Chapter 168  

Choi Yu-Seong stood silently as he looked at the long corridor, which was engulfed in darkness, and a horde of skeleton monsters that had been resurrected.

‘Finally.’

The sword emitted a bright flash of light as it swiftly cleaved through a section of the corridor, causing the remaining skeleton horde to scatter in all directions. It was like a gust of wind blowing away fallen leaves.

Amidst the chaos, a man in a somewhat long leather jacket walked towards Yu-Seong with his sword emitting a sharp silver light. He had black hair and black eyes that seemed to be swallowed by darkness. Those traits made his exceptionally fair skin stand out.

‘He definitely is the main character…’

Despite his reservations, Yu-Seong couldn't help but acknowledge that Kim Do-Jin was handsome. It was probably because Do-Jin was the original protagonist of the novel, after all. Although feeling rather dissatisfied internally, he was still relieved to meet this friend of his.

Yu-Seong raised his hand towards the newcomer and said, "Kim Do-Jin.”

Yu-Seong had been worried that Do-Jin would be late. Fortunately, Do-Jin had arrived right on time.

“...Choi Yu-Seong?” Do-Jin said in surprise as he entered the Safe Zone.

At the same time, a message popped up in front of him.

- You cleared the 2nd floor trial, breaking through the monster horde in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

"Why are you here?”

"Well, because I also entered the Tower," replied Yu-Seong.

"But I was the first one to enter… Oh well, I did spend too much time on the 1st floor," said Do-Jin as he stroked his chin.

He gave off a sense of calmness that was reminiscent of the outside world, appearing to be unfazed by the dangers that lurked within the Tower. In a way, his demeanor could be affected by more than that.

‘He’s a returnee, after all.’

Within the Tower, all the capabilities acquired on Earth had been reset. However, what about skills honed through training and magic that had been imprinted on the soul?

‘You can use them all.’

Of course, it would take some time to embody those skills. Therefore, Do-Jin had spent as much time as possible on the 1st floor, which had no resemblance to the tutorial, to train himself. Needless to say, he had arrived here only after having recovered quite a bit of his previous strength as a returnee.

‘It is fortunate that there is a level cap.’

Nevertheless, even if both Yu-Seong and Do-Jin at level 13 like Yu-Seong, Do-Jin was at least three times stronger.

‘Perhaps he might even be more than five times stronger than me.’

It was evident from the speed at which Do-Jin had cleared the 2nd floor on his own.

Currently, the only one capable of contending with Do-Jin within the Tower was Yoo Jin-Hyuk. That was why Yu-Seong had chosen to remain here.

‘I'll be able to handle a lot of things more easily if I work with this guy in the future.’

.

In his mind, Yu-Seong had several things to do with Do-Jin while inside the Tower.

Looking at Yu-Seong, whose eyes were sparkling, Do-Jin asked with a strange expression, "Have you seen any members from Eclipse Guild…?"

"I haven't seen them. They probably went in before you did," replied Yu-Seong.

"Well, I did tell them not to worry and to just proceed," said Do-Jin. He slightly tilted his head as he gazed at Yu-Seong with a somewhat doubtful expression.

"I really am Choi Yu-Seong. I told you before, I have future foresight. Don't you remember that I was the one who advised you to enter the Tower as soon as it opened before anyone else?"

"...you are definitely Choi Yu-Seong." Do-Jin's gaze softened as he loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword. Then, he asked, "By the way, why did you wait for me?" "I wasn't waiting for you specifically. I was trying to move forward, but the door only allows exactly two people to enter and not one alone."

Only then did Do-Jin shift his gaze towards the stone gate that led to the next floor. He then said, "I see… Number 2. What about your teammates?"

"They went ahead. The numbers didn't add up."

"As expected, you were waiting for me."

"That’s nonsense." Yu-Seong snorted lightly as he approached the stone gate. "Anyway, since there are two of us, let's move on to the next floor. We don't need to waste any more time here."

Do-Jin, who had received his rewards from the second floor after a short time, nodded and followed Yu-Seong's lead. Anyways, he seemed to have no complaints about journeying together.

Before the two of them crossed the stone gate side by side, Yu-Seong glanced back at the path they had just taken. A strange feeling came over him.

‘Now, at least I blocked one of them.’

According to the original novel's storyline, Do-Jin would have had to wait alone at this point, unable to cross the gate until he encountered the worst possible opponent and formed a temporary alliance.

While that encounter would have benefited him in some way, Yu-Seong was sure it wouldn't have been a pleasant experience for himself.

‘I may have altered a significant future, but…’

It would be best for him to stop thinking such thoughts, considering the dark events that Do-Jin would face.

‘Still, it's strange how I ended up worrying about the novel’s protagonist.’?

Yu-Seong clicked his tongue inwardly.

Do-Jin asked, "Aren't you going?"

"I'm going." Yu-Seong smirked, following Do-Jin towards the gate leading to the third floor.

***

In the second floor’s Safe Zone, Kim Woo-Gon rose from his seat. He was aware of the passage of time. As the leader of the group, everyone turned to look at him as he began to move.

