The Desolate Dragon Palace (1)

Since there's no telling what'll happen the moment we step onto the 3rd floor, I should eat the fruit now while I still can.

Compared to the others, my stamina drained noticeably faster, which meant I had to prepare.

I stared hard at the stamina window for a long moment before finally opening the materials slot.

Pressing the line-drawn illustration of the fruit in the upper slot, I retrieved the item.

Shhh-

As my stamina recovered, my whole body felt lighter.

The headache that had been throbbing away also cleared up completely.

Jang Siwoon and Ko Gyumin apparently hadn't taken enough damage to need the fruit.

Jang Siwoon looked pretty roughed up after the Jangsanbeom's attack earlier, too….

Maybe her base stamina was simply better than mine, so her losses were smaller. If that was the case, I was genuinely envious.

"Grrrrhh…."

The tiger that had defeated the Skeleton Monster showed no sign of leaving, circling around us.

Because it looked exactly like the comical tiger of Korean folk paintings, it wasn't frightening at all — it was almost hard to believe this creature had torn the Skeleton Monster apart.

I approached the tiger carefully and stroked its paw.

"Thank you for saving us."

"Grrrrr-"

Its round eyeballs rolled and looked down at me. Then the huge creature lowered its body flat against the ground.

"Looks like it wants us to climb on its back?"

Ko Gyumin frowned, eyeing the tiger up and down.

"This isn't a cartoon, can we actually do that? If I get on a tiger's back for no reason and fall off, my head's gonna—"

"When we've cleared the quest and we're given a choice like this, I think riding is the right call. That's how it's been the whole time so far."

"Siwoon! Don't go cutting off your elders mid-sentence! Okay, that's a very good deduction."

Jang Siwoon immediately shut down Ko Gyumin's negativity.

Ko Gyumin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conceded the point and promptly climbed onto the tiger's back.

Jang Siwoon and I stepped carefully onto the creature's swaying body and settled onto its hill-like back.

Everything wobbled unsteadily, and in our anxiety we all grabbed fistfuls of the tiger's fur with both hands.

"He's not in pain at all, huh?"

"Let's just think of it as handlebars."

Ko Gyumin and Jang Siwoon gripped the fur on the tiger's back hard to keep their balance….

But I still couldn't bring myself to put real force into my hands.

If this fur got ripped out by my grip and that gorgeous, distinctively Korean folk-painting pattern got ruined—

THUD-! THUD-! THUD-!

Just as I was lost in that thought, the tiger rose to its feet and began walking slowly forward.

Perhaps because the whole situation was artificially constructed, it didn't feel nearly as terrifying as I'd expected.

Wherever the tiger passed, new sprouts emerged from the ground, and the trees with snapped trunks straightened themselves back to their original shape.

"Whoa, where are we going?"

"Don't worry, Siwoon. In Sugungga, the tiger descended from a deep valley in a pine forest. It'll head back there."

When the tiger suddenly changed direction, Ko Gyumin — pansori major that he was — explained matter-of-factly.

In the meantime, I nearly pitched sideways off the beast.

"Aaaaagh—"

"Jisan, careful! You have to grip the fur harder!"

"But what if it hurts the tiger?"

"What?! Why are you worrying about a tiger several times your size? And they're all just Components or system constructs anyway!"

Confronted with Jang Siwoon's blunt logic, I had no rebuttal and grew sheepish.

Right — was this really the time to worry about tiger fur?

Although, since it's the tiger from our folk paintings, it's so silly and endearing that hurting it still feels wrong…!

Still, I had to survive. I gripped the fur on the tiger's back and held on tight.

Despite my seizing quite a lot of it, the tiger, sure enough, didn't make a single sound of protest.

Kim Jisan, you idiot. Get a grip. You've grown far too weak to visual appeal.

I bit my lip and steeled my resolve. And then, in the middle of it all, I noticed something strange.

…Wait a second.

Being on the tiger's back meant I could see everything for miles around.

Which meant I could tell whether the road ahead led to a forest, a valley — or the sea.

"Mister Ko, didn't you say we were heading to a valley?"

