A peaceful morning dawned at the hospital!
“Aaaaargh!!!”
“Mommyyyy!!!”
“Oh, you’ve finally woken up?”
Otaku and Park Chunja, who had been unconscious since yesterday, finally opened their eyes.
Watching them, Ban Hwiyul wore a look of profound relief.
The two gasped for breath, simultaneously beginning to instinctively check their own bodies.
Only after confirming that all their limbs were intact and realizing they were on hospital beds did their minds slowly begin to clear.
“…Did I… did I really die and come back to life?”
“Ugh… my body, my legs… are they still attached? I’m sure the explosion tore off my lower half…”
The two still couldn’t believe they were alive, their eyes reflecting a clear terror.
“You find it hard to believe, don’t you? I felt the same way at first.”
“Hwiyul, did you… die and come back to life too?”
“Wait… then what about Team Leader Kim Chunsik and Elizabeth? Surely not…?”
“They’re in the next room. Let’s go see them later.”
Ban Hwiyul pointed to the adjacent room with his thumb and chuckled softly.
He spoke with an excited voice, as if unable to contain his pride.
“Anyway, isn’t dying and coming back to life more amazing than you’d think? I used to have muscle aches, but they’re all gone now! I feel like I’ve been completely reborn!”
Ban Hwiyul laughed, flexing his impressive muscles and declaring his physical condition was so superb he felt like he could soar.
However, Otaku and Park Chunja found absolutely no humor in the situation.
Otaku had been torn to pieces by the explosion, succumbing to a horrific, agonizing death, while Park Chunja’s abdomen and lower body had been completely obliterated, leading to a torturous end.
They had died experiencing the vivid torment of their bodies fragmenting and their breath being extinguished.
Compared to them, Ban Hwiyul, who had died instantly from a head injury before even registering pain, had been remarkably fortunate.
The mere fact of having ‘experienced’ death was terrifying enough for them.
Yet, the simultaneous reality of their ‘resurrection’ struck them with an uncanny, almost alien thrill.
Perhaps, this marked the first instance of resurrection in Earth’s history.
“Phew… Well, I can’t deny it was a truly novel experience. Though, of course, it was a terrible pain I never want to go through again.”
“Yeah… that pain I felt right before dying… it was truly excruciating…”
Incidentally, unbeknownst to the climbers, the ‘25% damage reduction’ effect included in [Angel’s Blessing (Minor)] also possessed a certain degree of pain suppression.
Thanks to this, the pain they actually endured was less severe compared to ‘true death’.
To put it another way, the pain had been mitigated to merely a ‘deathly ache’, thus allowing their minds to remain barely intact upon their return.
But what if they had fully experienced the unadulterated agony of ‘true death’?
The trauma would have been far more profound, perhaps leading to a mental collapse, leaving them as mere physical husks.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
Just then, another scream erupted from the adjacent hospital room.
“…Ah, looks like the Team Leader woke up too. Want to go together?”
Ban Hwiyul rose with a familiar nonchalance and headed to the next room, and Otaku and Park Chunja also got out of bed and followed.
Kim Chunsik and Elizabeth’s trauma was particularly severe, and it took quite a long time for them to calm down.
****
Let’s turn back time to yesterday…
The [Glory] Guild was embroiled in an unprecedented catastrophe.
Just five meters from the newly emerged Tower, where the advance party had just been deployed… an enigmatic portal had abruptly manifested!
The remaining [Glory] Guild members reacted with alarm, immediately contacting their Vice Master.
“What?! A portal has appeared before the Tower? I’m coming at once! Respond immediately if anything happens, and absolutely do not enter the portal!”
Yoon Seojin paused their hand, which had been drafting a report for the Guild Master, and promptly drove their car to the scene.
Upon arriving at the scene, they found the remaining guild members were already maintaining a vigilant watch over the portal from behind hastily erected barricades.
The portal emitted a red glow, slowly rotating, and an ominous aura pulsed intensely, as if countless monsters could burst forth at any moment.
Moreover, just a short while ago, the elite advance party had all been thrown out of the Tower, unconscious from shock—an unprecedented event that pushed the guild members’ apprehension to its zenith.
Such was their apprehension that some were seriously considering calling for backup from other guilds.
Yoon Seojin felt the same way.
‘This portal… did the Tower create it? Or did it appear by chance? No, a coincidence at this timing is too strange. So, a portal that appeared with a specific purpose? Damn it, there’s not enough information.’
Their mind was so convoluted that they felt an uncharacteristic urge to smoke, a habit they rarely indulged in.
Consequently, everyone remained on high alert in front of the portal, finding themselves keeping vigil throughout the night.
However…
In reality, this portal was a travel portal Ariel Tricia had installed by spending 150 Tower Coins, with the simple intention of visiting an internet cafe!
It was, quite literally, an ordinary doorway, connecting [My Home Tower 95th Floor ↔ Outside]!
The problem, however, was that Ariel Tricia herself couldn’t pass through to the outside due to [Insufficient Authority], leaving the portal neglected and unused!
For such a simple reason… the [Glory] Guild had been essentially shadow boxing in front of a portal that produced absolutely nothing, until the break of dawn!
As dawn broke and morning approached, their endurance began to wane.
Vice Master Yoon Seojin had pulled an all-nighter, unable to eat anything since lunch the previous day.
“Vice Master, you’ll collapse at this rate! You should eat something…”
“Now, in this situation, food…!”
Growl—
“……”
Their eyes met with the guild members’.
