HRMCT 34

Chapter: 34

How strong are the administrators of the Tower?

Level 100?

Level 200?

I couldn’t see their status windows, so I couldn’t know the exact figures, but if I had to guess, they’d be around Level 300.

The level Eugene had reached in his first run.

Of course, there was a difference in combat power.

They had spent thousands of years exclusively managing the Tower and its players.

But Eugene was different.

He possessed incomparable talent that put ordinary players to shame, and he had never stopped striving to grow stronger, not even for a moment.

Even if their levels were equal, Eugene was overwhelmingly superior in actual combat.

So what about now?

They were still in the Level 300 range.

Their abysmal combat instincts remained unchanged as well.

But Eugene was only Level 26.

A gap of more than ten times.

This was a disparity that could never be overcome by the advantage of superior combat sense alone.

Nevertheless, Eugene attacked.

Because, as he had just thought, he was certain that they could never harm him.

KWA-A-A-A-ANG—!

The [Flame Dragon Blade[E]] that collided with Didascalias’s temple erupted in flames.

It was a powerful blade strike capable of cleaving an earth dragon in a single blow.

But his opponent was incomparable to such worms.

To a Tower administrator, this strike would be no different from a bug bite.

“Your movements are certainly impressive. It’s hard to believe you’re a player who was summoned to the Tower less than a week ago.”

A voice came from within the flames, eerily composed.

SHWOOP—!

A small hand parting the flames.

There was not even a scorch mark, let alone a burn.

The gesture seemed to pierce through space itself, but Eugene’s accelerated perception made it appear in slow motion.

SWISH—.

He dodged.

Didascalia was strong, but not fighting with full intent.

He could manage to evade this much.

This time, his shoulder was torn open, and blood burst forth.

The pain was excruciating, but Eugene didn’t even flinch as he swung his blade again.

HWO-O-O-O-ANG—!

With the force to split a mountain.

“Tch.”

Didascalia waved a hand with an annoyed expression, as if shooing away a fly.

But the result was far from insignificant.

KEEEEEEEEENG—!

The [Flame Dragon Blade[E]] shattered.

A mere E-rank item couldn’t even withstand the toughness of his skin.

Eugene, as if anticipating this, released the hilt and extended his foot.

[Body Blessed by God[S]].

A trait of a rank incomparable to something like the [Flame Dragon Blade[E]].

Thanks to this, Eugene’s body delivered power far surpassing that of his blade strikes.

“Gasp!”

Finally, a sound of surprise escaped the administrator’s lips.

He must have recognized the force behind the kick.

Startled, Didascalia chose evasion over a head-on collision.

He wouldn’t be taken down by a single kick, but he saw no need to block it directly.

Eugene’s toe grazed past his side.

‘Damn it.’

He had thought he could land a blow this time.

Unfortunately, it missed.

Pushing aside his disappointment, Eugene tried to attack again.

But.

“Wait! That’s enough for now.”

Didascalia flapped his wings and distanced himself backward.

He moved away in an instant.

A speed that Eugene, in his current state, could not hope to match.

Even with the power of [Appearance and Reality are One[E]] and [Body Blessed by God[S]].

He had no choice but to stop.

“You’re truly amazing. How on earth can you already wield such power?”

Didascalia shook his hand with an expression of incomprehension.

Even in that brief exchange, he remained completely unscathed.

A stark contrast to Eugene, whose cheek and shoulder were torn and ragged.

“From your attitude, it seems you’ve realized my words were bluff.”

The claim of eliminating an Irregular was a bluff.

They could never touch Eugene.

At least, not until they figured out why the [Akasha System] had changed.

“Player Seong Yu-jin.”

Didascalia fixed Eugene with a heavy, somber gaze.

“It’s certain that you are an Irregular. That conclusion was also reached at the Administrators’ Assembly. Naturally, all administrators agreed that you should be expelled from the Tower.”

“Then kill me.”

“Sigh—.”

At Eugene’s words, the administrator sighed.

An odor far more pungent than the stench from the earth dragon’s entrails wafted from him.

“You know I can’t do that, don’t you?”

Killing intent surged.

But he couldn’t unleash it.

“If you answer just one question, I’ll leave. You can at least do that, right?”

“I doubt it. Why should I do that for you?”

There was nothing more he could do anyway.

So there was no reason to comply with his request…

“If you refuse, I’ll kill that woman instead of you.”

Eugene stopped thinking and turned his head.

Where Didascalia’s stubby finger pointed.

At the end of it stood Isia, wearing a startled expression.

‘…Damn it.’

A Tower administrator cannot recklessly kill players.

But they can always fabricate a reason.

Eugene might be untouchable, but someone like Isia could be killed through loopholes.

Having already gone through the Administrators’ Assembly, they would likely do anything to uncover Eugene’s secrets.

‘Should I give up?’

If asked which was more important, the [Akasha System] or Isia, the answer was clearly the former.

A Hound can be replaced.

Of course, a slave as excellent as her would be hard to find, but it wasn’t impossible.

But the [Akasha System] was different.

If they found out he had strengthened it, their reaction was unpredictable.

What if they imposed sanctions beyond imagination?

‘That can’t happen.’

The benefits of a party and daily quests were enormous.

