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“…Pardon?”
“Jump from here?”
Noeul and Kim Jaeha’s eyes went wide at the absurd instruction.
Ashid, seeing their reaction, answered with a calm face.
“Beyond the exit, there are no other passages at the top of the tower. This place I made is the closest thing to one.”
“And what if we end up somewhere strange? Or worse, what if we just die?”
“That, too, would be fate — but you won’t die. The tower has no intention of letting go of you yet.”
“No intention of letting go…”
The words, as though the tower were alive, didn’t quite land for Kim Jaeha.
“Where do we end up when we fall?”
Haneul, watching the exchange, looked down through the window and asked.
Ashid shrugged and answered.
“It’ll connect to wherever the tower permits. You’ll be placed in an environment where you can grow with what you received from the box.”
“I see.”
Haneul nodded and looked back at Hanbit standing behind her.
Then she turned again and climbed up onto the window frame.
“I’ll go first, then?”
Whoosh—!
Haneul leapt into the air below without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’ll go as well!”
Avant-garde, watching her, threw himself forward in an excited voice.
The two vanished quickly, swallowed by the vortex.
“Ha…”
“I’ll go too.”
Kim Jaeha with a sigh, and Noeul with renewed resolve — they too followed, jumping out through the window.
The last one remaining, Hanbit turned to Ashid, standing with her arms crossed.
“Doesn’t seem like we’ll meet again. Are you staying here?”
“Someone has come here at last, so my purpose is fulfilled. The shop is now closed.”
She turned and walked toward where her box had been.
Then she lowered herself and reached out a hand.
Crack—
The box twisted and collapsed on its own, untouched.
It vanished completely in an instant.
“Take this.”
Ting—
Ashid produced a single golden coin and flicked it.
Thwack—
Hanbit caught the flying coin and examined the pattern engraved on it.
Half a dragon, wings spread, etched into the surface.
“You’ll meet my real self someday. When that happens, I’d like you to give her this.”
“Where is your real self?”
“Wandering the world, most likely. I wouldn’t have died so easily.”
Ashid had conquered the tower ten years ago.
Given that she frequented dangerous zones of every kind, she was always in the company of peril.
‘She’s alive, at least.’
Just as the soul had predicted, the Ashid outside was alive.
The problem was that her exact location was unknown.
There had been rumors, but she was so elusive that no one had ever found her.
“I’ll pass it along when I see her.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Tat—!
With that exchange done, Hanbit stepped onto the window frame and leapt.
Whoosh—!
His body plunging rapidly toward the vortex below.
The moment he was caught in the spinning gale, the sensation of transfer washed over him.
Thwack—
The moment his feet touched the ground, the scene before his eyes changed.
[Entering Tower of Vortex — Inner Depths.]
The message that appeared was a single line.
Hanbit closed the window and looked around.
Rustle—
An enormous space surrounded by bright grey marble.
A cathedral-like structure several football fields in size.
Crunch—
Grrk—
The monsters swarming across the floor stretched on without visible end.
[Storm and Abyss Dire Wolf (Lv.220)]
[Storm and Abyss Blood Bear (Lv.221)]
[Storm and Abyss Black Hound (Lv.221)]
All of them level 220 or above without exception.
Hanbit opened the voice chat and spoke to the others.
“An exit will appear after a few days. We leave on exactly the seventh day, so keep that in mind.”
(Yes!)
(Got it!)
Their answers came overlapping all at once.
What they had to do from here was not simply killing monsters.
They had to learn how to use what they received from the box, refine it, and achieve the growth that came from that.
The environment suited to each of them would be spread before their eyes.
Slide—
Hanbit drew the golden egg from his inventory and cradled it carefully in his left hand.
The companion Hwansoo who had been with him through the vast majority of his countless runs in the other world.
It was no exaggeration to call it a part of himself.
Tweet—!
Slide—
Just then, with a bird’s chirp, the four elemental spirits revealed themselves.
They gathered naturally around the egg, showing their curiosity.
Both spirits and Hwansoo were beings that had existed since the world’s beginning, so there was a bond between them that only they could feel.
Whoosh—!
A fierce wind surging around the pale blue sword drawn in his right hand.
Tat—!
Hanbit immediately kicked off and plunged into the swarm of monsters.
It was the beginning of a week’s worth of battle.
* * *
“Tch. What the hell is he doing?”
Radianor, the Royal Capital of Raven.
