Utopia (1)
"What sins have you committed in your life?"
This time, he didn't ask. The moment Lee Do-seong came into view, Yun-seok forced him to his knees and tore off both his arms.
"Gaaahhh!"
Lee Do-seong screamed and rolled across the floor. Yun-seok nodded to the man standing nearby. Trembling, the man approached Lee Do-seong and began administering treatment. Of course, the severed limbs didn't reattach—only the bleeding stopped. Once the pain had eased somewhat and Lee Do-seong regained his senses, Yun-seok asked,
"I hear you orchestrated the kidnapping of my parents. Is that true?"
"……."
Lee Do-seong couldn't utter a word. Admitting it would invite even greater torment. Lying was impossible too—his mouth simply wouldn't form the words.
"…It's true."
In the end, he had no choice but to confess. Yun-seok's face remained impassive, betraying no hint of the rage burning inside him, as he pressed on.
"I also heard you injured my father. Is that true?"
"Yes……."
He offered no excuses like "If he'd just cooperated, nothing would have happened." He knew such justifications would only make things worse, not better.
"Why did you do it?"
After a long hesitation, Lee Do-seong finally answered the simple question.
"…Unregistered challengers are dangerous. We needed a way to control them."
Shaman's Law is in effect—no falsehoods.
It wasn't a lie, thanks to Shaman's Law. But it didn't feel like the full truth either. Yun-seok asked again.
"Did you have to hurt him?"
"……."
"Tell the truth."
"……."
Once more, Lee Do-seong fell silent. He had no choice. How could he say it to Yun-seok's face? That they'd only meant to knock him out and take him quietly, but he'd gotten angry when the father dumped boiling stew on him and struck him in retaliation. Some landmines were best avoided.
"We wanted to show that we weren't just making empty threats. Unregistered challengers usually think they're the strongest……."
No lies there either. Sure, he'd hit first and checked later, but taming challengers this way was routine in their management operations. He hadn't thought it would be a big issue. Not until Yun-seok showed up.
"So in the end, you did it because you thought I was weaker than you."
That summed it up perfectly. Yun-seok was barely a month into the tower. No prior training, no special talents—just an ordinary guy who'd been brutally bullied in school. Honestly, floors 3 or 4 seemed like his limit. So they'd used him as they pleased until he ran dry, then discarded him like the other low-floor challengers who left no bodies behind when they returned to the Tower of Heaven.
Investigations showed he cared deeply for his family, so with a proper leash, they could control him right up until his death. But that plan had backfired spectacularly, stabbing back like a dagger and landing Lee Do-seong in this mess.
"Do you still want to live?"
Yun-seok smiled coldly. The sight of Lee Do-seong desperately scheming for survival was almost comical.
"Are you still pinning your hopes on the people upstairs?"
Yun-seok swung his sword twice at the ceiling. A cross-shaped gash split it open, sending debris and dozens of challengers crashing down. These were the reinforcements from headquarters, responding to the distress call. They hesitated in shock at the collapsed floor, scrambling for their weapons. But the overwhelming pressure of Blood Demon Qi pinned them down.
"N-No……."
Were these their last shred of hope? Lee Do-seong's face drained of color as he watched their helpless struggle.
"Ch-Choi Yun-seok! You could get far better treatment than me—no, the best treatment!"
No preamble, just a blatant recruitment pitch. Yun-seok could hardly believe it. He'd already killed countless challengers and high-ranking officials—now this?
"…The best treatment?"
He echoed it in sheer disbelief. Seizing on even that sliver of opening, Lee Do-seong rushed on.
"Yes! In the Korean Challenger Management Bureau, only the low-floor challengers get poor treatment. Top-rankers absolutely don't. We don't ask them to learn weird skills or anything. We share info and support them to climb as high as possible!"
It had seemed a bit off before, but now it clicked. That's how the twisted system stayed afloat. Ninety percent of low-floor challengers never passed floor 5 and died. Instead of helping them ascend, the Bureau exploited them. Rebels or potential traitors were preempted by the pampered high-rankers. And now…
Lee Do-seong was telling Yun-seok to suck the blood of the powerless and enjoy the perks.
"Just die."
Slice.
A thin red line appeared on Lee Do-seong's neck, his head soon tumbling to the floor. Yun-seok glanced around impassively. The reinforcements gulped at the sight of their leader decapitated in one stroke. Yun-seok approached them, asked the same questions, and carried out the necessary deeds.
Crunch! Crunch! Cruuunch!
