[Please select a skill card.]
However, I had no choice but to stop my hand.
This was because as I stretched out my hand, fingers much smaller than my own got entangled with my fingers.
"You can't do that, Mr. Gong-ja."
"Huh?"
"It wouldn't be interesting."
Ja Soo-jung let out a breath.
"Are you really going to show off such an uncool image after provoking this one so much?"
For a moment, my back tingled.
Her fingers intertwined with mine as if her breath had taken form. A warm, cool and fog-like touch seemed to corrode my hand.
"…what are you talking about?"
"Huhu."
On the other hand, Ja Soo-jung's breathy sounds were like fingers. Every time she came close and whispered in my ear, her finger-like breath seemed to nibble gently on my ears.
"Mr. Gong-ja held out the first card you got and told this one to give you a reward, but… see this? It's written quite clearly on the card."
Tuk. tuk.
Ja Soo-jung tapped her fingernails against the card in my hand. The golden card trembled as if it had been shocked by electricity every time the Tower Master's fingernail touched it.
+
[I Want To Become Just Like You]
Rank: S+
Effect: Activates automatically upon death. After being killed by an enemy, copy one of their skills and make it your own. Skills cannot be copied from targets who have killed you before. The copied skill is randomly selected.
※However, you die!!
+
"Look here, Mr. Gong-ja."
The finger-like breath touched my eardrums.
"It's clearly written here, isn't it? Here… No, not there. Here. The last part. It clearly says, [The copied skill is randomly selected]."
Ja Soo-jung giggled.
She looked like a girl who was playing a naughty prank.
"Mr. Gong-ja, you told me to show my skills in accordance with the [Rules of the Tower]."
Perhaps, this was the most purity that Ja Soo-jung could show as a human.
"Will Mr. Gong-ja follow the rules too?"
Tak.
A clapping sound resounded.
As soon as that happened, the golden cards suddenly scattered. There were like fireflies who had been fluttering around a flame being startled by the sound of a firecracker.
"Random."
Ja Soo-jung touched my arm and whispered.
"This one doesn't care if you take a piece of my flesh but, please, in accordance with the fair laws of the Tower, the exact piece of flesh will be chosen [randomly]."
I raised my head and looked up at the night sky. Nine, golden fireflies circled constantly. After the constellation had been broken, each card had become meteors that cut across the night sky, with long comet's tails trailing behind them.
"Did you think you'd enjoy good times from now? That I'd meet Mr. Gong-ja and tell you what skills to choose from behind. Then Mr. Gong-ja would just need to wiggle your fingers as if you were picking ice-cream."
"…"
"But in the end, it comes down to a game of luck."
I looked at those purple eyes.
Those purple eyes looked at me.
There was probably no mirror as clear as her eyes. At best, all I could see was a curtain of purple pupils, within which was an endless series of reflections. A mirror reflected in a mirror, and the mirror was reflected back into the mirror, then the mirror reflected into the mirror… a purple mirror…
"Now it's all up to Mr. Gong-ja's luck."
Without realizing it, my gaze became fixed.
After looking into Ja Soo-jung's eyes, it became impossible to turn my head anywhere else. It felt like I'd been caught in a clever trap. My eyes were reflected in those purples eyes, and those purples eyes were reflected in my eyes…
'Ah.'
I tried to pull myself together.
'Get a hold of yourself.'
If I stayed like this, I'd probably forget how to speak for hours, tens of hours, hundreds of hours, becoming a statue that could only stare into the eyes of Ja Soo-jung.
I let out a breath.
"Understood."
And nodded slowly.
"In this situation, I will make my choice according to what you said."
"Ahaha."
"However, let's set some rules."
"What are they?"
"[I will never look at the back of the cards]. If you show me the front of the cards, I won't look at the back."
"Yeah, well. That's naturally a commendable story."
"Only."
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"Don't treat it like I've picked a card just because I touched it."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"I want you to give me time to look at the cards, touch them, and play around with them. Ah. I won't look at the back no matter what. If I flip a card over and see the description, it's fine if you remove that skill."
