A Leap of Faith
Belief is a matter of certainty and confidence—but Crow simply could not comprehend the sight unfolding before his eyes.
"I'll give you a snack later, so go in quietly! ...Ah, you fainted? Well, nothing to be done about that."
The angel who had suddenly appeared effortlessly sealed the Silence of the Deep Night and shoved it into a subdimensional space that looked like an inventory.
Immediately after, Crow acquired the Transcendence-grade Essence of the Deep Night as his reward for clearing the 95th floor. However, he didn't even have the luxury to check his reward.
An angel who had just subdued a creature that shouldn't even exist in this world with a single blow. That overwhelming disparity and incomprehensible power filled Crow's very core with an instinctive dread.
Ready to activate his gravity skill at any moment, he asked the angel.
"...Who... on earth are you?"
At his question, the angel pondered for a moment, then replied with a light smile.
"I'm the owner of this house."
"...What?"
As Crow's wariness spiked even higher, the angel shrugged and changed her phrasing.
"Hmm, I hate to admit it... but maybe you'll understand if I say I'm the Tower Administrator?"
"...!!"
Crow's vigilance reached its absolute peak. However, the angel looked around and pointed into the distance with one hand.
"It's noisy here. Why don't we head over to that warp point and talk? Over a cup of tea, perhaps."
Crow hesitated. Could he trust her words? Was this another trap? ...What if he refused?
Crow imagined himself declining the offer. In his mind's eye, the angel's face suddenly went completely blank as she raised her arm high, and—
*Clang!*
......
"......Fine."
Ultimately, Crow decided to follow her. He couldn't miss the opportunity to be the first human in history to converse with a Tower Administrator. It definitely wasn't because he was scared...!
The 33rd floor of My House Tower.
A space where the orange glow of sunlight gently settled over a blue sky, and a pale green breeze softly drifted.
In the middle of a field where five-colored petals fluttered, a charming cottage and garden unfolded like an illustration from a fairy tale. A mystical place where everything felt like a painting.
Right in the center sat a monochrome tea table shaded by a white parasol. A demon man dressed as a bartender brought out a tea set and began setting the table.
"Lady Tricia, I have prepared coffee and black tea today."
Tricia and Crow sat facing each other on opposite sides of the table.
"I'll have a cup of black tea. As for him..."
"...I am fine."
"If you don't like black tea or coffee, how about some soda?"
Soda...?
He wanted to ask why on earth there was soda inside the Tower, but since there were already too many bizarre things to count, Crow let it slide.
"...I don't really care for carbonated drinks."
"I see. Then how about a glass of cold water?"
"...I'll take that, then."
Thus, a warm cup of black tea was placed in front of Tricia, and a glass of cold water in front of Crow. Tricia picked up her teacup with a light smile. Her smile carried an oddly soothing comfort.
Tricia took a sip of the black tea served by the bartender, exhaled softly, and spoke.
"—My name is Eriel Tricia. I'm the owner of this spacious house, and I serve as the Tower Administrator."
Having finished her introduction, Tricia looked straight at Crow. Her gaze carried a silent pressure, as if saying it was now his turn.
"...Outside the Tower, I am known by the alias 'Crow.' I was awakened as a Climber by the System, and I have been scaling the Tower."
"I see. By any chance, is the region you currently live in... Korea?"
"...Surprising. You even know that?"
Crow was slightly taken aback, but the entity before his eyes was none other than the mysterious being who managed the Tower. It might just be common sense for her to know where the Tower she managed was anchored.
Did that mean she had already grasped some level of information about the world outside the Tower?
"So it really is Korea. I'm quite a curious person, you see. In that case, could you please tell me as much as you know about the current situation in Korea?"
Of course, from Tricia's perspective, she was simply curious about how her long-lost hometown was doing.
"That is..."
As Crow seriously debated whether he should share this information, Tricia added:
"In return, if you have any questions for me, I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge."
Tricia was proposing an exchange of information, not a one-sided interrogation.
In Crow's estimation, humanity currently knew far too little about the Tower. In comparison, the "current situation in Korea"—which anyone could easily find with a quick internet search—was hardly dangerous information.
The calculation of profit and loss for this information exchange quickly concluded in Crow's head, leading to the firm conclusion that it was a net positive.
"Very well. I accept that proposal. But before that, may I ask a question first?"
"Sure. What are you curious about?"
"...For what purpose did this Tower appear on Earth?"
At Crow's question, Tricia's expression stiffened.
An Earth where mysterious structures called Towers had suddenly appeared all over the globe. And the primal question harbored by every single human living on that Earth: why on earth did the Towers appear?
To that question, Tricia replied:
"I don't know."
"?"
In truth, Tricia was also someone forced into the role of Tower Administrator by the System, so there was no way she would know why the Tower had appeared on Earth!
Crow was momentarily taken aback, then retorted in a slightly irritated voice.
"You don't know? Are you mocking me?"
"No, I seriously don't know."
"What kind of—"
Realizing the conversation wouldn't progress any further at this rate, Tricia decided to play a risky card.
"Honestly, it's too much of a hassle, so I'll just tell you the truth. I... used to be Korean."
"...What?"
Tricia casually revealed that she was Korean. Naturally, Crow fell into utter confusion, and Tricia immediately began to explain further.
