Good and Evil (2)
“……”
There had been an option to simply endure the trial and head up to the next floor.
But Yun-seok had come to the plaza anyway. Once you ascended a floor, you could never return to the lower plaza again.
What if the 7th floor was a mess like the 6th? He had to clean it up properly. That way, the trash wouldn't overflow and spill upward.
However……
‘It was needless worry after all.’
The plaza was packed with challengers, all of them wearing relaxed expressions on their faces. Just like the pre-corruption 6th Floor Plaza that Jang Il had described to him.
“Ho, that's genuinely surprising! They're even selling ice cream here!”
Was it a challenger who had arrived around the same time? Yun-seok heard someone muttering in admiration right behind him. For some reason, the voice sounded oddly familiar. As if he'd just heard it moments ago……
‘Huh?’
Yun-seok instinctively turned around and froze. It wasn't impossible since their duels had ended simultaneously, but there stood the beastkin from before. Their eyes met, and the beastkin stiffened for a moment before suddenly gasping for air and choking.
“Hiiik! Kek! Kehehek!”
A reaction as if he'd seen a ghost. Yun-seok felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but instead of stepping away, he approached the beastkin.
There had been that indescribable sense of wrongness before too. He'd brushed it off during the duel, but now it nagged at him enough to ask.
“……Did you just say ice cream?”
Did he think Yun-seok was about to attack? The beastkin jumped in fright and responded like a rapid-fire gun.
“Th-there, look at what they're holding! That's ice cream! It's a food that's cold like ice but super smooth—it's one of those special treats!”
That wasn't the explanation Yun-seok had been after. He knew what ice cream was. He was just curious how a beastkin knew about it.
As Yun-seok's brow furrowed deeper, the beastkin grew even more desperate.
“It's true! I wasn't insulting you or anything—I was just shocked they sell it here too……”
Now one thing became crystal clear. This wasn't something he'd overheard in a chat room. The beastkin definitely knew about ice cream.
“Where are you from?”
“Fr-from Sehelanbard……”
“Does Sehelanbard have ice cream too?”
At Yun-seok's question, the beastkin reacted as if he'd been greatly insulted.
“N-no way! Ice cream is food from the Earth dimension! Sehelanbard is a terrible place—hot in summer, cold in winter, and their food culture is awful!”
It was a bit absurd. Was this beastkin really from Sehelanbard? Or was he from Earth? Yun-seok couldn't tell. For some reason, looking at him reminded Yun-seok of those foreign-born talents who often appeared on Korean TV shows.
Yun-seok grew confused, and without realizing it, his tone turned a bit accusatory.
“You're from Sehelanbard, so how do you know about Earth's food?”
The beastkin hunched his shoulders and replied.
“W-well, because the place I live is Earth……”
……What?
* * *
At first, Yun-seok thought the beastkin was playing a prank on him. But that wasn't the case.
“Do you know why most challengers can't return to their home dimensions?”
“Yes. Because it's hard to survive with a powerless body……”
“You know it well. That's right. And I was a challenger who couldn't return for similar reasons. Not to brag, but…… So I chose to flee to Earth.”
“Flee? Is that even possible?”
“It was possible. Once you reach the 5th floor, the Achievement Shop has everything for sale, doesn't it?”
◈ Registers one additional dimension among Sehelanbard, Killian, Murim, or Earth.
◈ Selectable when using a Return Ticket.
◈ Sale Price: 500 LP
Only then did Yun-seok understand the entire situation. There wasn't a shred of lie in the beastkin's claim that he was from Sehelanbard but lived on Earth.
Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? Why hadn't he considered what other challengers might think upon seeing this item?
Earth was different from other dimensions. You wouldn't become a weakling stripped of power—in fact, with his current abilities, he'd be superhuman, posing no real danger. And it boasted an advanced civilization that elevated quality of life.
Tired of endless duels, was there any place more appealing for lost challengers?
Yun-seok realized his own lack of insight and asked the beastkin.
“……Then how long were you on Earth?”
“Half a year. Life there was pure bliss, but investing more AP would've been too risky for what lay ahead.”
“If you were there half a year, did you meet other challengers like yourself?”
“Of course—there are even group chats for those who've fled to Earth. We're pretty tight-knit.”
It seemed there were more other-dimensional challengers settled on Earth than he'd imagined. That sparked a new question in Yun-seok.
If they weren't committing crimes, they needed jobs and money to survive on Earth. So how had they lived there for half a year without revealing their identities to the public?
The answer was simple: government assistance.
“Most countries treat challengers as precious resources. We received top-secret VIP treatment. Just hunt a few monsters now and then, and that was enough.”
During his previous trip to Earth, Yun-seok had encountered organizations related to challengers. They were already aware of and managing immigrants from other dimensions—long before he'd been dragged into the Tower of Heaven.
“But…… I've been wondering since earlier. Mind if I ask one thing?”
With so many people around and judging Yun-seok not as dangerous as he'd thought, the beastkin cautiously asked.
Yun-seok nodded readily, grateful for the detailed answers despite the one-sided questions.
