Chapter 79

 

After finishing my conversation with Dok Su-hee and dispatching the golem with a punch from Kang Chan, the four of us were once again standing before the last room.

 

“...”

 

“What is this?”

 

Ignoring the box placed in the center, I quickly dashed into the room to inspect the red door first.

 

“Uh, uhh... Don’t just touch it recklessly... Do you know what might happen if you put your palm on it...”

 

“I’ll just touch it with my fingers instead.”

 

Gently placing a finger on the red groove where palms are supposed to go, the tip of my finger glowed faintly before the light faded.

 

“This is... blood.”

 

It became clear upon touching it. The red door wasn’t originally red. It had turned red from the blood that had been smeared on it.

 

“Blood?!”

 

Amidst the extreme panic of An Kyung-Joon and others,

 

 

A message window appeared at just the right moment.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

Just like in the previous time, the atmosphere grew awkwardly tense. In an instant, we turned into enemies of each other.

 

“...Could you listen to what I have to say for a moment?”

 

As before, I corrected their misunderstandings.

 

There was no need to fight in this room; we could cooperate and first open the stone door on the right.

 

“It’s not about just opening the door to clear the third floor. We have to ‘pass through’ it. It’s fine if the four of us open a normal door, and then one of us opens the red door.”

 

“...Okay. That makes sense.”

 

An Kyung-Joon and Kang Chan, previously on edge, relaxed, and a rational conversation became possible once again.

 

“...So, shall we open the regular stone door first?”

 

-Krrrrr.

 

Thus, the four of us gathered to open the stone door, revealing a blue portal.

 

Yes, up to here, it was the same as the previous time. The difference starts now.

 

“So... about who will go through the red door...”

 

“Hold on a moment.”

 

Dok Su-hee interrupted An Kyung-Joon, who was about to discuss the red door.

 

“Everyone. I will be the one to go through the red door.”

 

She declared boldly to enter the red door, not with a sudden betrayal as before, but with a clear declaration of her intent.

 

“What? Eh? What did you say? Are you in your right mind?”

 

Even though she chose a relatively rational approach, the reaction was intense.

 

An Kyung-Joon and Kang Chan looked at Dok Su-hee with expressions as if asking, “What are you talking about?”

 

“From here, I’ll do the explaining.”

 

Since leaving the explanation to Dok Su-hee could potentially lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, I decided to step in.

 

“...Let’s hear it. You have an uncanny insight, after all.”

 

The sharpness in Kang Chan’s demeanor softened, and An Kyung-Joon, whose eyes had been spinning wildly, finally calmed down.

 

“First, let me tell you about Su-hee’s past.”

 

Starting with an explanation about the goblin shaman, the boss of the tutorial.

 

The heroes of the tutorial. The betrayal of the goblin shaman. The story went as far as saying that those who chose death had entrusted Dok Su-hee with a significant responsibility.

 

I laid out Dok Su-hee’s story as succinctly as possible.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

The atmosphere became even heavier than before. After all, death carries an indescribable weight.

 

After a moment of silence,

 

“I still don’t understand.”

 

Kang Chan was the first to speak.

 

“I’ve heard Dok Su-hee’s unfortunate story. However, everyone carries their own burdens.”

 

“...”

 

“I don’t see why we need to give up the reward of the red door for her.”

 

His words were true.

 

Among those who had made it to the 3-5th floors, who didn’t have their own stories?

 

Kang Chan, An Kyung-Joon, and I, we all had our burdens.

 

Kang Chan’s statement was an undeniable truth.

 

“...I think it’s okay.”

 

But An Kyung-Joon, wiping away his teary eyes, placed a hand on Dok Su-hee’s shoulder.

 

“How hard it must have been... Just a student, yet how much she must have suffered in this tower...”

 

“...”

 

“I’m strong enough... Strong enough to take care of myself in this tower. I believe the others are the same... When thinking about increasing our survival rate, I think it’s right for Dok Su-hee, the weakest among us, to receive the extra reward.”

 

An Kyung-Joon smiled at Dok Su-hee.

 

“After all, we’re climbing this tower to live, aren’t we?”

 

“...Huh.”

 

After listening to An Kyung-Joon’s words to the end, Kang Chan, rubbing his forehead in annoyance, shifted his gaze to me.

 

“...Fine. I won’t go against the majority decision. But Kim Jun-ho. There’s one thing I have to ask.”

 

“...Go ahead.”

 

“Do you think it’s right for Dok Su-hee to go through the red door?”

 

“...Yes.”

 

“Alright, then I’ll agree too. Not because I trust Dok Su-hee... but because I trust what I saw of you on the 3rd floor.”

 

With those words, Kang Chan stepped away from the red door, seemingly to claim his share of the loot.

 

“Ah, that’s great, Su-hee!”

 

An Kyung-Joon, as if it were his own victory, joyously ruffled Dok Su-hee’s hair, clearly having grown fond of her.

 

But then, suddenly.

 

“...What?”

 

An Kyung-Joon suddenly dropped to one knee, his expression one of confusion as he touched the floor with his hand.

 

“...?”

