HRMCT 27

Chapter: 27

The sound of horse hooves awakened the morning air.

On the saddle of the horse returning to Terra, Eugene was slumped over, unable to even move.

‘Damn it, morning came after all.’

He had hurried as much as he could, but he ended up being delayed because he discovered the Light-Speed Crow.

On top of that, his entire body felt like it had been torn apart, making it impossible to properly move even a single finger.

‘This is screwed.’

Originally, he had planned to eat breakfast and climb to the second floor together with the slaves.

But that was impossible in his current state.

He would need at least a day, maybe even longer, to recover.

‘Because my level is low, unexpected problems keep happening.’

It was a side effect he had never even cared about after surpassing level 100 in his first run.

Back then, Eugene’s body had far surpassed that of a human.

The pressure inflicted within a fleeting moment couldn’t harm him in the slightest.

But it was different now.

Even taking a single step made him feel like his body was being ripped apart.

‘I’ll have to be careful using it for a while.’

The Light-Speed Crow was simply too fast.

To catch that thing in one move, Eugene had no choice but to push himself beyond his limits.

But he never expected the aftermath to be this severe.

Until he raised his level to a certain point, he would have to be extremely cautious when using the power of 『The Inside and Outside as One [E]』.

“Uh, uh?”

At that moment, a voice filled with surprise could be heard.

It seemed to belong to the guard NPC stationed at the southern gate.

‘What was his name again?’

Unlike Enand from the eastern gate, whom he had become somewhat acquainted with, Eugene had no particular connection with the NPCs at the southern gate.

Because of that, he didn’t remember him.

“A-Are you alright?”

The guard cautiously approached and asked Eugene, who was sprawled over the horse.

Nod-.

Since he couldn’t be bothered to answer, Eugene merely gave a rough nod, causing the guard’s face to turn pale.

Apparently, his condition looked much worse than expected.

“W-Would you like me to call a doctor?”

Shake shake-.

Eugene shook his head.

His condition wasn’t exactly good, but it wasn’t bad enough to require treatment either.

He just needed to lie down and rest for a while, and he would recover.

Although the guard looked confused, he opened the way anyway.

Since he had personally seen Eugene leave last night, he decided there was no need to check his identity.

Once the path opened, the horse naturally passed through the southern gate and entered Terra.

‘It’s not like I’m Kim Yu-sin…’

Smirk-.

Surprisingly, the horse he had obtained from Taylen remembered the route it had already traveled once.

Not only that, it seemed to realize that Eugene was trying to return, as it headed back to the lodging without the slightest hesitation.

‘He gave me a pretty decent horse.’

He almost felt guilty for stealing it.

If he had known beforehand that Taylen would give him such a good horse, he would have only taken one 『Coin』.

While having that small regret, the horse stopped in front of the inn.

[Starlight Wanderer].

It was one of the many ordinary inns existing in Terra.

Neither luxurious nor shabby, it was exactly average.

There was only one reason Eugene chose this place.

The food wasn’t bad.

Although he wouldn’t be staying for very long, he still wanted to eat something delicious, which was why he chose [Starlight Wanderer].

It was also a place he frequently used during his first run.

“Uh? A player?”

The inn owner, who had come out to clean the front of the building, noticed Eugene and widened his eyes in surprise.

“A-Are you alright?”

The dried blood around his mouth and his limp body.

Anyone could tell he looked like a seriously injured person.

“I-I need…”

When Eugene barely managed to open his mouth and speak, the inn owner put down his broom and lifted him up.

“Should I take you to the room you rented?”

Nod-.

That was enough.

“Good grief. In all my years, I’ve never seen a player come in on a horse half-dead already.”

That was only natural.

It had only been one day since the Tower of Light accepted players.

Right now, everyone was probably stuck inside Terra, unable to even figure out what they should do.

But not only had someone gone hunting overnight and returned injured, he had even come back on a horse?

The difference between him and ordinary players was simply too great.

“The folks who came with you yesterday seem to still be sleeping. Should I wake them up?”

Isia and Park Jihoo seemed to still be asleep.

‘Damn it, I spent the whole night suffering like a dog.’

It was strange.

He had definitely planned to push them hard enough so they could contribute their share, but the one being pushed around ended up being himself.

He realized something had gone wrong, but he couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore.

Eugene waved his hand at the inn owner, then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

“Hmm, looks like you’re going to sleep. Then I’ll assume you’re staying one more day.”

Whatever.

Without even replying, Eugene completely lost consciousness.

“…He fainted?”

Isia blinked at the inn owner’s unexpected words.

That monster fainted?

What on earth had happened while she was asleep?

“That’s right. He came back on a horse this morning and immediately lost consciousness. I think it’ll take quite some time before he wakes up.”

Isia turned her head and looked at Park Jihoo.

He was also staring back at her with wide eyes.

The meaning contained in their eyes was only one thing.

‘Should we run?’

One day.

No, only a few hours.

That was how long they had hunted together with Eugene.

During that short period of time, the two of them had faced death dozens of times.

