Chapter: 35
‘Isaiah’s Leaf [D].’
A material item that, when used in its raw, unprocessed form, produced such a powerful sedative effect that it could stop a person’s heart.
The moment Eugene heard Didascalia’s question, he closed his eyes and used it.
Fortunately, since it was classified as an item, its effect activated without him having to actually swallow it.
That was why…
Even after telling a lie, there wasn’t the slightest physical reaction.
He had wondered whether it would work against an item possessed by Didascalia, but fortunately, it worked perfectly.
The problem came after the bastard left.
If his heart had stopped, that meant he had died.
That was exactly what had happened to Eugene.
The instant the tension disappeared, the heartbeat he had been forcibly maintaining finally came to a halt.
As Eugene suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning, Isia blinked in confusion before turning toward Park Jihoo.
“What the…”
She was beyond dumbfounded.
One moment he was making a huge fuss about dying and killing, and the next he suddenly collapsed?
“N-noona…”
At that moment, Park Jihoo, who had cautiously approached Eugene to check on him, called out to Isia with a deathly pale face.
“What? Did he faint?”
“His heart isn’t beating!”
“…What?”
Come to think of it, Eugene had muttered something about CPR before collapsing.
“Move!”
Isia was an ordinary twenty-year-old college freshman.
Which meant she’d practically never had a chance to perform CPR.
Fortunately, however, she was addicted to MeTube.
After spending several hours every day watching videos, all kinds of random knowledge had accumulated in her head.
CPR happened to be one of them.
Of course, she didn’t know it perfectly.
She only remembered roughly where to press.
‘W-was it here?’
Completely forgetting everything Eugene had done just moments earlier, Isia immediately clasped her hands together and began pressing down hard on his chest.
“Hup! Hup!”
How many compressions before rescue breaths?
She couldn’t remember.
No, even if she did remember, she had no intention of giving mouth-to-mouth.
Why would she kiss the lips of a lunatic who had calmly told her to kill him just moments ago?
She’d rather leave him to die.
But despite those thoughts, panic began to overtake her.
Because she realized Eugene might actually die.
It wasn’t that she was worried about him.
What truly frightened her was what would happen to them after he was gone.
He really was an utterly insane bastard she couldn’t stand…
But at least he hadn’t abandoned them to die.
If she and Park Jihoo wanted to survive this hell, they absolutely needed Eugene’s strength.
“So! Wake! Up!”
How many times had she compressed his chest?
After surpassing Level 10, she had gained strength and stamina that far exceeded those of an ordinary human.
And after reaching Level 20, she had become even stronger.
It was around the time sweat was pouring down her face.
Thump!
A faint vibration reached her fingertips.
His heartbeat.
The heart that hadn’t moved at all had begun beating again.
Taking a deep breath, Isia collapsed onto the ground.
“Haaah!”
At the same time, Eugene began breathing again.
He coughed violently for several moments before wiping the saliva from his mouth and lifting his head.
“Fuck… I almost died for real.”
His very first words were a curse.
Half relieved and half furious, Isia clenched her fist and smashed it into the back of Eugene’s head.
Boom!
An attack that normally would’ve had no chance of landing.
But Eugene, still only half-conscious after literally dying and coming back, didn’t even think to dodge.
“Ack!”
“Hey, you crazy son of a bitch!”
“I’m telling you, it was all part of the plan.”
Eugene calmly told another lie.
“So… you weren’t serious?”
“Of course not. I was trying to lower his guard. Thenāslice! You know how it goes.”
Like hell she did.
Isia stared at Eugene with complete distrust.
“Quit looking at me like that. My conscience is perfectly clear.”
But Eugene remained completely shameless.
Compared to fooling Didascalia, tricking rookies like these was child’s play.
“Sigh… How did I end up meeting a lunatic like you?”
In the end, Isia had no choice but to stop pressing the issue.
After all, nobody had died, and everything had worked out safely.
“If you ever say something like that again, we’re done. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. How many times are you going to say the same thing?”
As he scratched his ear, Isia let out another sigh and shook her head.
“Anyway. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything like that again.”
“More importantly… what’s a Returner?”
Even though Eugene had pounded his chest and made his promise, Isia ignored it completely and asked something else.
“Huh? A Returner?”
Naturally, she was curious.
After all, even a Tower Administrator had personally come looking for Eugene just to ask him that.
While threatening to kill him, no less.
“Well, it means exactly what it sounds like. Someone who’s returned. Haven’t you ever read web novels?”
“Ah… not really.”
Still, she seemed to grasp the general idea.
It was a common trope in webtoons and dramas too.
“But why would he ask you if you’re a Returner?”
“Because I’m just that amazing.”
“Come to think of it… you really do know an absurd amount of information. And you got ridiculously strong all by yourself. It would make sense for someone to suspect you’re a Returner.”
Ignoring Eugene once again, Isia turned toward Park Jihoo.
Nod. Nod.
He quickly nodded in agreement.
Honestly, it would’ve been stranger not to be suspicious.
They had all been summoned on the exact same day, at the exact same time.
Yet Eugene alone was racing far ahead of everyone else.
He even possessed information that nobody else could possibly know.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Didascalia to suspect he was a Returner.
“Then explain it. How do you know all this stuff?”
“Trade secret.”
Naturally, Eugene had no intention whatsoever of answering.
Would he reveal a secret he’d protected even at the risk of his life to someone like Isia?
“That’s enough questions. I’m not answering any more.”
