[The Player and the Pawn (2)]
The fairy flapped its wings, scattering shimmering light dust in every direction. Its lively energy instantly captured the eyes of everyone gathered in the square.
Yu Dahui had been summoned into the Tower of Struggle. She had no memory of what had happened before her eyes opened. She found herself surrounded by unfamiliar faces and an equally unfamiliar space.
What the hell…?
It wasn’t humans. Looking around, Yu Dahui saw that the square was filled with monsters that bore no resemblance to the ones she knew. Wasn’t it time to run?
But before the thought could even form, the fairy began to speak.
Its voice was clear and calm, drawing every gaze toward it.
“Players, welcome. This is the Tower of Struggle. You who have been chosen as players must survive by climbing its floors.”
The fairy spoke slowly, explaining the situation and the phenomenon Yu Dahui was experiencing. But understanding it was impossible. To grasp something beyond human cognition in an instant was nearly beyond reach.
Ah…
A throbbing headache stabbed through her skull. An electric current of pain raced across her entire body.
“If you just tell us to climb, we’ll climb. We need a reason, a motive, to make a living thing act.”
The fairy smiled brightly.
“The players who reach the end of the Tower of Struggle will receive a wish. Anything you desire. Even demands beyond your imagination are possible. After all, you are the one who has reached the summit.”
The people standing in the square began to murmur. Everyone trembled with anxiety. No one could accept this reality.
“A tower? A struggle? We don’t need any of that. Send me back to the battlefield right now! The god of war, Warron, summoned me!”
“The moment you are summoned here, you can never return to your original dimension. If you want to go back, you must reach the end of the tower.”
“What nonsense!”
A green-skinned monster shouted at the fairy, speaking in a completely different language that Yu Dahui understood without effort—the words were automatically translated and burned straight into her mind.
KWAK!
“Ugh…!”
The monster’s head exploded like a balloon pricked by a pin. It burst so utterly that Yu Dahui forgot how to breathe for a moment. Her lungs failed to function.
“Hic… hic…!”
“Kyahahahahahah!”
Screams of every kind rose. Some people wailed, others covered their mouths. Some turned away from the gruesome corpses and closed their eyes. No one dared to confront the fairy. They could not fight it.
“Players, I won’t waste your time. You are the players who have been summoned into the Tower of Struggle. I will tell you what you need to know to survive as players.”
Yu Dahui crammed every word into her head. She had no desire to die yet, so she forced herself to stay calm.
“The only thing I ask of you players on the zero floor is simple: survive and defeat the field boss. Any means necessary.”
The fairy finished speaking and vanished without a trace. It was even more despairing than being dropped naked on a deserted island.
Yu Dahui hid her anxious gaze and looked around.
“Ah!”
A familiar uniform appeared. The South Korean Army. She felt strangely relieved. After some arrangement, eight players of Korean nationality gathered in one place. The unfamiliar surroundings eased her mind.
Yu Dahui’s group moved slowly. They wasted time in the Colosseum square, then followed the other players outside. Each chose weapons and began to wander the city. Though she had never been to Europe, this atmosphere felt similar.
“How about heading outside?”
Kim Jinwu was a South Korean Army sergeant. On the day he had finished his discharge report, he still held soldier status. From Yu Dahui’s perspective, he seemed to feel responsible for the situation. He gave a casual, blunt order and led the group. It wasn’t apparent on the surface, but it felt like he was simply offering his decision.
Yu Dahui felt the same way. She left the choice to the group.
Outside the city, the air changed instantly. The cozy atmosphere of the city felt so distant.
Glug…
She wanted to turn back, but she couldn’t. Humanity began to fade the moment it stopped growing. The fact that they lagged behind gave her group a spark of courage.
The deadmen appeared—zombies from movies, but far more ordinary monsters. Kim Jinwu was the first to charge forward courageously.
“Just ordinary bastards.”
He pulled the group along as if anyone could do it.
Yu Dahui’s group hunted the deadmen steadily and obtained coins—the currency of the Tower of Struggle. Everyone worked hard to earn them.
The hunt went surprisingly well. Before sunset, the group returned to the tutorial village.
“How about a drink to celebrate?”
One of the men who had taken the leadership role suggested it. The group didn’t know how long they would stay together, but they wanted to remember surviving.
Yu Dahui thought it wasn’t a bad idea. Even if the other men’s gazes felt unpleasant, she could endure them. They had dinner at a rather decent inn. Most inns combined tavern and restaurant, so they didn’t need to wander outside.
…
The atmosphere was good. Summoned into this strange space called the Tower of Struggle, she had fought corpses called deadmen, but for a while she could escape that horrific reality.
Kim Jinwu…
She had talked with him a lot. They matched perfectly—creepily so. Like an old friend, a lover whose chemistry was flawless, or a parent who had raised someone since childhood. They were closer than that.
Weird…
He seemed to have thoroughly investigated and monitored her. His gaze was so familiar, as if he had been watching her for a long time. But she had only just met him. Still, she felt no discomfort.
The next day, Yu Dahui’s group headed out again. They didn’t stop hunting. They desperately needed coins, but the market price was unexpectedly high. Even one day of rest would make normal life impossible.
The group moved. The deadmen were smashed. Coins poured in like a waterfall. The group’s mood was lively, with no obstacles.
