{Aftermath: Who Saved Us?}
The room was quiet.
Dim crystal lights hummed above as four climbers slowly stirred awake on the cushioned benches of a stone infirmary deep within the safe zone of the 2nd floor. They blinked, disoriented—wrapped in blankets, with faint scars and dried blood still clinging to their clothes.
"…Where are we?" one of them mumbled, groaning as he sat up.
Another rubbed his head. "I remember… the forest. Goblins. And then—those bastards. Jackals."
His fists clenched. Everyone fell silent.
"They ambushed us," muttered the third, a broad-shouldered man who seemed like the group's leader. "Took our weapons, tied us up like cattle. After that, nothing. It just goes blank."
No one replied.
The fourth, a girl with short dark hair and silent eyes, sat quietly, her gaze lowered.
She hadn't said a word since waking up.
But inside her mind—
> 'Someone was there.'
'He cut them down… like a phantom.'
'That pressure… That presence…'
'Why does it feel like I've seen him before?'
She looked down at her hands. They were trembling.
> 'Who… was that person?'
Just then, the doors opened.
Two Tower guards in polished gear entered. One of them—a woman with a clipboard—nodded curtly.
"You're safe now. We'll be conducting an investigation into the incident. If we require statements or identification, we'll contact you through your Tower panels. For now, you're free to leave."
The group nodded silently. Their expressions were still shaken, uncertain.
As they exited the building, sunlight from the safe zone poured over them. The air felt too calm, too normal.
They didn't know it—but their rescuer had long since vanished.
---
{Scene – Floor 3 Safe Zone: Market Plaza, Midday}
Jin-Seok stepped out of the portal and stretched his arms, squinting at the rocky cliffs of the 3rd floor. Wind rushed past, dry and cold.
The scent of grilled meat and potion herbs hung in the air. Jin-Seok strolled lazily through the busy market square of the 3rd floor's safe zone, chewing a half-finished skewer. His eyes wandered from stall to stall—browsing more out of boredom than interest.
Climbers chatted around him.
> "Hey, did you hear? A Jackal squad got wiped on Floor 2."
> "No way. Those bastards? Who did it?"
> "No one knows for sure.No traces, no names. Clean work. Real clean."
> "And get this—someone saw Tower guards escorting four climbers back to the safe zone. Look."
They subtly pointed near the south gate.
There, four wounded and unconscious climbers limped slowly past the checkpoint—blankets around their shoulders, Tower guards close behind. The group looked shaken, but alive.
> "Those guys… they were with the Jackals. Prisoners, probably."
> "So someone rescued them… and killed an entire Jackal team?"
> "Who the hell would take that risk?"
> "Whoever it was, did us all a favor."
Another climber joined in, voice low.
> "Think the Jackals'll retaliate?"
> "Tch. You know how they are. They won't let this slide. Unless a strong guild steps in and crushes them for good, they'll keep crawling back."
> "Someone needs to. Too many newbies have died 'cause of those bastards."
> "Yeah... but if the one who did this shows up again—I wanna see it."
Jin-Seok walked past the murmuring crowd, not saying a word.
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Then he paused.
He turned his head slightly. On the far side of the plaza stood Calder, face twitching with restrained anger.
Next to him was someone new—young but composed, with cold, intelligent eyes and a subtle aura that silenced even the noise around them. Vahn Roderick, heir of the Iron Fang Guild. A known prodigy, one of the previous generation's "super rookies"—someone who had reached past Floor 100 in just over a year.
Climbers nearby noticed.
> "Is that… Vahn from Iron Fang?"
"He cleared a hundred floors already, didn't he?"
And yet, Jin-Seok barely blinked.
> Vahn (quietly, to Calder): "You let a newbie get to you like that?"
Calder (gritting teeth): "He's not normal. Cleared the Newbie Trial in record time. Outside the Tower, he crushed Viktor's team like they were nothing.… he humiliated us. Something weird happened that day—like… we couldn't move. It wasn't normal."