"Huhh…"
Ja Soo-jung smiled mischievously.
"I'm curious about what you're planning. Fine, Mr. Gong-ja. This one can wait as long as possible for Mr. Gong-ja to make your choice. If you want, I can also use [Ice River Dragon's Breath] to stop the time of this world."
"I don't need that kind of consideration."
"Alright. Let's see you try!"
First, I collected the nine cards. The golden cards swirled around like a certain golden ball from a very famous fantasy novel. But for me, who had trained aura, they were like fireflies.
"Hoo."
I took a deep breath.
Then, very carefully, I drew one of the cards.
And.
"…"
I looked at Ja Soo-jung who was sitting across from me.
We exchanged gazes up close, with a pile of cards between us.
"…?"
No.
This card wasn't the skill I wanted.
Making my decision right away, I put down the first card.
"Huh?"
Ja Soo-jung chuckled.
"Are you trying to guess the card by looking at this one's expression?"
It was a mixture of amusement and ridicule.
"Do you think you're playing poker, Mr. Gong-ja? This one's expression isn't something that can be read by anyone. The only thing you could achieve from reading this one's face is praise for my perfect beauty, astonishment at my noble elegance, and infinite joy at my existence."
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"Viscount."
"Yes."
"Am I not going to hear an end to your bullshit?"
"This one was usually like this with my vassals. Is it really too much? There is no one who cared for, loved and comforted the vassals like this one."
As Ja Soo-jung babbled, I calmly and carefully skimmed over the card one by one.
"…"
Not this card. Next.
Not this card. Next.
Next, next, next…
"…?"
When the nine cards were reduced to three, Ja Soo-jung noticed the strange atmosphere.
"Mr. Gong-ja. You…"
Maybe I wasn't just guessing cards based on Ja Soo-jung's expression, maybe I had a clear way to carefully distinguish them. That was the suspicion that was beginning to surface in the Tower Master's head.
"What are you doing? How are you figuring out the cards?"
"Well."
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"Maybe I'm using another skill."
"Mr. Gong-ja doesn't have any clairvoyance skills. Even if you had a clairvoyance skill, it's impossible for you to see through the skill cards. They are made with a special material made by magic. So what the hell…"
As Ja Soo-jung narrowed her eyebrows, I put aside another card.
The final two.
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"…"
"There are some interesting cards left."
I was still looking at the front of the cards. The front of each card was painted gold. And there was an unknown pattern engraved on them which was actually the subject of much controversy among the Hunters. What the hell was this symbol?
The pattern was like this. In the center was a polyhedron that kind of looked like a die. And two snakes were wrapped around the polyhedron. Finally, there were leaves and flowers of an unknown plant embroidered around the edges.
The Hunters had argued countless times.
「Why is this pattern engraved on the skill cards?」
「The polyhedron represents the Holy Grail. The two snakes represent Satan. In other words, the Tower is telling us that demons are surrounding the Holy Grail!」
「Then what about this leaves and flowers?」
「Does that mean demons are interested in environmental movements?」
「When the bullshit starts coming in. It's a good deal.」
However, no Hunter could give a clear answer to this.
There was speculation that there might be some hint if they managed to go up to the 100th floor. Even 11 years later.
"Hu."
A chuckle suddenly escaped my mouth.
Viscount Ja Soo-jung tilted her head.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking about our Tower kids' argument. About the pattern engraved on the card. The Hunters used to talk about this thing as if it were real."
But.
"This, it's just this one's family crest."
Ja Soo-jung blinked.
"Yes. Is that so?"
"Puhahaha."
Here was the situation.
In the Kingdom, [Magic] or [Wizards] were symbolized by [snakes]. This was because they believed snakes inherited the blood of dragons, and magic was developed by dragons. Since they were considered as miracles bestowed by dragons, they were naturally portrayed as [snakes].
So either the progenitor of the family was a Wizard, or, the progenitor of the family defeated a Wizard. In both cases, a snake would be included into the family's crest.