Woo-Gon briefly met everyone’s gaze before shaking his head in disappointment and walking towards the gate. Everyone probably thought he was going to the bathroom to deal with his physical needs. However, he was actually thinking about how he would have a more challenging obstacle to overcome from now on.

‘Freaking Choi Yu-Seong. Alright, I'll do as you wish and chase after you until the end.’

The framework of Yu-Seong's orders to Kim Woo-Gon was straightforward:

Climb the Tower.Make contact with the Demon King Worshipers, gather information, and assassinate them.

In fact, Woo-Gon was now in a very unfavorable situation. Unfortunately, he couldn't go against the control of the Magic Total Pill without losing his life.

‘Goodbye, my kingdom.’

Woo-Gon turned away with a sense of regret and took a step towards the stairs leading to the next floor. Only when a new figure suddenly entered the room with the ceiling’s light illuminating the area did he look back at the new guest.

‘If he belongs to the Demon King Worshipers…’?

It would mean that there were more tasks for him to complete.

The new guest, however, was a complete stranger to Woo-Gon. He also completely captured Woo-Gon’s attention because he was not even Korean.

Perhaps because the Tower of Heaven was located in Seoul, all the people Woo-Gon had seen so far inside the Tower were Korean. Additionally, there was something peculiar about the man that made Woo-Gon feel strange.

‘Is he a man...?’

Judging from the shape of his chest and bones, the newcomer was certainly a man. Despite being a man himself and having no interest in the same sex, Woo-Gon couldn't help but gulp unconsciously at the newcomer’s strange allure. With his long black hair, slender physique, and dark, decadent eyes, the man had a uniquely captivating charm that caught everyone's attention.

Nevertheless, the newcomer walked calmly and silently. He approached the door that Woo-Gon stood in front of. He seemingly paid no attention to everyone else. "What, what...?" Woo-Gon raised his voice sharply and tensed his body, possibly due to the man's strange aura.

"You're blocking the door. Could you kindly step aside, if you don’t mind?" said the foreigner in surprisingly fluent Korean.

He also spoke quite politely, but his words carried a noticeable degree of pressure, dignity, and intimidation.

Woo-Gon quietly stepped aside, obeying without much thought.

"Thank you."

The pale man offered Woo-Gon a smile. As he walked past, he lightly tapped Woo-Gon’s shoulder.

“...”

Suddenly, the man came to a halt. He fixed his dark eyes on Woo-Gon before saying unexpectedly, "You...have consumed the Magic Total Pill.”

Kim Woo-Gon was wide-eyed in shock.

'What did this person just say?'?

Such a comment should never be said in a public place with so many people around. Above all, how did the man know that Woo-Gon had consumed the Magic Total Pill?

"I had advised not to use such drastic means, wanting people to try to talk things out… But people who prefer easy solutions use it too boldly. I'm sorry. Let me apologize instead."

"Ah..." Kim Woo-Gon blinked as he had just thought of something. He quickly asked, "Is there a way to get rid of this horrible thing inside me...?"

"There is a way, but it's impossible here. Even if it is me, my abilities are limited inside this place and there’s nothing I can do," the man replied.

"Then, if you regain your powers…"

"Oh dear, I’m afraid I gave you useless hope. Hmm...but I still can’t. I’m sure you hold a grudge against the friend who implanted the Magic Total Pill in you, right? Since they are my comrades, after all, I would have to prioritize them first..."

Kim Woo-Gon wanted to speak up.

‘No, I belong to the same comrades, Demon King Worshipers. This is all because of Choi Yu-Seong.’

Woo-Gon wanted to express his innermost thoughts, but he couldn't.

‘Darn enslavement contract...!’

Woo-Gon was under the Magic Total Pill’s curse, so any harmful words or expressions towards Yu-Seong would lead him to experience excruciating pain and possibly even death. In the end, he could only tremble and bow his head in submission.

"Cheer up, I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help," said the man.

The man lightly patted Woo-Gon's shoulder again. He flashed a seductive smile before leaving.

As he watched the man’s back, Woo-Gon’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Wait... He said comrades?’?

"Perhaps you are…!" Woo-Gon exclaimed urgently towards the man.

The man stopped in his tracks. As he turned back to look at Woo-Gon, he brought his index finger to his dry lips.

‘Shh…’

With that, the man disappeared behind the stone gate.

As his legs turned to jelly, Woo-Gon collapsed to the ground. His heart pounded in his chest as if it was going to burst. He took deep breaths to calm himself down. He realized that the man had refused to reveal his name to save everyone's life in this place.

‘If he had revealed his identity, he would have had to kill everyone.’

No one who had ever seen the man’s face and knew his name lived to tell the tale. Only those who belonged to the Demon King Worshipers would survive in such scenarios.

Woo-Gon lifted a trembling hand to cover his face. He thought of the man’s title rather than his name.

‘Godfather... Why is he in Korea?’?

The question lingered in his mind for a moment before Woo-Gon remembered what he needed to do to survive from the Magic Total Pill’s curse.

‘If I don't report this to him... I'll die. Damn it!’

Woo-Gon stood up with a new sense of urgency. He realized that he had to chase after Yu-Seong.