 

It was a familiar scene. This was how An Kyung-Joon had collapsed before, after being poisoned by Dok Su-hee in a previous time.

 

With a sinking feeling, I turned my gaze towards Kang Chan.

 

-Flash!

 

With a burst of bright light, Kang Chan was trapped inside the goblin shaman’s protective barrier.

 

“...”

 

I was so shocked, I couldn’t speak. After searching for the right words, the only thing that came out was a simple question.

 

“...Why?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“...I said I would persuade them.”

 

“But...”

 

Dok Su-hee, the cause of all this, tilted her head with an unaffected expression.

 

“You could have failed in your persuasion. I know it’s cowardly, but it was necessary.”

 

“...”

 

“So, I took measures to ensure...”

 

Dok Su-hee offered her excuse.

 

Her gaze towards me was friendly. The awe ability was in effect.

 

But at the same time, there was madness. A madness that suggested she would do anything to achieve her goals.

 

That was when I was certain. Dok Su-hee was not sane.

 

“Still, you’ll understand, right? It’s not just for me, but for those who died because of me.”

 

With those words, Dok Su-hee approached the red door.

 

Her story was undeniably tragic, and her determination to climb the tower was admirable.

 

But does that make her character any different?

 

Dok Su-hee... was merely using her story to justify her misdeeds.

 

“Then...”

 

With a bright smile, Dok Su-hee placed her palm on the red door.

 

“...Why.”

 

An Kyung-Joon, unable to watch, closed his eyes tightly.

 

“...This.”

 

The moment Kang Chan gritted his teeth within the barrier.

 

-Boom!!!

 

Suddenly, an explosion sounded from the direction of the red door where Dok Su-hee stood.

 

The explosion wasn’t large, so its effects didn’t reach us on the opposite side of the room.

 

“Aaaah!”

 

Dok Su-hee, caught in the blast at close range.

 

Dok Su-hee’s arm shattered instantly, her body flying like a severed puppet.

 

Her body bounced off the floor a few times before flying across the room, and landing in front of us.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

Dok Su-hee was breathing but seemed to have lost consciousness from the shock. Blood streamed from her severed limb.

 

“...What in the world...! Even if she betrayed us, she’s just a child...!”

 

An Kyung-Joon, trembling, tried to help Dok Su-hee, but his body was paralyzed and he couldn’t move.

 

Twisting his body in an attempt to move, An Kyung-Joon’s eyes rolled back as he suddenly stood up. Somehow, he had successfully invoked his spirit.

 

“...Traitor.”

 

However, the spirit of An Kyung-Joon showed no intention of helping Dok Su-hee.

 

“There’s no honor in helping a traitor. She tripped over her own greed and got what she deserved. Had it been my hometown, she would have been thrown to the lions.”

 

He scoffed in disdain and then released the spirit, and An Kyung-Joon, now back in control of his body, struggled on the floor due to the paralysis poison.

 

“...”

 

And Kang Chan, within the protective barrier, silently looked down at Dok Su-hee.

 

“What a pathetic ending.”

 

That was all he said.

 

In that moment, when everyone else turned their backs on Dok Su-hee.

 

“...Su-hee...!”

 

I, the only one not paralyzed, supported the fallen Dok Su-hee and examined her wounds.

 

“Damn it, what is this...”

 

The wounds were severe, but not life-threatening. And since her arm was completely gone, using a potion would be meaningless.

 

“...She may have betrayed us out of greed, but she’s still just a child... How far do those who created this tower intend to mock us...!”

 

An Kyung-Joon cried out in anguish, burning with hatred.

 

 

I suspected she might betray us, but to actually go through with it...

 

Su-hee...!

 

Your enemy... I will surely avenge...!

 

**

 

Dok Su-hee lost her right arm in a tragic accident.

 

Time passed, yet there was no sign of her waking.

 

How could this tower take the arm of a girl with such a tragic story? What cruelty does this place hold?

 

Did Dok Su-hee betray us at the last moment? Or did she resort to spouting nonsense philosophies, trying to sell us on sentimentality?

 

If not that, did she disregard the will of those who died, deeming the living’s will worthless in comparison?

 

Couldn’t she wait, as asked, without succumbing to impulse and committing another folly?

 

Why would she do such a thing...!

 

“...It’s not your fault, Jun-ho. It’s okay.”

 

An Kyung-Joon, interpreting my expression, places his hand on my back.

 

Right, this was simply an accident. No one’s to blame. If anything, it was Dok Su-hee’s fault for her greed.

 

Unless someone rushed into the room and applied an explosive enchantment to the door using a newly acquired ability, the explosion was surely a gimmick of the tower.

 

“...Look over there, though.”

 

An Kyung-Joon points towards the red door, which now hardly seemed appropriate to call red.

 

Perhaps the explosion had blown off much of the scab-like blood that coated it.

 

The door now bore a muddled mix of gray and red.

 

“It seems the trap was one-time only...”

 

And so, we’re back to square one. Only one person can claim the additional reward.

 

Then, who will take it?

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

After a brief period of sizing each other up,

 

“Kim Jun-ho.”

 

Kang Chan, looking me straight in the eye, said,

 

“You go in.”

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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