In a basement owned by a player, Adventurer A clicked his tongue and muttered.
It had been over a week since Black Dragon’s stream went dark.
“Wow, people are still only talking about how much they hate us.”
Lucio, sprawled on the sofa, spoke in a wondering voice while looking at his screen.
It was filled with RPG community pages and other forum windows.
Adventurer A, who had been watching him, furrowed his brow sharply.
“Stop watching that garbage community! It’s nothing but people whose only hobby is tearing others down!”
“Same as you poking at Black Dragon?”
“This little——”
Two weeks ago.
The two who had ambushed Black Dragon were struck dead by a bolt from out of nowhere.
The entire scene had been broadcast live, which triggered a flood of mockery from other players beyond reason.
It was adding insult to injury, given that the guidebook’s reputation was already hitting rock bottom.
“But are you really planning revenge?”
“Obviously. You think I’m going to sit still after this? It’s a big hit for you and Nesto too, not just me.”
“I couldn’t care less myself. Our leader didn’t seem to care either.”
“How does that make any sense? There were so many posts disrespecting Nesto!”
“What’s this. You know all about it. Weren’t you telling me to stop watching the community?”
“…”
Having been hit dead-on, Adventurer A let his gaze drift away.
He didn’t want anyone to find out he had been searching his own name every day and night.
He quickly changed the subject.
“Either way, if I crush him completely, image recovery is quick. That’s just how the public works.”
“Playing the insightful observer is one thing — but can you actually crush him?”
“No matter how broken that tower is, the cap is 150. He was at 131 on Floor 28, so even generously, maybe around 155.”
Black Dragon had taken a break from streaming for a few days after his final Floor 28 broadcast.
When he reappeared, the monsters he faced were in the level 190 to 200 range.
A bit high, but not completely impossible if you accounted for a party setting.
“Really? The experience and monster levels looked a bit off to me.”
“The tower itself is abnormal. Experience distribution could be a party-wide thing. On top of that, those grotesque jester summons could be cutting into the rewards. Items like that always come with clear risks.”
Adventurer A thought back to the summoning stone Black Dragon had used.
The sight of those armored jesters hacking away was inherently unpleasant.
Watching them cut through monsters so easily had genuinely made his gut twist with envy.
That envy was what clouded his judgment in turn.
“So — the moment he comes out of the tower, you’re going to kill him?”
“Killing isn’t enough. I’m going to humiliate him. Make him kneel and beg. Wiping out his party and those summons is a bonus.”
Rattle—
A brown cube in his hand.
A Rank 6 Heroic-grade item that bound all enemies within its range.
A reliable piece of equipment — you’d need to be level 200 to break free of its restraint.
“Spent some money, did you? Guidebook sales must be in bad shape these days.”
“That’s exactly why I’m investing properly. Once this goes right, I’ll be back on track.”
The tremendous praise and admiration when the guidebook had first been released.
Adventurer A was longing for the return of that glory.
Personally snapping Black Dragon’s momentum, which was only growing in value, and showing the world his broken state — that would flip the table entirely.
‘I’ll prove that I’m the real thing.’
He could no longer deny that Black Dragon had some kind of connection to the goddess.
But the one who was truly chosen was himself.
They had only crossed paths once — but the look in the goddess’s eyes as she gazed at him had said as much.
“What should I use to put him in his place.”
Fired up, Adventurer A poured out his prepared items and began mapping out his plan.
Lucio, watching the scene, did nothing more than quietly curl the corner of his lips.
Ding—
A short while later, a sound reached Adventurer A’s ears as he was deep in concentration.
He turned his gaze and checked an alert that had arrived from the recorder site.
[Black Dragon’s stream has started.]
* * *
Shhk—!
The inner depths of the tower.
Hanbit cut down the last monster and gave his sword a light shake.
“Phew.”
One week had passed since he entered this place.
He had thrown himself into hunting monsters, making use of even the Madness-Imbued Summoning Stone.
[Black Dragon — Lv.230]
[Title: None]
Strength: 330 (+33)
Agility: 340 (+34)
Intelligence: 330 (+33)
Stamina: 329 (+32.9)
Remaining Stat Points: 0
Stats that had grown further through fifteen levels of gain.
Places where monsters appeared at this density were exceedingly rare.
In an ordinary field, it would take months to achieve the same kill count.
“Now, it’s your turn.”
Hanbit gently set the golden egg he had been cradling down on the ground.