"That's how it should be…."

Ko Gyumin faltered, his voice trailing off in confusion.

The tiger's paws were carrying it not toward a valley, but toward a white sand beach thick with pine trees.

And beyond the pines and the white sand stretched the endless blue sea!

The sea?! Are you kidding me?!

"Hold on, hold on. Are we supposed to steer it by pulling the fur, by any chance?"

"There's no way that counts as steering, but let's all try turning it anyway!!"

At Jang Siwoon's and Ko Gyumin's words, I gripped the fur tighter too.

Sorry, tiger — this was no time to think about your pain.

"Everyone leans right and turns. One, two, three!!"

"Hupcha—!!"

We counted off and yanked the fur to the right in unison.

Even leaning our whole bodies into it, the tiger didn't budge an inch.

It plowed straight ahead, brushing past the pines.

The color drained from all three of our faces at once.

"It's not working!"

"How should I know? Siwoon, when you yell like that it scares me, so quit screaming at me!"

Jang Siwoon and Ko Gyumin shouted back and forth at each other.

And the one trembling hardest in the middle of it all was me. Because—

"Mister Ko, Siwoon. Can either of you swim?!"

"Freestyle, roughly."

"Same."

Ko Gyumin and Jang Siwoon both nodded. They weren't competitive swimmers, but they seemed able to keep themselves afloat well enough.

Hah. A deep sigh poured out of me.

"I see. Then we'll give it everything we've got."

"WHAT?!!"

Jang Siwoon gaped at me, more shocked than I was. It was the first time I'd heard her raise her voice that loudly.

Well, someone had to have given you the chance to swim.

All I could do was flail. If I thrashed my arms and legs without stopping, something would work out.

They wouldn't kill a visitor on the passage connecting the 2nd floor to the 3rd.

…Probably.

"Grrrrr-!!"

The moment the tiger reached the white sand beach, it abruptly leapt into the sea.

Who leaps into the ocean without so much as a warning?! Come on!!

"Here we go!!"

SPLOOSH-!!

A tremendous spray of water erupted around the tiger.

Before the seawater swallowed me, I drew in the deepest breath I could.

Ugh…!

My body sank into the cold water.

I thrashed my arms and legs desperately. Everything was pitch black, and I couldn't tell whether my body was actually floating or not.

Open your eyes.

I gave myself a mental push and forced my eyes wide open.

They stung, but I endured it somehow.

"!!"

The beautiful sight that greeted me nearly made me gulp down a mouthful of water.

The blue depths were filled with brilliant corals of every color.

And down below, I could see something like an undersea tunnel, ringed round with coral.

There are stairs inside the tunnel!!

Stone steps descending into the dark below the sea.

My instincts sparked. That was where I had to go.

Head down, I paddled furiously toward the undersea stairs, arms and legs churning.

Swimming as hard as I could, I just barely made it near the coral tunnel.

Ngh…!

I grabbed the mouth of the tunnel and was pulling myself inside—

when a school of silver fish suddenly darted past right in front of my face.

This was it. My limit. I couldn't hold my breath a second longer.

"?!!"

At that moment, Jang Siwoon seized me by the collar and hauled me bodily inside.

Th… thank you….

I sent her a look of gratitude with my eyes alone, and she gave a small nod — message received.

Beneath the stairs it was black as the deep sea itself.

Even so, I swam down toward the subterranean level of the staircase without hesitation.

I want to breathe. I want to—

The darkness swallowed me whole.

"Uhhh…?"

My hazy vision gradually came into focus.

I was lying face-down on the floor, cheek pressed against it, drool leaking out of my mouth.

My clothes and hair, which should have been soaked through, were nearly dry — I must have been unconscious for quite a while.

Where am I…?

I pushed myself up and looked around.

Behind me stood the stairs leading back up to the sea; ahead, darkness pooled so thickly I could see almost nothing.

I had come down beneath the sea, so the water should have followed me this far — yet only a calm, gentle ripple lapped at the base of the stairs.

Am I alone…?

A damp, clammy space stained with watermarks. The architecture and patterns closely resembled the interior of a Korean royal palace.