It was said that one of Viscount Ja Soo-jung's distant ancestors had taken down a fairly famous Wizard. The corpses of Wizards were engraved on the crests of nobles.
The place where the Great Wizard had been residing was a vast forest known as the Crystal Forest*. That's why there were leaves and flowers decorating around the snakes. [The Wizard was killed in that Forest]. (*: Soo-jung Forest)
Viscount Ja Soo-jung's ancestors devoured the territory originally ruled by the Great Wizard. That's why the family name became Soo-jung, after the name of the forest. The unknown polyhedron in the middle of the crest was a crystal.
In other words.
[The ancestors of this family tore the Wizard who lived in the forest apart and were given the title Soo-jung to commend their admirable deed].
That was the meaning of pattern engraved on the front of the card.
That was it. The end.
"Viscount really is a crazy person. Why did you slap your own family crest on the front of the card?"
"I don't know why you're suddenly calling me crazy. The Tower was naturally built by this one. This one is one of the Kingdom's nobles. I simply put my signature on my own work, do you have a complaint?"
"Thinking it was God's will, or God's forewarning, hundreds of priests in the outside world did everything they could…"
"Since this one is God, isn't this one's will the will of God?"
Every person I met was crazy.
Anyway.
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"Um, not this card either. Eliminated."
"…"
I discarded one of the two remaining cards.
Ja Soo-jung furrowed her eyebrow.
"Do you know what card that is?"
"Yes. It's an extremely good skill."
"Tell me what it is."
Ja Soo-jung asked me for proof.
I willingly met her request.
"[The One Loved By Dice]."
"…"
"No less than Rank SSS. The effect is simple."
The skill description was only one sentence. No, it was just one phrase.
+
[The One loved by the Dice]
Rank: SSS
Effect: Heavenly Luck(天運).
+
Luck.
"To put it simply, it was a skill that makes you [lucky]. Compared Gold Dragon's Eyes or whatever, this skill is the best. You're lucky? That's game over. No matter how difficult a quest is, no matter how convoluted a stage is, you are lucky."
That's why I'd kept two cards in my hands for so long.
"I contemplated it for a long time."
"…how?"
"I wondered whether I should use this card or that card. Maybe Manager Ja Soo-jung… ay, it's fine. Even if you hadn't provoked me, I would have unconditionally gone all in with [The One loved by the Dice]."
In fact, there was a proverb that was passed down in the Tower for a long time.
It is a game of skill, and a game of luck.
This was because a Hunter's rank depended on their skills. And from a certain perspective, [The One loved by the Dice] is the strongest skill.
"However, I'm not going to choose this skill."
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"I'm going to choose something else."
From start to finish.
Throughout the entire process of sorting and selecting cards, I only looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"…"
To be precise.
I looked into her purple eyes.
"…Aha."
Belated.
"Indeed, indeed."
Ja Soo-jung let out a laugh as she realized my trick.
"Mr. Gong-ja."
"Yes."
"You were looking into this one's eyes."
That's right.
"You're right."
It was simple.
I looked at Ja Soo-jung.
"I could see the reflection in your purple eyes."
Ja Soo-jung closed her lips.
She was smiling happily.
She just silently looked at me with a smile, without moving an inch.
"Did you see well?"
I nodded.
[getid]
"Yes."
Your eyes are very clear.
Even though purple is one of the hardest colors to reflect.
Ja Soo-jung's eyes were like mirrors that reflected endlessly.
"Is it enough to read?"
"I'd need to take a closer look."
The distance between us was already close enough.
I picked up the last card and looked into her eyes.
Enhanced with aura, my vision was locked onto her eyes— trapped in a mirror maze.
"Read it."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung whispered.
"…"
A gap between sight and hearing.
Breathing out into each other's senses, I read what was on the gold.
"Earth Bone Dragon's Skull."
"Yes."
"Rank. SSS+."
"Right. This one measured it."
"Effect. The ability to archive the memories of the living. Archived memories are placed in a [box] that can only be destroyed by the user…"
"Keep going."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung's voice was closer.