And now the shop too.

Honestly, if he used those functions well enough, he might not even need slaves like the Hound or the Head of the Pig.

Moreover, if they discovered that Eugene had regressed…

‘That would be the worst.’

He made his decision.

It was a shame to waste the effort he had put in over the past few days, but he couldn’t reveal the strengthened [Akasha System] or the secret of his regression.

“Kill her.”

Eugene said indifferently.

“…What did you say, you bastard?”

The reaction came not from Didascalia, but from Isia.

“Kill who?! You should die, you goddamn psycho bastard!”

“Hmm…”

He hadn’t expected to be caught off guard.

Eugene and Didascalia blinked at the torrent of profanity pouring from Isia’s mouth.

“Fuck! I stayed with you because I thought you’d be useful, and this is how you throw me away?! You could’ve just answered one damn question, but you’re discarding me?! Are you even human?! Huh?!”

Well.

He had felt it since their first meeting, but the Hound was quite different from the image Eugene had in mind.

“And you! You ugly monster bastard! It pisses me off that you dragged me into this Tower against my will, and now you’re threatening to kill me?! Where’s your conscience?! Your face is ugly as shit, so just fucking die! Handle your own damn business! Don’t you dare drag innocent people into it!”

The stream of curses continued endlessly.

As if she would die if she stopped talking.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Isia cursed them both.

Pfft—.

Eugene burst out laughing at the sight.

How to put it…

The spectacle of a woman covered head to toe in monster blood and fluids unleashing a torrent of curses was quite refreshing.

He hadn’t seen anything like this even in his first run.

‘Interesting.’

Honestly, it was entertaining.

He had only intended to raise her moderately and use her as a slave, but seeing her like this, she might be fun to keep around.

“Hey, you swear too! Say everything you want to say to those sons of bitches! Don’t just stand there watching!”

She even urged Park Ji-hu, who was frozen stiff beside her, to join in.

“Y-you pieces of trash. G-go to h-hell. D-die.”

“Puhahahaha!”

At the sight of Park Ji-hu timidly muttering, Eugene couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

“Y-you?! Have you lost your mind?! You’re laughing at a time like this?!”

Seeing that, Isia raised her voice, even more enraged.

But Eugene no longer paid attention to her curses.

Instead, with a face full of amusement, he looked at Didascalia.

“Hey, I’ve changed my mind.”

“…You’ll answer my question?”

The administrator finally snapped out of it and glanced at Isia, asking cautiously.

“Yeah. I’ve decided it’d be a waste to throw away such interesting people.”

The reason was bizarre beyond strange, but Didascalia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, killing a player was a considerable burden for him as well.

Especially one so far from ordinary—an outstanding player who had already surpassed Level 20.

“A wise choice.”

As Didascalia clapped, Eugene spoke.

“Don’t think about asking anything too troublesome. I might change my mind again.”

“Of course.”

The administrator took a small breath and then posed his question.

“Are you a Regressor?”

‘Shit.’

He hadn’t expected such a direct stab.

Eugene sensed the sinister intent lurking in the administrator’s eyes.

If he answered yes, Didascalia would not hesitate to act.

A Regressor is an Irregular.

Though the [Akasha System] had granted it directly, the administrators would choose to kill Eugene for the sake of the Tower’s order.

“Don’t even think about lying. It won’t work anyway.”

It seemed he had brought an item that could discern the truth.

Instead of answering, Eugene closed his eyes.

“Answer me. If you don’t, I’ll kill Player Isia as I said.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Once again, Isia erupted.

“Hoo—.”

Had he finished his thoughts?

Eugene opened his eyes.

Then, looking straight into Didascalia’s eyes, he slowly opened his mouth.

“No.”

“Huh? Really? No, that can’t be… Huh?”

The administrator wore a shocked expression.

He couldn’t help it.

Because the Eugene reflected in Didascalia’s eyes was not someone who was lying.

The physical responses of a liar are distinct.

There was a reason things like lie detectors existed.

The item Didascalia had brought had a level of accuracy that was worlds apart from such machines.

Yet Eugene’s physical responses were no different from before.

That meant one thing.

“Really?”

Staring at the quietly beating heart, Didascalia let out a hollow laugh.

“Satisfied? I answered one question. Now get lost.”

Eugene pressured the administrator with a heavy, somber gaze.

“Ugh—.”

Didascalia, fidgeting in incomprehension, eventually gritted his teeth and flapped his wings.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but a promise is a promise. For now, I’ll withdraw. But this isn’t over! Next time, I definitely—!”

With words befitting a third-rate villain, the administrator’s form vanished.

At the same time, the atmosphere around them lightened.

Unbeknownst to them, the weight of the administrator’s presence had been pressing down on the entire second floor.

“Hey, it’s not over! Our conversation is just beginning!”

As Didascalia disappeared, Isia rolled up her sleeves and approached Eugene.

“Go on, talk! Why? Are you going to have me killed yourself?”

She looked ready to lunge at him at any moment, unable to contain her anger.

But.

“Isia.”

Eugene called her name softly.

“What? What?!”

“Do you know CPR?”

CPR.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“If you know how, do it.”

With those final words, Eugene collapsed.

His heart had stopped.