Not the slightest hint of another human presence.

"Mister Ko! Siwoon!"

I called for Ko Gyumin and Jang Siwoon, but there was no answer.

They were better swimmers than me, but what if… what if they hadn't made it down the stairs—

No. Like on the 1st floor, either we simply can't see each other, or they've been moved to a different version of the 3rd floor.

Those two weren't the type to get eliminated just because they couldn't swim. I firmly believed they were alive.

There was no proof, so believing was all I could do.

This is no time to only worry about Siwoon and Mr. Ko. I'm supposed to be going up to the 3rd floor — maybe I was wrong to descend below the stairs.

Of course, inside this tower, every preconception had to be shattered. Even the stairs from the 2nd floor to the 3rd might not have "going up" as the answer.

But when the silence stretched on like this, it was impossible not to feel anxious—

"Grrrrr-"

At the familiar sound behind me, I whipped around.

"The tiger!!"

It was the tiger of the Jakhodo — the one that had plunged into the sea with us.

"You came with us! Wait, how did you even get in through the stairs? It was so narrow…."

"Grrrhh…."

The tiger suddenly started retching, then coughed something up.

A pearl the size of my palm. It rolled across the floor, slick with the tiger's drool.

"A pearl?"

Shhh-

Reading the words floating in the air on my Leaflet, I felt the corners of my mouth lift.

Just like last time — probably a tool or Perk that would help with clearing quests.

"Thank you."

Shhh-

Once the pearl's data ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been broken down, an image of the pearl appeared in my Leaflet's item window.

THUD-! THUD-! THUD-!

The tiger bounded off into the darkness and soon vanished completely.

I supposed I would never see the creature again.

Fake or not, riding on the Jakhodo tiger's back had been a genuinely thrilling experience.

Come to think of it, isn't a knife drawn next to the pearl?

Checking the item list at the bottom of my Leaflet, I confirmed that the dagger I'd used on the 2nd floor was still there.

I pressed the small dagger illustration with my finger.

Shhh-

Its power is gone entirely.

I wondered whether there was any point in keeping it — but one should always prepare for emergencies.

I left the dagger unequipped and closed the Leaflet.

"A new minister!"

"A new minister has come from the land!"

Just then, a murmur of voices suddenly rippled through the palace, echoing through the vast, empty hall.

"Wh-who's there?!!"

I couldn't tell where the voices were coming from.

All I could do was lift my head and shout at the empty air. At that, the murmuring grew more agitated.

"He smells of the land!"

"The minister who shall fetch the rabbit's liver!"

The rabbit's liver?

"A new Turtle Minister has arrived!"

Only then did I grasp the meaning of the voices murmuring around me.

This time, connected to the 2nd floor, it's Sugungga? No — they're not singing pansori, so is it the Tale of the Rabbit instead?

Either way, they were addressing me as the new Turtle Minister — the turtle envoy. Which meant this clamor was the sound of the sea's citizens and ministers.

"Serve a sumptuous banquet for the new Turtle Minister—!"

The area brightened, as though several lamps had been lit.

It was still dim and gloomy, but the light revealed an enormous door standing at the end of a black brick corridor.

I really don't want to go.

The sea creatures made nothing but sound — not so much as the tip of a nose was visible — and the decrepit, desolate Dragon Palace felt like the set of some courage test.

"Two land ministers of similar garb lingering in the Dragon Palace — what fortune!"

At the servants' gleeful, booming voices, I immediately set my feet in motion.

Two people dressed alike. Unless the museum was deliberately deceiving me, they had to be visitors.

Tap- tap-

"……."

If I could meet even one of them — Mr. Ko or Siwoon — that would be enough.

The two of us could search for the third together while working through the quest.

Thinking of my scattered companions as I walked, I soon reached the door.

Between door frames carved with fish motifs, Hanji paper panels glimmered faintly. Light was leaking from inside, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠which meant something — someone — was in there.

"A banquet awaits the Turtle Minister—!"

I grasped the rust-eaten door handle and pulled.

Creeeak—