The only reason he’d told them even this much was because Isia had saved his life.
But that was the end of it.
He had no intention of wasting any more time on unproductive conversation.
“You both reached Level 24, right? I specifically told you to gain one more level by today.”
At Eugene’s words, the two quietly looked away.
“Well… it’s just that something suddenly came up…”
A perfectly reasonable excuse.
Anyone would’ve understood.
But Eugene wasn’t just anyone.
“So you couldn’t even do the one thing I told you, and you’ve been standing around here?”
“Who’s been standing around?!”
Isia flared up, but Eugene was faster.
“Then hurry up and go hunting. Otherwise I’ll leave you here and move on without you.”
The threat sent chills down her spine.
It was even scarier than when Didascalia had threatened to kill them.
“W-we’re going!”
Isia shouted as she spun around.
Then she saw him.
Far ahead, Park Jihoo was already sprinting away at full speed.
‘He’s ridiculously fast.’
She honestly couldn’t figure out what kind of person he was.
Shaking her head, Isia hurried after him.
‘I have to reach the Fifth Floor!’
Didascalia had clearly said so in the Tutorial Floors.
Every time they reached the Fifth Floor, they’d be allowed to leave the Tower.
Only for a week, but still…
She had to become stronger as quickly as possible and reach the Fifth Floor with that monster of a man.
As soon as possible.
As fast as possible.
Even one second sooner.
Their growth went smoothly.
Things had gone slightly off track here and there, but overall, it was more than satisfying.
‘It’s all thanks to the Akasha System 2.0.’
Eugene couldn’t have been happier with the upgraded system.
Ever since forming a party, experience had been pouring in at an unbelievable rate.
On top of that, the daily quest rewards were incredibly generous.
Their progress had become as smooth as a ship sailing with the wind at its back.
‘We’re already almost done with the Fourth Floor.’
After endlessly hunting alongside Isia and Park Jihoo while constantly bickering…
They had already reached the Fourth Floor.
Eugene was now Level 31.
The other two had both reached Level 30.
Compared to his first run, the difference was enormous.
‘Back then… I think I was only around Level 20 when I reached the Fourth Floor.’
He wasn’t certain, but it was around there.
A difference of ten whole levels.
That alone showed just how incredible parties and daily quests were.
Unfortunately, he still hadn’t had the chance to use the shop.
“Hmm.”
Eugene looked ahead.
The scene before him couldn’t have contrasted more with his relaxed demeanor.
BOOOOOOM!!
“Die, you bastard!”
Isia’s sword sliced through the air.
“Shibam-Kwang!”
Park Jihoo’s fist distorted the atmosphere itself.
‘I still have no idea what kind of character he’s supposed to be.’
“Shibam-Kwang?”
There wasn’t even a skill called that.
ROOOOAAARRR!!
A tremendous roar, completely unlike the light battle cries of the two, shook the battlefield.
“The Flame Dragon.”
The gatekeeper of the Fourth Floor.
Despite its grandiose title, it looked more like a giant lizard covered in flickering flames.
Its strength, however, truly lived up to its draconic bloodline, matching the two Level 30 players blow for blow.
“Maybe I should help them a little.”
Isia’s sword worked well against the Flame Dragon.
Its sturdy scales split apart with loud cracks.
But the same couldn’t be said for Park Jihoo’s gauntlets.
They simply weren’t well matched.
Blunt strikes alone struggled to deal meaningful damage against the Flame Dragon.
He was still throwing punch after punch with all his might, but…
“The difference in equipment is obvious.”
Compared to Black Wing [C], Park Jihoo’s nameless cheap gauntlets were simply too weak.
Probably E-Rank.
At best, D-Rank.
“I guess it’s about time I got him a better one.”
His current weapon would remain usable until around the Tenth Floor, but there were plenty of situations where its compatibility was poor.
Considering that, it was about time to find him something decent.
“But first…”
He looked at the battle before him.
The two were fighting desperately against the Flame Dragon, but without many skills or traits yet, it was taking them a long time.
To begin with, it was a boss monster designed to be raided by dozens of players, not just two.
No matter how strong they were at Level 30, it was only natural that they struggled.
“Everyone, move back.”
The moment Eugene spoke quietly, the two immediately retreated from the Flame Dragon as if they’d been waiting for the order.
“I’m only helping this once. Starting from the Fifth Floor, you’re on your own.”
He gathered his mana.
Since the Flame Dragon Blade [E] had been destroyed, he had no choice but to defeat it with his bare hands.
Hummmmmmā
The concentrated mana gathered into one place.
His fist.
“Park Jihoo. Watch carefully.”
After glancing at the boy who had quietly moved beside him, Eugene planted his foot.
BOOM!
The ground shook as though an earthquake had struck.
Immense power surged upward through his legs.
Feeling it, Eugene twisted his body.
From ankle…
To knee…
To waist…
To shoulder…
To elbow…
And finally into his fist.
Every joint rotated smoothly, transmitting perfect power through the chain.
Bang!
His fully extended fist collided with the Flame Dragon’s scales.
The impact wasn’t particularly loud.
Just the sound of air exploding.
But the result was entirely different.
The Flame Dragon, which had been rampaging wildly only moments ago…
Stopped moving.
A gigantic hole large enough to fit ten fists had been blasted straight through its body.
Blood dripped from Eugene’s outstretched hand.
Drip.
Drip.
“This…”
He spoke to the wide-eyed Park Jihoo.
“…is the Fist.”