With a deep sigh, Yoon Seojin decided to yield to the call of practicality.
“Let only a skeletal crew remain on site; the rest of you will go for a quick meal.”
With that, Yoon Seojin led 23 guild members to a nearby Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) restaurant.
(TL Note: ‘Bbeokbbeokhaeyu’ can mean stiff or tough, implying a rustic or hearty style, but also sounds a bit funny/odd for a restaurant name.)
‘What an odd name for a Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) place…’
As they looked at the sign, Yoon Seojin thought the name was peculiar.
Upon entering the restaurant, they were greeted by the beaming owner, whose mouth was stretched ear to ear, clearly ecstatic that their restaurant had become a ‘Tower-adjacent zone’ (TL Note: ‘Tapsaegwon’ is a neologism combining ‘tower’ and ‘yeoksaegwon’ (station area), implying a prime location near a Tower).
“Oh my~ Welcome! What can I get for you?”
“I heard the spicy bean sprout pork Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) is good here; please make it unanimous for all tables. Vice Master, what would you like?”
“A special size mixed Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice). And… add one large plate of boiled pork slices (TL Note: ‘Suyuk’ refers to boiled meat, usually pork or beef, often served with dipping sauces and ssam vegetables.) for each table.”
Yoon Seojin said this, pulling out a card emblazoned with [Glory].
This morning’s Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) was on the Vice Master.
“Suyuk (TL Note: Boiled pork slices)! Thank you for the meal, Vice Master!”
“Thank you, Vice Master!”
“…Yes, everyone must be hungry. Eat well and let’s regain our focus.”
Of course, the hungriest person there was the Vice Master, but no one explicitly showed it.
A moment later…
“Alright~ The Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) is coming out first! Enjoy your meal!”
Steaming earthenware pots were placed on each table, and the guild members’ faces gradually began to brighten with life.
“Wow… it’s spicy and refreshing. Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) really is the best!”
“There’s so much meat! We didn’t accidentally order the special size, did we?”
“That can’t be it; just look at the Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) the Vice Master received.”
The guild members, astonished by the enormous amount of meat, asked if they had mistakenly received special sizes, but another guild member pointed to Yoon Seojin’s Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice), indicating it wasn’t.
Quite literally, a mountain of meat existed in their bowl.
‘This place serves huge portions.’
Yoon Seojin slowly spooned a mouthful of soup, then let out a soft sigh.
‘Is this why they say ‘the power of rice’ (TL Note: ‘Bapsim’ refers to the energy or strength one gets from eating a proper meal, especially rice.)? Just one bite, and my mind feels calmer.’
It was then.
-Thud!
The restaurant door burst open, and the shadows of strangers swept across the interior.
“Well, well, eating Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) leisurely in a situation like this. The name [Glory] Guild is truly wasted on you.”
Accompanied by the heavy thud of footsteps, three figures appeared, clad in the black coats emblematic of the [Black Sword] Guild.
The one leading them stared down at Yoon Seojin with a humorless face.
“Are you Yoon Seojin, the Vice Master of the [Glory] Guild?”
Yoon Seojin frowned and set down their spoon.
“…The [Black Sword] Guild. What brings you here?”
“We came to gather information about the portal that appeared in front of the Tower. But no one seems to be thinking of entering; you’re just eating Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice). Do you even intend to investigate that portal?”
The [Black Sword] Guild members snickered as they spoke.
It sounded like a mocking sneer, implying the [Glory] Guild members were cowards.
The [Glory] Guild members inside the restaurant suppressed their rage and shot up from their seats.
“What, are you picking a fight? Right now, I’ll just—!”
“This is a restaurant. Let’s avoid unnecessary conflict.”
A fight nearly broke out, but Yoon Seojin raised a hand to restrain the guild members.
The tension was palpable, threatening to erupt at any moment.
Yoon Seojin narrowed their eyes and spoke.
“We are also monitoring that portal very carefully. However, it’s strangely non-aggressive, so we were planning to gather new entry personnel to respond soon.”
At that, the man from the [Black Sword] Guild scoffed.
“You call it ‘responding,’ but it’s just waiting around at a Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) restaurant, isn’t it?”
The [Glory] Guild members’ faces twisted in anger, but the [Black Sword] Guild members paid them no mind and continued speaking.
“Well, no matter. From now on, our [Black Sword] Guild will investigate that portal directly.”
As he gestured, a figure who had been standing outside the restaurant entered.
A mask with crimson eyes, reminiscent of a crow.
Dressed in an impressive suit with a red tie, yet their presence exuded such an ominous aura that it sent shivers down one’s spine.
A subtly alien, shadow-like energy emanated from their entire being.
“Allow me to introduce you. The strongest ranker of our [Black Sword] Guild… , ‘Crow’.”
“……!”
Yoon Seojin’s eyes wavered dramatically for a moment.
The surrounding [Glory] Guild members also let out small gasps.
‘Crow actually came?’
Rumor had it that he was a monster among monsters, having fully conquered over six Towers and single-handedly subjugated countless beast-grade bosses.
Now, he stood facing Yoon Seojin in this quiet Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) restaurant.
Crow quietly gazed at Yoon Seojin, then spoke.
“…I will enter alone. Do not interfere.”
His tone was brief and cold.
He then quickly scanned the interior of the restaurant and muttered.
“…I’ll be back before the Gukbap (TL Note: A Korean soup dish with rice) gets cold.”
With those words, Crow walked towards the portal.
