The Tower's Hidden Truth

The silence felt awkward, devoid of any sound. She always chatted endlessly with her constellation until she fell asleep. Yet today, she'd sent him away first for a specific reason...

'It's just been nagging at me nonstop.'

She covered her eyes with the back of her hand. In the darkness that blanketed her vision, the scene etched into her retinas days ago slowly resurfaced. Along with the sensations from that place.

The black stone floor beneath her sneakers, smooth like obsidian. The vast hall-like floor that hummed with echoes. The pillars lining the far edges.

Inside the tower. The lowest level. After her connection to the constellation severed.

In that fleeting moment just before opening the door to leave.

That day, Yul had definitely 'seen' that place.

To be precise...

She had seen the 'backside' of that place.

* * *

The lowest floor's hall was pitch black. That's why the blue status window floating before her eyes stood out so starkly.

Tower's Truth.

The privilege to view it.

"...Accept."

Yul pondered briefly before agreeing, and with the message that the privilege was granted, the status window presented another choice.

...And to that question, Yul.

"-No."

She deferred it for another time.

And as she turned without hesitation to open the door and leave, right in front of her.

Blocking her path, or perhaps holding her back by the ankle. The status window appeared once more.

Special information.

Yul narrowed her eyes silently.

Just deferring it locks it away, and now it insists on giving her more? She couldn't shake the feeling that it had been shoving things at her excessively from the start.

Was it just her imagination?

As she tilted her head.

The additional response made Yul frown reflexively.

It was utterly incomprehensible.

Not prepared for everyone?

'Then what was all that about distributing entry tickets?'

She was the first entrant. It clearly meant the door was left open for other hunters to follow.

But that last statement suggested otherwise.

'Like it was prepared only for a select few...'

'Prepared'.

Not for 'everyone', but prepared nonetheless.

Yul sank into thought for a moment.

If the select few were simply top hunters, there was no issue. Rankings made the priority obvious.

She could gloss over that. But what did 'prepared' truly mean?

'At least it wasn't born without purpose.'

Which meant gates, dungeons, and constellations might be the same. Not mere coincidental misfortunes, but entities that appeared in this world with intent, like the tower.

Nothing could be gleaned from such scant words anyway.

Yul shook out her hair lightly and lifted her head. The status window vanished, finally allowing her to open the door.

* * *

Yul blinked slowly through the gaps in her fingers.

The reason she'd closed her eyes on the chance to uncover the tower's purpose—the one everyone was going wild over—was simple.

She just thought it was too soon.

'...If I can open it anytime, consulting Star-nim first wouldn't be a bad idea.'

Like a friend, more family than family.

But her Star-nim was undeniably a constellation. A being far beyond humans, gazing down from afar, calling humans mere insects.

She didn't mind that. But sometimes, she could lean on that for advice.

And that night after leaving the tower, before sleep, she'd brought it up with her constellation.

"...So, I got this."

She opened the status window, showing the question: 'Will you view Tower's Truth?'

Though the privilege was essentially revoked by then, she asked for another reason.

"Should I open it? What do you think, Star-nim?"

"...".

"Star-nim?"

Her constellation fell unusually silent.

Yul rephrased.

"Star-nim, do you know what this 'truth' is for?"

The response came quickly this time.

As expected, it knows.

Yul thought without much surprise. Given constellations' ties to the system, they wouldn't be ignorant.

And if even her ever-indulgent Star-nim refused—along with other constellations—there must be good reason.

Yul stared silently at the status window for a while.

Specifically, at the part about leaving the choice to her.

Then, in her utterly flat, nonchalant tone—as was her way—she spat it out.

"Nah. Won't look."

"I'm out. Night."

Yul gave no further answer and went to sleep. The next morning, she sealed it perfectly with a threat: 'Ask more and I'll force it open.'

'A fact even Star-nim couldn't speak of...'

At least, the purpose of its creation wasn't something simple.

'Definitely not some blessing to elevate hunters to the next level.'

Rumors from foreign powerhouses claimed they'd already cleared the lowest floor or were on the cusp of entering the second.

They all agreed: 'The tower will raise hunters to greater heights.'

'But nothing's all upside. It wrecked our daily lives from the start.'

Seemingly fair, entry tickets distributed sequentially by rank to all awakeners.

Yet the tower wasn't for everyone.

Yul let out a shallow sigh and closed her eyes.

Whatever. No point dwelling.

The sole reason for her ordinary anguish—and sending away her constellation—was simple.

Worried it might trouble Star-nim.

'It apologized for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not answering. He'd freak if I agonized over it.'

She could picture him: 'My Yul's taking the hard path because of me—I'm so sorry!' dying of guilt.

Even if she couldn't open it now anyway.

Yul surrendered to the creeping drowsiness.

Her final drifting thought being of the tower, just before full sleep, something vaguely surfaced.

The status announcing the tower's emergence.

If the tower appeared with purpose, what condition triggered it?

But before she could ponder deeply, sleep claimed her.

* * *

The next day.

Yul and Ryu Shin-ah sat facing each other, sharing the day's events. Ryu Shin-ah cracked open a banana milk she'd handed him and spoke first.

"Well, I didn't learn much about the tower itself. It barely worked on me, really. Before you came out, I just barely caught one faint trace."

"...Before I came out?"

Yul's expression stiffened slightly.

Was it related to the viewing privilege? Or the special info?

Ryu Shin-ah tapped his lips with a fingertip, mumbling.

"Something intervened, that's what I read."

"...".

"Not sure what exactly. Worried it might be mental-type related, so..."

"Nah. Drop it."

Yul cut him off flatly.

Not that, so stop there.

Ryu Shin-ah shut his mouth immediately and gazed at her quietly.

His calm golden eyes held her steadily.

Yul rolled her eyes in exasperation.

What? Why so serious all of a sudden?

More importantly, intervention.

'The privilege and special info are system's domain.'

The most likely culprit was contact with her Star-nim. They'd briefly connected outside the system, voice only. If Star-nim bypassed it from afar, that'd count as intervention.

Yul rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged.

"Probably Star-nim. I actually heard his voice."

"What? Not through status?"

"Yeah. But short chat, nothing major. The real important part's after."

Yul spilled about the status window. Receiving the privilege, not opening it immediately, but gaining extra info.