The survivors of the trial didn't cheer. They just trembled with fear in their eyes, flinching at Yun-seok's every move.
Yun-seok returned to the hospital room, hoisted his parents over both shoulders, and headed to the rooftop. He boarded the helicopter the reinforcements had arrived in.
"I-I'm just the pilot!"
"You still know where the Korean Challenger Management Bureau is, right?"
"Yes……."
"Take us there."
Perhaps fearing he'd end up like the others if he refused, the pilot squeezed his eyes shut and started the engine.
Whirrrrr!
The rotors spun faster, lifting the chopper into the air toward the Korean Challenger Management Bureau. Yun-seok stared at the Korean Hospital rooftop until it faded from view—not the ruins themselves, but the pile of corpses below and the hollow-eyed survivors.
Was he growing numb to this slaughter? Strangely, he felt nothing.
* * *
"Pahur! You're back! Congratulations!"
Upon returning to Earth, Pahur's dedicated agent greeted him warmly. Returning from a trial was a victory in itself, a cause for joy for an agent under a non-government organization.
But Pahur's expression was grave, not a trace of elation.
"Elena, contact the operatives in the Korean branch and tell them to withdraw immediately."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"No time to explain. Just connect me. I'll talk to them myself."
"Understood."
Elena didn't pry or insist on protocol. She trusted Pahur's judgment—he might act flighty at times, but he was sharp and more responsible than anyone.
"Most of their info is locked down."
"So there's no way?"
"No, it just means it'll take time. One hour… no, 40 minutes, and I'll have you connected."
"Thank you."
As Elena stepped away with her phone, Pahur steadied his breathing and gathered his thoughts. He recalled how, mid-conversation about the Korean Challenger Management Bureau, Yun-seok's mood had shifted abruptly. He'd left without details, but right before vanishing, he'd urgently asked for the Bureau's location.
'If he goes there, and he's the unregistered challenger Gong mentioned….'
Pahur shuddered, picturing Yun-seok torturing the necromancer without batting an eye.
'It'll be a bloodbath.'
The Korean Challenger Management Bureau would pay for its past deeds. Yun-seok was the type to see it through without hesitation. Pahur had no intention of stopping him. The timing was just accelerated—what else could be expected from such shortsighted management? It was inevitable.
His only concern was the operatives in the Korean branch. He hoped they wouldn't get caught in Yun-seok's path. If they did, America would have to intervene.
'We can't end up enemies with Gong.'
Was that worry for Yun-seok, or his organization? Perhaps both. Whichever won, hostility between them would mean senseless bloodshed.
Pahur powered on his smartphone and messaged the group chat for fellow immigrants: if you're in Korea, get out now.
Elena returned shortly after.
"You're connected."
Pahur took the phone.
-You were looking for me? What's this about, bypassing procedure?
The operative answered, irritation clear at the irregular contact with his homeland. Pahur ignored it. Once he knew the full story, the man would be grateful.
"Get your agents out now. If I'm right, a monster's heading your way."
-A monster? You mean an invader?
"Invader? No, something worse."
-But it's just a hunch. It could be wrong. Without solid intel, we can't just— Is this related to the reinforcements we sent to Korean Hospital?
"Damn, it's already started. Get out of there!"
Every second counted, yet he kept repeating himself. The man on the line had no grasp of the gravity.
-Sounds like you've heard some wild rumors. I heard Lee Do-seong, the floor 8 adventurer team leader, went there himself. Should be fine.
"Lee Do-seong? You think that corpse without a mouth can stop him?"
-…Huh? Wait, I hear a helicopter. Are the reinforcements back already?
Pahur's gut screamed it was Yun-seok.
"Get your agents outside the building now!"
He shouted urgently, but the response was baffling: too late to leave.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Korean Challenger Management Bureau was in central Seoul. Whether for camouflage or originally so, it was a tall building with high walls like a science research institute.
Yun-seok hadn't even questioned the pilot if they'd arrived correctly. No need.
Step.
Stepping off the chopper, he saw a crowd waiting on the rooftop.
"That mad bastard really came……."
Mostly challengers, armed with guns or melee weapons. They'd gotten word from the hospital survivors, no doubt. Their postures screamed caution.
'They chose to fight instead of flee.'
Perfect. If the whole building had been evacuated, it would've felt empty after coming this far. He hoped the higher-ups hadn't fled too.
Yun-seok unleashed his authority.
By Shaman's Law, no being within this domain may exit the area.
If something was rotten…
It had to be uprooted completely. To set things right.