered all over TV and online ads.

"Unnie, I'm a fan! Just one glance here, please! I've been waiting six hours!"

"D.va with love! Break through floor 30 this time for sure!"

"Eden fighting!"

Surrounding her were members of her guild, Eden.

A few were forming a human barricade to keep the crowd at bay. Their deadpan expressions suggested this kind of attention was routine.

Hmm. Come to think of it, at this point in the timeline, Eden's the main group tackling the tower. Guess they haven't cleared floor 30 yet.

Eden wasn't one of the top 10 guilds, but it was just as renowned.

It had few members, but every single one was a ranker—the ultimate elite squad.

Just like the top 10 guilds had their signature content for streams, like boss raids or new zone expansions, Eden had theirs too.

Conquering the Red Tower.

Cheongeom and her party were the highest climbers in the entire Last Savior playerbase.

'Is that even possible? I thought high-level players couldn't enter low-level zones.'

—Mostly, yeah. But the Red Tower's an exception. It's one of the rare free zones. The whole area around it is non-PK.

The Red Tower was solely about climbing it.

No other monsters or dungeons—just a peaceful zone dedicated to the ascent.

'So we could run into them inside? What if a high-level PKs a lowbie inside?'

—It's basically instanced, so no worries there. A hundred parties enter, a hundred separate dungeons spawn.

Of course, that was just the basics.

Some floors allowed encounters with other parties.

—Every 9 floors, there's a safe zone. Every 10, a boss monster. Safe zones let you mingle with other parties.

'Ah, got it. Like a party finder, huh.'

—Sharp as ever from all that gaming. Yep, spot on.

As with any tower climb, difficulty ramped up floor by floor.

Eventually, retirees were inevitable.

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

But if one or two dropped from a four-man party, the rest didn't have to quit.

Short parties could merge.

The floor 9 safe zones were made for that.

—Some floors require multiple parties teaming up too... but that's 70+ floors. Ignore for now.

'Hmm. Pretty well-designed system. Sounds fun now that you explain it.'

—It is. Breaking floors gives a real rush.

And the XP and loot? Insane.

'Alright. Open the box and—huh?'

That's when Cheongeom and the Eden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crew started walking toward Carpe.

'What? Why me?'

Especially her eyes—they looked intense.

Like she was questioning something, gaze laced with question marks.

'Why me?'

To a total stranger?

As Carpe tensed up, Cheonma spoke.

—Hey.

'Yeah?'

—You're blocking the path. Move if you don't wanna get swept up in the crowd.

'Oh.'

Carpe was standing right between the Red Tower and the Eden group.

They weren't heading for him specifically.

He was just in the way en route to the tower!

Total misunderstanding.

"……."

Carpe awkwardly shuffled aside a couple steps.

—Look at this punk. Lol. Got butterflies 'cause Cheongeom glanced your way? Thought she was into you?

'……No.'

—Sure, sure. Bro gets it. At your age, guys lock eyes with a girl and start dreaming of grandkids and happily ever after. Like, five of 'em?

'I said no.'

—World-famous star and ranker gives you that meaningful look. What? Did she sense your hidden power? Her competitive spirit and curiosity draw her to this enigmatic guy radiating mystery... Damn, killer novel hook. Where's this serializing?

'……Bro. You're actually insane. For real, cut the novels. First time seeing a celeb IRL, that's all. Looks just like in the ads.'

—……An in-game avatar looks real?

'Sure, let's say.'

While Carpe and Cheonma bickered over nothing, Cheongeom and Eden passed by.

And that's when it happened.

Bzzz.

"Huh?"

Carpe glanced at his finger from the sudden vibration.

The Servant Lord's Token.

The epic ring from the Servant Lord buzzed for an instant.

It was so brief he wondered if he'd imagined it.

—What? Something up?

"Nah. Ring vibrated outta nowhere... Quiet now. Hallucination?"

He checked it repeatedly, even pulled up the info window—no issues.

Carpe shrugged and forgot about it.

"Hey, what? Seriously into him?"

"……No."

"Huh? Slow reply? No way, for real?"

"……."

Eden's guild master, Siren, grinned like it was the best entertainment ever. Cheongeom just stayed silent, as usual.

Reacting would only egg her on. Siren thrived on that.

'What the hell was that guy?'

Cheongeom pictured the robed figure they'd just passed.

Carpe and Cheonma thought it was a mistake, just blocking the path—but it wasn't.

Cheongeom had been genuinely fixated on Carpe.

'First time Bingsul reacts this hard...'

She gently gripped her sword hilt.

The vibration through her palm felt like terrified trembling.

'Calm down. It's okay.'

But Bingsul wouldn't stop.

Bingsul was the unique sword she'd gotten from a special quest after her hidden class change.

Impressive grade aside, it had one extra special trait.

Ego Sword.

A top-tier ice spirit dwelled within, helping her conquer countless trials.

Over half her climb to rank 5 was thanks to Bingsul.

'A top spirit shaking like this...'

In Last Savior, spirits' power was strictly hierarchical.

Low, mid, high, top, and spirit kings.

Top spirits were peak nobility, levels easily over 200.

Sealed in a sword and weakened, sure—but fear like this? Rare.

It had vibrated before, once—briefly encountering the Ice Spirit King on a quest.

'But not like this.'

No, the difference was embarrassing.

Something scaring a top spirit more than a spirit king?

Impossible, as far as she knew.

'That guy earlier. Definitely something off.'

She'd wanted to talk right then, but too many eyes around.

He'd be mobbed if she did.

Curiosity burned, but she held back.

'If we meet inside the tower...'

She'd definitely say something.

With that, Cheongeom's four-man party entered the Red Tower.

"Ugh."

Carpe grimaced, dissatisfied.

Eden's wake had drawn a massive crowd.

The area around the Red Tower was packed everywhere he looked.

"Power of celebrity, huh? Must suck being famous."

—Worrying about celebs is the world's most pointless thing, they say.

"Fair. But this situation sucks."

Gacha was sacred.

Not something to rush in a mob like this.

"Opening boxes in crowds brings bad luck!"

—Yeah, yeah, feng shui master Carpe says so. But can we skip the crazy talk and just open it? You've done it in crowds before.

"Heaven and earth's principles, yin-yang harmony—not that simple. It shifts with the moment. Today's auspicious spot is somewhere quiet."

—Goddamn.

"Somewhere good... Ah!"

No need to search.

Perfect spot right in front.

"Inside the tower! Instanced, no crowds. Perfect."

This draw needed extra care.

Unlike skill packs, the box yielded one single item.

No Repeat skill—pure one-shot gamble.

Zero room for bad vibes.

Carpe approached the entrance lightly and touched the door.

"Enter."

Carpe braced for the warp.

But...

"Huh? What's this?"

—What? First time I've seen this.

Normally, he'd warp in the instant he confirmed.

But the system wouldn't let him in.

"Bug?"

As flustered Carpe muttered, another alert popped.

"Eh? Wait—"

Before Carpe could speak, he was whisked inside the tower.