Perhaps it was just an illusion.
Because, with my abnormally enhanced vision, all I could see now was a circle of purple letters reflected in the mirror.
"Unless the box is destroyed, the user can recreate the body of a person who will inherit the same memories over and over."
"In short, if you put the original memory in the box, you can create a body which can contain the captured memories any number of times, hundreds of times, thousands of times, tens of thousands of times. But not simultaneously. There can only be one body per memory. And only when that body is destroyed can another one be created."
"…"
"What are you doing, Mr. King Gong-ja? Keep going."
"…The body can travel around the world, create new memories, and 'update' those experiences back to the box. Of course, if the user allows it."
"Think of that famous game with the Italian plumber uncles."(TL: Lots of references in this chap)
Viscount Ja Soo-jung giggled.
The sound of her laughter was closer than before.
"Even if they die in the game, they come back, right? Even if they die, they won't die. Lives are [coins]. The Earth Bone Dragon's box that holds the memories is a [save point] so to speak. If they lose their life and die, they'll just return to the save point. Although, of course, the dead life wasn't saved… In order to save the save point, you need to return alive."
"…"
"Because of this."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung said.
"Countless people died."
The story behind that skill.
"How many people wish they could have a save point in their lives? It's as many as those who wish to regress. The Earth Bone Dragon. People who somehow learned of her existence risked their lives to cross the desert, swam across the river, traverse monster infested jungles, just to meet the Earth Bone Dragon."
A story that couldn't be described with the word [skill].
"Many people died in the process."
"…"
"178 people managed to successfully reach the Earth Bone Dragon's nest."
And those 178 humans received save points.
They successfully turned their lives into coins without the fear of death, or eternal end.
"The worst military group was created."
The 178 member army traveled across the world.
"They wore flags to show where they were from all their lives. So, they were given the name Flag Bearing Soldiers."
Soldiers flying flags that had already fallen.
"Banseok Wi-sa, praised as the greatest archer 1,000 years ago. The 17th Na Sun Mun Lord, leader of the most powerful assassination unit, the Na Sun Mun. Dae Do, who turned the entire capital city into a sea of fire and fled leisurely. Dae Ha-jeok, who had dozens of warships and occupied half of the Kingdom's waterways. Yu Mang-ju, a Wizard from 1300 years ago who was expected to become the number one Wizard in the Kingdom."
In the Kingdom's long history.
Each of them were giants of their generation.
Just like my teacher had conquered the last Murim era.
"The formed [The Undying Army]."
178 warriors like that.
"When they saw that troop approaching from across the desert, with dozens of flags waving behind them, all humans collapsed in fear, all children cried, and all soldiers lost morale and defected."
"…"
"Like that, the Flag Bearing Soldiers were basically a man-made natural disaster."
Still staring into that mirror maze, I opened my lips.
"What happened in the end? To those people."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung chuckled.
"They became this one's soldiers."
"It was abundantly understandable why the Kingdom's nobles, who saw this one as a bastard, didn't dare to declare family war on this one. They didn't want to be hit."
And.
[Selection Complete.]
The skill card in my hand melted.
[Skill is being copied.]
At the same time, the mirror maze unraveled.
The purple mirror no longer shined with the light of the cards.
The mirror became an eye again, and I was looking at the eyes of Ja Soo-jung again. That's when I realized I was face to face with Ja Soo-jung.
"Death King."
In front of me.
"What you have is just as powerful. You have suffered many deaths and acquired many scars. What does Mr. Gong-ja intend to do with that card?"
Within breathing distance.
It was the best distance for a venomous snake to bite a person's neck.
"This one is curious. Really. No matter how amazing it is, it is still the skill of a Dragon Emperor and its army that was defeated by this one and made into trophies."
The noble whose ancestor killed a snake smiled.
"How are you going to defeat this one with that?"
I smiled too.
"Get ready to wrack your brain, Tower Master."
I had no doubt.
I'd picked the strongest card.