Chapter: 48
Each floor of the tower constitutes a complete world unto itself.
One floor is a city.
Another floor is a jungle.
Yet another floor is a desert.
Sometimes the environment simply changed like this, but there were also cases where the entire worldview itself was completely different.
Among them, the first worldview change that players encounter is from the 6th floor to the 10th floor.
The somewhat fantastical atmosphere completely disappears, and an entirely new genre suddenly appears.
“Are you scared of things?”
Eugene asked Isia as he looked at her.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
She tilted her head at the unexpected question with no apparent meaning.
“It’s important. You’re not the type who can’t watch horror movies or anything, are you?”
“I can’t watch them. I don’t understand why people pay money to see things like that.”
Eugene frowned at Isia’s answer.
“Ah, hell. This is screwed.”
“What? What is it?”
She asked again with an uneasy look, but instead of answering, Eugene turned to Park Jihu.
“What about you?”
“I don’t think I have much of a problem with it.”
Well, considering Park Jihu’s guts, he didn’t seem like the type to be scared of horror movies.
“Ah, just what are you talking about?!”
Eventually, Isia exploded.
With an uneasy feeling creeping up on her while being ignored repeatedly, she simply couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“It’s nothing special.”
Eugene shrugged and continued.
“The theme changes starting from the 6th floor.”
“The theme?”
“Yeah. You could say it becomes a completely different genre of game.”
As Eugene’s words continued, Isia’s complexion grew pale.
Unless she was an idiot, she couldn’t help but catch on.
The theme that changes from the 6th floor.
That isā¦.
“Horror. It’s a floor so scary that even the faint-hearted find it hard to even set foot on it.”
Just as she thought!
Isia’s face became so pale that she looked like she might collapse.
“I can’t go. No, I won’t go.”
Isia stepped back.
The distance between her and the Green Deer that they had to catch to go to the 6th floor gradually widened.
“If you don’t go? Are you going to live here forever?”
Eugene asked, looking at Isia crookedly.
“I’d rather do that.”
Sweating profusely as she answered, she seemed to be at the peak of fear.
“Tsk.”
Eugene scratched his head.
He had somewhat expected something like this might happen.
Even in his first run, countless players couldn’t even muster the courage to go up to the 6th floor and settled on the 5th floor.
Men and women alike.
The tower wasn’t a horror movie that ends once you see the ending; it was a real threat.
So even those who blustered and went up barely survived and had no choice but to return to the 5th floor.
They would hunt monsters here, get much stronger over time, and then challenge the 6th floor.
But.
“It’s okay. You can do it.”
Eugene believed in Isia.
No, to be precise, he believed in what Isia had accomplished.
‘She reached the 10th floor faster than almost anyone else.’
As far as Eugene knew, she climbed to the 10th floor at a speed that ranked within the top three.
That was probably when it started.
When Isia began to be called the Sword Queen and revered.
“No, I said I can’t do it! Who are you to say I can?”
She argued stubbornly.
Fear seemed to have overcome her fear of Eugene.
Looking at her, Eugene grinned, baring his teeth.
“Oh, really?”
She flinched.
It was an utterly sinister smile.
She had experienced more than enough times that nothing good happened whenever Eugene made that expression.
“Let’s find out. Whether you’re more scared of ghosts, or of my fist.”
With the crackling sound of bones, Eugene’s fist was raised.
Ghosts and fists.
Isia couldn’t give any answer.
Vague fear and tangible violence.
Which of the two is scarier?
“Still, ghosts are definitely moreā¦.”
Just as Isia finished her brief deliberation and was about to answer cautiously.
Kiaaaaaaaaaaah-!
Suddenly, the Green Deer let out a roar.
It seemed annoyed by the humans who were doing other things right in front of it.
Its deer-like head shook greatly, and it approached the three people.
Exuding magical power stronger than any boss monster they had ever encountered.
It was so formidable that even Isia, who was level 30, wouldn’t dare to think of blocking its path.
“Get back!”
Isia instinctively shouted at Park Jihu.
If they faced that head-on, it wouldn’t just end with a simple setback.
Isia grabbed Park Jihu’s hand and pushed off the ground.
Just as the two of them floated about 3 centimeters into the air.
Eugene’s fist, which he had been proudly holding up, shot toward the Green Deer.
Kwa-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-!
The pair of red-glowing antlers broke, scales shattered, flesh burst open, and finally, the skull split apart.
Eugene’s fist didn’t stop there.
Like piercing through tofu.
His arm sank into the Green Deer’s head up to his shoulder.
And then.
Kwaaaaaaang-!
With a massive explosion, the lower half of the body was blown away.
As if it had been hit directly by a howitzer, not a fist.
With a thud, shattered bones and flesh rained down like a shower.
Isia, still floating in the air, stared blankly at the scene.
“Huh? What did you say? You said ghosts are scarier?”
With his arm still embedded in the Green Deer’s head, Eugene asked with an innocent expression.
Gulp-.
Isia unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.
‘I must be crazy.’
She was a coward.
A big coward who couldn’t even watch horror movies.
But if asked which is scarier between a real ghost and Eugene’s fist, it was obviously the latter.