Vahn (amused chuckle): "You let a floor one climber stop you without lifting a finger?"
Calder stiffened.
Across the plaza, Jin-Seok's gaze swept their way. Recognition flickered in his eyes—and then a smirk curved his lips. He took another bite of his skewer, chewed slowly, then flicked the wooden stick over his shoulder.
Jin-Seok's eyes met his. He stopped chewing, looked between Calder and the stranger beside him, and lazily raised a brow.
> Jin-Seok: "Iron Fang, huh? Didn't expect to see old acquaintances still hanging around the kiddie floors."
Calder took a sharp step forward, fury on his face—but Vahn simply raised a hand.
The captain froze.
Vahn moved forward instead, calm steps parting the crowd as he approached. His presence was subtle—but the pressure was there. Every glance, every breath, felt weighed.
He stopped just a few feet from Jin-Seok.
> Vahn: "So you're Jin-Seok. The Tower's little wildfire."
Jin-Seok (casual): "Takes one spark to burn a forest."
Vahn (dry smile): "You've made a bit of noise… for someone who just started.
Smart climbers know when to roar… and when to bow. But I've only heard you roar."
Jin-Seok: "Maybe that's because I've never seen a reason to bow."
Vahn (stepping closer, voice low and edged): "I don't care where you came from, but the higher you climb, the more names start to matter. Guilds. Clans. Sponsors.
You step on too many, you make enemies you won't even see coming.
Calder wanted to recruit you—for your sake."
Vahn (leaning in): "Watch your steps, Jin-Seok. Even monsters bleed when enough spears are pointed their way."
Jin-Seok's eyes glinted.
He reached down, casually picking up a fallen coin near his foot—spun it once between his fingers—then tossed it over his shoulder.
> Jin-Seok: "Let them come. Just makes it easier to hit them all at once."
A moment of silence.
Then Vahn chuckled.
Not mockingly—but curious. Evaluating. Like a nobleman watching a wild wolf bare its teeth.
> Vahn (turning away): "Interesting. I'll be watching you."
Vahn (calmly): "Careful who you insult in the Tower. Names carry more weight than you think."
> ???: "Tch. Brat, don't fight him now."
Aris (dry): "He's stronger than you think. Focus on climbing for now."
Jin-Seok (inwardly): "You think I don't know that? He's already climbed over a hundred floors."
Jin-Seok (quietly): "Even if I don't know his full strength… if I used your full power, the gap wouldn't be that big."
Aris (muttering): "Which is exactly why you should've increased my sync rate already."
Jin-Seok (smirking): "Yeah, yeah. I'm saving points for when I really need them."
Vahn narrowed his eyes turning, but Jin-Seok had already turned his back.
> Jin-Seok (casual): "Later. Got kobolds to hunt."
He tossed the skewer stick into a bin and walked off without another word.
Vahn watched him go, silent.
> Calder: "…Should we stop him?"
Vahn: "No. Let him climb."
The two Iron Fang members walked off. Calder threw one last glare over his shoulder—but he said nothing more.
> Jin-Seok (murmuring to himself): "Tch. Floor 3's getting noisy already."
---
{Scene: Whispering Pine Forest – Kobold Territory}
> [Tower System Notice]
To proceed to Floor 4, clear the following objective:
Eliminate 25 Kobolds in the Whispering Pine Forest.
Optional: Party recommended.
▸ Reward: Access to Floor 4
Jin-Seok didn't even blink at the notice. He gripped the stick strapped to his back and stepped into the trees.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
Snap.
Three kobolds burst from the underbrush, snarling and armed with crude daggers. One lunged.
Jin-Seok's stick moved in a blur.
Crack. Skull shattered.
He pivoted—whack—ribs collapsed.
> Aris (dryly): "Still using that stick, huh? You really enjoy humiliating them."
Jin-Seok (grinning): "It's got history now."
_______________________________________________
{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}