The beastkin then asked.
“You're from Earth, aren't you?”
After a brief moment of thought, Yun-seok affirmed it. There was no point in lying. He wouldn't have asked if he hadn't already suspected from their conversation.
However……
“……!”
The beastkin's mouth gaped open, and he couldn't close it for a good while.
* * *
“Ah, sorry. I must've looked foolish from the shock.”
Perhaps realizing it was rude in front of someone, the beastkin collected himself and apologized.
Yun-seok didn't care about the apology. He was just curious why the reaction was so extreme.
“It's not something to say in front of the Masked Lord, but Earth challengers are just too weak. The other trials are somewhat better, but for duels, there are barely a handful who've reached the 5th floor.”
The beastkin said that during his time on Earth, he was among the top rankers. And that all the top rankers were immigrants.
But Yun-seok was different. Too strong—unnaturally so. If he returned to Earth like this, it might take every top immigrant combined to stand a chance.
“Plus, maybe due to the environment, Earthlings tend to have very soft personalities. Whereas the Masked Lord……”
The beastkin trailed off carefully, shooting Yun-seok a sly glance.
Yun-seok didn't ask what he meant. He already knew. He could guess how his actions in the boss battle had looked to someone who'd lived on Earth.
“Come to think of it, meeting like this must be fate, but we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Tehern Pahur. First name's front, family name back—call me whatever's comfy.”
The beastkin revealed his name first. But Yun-seok hesitated. It would've been easier if he were purely from another dimension, but revealing his name to someone connected to Earth felt awkward.
Sensing the mood, Pahur laughed heartily, diffusing the potentially awkward atmosphere.
“Haha! No need to share your name. I'll just keep calling you Masked Lord then.”
They settled on that compromise. It seemed pointless since they were about to part ways anyway, but Pahur made a new proposal.
“Meeting a fellow countryman in a place like this is rare—wanna team up?”
Fellow countryman? Yun-seok wanted to correct him that his home was Sehelanbard, not Earth, but……
He decided against it. Instead, he simply nodded in acceptance.
There was no real reason to keep grilling him here, but this was a good opportunity. He'd learn more about Earth's situation in detail.
It bruised his pride as a pure Earthling, but Pahur clearly knew more about the current state of Earth.
“Let's exchange points for cash first and grab something to eat. All that stress made my blood sugar drop. Oh, not stress from you, Masked Lord—definitely not!”
Yun-seok chuckled at Pahur's ambiguous reaction—was he scared or not?—and followed him. Pahur seemed very familiar with the plaza.
“Ah, I wasn't considerate. Do you know what exchanging means?”
“I heard about it in the 6th Floor Plaza. You trade points for currency to buy necessities or build structures……”
“6th Floor Plaza? You went there?”
Of course it wasn't just a visit. He'd turned it into a bloodbath to ensure no seeds of evil would sprout again.
“I heard duel challengers don't come back in one piece from there……”
“It'll be fine from now on.”
Pahur tilted his head at Yun-seok's reply, then clamped his mouth shut. He didn't bring up the topic again. He'd grasped the implication.
“……”
They walked in awkward silence. Meanwhile, Yun-seok scanned the surroundings, taking in the 7th floor plaza.
Unlike the 6th floor, which had few empty buildings, this one was surrounded by structures brimming with life. Challengers strode the streets every few steps.
Yun-seok eyed the marks above their heads carefully. Even in this peaceful place, Judge's Marks were rare. But he didn't draw his sword yet.
A new question suddenly arose—one he hadn't considered before. Were Judge's Marks absolute?
People are born with different natures, just as personalities vary. Some might be inherently evil from birth.
Of course, that didn't erase their crimes. But nature was nature. What if they'd suppressed it their whole lives to live normally?
What if they'd never bullied anyone and thus never even realized their own nature?
“……”
Yun-seok decided to hold off. Judging them could wait until he knew more about the 7th floor plaza.
How long had they walked? Yun-seok and Pahur arrived at a shabby building.
“This is the exchange. They convert trial points to currency. Rumor has it the staff are managers, but who knows.”
Entering the exchange, the interior was surprisingly clean and spacious—much larger than it looked from outside.
With quite a few people, Yun-seok took a number and waited. It wasn't long before his turn came.
“Exchange 5,000 AP, please.”
“Yes, understo——?”
The staff member, who had been moving quickly at Pahur's words, froze. Yun-seok did the same.
They stared at each other, both rigid. The staff recovered first, hastily pulling up her hood to hide her face.
But it was pointless. Hiding her face wouldn't help anyway—Yun-seok didn't even know what was under the hood.
Yun-seok examined the exchange staff closely once more. And soon confirmed it.
“……”
Hood pulled down to her nose. Bright red hair spilling from beneath. Curves asserting themselves even under baggy robes. But no need to go that far—the ornate robe embroidered with red, white, and gold thread could only belong to one person.
“……Elle? What are you doing here?”
“N-not Elle……”
The exchange staff was definitely Elle. Yun-seok was at a loss for words.
To think the ‘side job’ she'd mentioned back then meant this……