"I was living in Korea when I got into an accident, and when I opened my eyes, I had dropped into another world and was living a new life. But then suddenly my house... this Tower, was transported to Earth, and I ended up coming back with it. That's when I received the authority of the Tower Administrator as well."
"Wait, is it really alright to reveal something like this to an outsider like me?"
Crow voiced his honest concern. The Tower Administrator was a fellow Korean. If this information leaked out, it wouldn't just be a minor incident; it could lead to a massive catastrophe.
But Tricia simply answered his question with a smile.
"Because you have a pure soul."
"...?"
"I can see it all, you see."
In truth, ever since she became an angel, she had developed an intuitive ability to discern the level of good and evil in others. Even if she couldn't read their detailed thoughts or personalities, she could definitely tell if someone was trustworthy.
"By any chance, do you have even the slightest intention of leaking this information?"
"...No. I can't even begin to imagine what would happen if this got out to the world."
"See? I was right."
"......"
For some reason, Crow felt like he was being swept along by Tricia's rhythm. Was this what it felt like to be bewitched by an angel?
"Anyway, you're a trustworthy person. I've decided so."
"Who said you could just decide that? Is it really okay to trust people so easily?"
"Sure. If you can trust them, you trust them. Do you really think there needs to be some grand reason for it?"
"...What if you get scammed?"
"Scammed? Oh, I got scammed plenty in my past life."
Tricia smiled calmly, as if she had already experienced it multiple times.
"But even so, there were far more people whose lives were saved because I trusted them than there were people who betrayed me, you know?"
Crow countered her words.
"That's just sentimental talk. In the end, it means you were still betrayed."
"You're right. It is sentimental. But if you only look at practicality in this world, you end up missing out on so much. I don't want to miss those things."
Without averting her gaze, Tricia looked straight at him and added:
"Because believing in someone is about me having the courage to take the first step. It's not about testing the other person's sincerity; it's about trusting my own choice."
"......"
A brief but heavy silence fell.
"And I trust my choice. Because my experience and judgment tell me that you are someone I can trust."
Then, Tricia smiled and spoke in a benevolent voice.
"Therefore, I will trust you."
Trust. There was no coercion or pretense in those words. It was simply trust, pure and simple.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am always serious."
Tricia's declaration that she would trust him no matter what struck a chord deep within Crow.
The glacier inside Crow's heart, frozen solid with distrust, slowly began to melt away as if bathed in warm sunlight.
He felt a sudden urge to trust the pure white angel girl standing before him.
Crow remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh and nodding.
"...Fine. Then I will trust your words as well."
At that moment, Tricia's smile softened even further. Her genuine trust had saved yet another soul—or so it seemed on the surface, given her purely joyful expression.
Of course, I'm not just blindly trusting him.
...Inside, her gears were turning at lightning speed.
Now I've got him trusting me completely. This will make the information exchange go way smoother.
A small sense of victory was hidden within her smile. She had woven together the conversation, the atmosphere, and Crow's reactions to lead him right into trusting her.
Of course, it was a bit of a gamble on my part too...
Declaring sincere trust in someone could easily backfire and raise their guard instead. Honestly, even now, she was slightly questioning whether this was the right call.
But still... I trust the choice I made. I have no intention of using this guy and throwing him away.
When she raised her head again, there were no longer any shadows in her eyes.
Since he's trusting me, I have to repay him properly. From the moment I decided to trust him, it became a promise I must keep to the end.
Instead, only firm resolve and gentle confidence remained.
Tricia slowly finished the rest of her black tea and spoke.
"Well then, ask whatever you're curious about. I'll answer within the limits of what I know."
"Understood. Then may I ask about the general structure of the Tower?"
Crow's question touched upon a more sensitive topic than expected. But since she had already declared her trust, she couldn't back out now.
"I know about that. The Tower is maintained only when there are Climbers. It runs because people challenge it and clear its trials. If no one climbs it, it seems to gradually begin collapsing."
"Collapsing... Then, in order to prevent the Tower from collapsing, Climbers must endlessly scale it?"
In fact, Crow had witnessed situations where certain Towers collapsed and vanished, or where monsters inside spilled out, leading to major disasters. Fortunately, thanks to Crow stepping in to stop them, worse catastrophes were averted, but ultimately, the collapse of the Towers themselves could not be prevented.
To think this had happened from the very beginning simply because no Climbers were scaling those Towers.
"That's right. The Tower is even maintained by the deaths of Climbers. Every time a Climber scales the Tower or dies, a currency called Tower Coins is generated, which is used to maintain the Tower."
"Wait, Tower Coins were the resource used to maintain the Tower?"
"Yes. Within those rules, the Tower Administrator doles out rewards, grants skills, and decorates the dungeons."
Tricia set her cup down one last time and added:
"That's as far as my knowledge goes. I can't give definitive answers on the rest, so it's hard for me to speak carelessly about it."
"...No, this is already enough. More than enough."
Tricia's promise of trust was by no means an empty gesture.
Well, it's not like this information hurts me anyway. Besides, with the resurrection buff, it's not like Climbers are actually going to die in my Tower, right?
In truth, from her position, sharing this didn't pose any real issue. Rather, this was all part of the grand scheme to maintain My House Tower.
"Then, could you now tell me... in detail about the current situation in Korea?"
Now it was Tricia's turn to receive information.
Crow fell silent for a moment, then quietly exhaled and spoke.
"...Very well. Then I shall answer your questions clearly. The current situation in Korea is—"
And so, Crow's long story began.