She decided that from now on, that would be the case.
“I’ll go, I’ll go. Seriously, you’re disgusting.”
And so, the three people’s climb was decided.
* * *
“That’s not it, I’m telling you?”
Isia wrinkled her face and denied it.
“What do you mean, not it? It’s written all over your face.”
“What’s written on my face?!”
“I’m currently in love. Like this.”
Her friend laughed, giggling.
It was a laugh full of teasing intent.
Isia’s face naturally flushed red.
‘How did she find out anyway?’
Was it really written all over her face?
She raised her hand unconsciously but then forced herself to stop.
Because if she actually touched her face, she’d probably get teased by her friend again.
“So? Who is it? You can tell me, right?”
Her friend asked with a suggestive look.
The Christmas carols echoing through the bustling streets blended with the question, making her heart flutter for no reason.
“Ah, really, I said it’s nothing. I don’t like anyone.”
She did.
A very handsome, tall, and kind oppa.
Just watching him from the side made her heart feel warm.
“Are you going to keep lying? Is this all our friendship means?”
Her friend pretended to be sulky, making a sullen face.
Her closest friend.
She thought she could tell her any secret, but this time was different.
She wanted to keep it to herself and tell no one.
It was that personal and embarrassing.
“Sorry. But I really don’t have anyone I like.”
Isia shook her head with the most serious expression she could muster.
“Hmm, really?”
Her friend gave her a skeptical look, but fortunately, she didn’t pry further.
It seemed she thought Isia might get angry if she pushed any more.
“Okay, I’ll stop teasing!”
Her friend linked arms with her and, as if nothing had happened, changed the subject and brightened the mood.
‘Phew, that was close.’
She let out a sigh of relief internally.
‘I managed to get through it somehow.’
She had succeeded in hiding the nature of the feelings that had recently taken root in her heart.
“So, what should we do now?”
“I don’t know. Should we go to a cafĆ© first?”
Seongsu-dong was lined with trendy cafƩs.
Since it was a holiday, popular places would be crowded, but she still wanted to visit at least once.
“It’s Christmas, but it’s just like any other day.”
“Can’t be helped. We’re both single.”
When Isia said this with a gloomy face, her friend laughed again, giggling.
“I actually prefer this! Do you know how many things there are to worry about? Christmas presents, date courses, and all that? It’s much more relaxing to spend it with a friend like this. Well, not that you’d know, since you’ve never had a boyfriend.”
“I know what I need to know too.”
She pouted at her friend’s teasing.
“Sure, sure, whatever you say. Anyway, we’re going to a cafĆ©, right?”
Her friend picked up her smartphone, searched for something, and then showed the screen to Isia.
“How about here? Looks fun, doesn’t it?”
“ā¦CafĆ© Napolitan?”
Isn’t Napolitan that thing?
Japanese spaghetti.
“Is it really a cafĆ©? Not like a Japanese restaurant or something?”
“Yeah, it’s a cafĆ©. Looking at the reviews, they’re not bad, and it seems like a pretty famous place.”
There were over 999+ reviews.
And yet, the rating was 4.9 points!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a hot spot.
‘But why have I never heard of it?’
Isia frequented Seongsu-dong like it was her own backyard.
She went there every week with her friends and had visited almost every well-known place.
She had been doing that since middle school.
But she had never heard of a place called CafƩ Napolitan.
Despite having so many reviews.
“What do you think? Looks good, right?”
“Yeah, sure. It’s better than going to the same places we always go to.”
Isia nodded.
On Christmas Day, walking through streets crowded with couples everywhere, it seemed better to go to a new place she had never been to.
“Where is it?”
“It’s not far. Just follow me.”
Isia followed her friend, who took the lead.
It was true that it wasn’t far.
It took less than 10 minutes to reach their destination.
[CafƩ Napolitan].
She saw a sign decorated with colorful colors.
Rather than hip, it looked childish and messy.
Like a child’s scribble.
“ā¦Is this the right place?”
She found it hard to believe that a place like this was actually popular.
Honestly, even she didn’t feel like going in.
Yet so many people visited and gave good reviews.
Would it be different once you got inside?
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s hurry up and go in.”
Her friend smiled brightly, pushed Isia, and moved forward.
“Ah, don’t push me. I said I’ll go in myself.”
She moved her feet reluctantly and walked inside.
It wasn’t the 1st or 2nd floor.
She had to go down to the basement.
Unlike the sign, it was somehow dark and had a damp atmosphere.
‘Everyone else is out on dates, and here I am… with a friend in a gloomy place like thisā¦’
As she thought that far, Isia suddenly tilted her head.
‘What was it again?’
The friend who was pushing her from behind right now.
Her closest friend, who she had spent 20 years of her life with, and whom she cherished more than anyone else.
Butā¦.
‘What was her name?’
She couldn’t remember.
No, it wasn’t just the name.
She couldn’t recall any specific memories of the things they had done together either.
She only had a vague feeling that they had.
There were no specific memories or recollections at all.
“Umā¦.”
Isia swallowed dry saliva and slowly turned around.
And she saw it.
The face of her friend, smiling brightly with both corners of her mouth torn all the way to her ears.