That day’s hunt ended as smoothly as the others. They had gathered enough coins to rest for a day or two. Yu Dahui clenched her fists. She felt like she was finally adapting to the Tower of Struggle and something was progressing.
The next day, the group exited through the northern gate. The hunt was too easy. The deadmen no longer felt frightening.
“Shall we go deeper?”
The same casual suggestion as always. Another man spoke up.
Kim Jinwu stayed silent. His expression showed clear unease.
“It’s better not to overdo it…”
“Even a hundred deadmen would be easy. We need to advance to the next stage.”
For some reason, the leader’s voice grew louder. His confidence swelled excessively. Everyone agreed with the leader’s opinion.
“What do you think?”
Yu Dahui asked Kim Jinwu. The group had already reached an agreement on pushing deeper, but she wanted to know his thoughts.
“There’s no choice.”
Kim Jinwu followed the majority opinion. In the novel, he had known Korean players died, yet he still acted arrogantly. Was he the protagonist? With his sensitive senses and novel knowledge, he probably could handle it.
Yu Dahui nodded at his words.
And then the problem occurred.
“Kyahaaaak!”
The reinforced deadmen were nothing like what they had expected. They were far stronger monsters. They fell one by one, but the reinforced deadmen pressed the players harder.
Ah…
As death closed in, Yu Dahui felt strangely at ease. Yeah, this is a dream. She refused to accept the reality of watching the group’s heads explode by the deadmen’s clubs.
That was when a thunderous voice rang out.
“Yu Dahui!”
Kim Jinwu swung his shield with all his strength, glaring at her. He pushed aside the surrounding deadmen and rushed to her side. His combat uniform was torn in many places.
“No! Save meeeek!”
One more person fell to the reinforced deadmen’s hands. Among the ordinary deadmen they had underestimated, a variant had appeared. Yu Dahui’s group had become prey waiting for death.
“…”
Kim Jinwu tightly closed his eyes. What was he thinking?
Yu Dahui felt a sudden curiosity while looking at him.
“Run away.”
“What?”
They couldn’t let go of their words, but in this life-or-death situation, Kim Jinwu’s tone shortened. His words became absolute, carrying more weight than any previous statement.
“I’ll hold off the variants while you escape.”
“Why?”
Yu Dahui’s question was filled with countless questions. The biggest was, Why are you trying to sacrifice yourself?
Kim Jinwu hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be searching for an answer to her question.
“I… I don’t know.”
He couldn’t explain. It was impossible to read a long, complicated story when time was short. What would happen to this world if she died? Did he have some protagonist ability separate from the others?
“Run!”
Was Yu Dahui truly carrying Return by Death? He didn’t know anything, but he had done what he could. For the Yu Dahui, the regressor from the novel who had survived ten years.
Yu Dahui hesitated. Was it right to run alone? Fighting together seemed better. But winning seemed impossible—the reinforced deadmen had easily torn through Kim Jinwu’s shield.
“Run…!”
Kim Jinwu shouted desperately while clashing strength with the reinforced deadmen.
Yu Dahui lowered her head. She couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. Even though she turned away late, his expression was permanently etched in her mind. It sparkled before her eyes.
She turned and swung her sword in the direction where the deadmen were fewest. She pierced through. Many deadmen reached out toward her with sharp claws, scratching her in various places. Blood began to flow, but she felt no pain. It was a cliché ending, yet only Kim Jinwu’s face remained clear. How long had they known each other? Sacrificing himself for something meaningless.
Yu Dahui thought Kim Jinwu was a foolish man.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Would she ever run at full power like this for her whole life?
Yu Dahui panted raggedly. Unfortunately, she didn’t last long. Crack!
Someone struck her from behind. The green-skinned players who only enjoyed PK.
A blunt weapon slammed into her head. Unprepared, Yu Dahui died instantly.
Death by Regression Activated
Touch Nullification Shield Acquired
At the same moment of heavy pain, she opened her eyes in the tutorial square. The fairy flapped its wings and greeted her.
“Welcome, players.”
Yu Dahui could not grab Kim Jinwu. The disappointed look in his eyes made her body move on its own. It was an icy, cold gaze she had wanted to avoid more than anything.
Ah… no… don’t go…!
Kim Jinwu turned his back without hesitation. So many words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. She couldn’t say a single word to that cold, merciless back. Breathing was too difficult. It felt like a sharp knife stabbing her body repeatedly.
Why wasn’t the Touch Nullification Shield working? She hated it, she hated it… Her legs lost all strength. She collapsed and forced back her heart-wrenching sobs. She knew perfectly how wrong she was, so she couldn’t let herself cry freely. Afraid he might hate her and look at her with disgust. Still, she stood up shakily. With trembling legs dragging behind her, she followed him.
“Jinwoo…”
“…”
Yu Dahui desperately grabbed Kim Jinwu’s hand. He shook it off and looked down at her with icy eyes.
“…”
Yu Dahui choked back the sob rising in her throat. How could she say something to erase even a little of the wound she had caused him? She sorted through the tangled words in her head. But…
“Hic…”
Tears streamed from her reddened eyes.
“Mom… I’m your mom, Jinwoo…”
The words she had painstakingly organized didn’t come out. Like an idiot, Yu Dahui only repeated that she was sorry.