[Hwansoo Egg growth level has reached 100%.]
The Hwansoo egg he had never let go of for a single moment.
All that remained was hatching.
Crack—
At that moment, a fracture began to form on the egg’s shell.
Crack— crack—
The shell, splitting further and further, gradually revealed what was inside.
And as the final crack split wide—
Flash—!
Intense light erupted.
[Hwansoo: Cheonho has hatched.]
A baby tiger that emerged, collapsing the shell around it.
Snow-white fur and black stripes, with small golden wings folded against its back — the same beloved appearance as ever.
“Come here.”
Grrowl—
Hanbit slowly extended his hand, and Cheonho stumbled over.
When the warmth of that baby tiger touched his hand, a message appeared.
[Hwansoo: Cheonho’s Imprinting begins.]
[Extreme stamina and mana will be consumed; contact must be maintained until imprinting is complete.]
An overwhelming wave of fatigue accompanied the notification.
Stamina and mana didn’t produce a sensation like this.
This was the feeling of actual strength and mental energy draining from the real body wearing the gear.
It was similar to the time he had pushed the King’s Trace to its absolute limit.
Grrowl—
Whether it sensed this or not, Cheonho rubbed its head against his hand, being affectionate.
Hanbit stroked the fur lightly and sat down on the floor.
“….The first time was truly dangerous.”
The run in which he had first obtained Cheonho’s egg.
Thrilled, Hanbit had entered a monster-filled mountain range and spent nearly a month there.
But because he mistimed the imprinting, he had collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of a swarm of monsters.
If not for the spirits’ help, he would have died right then and there.
Ding—
[Hwansoo: Cheonho’s Imprinting is complete.]
[Cheonho recognizes player Black Dragon as master.]
[Cheonho’s current stage is Stage 1.]
[As the master grows, Cheonho grows alongside them, and upon exceeding the threshold, earns the right to evolve to the next stage.]
[For evolution beyond a certain stage, the assistance of an expert is required.]
After some time had passed, Cheonho’s imprinting was complete.
The explanations that followed were already stored in his mind.
Grrowl—
Cheonho rumbled contentedly, clearly in a good mood.
A Hwansoo could enter and exit its own separate dimension — but right now it was too young.
He would need to keep it close to his body for the time being.
Tweet—!
Crackle—
The spirits expressed their joy at Cheonho’s arrival.
The baby tiger was waving its front paws, as though it found them delightful.
(Black Dragon! I’m all done!)
Just then, Noeul’s voice came through on the party chat.
(I finished first!)
(I’m done too.)
(I’ve wrapped up as well!)
A chain of reports from the party members.
It seemed everyone had finished safely.
“Then everyone come out through the exit. I’ll also turn on the stream.”
Click—
Hanbit conveyed the message and immediately started streaming.
Even with the broadcast starting without warning, viewers flooded in at an incredible rate.
-??
-Sudden stream, what’s going on.
-What have you been doing this whole time
-Did you abandon us?
-Where is this?
-Explain yourself.
-You can’t just leave a notice and call it done.
-Still, you’re back, so I’ll let it slide…
-Sigh. This is the last time.
[Animal Lover has donated 5,000 won.]
[What is that absolutely deadly tiger on your arm?]
A donation message surfacing among the flood of chat.
Hanbit held the baby tiger up close to the camera.
“This is Cheonho, my Hwansoo. Think of it as a pet.”
-What.
-Incredible. lol
-So ridiculously cute
-A Hwansoo?
-There’s a Hwansoo pet?
-Don’t care about the details, it’s just adorable
-Just let me pet it once, please.
-Did you pick that up here?
-Buying the Tower of Vortex walkthrough for 500 million.
Cheonho’s cute appearance drew an explosive reaction in every direction.
In the meantime, Hanbit stepped through the exit that had appeared to his right.
Fwoosh—
The scenery of a mountainous area appeared with the sensation of transfer.
The same space where the lightning had struck.
“Black Dragon!”
The party members who had arrived first came running over to greet him.
Hanbit moved toward them as well.
In that instant—
Fwish—!
Something came flying from behind.
Clang—!
Hanbit reflexively lifted his sword and deflected it, then turned his gaze.
“It would’ve been easier to just take that and die.”
Emerging from below the slope was Adventurer A.
Twirling a throwing weapon in his fingers, he curled his lips in a sneer.
“This time I’ll make it properly humiliating.”