As a result, they had gained an enormous amount of levels, but…

‘But can we really keep living like this?’

If they kept experiencing the same thing over and over, they genuinely had no idea when they would die.

Yesterday, they had somehow managed to survive, but a single mistake could have killed them.

No, the possibility of that happening was high.

Growth was good, but if they were going to be worked to death like this, running away might not be such a bad choice.

‘He fainted, right?’

If Eugene had been full of energy, they would never have even dreamed of such a thing.

With the monstrous abilities he showed yesterday, even if they tried to escape, it would only be a matter of time before he caught them.

But now that he was unconscious, things were different.

Terra was huge, and the first floor was even larger.

If they used this chance to escape and hide, there was a possibility he wouldn’t find them.

For a very brief moment, Isia and Park Jihoo exchanged such a conversation through their eyes.

But…

“W-We should wait, right?”

“…Yes.”

They couldn’t gather the courage.

One in a thousand.

One in ten thousand.

What if they ran away and were caught?

Just imagining what kind of consequences would follow afterward made their bodies tremble.

Rather than living with that anxiety, staying beside that crazy guy seemed better for their mental health.

Honestly, although it was difficult, there was also the fun of watching their levels rise.

After reaching an unspoken agreement, the two started eating breakfast.

Since that crazy guy would be paying anyway, they ordered as much as they wanted without worrying.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? I didn’t expect it to taste this good.”

Compared to any food they had eaten outside the Tower, it wasn’t inferior in the slightest.

Thanks to that, the two ate an excessive amount for breakfast and finished their meal.

“It looks like he’ll take a while to wake up. Should we go outside and look around?”

“Would that be okay? What if he wakes up and looks for us?”

“We can tell the owner before leaving. We’re not running away, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

Indeed, unless they planned on never returning, there was no reason to be afraid of briefly going outside.

Besides, weren’t they curious?

Yesterday, they hadn’t had the chance to properly look around because everything had been so chaotic.

Now that they had at least spent a night here and adapted somewhat, taking a walk around didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Okay, then.”

When Park Jihoo nodded, Isia smiled and stood up.

“Was it called Terra? The city is bigger than I expected. There should be plenty to see.”

While they were at it, she also wanted to check what had happened to the other players, especially the ones who had been with them yesterday.

With slight anticipation, the two left [Starlight Wanderer].

“Oh…”

It was lively.

Even though it was slightly away from the center of Terra, the streets were filled with crowds of people.

‘They don’t look like players.’

She could tell just by looking at their expressions.

The faces of the people filling the streets carried familiarity.

It meant they hadn’t only spent one or two days here.

Isia held Park Jihoo’s hand and moved through the crowd.

There were markets, cafes, and restaurants.

Aside from the difference in era, it looked no different from the real world outside the Tower.

Seeing that sight, Isia suddenly felt a little depressed.

‘Can we go back?’

Didascalia had said that every time they climbed five floors, they would be able to leave and return to reality for a week.

But to completely escape, they had to clear the entire Tower.

She didn’t know if that was possible.

They were already struggling this much on just the first floor.

“Haa…”

She unconsciously sighed and turned her head with a bitter expression.

That was when—

“Oh, a player.”

It was obvious at a glance.

That person was filled with worry, anxiety, and despair.

It was as if darkness had descended only around him.

Isia cautiously approached him.

There wasn’t any particular reason.

She simply wanted to talk with someone from the real world, not the inhabitants of the Tower.

But…

“E-Eeeeeek!”

The moment he noticed Isia and Park Jihoo, he screamed in terror and collapsed to the ground.

Anyone could see he was completely terrified.

“Are you alright?”

Surprised, Isia reached out her hand.

But he didn’t take it.

Instead, he dragged himself backward to increase the distance between them.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

She had seen many frightened players yesterday.

But this was the first time someone had been this afraid in front of a woman and a young man.

“A-All dead! Everyone!”

“…What do you mean?”

Everyone dead? Who?

“You’ll die too. No, everyone will die. No one can leave. No one can escape from this damn tower!”

He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.

The way he rambled, the saliva dripping from his mouth—

It seemed he had experienced something terrible yesterday.

“Yeah, you! I remember you! You went hunting yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Huh? You saw us?”

Apparently, he had seen them leaving to hunt with their companions.

“But you came back alive? You survived? Only you two survived. No, now you’ll die too. You’ll die. You’re going to die!”

“Excuse me, but I honestly don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Saying they were going to die out of nowhere.

For a moment, irritation rose inside Isia.

But—

At his next words, Isia froze.

“Kim Jinho, Lee Se-young, Gu Dong-hyuk!”

Those were familiar names.

They had to be.

They were the shield guy, the healer, and the spearman.

“The people who went out with you are all dead! They were torn apart and eaten completely! Every single one of them, by those things that aren’t even beasts!”

His saliva splattered.

But Isia didn’t even think about avoiding it.

They were all dead?

By whom?

How?

With deeply sunken eyes, Isia asked:

“Where?”