1.
The waterfall of sand split left and right, revealing the stairs I began to descend slowly.
Thud, thud.
The stairs, made of an unknown material, supported me sturdily. With every step I took, a rebounding sound reverberated through the air.
The place where I had spoken with the Lady was on the 90th floor.
Naturally below it was the 89th floor, which was my sanctuary.
"...."
The Garden of Withered Flowers. I stepped into that place.
Retainers of the Death King Family, who took on the role of gardeners, were moving around. All were neatly dressed in uniforms designed by the exclusive tailor of the Duke Ivansia and woven by the mermaids of the Aegim Empire with water thread. In their hands were scissors, shovels, watering cans, and other essentials for tending to the garden.
'Eek.'
Seeing Sylvia approaching with garden scissors in her hand, I hurriedly hid behind a rock.
– Death King, what are you doing?
The Lady looked at me as if she was seeing something curious and asked.
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.
– Well, after all the putting on all sorts of airs and even cutting my hair and getting ready to go up, coming back down so soon would quite be a bit embarrassing to hear them say Back already…
Oh. I stopped midsentence and closed my mouth.
– Uh… um? The state of my voice…?
What came out of my mouth was merely a whisper produced by moving my lips, or rather, a sound that seemed to be heard, yet not heard, as if imagined in my mind.
– Uh….
That wasn't all.
Stepping back a bit, I realized that I couldn't hear my footsteps either.
– Huh?
No matter how many steps I took, it was the same.
Until a moment ago, the floor had returned sounds appropriate for my weight with a thud, thud, but now it made no noise at all.
– Heh.
I then jumped on the spot.
Neither the sound of jumping nor the thud when landing was heard.
Not only sounds, but not a single grain of sand or a leaf stirred.
– Could it be?
– Yep. Exactly that 'could it be'.
The Lady smiled brightly. Only then did I realize that her voice and movements also had no effect on the surroundings.
And then I realized.
– Right now, you and I are in the same state as the Sword Emperor, aren't we?
– Yes! That's right.
The Lady nodded her head. I moved my body around curiously and looked at Sylvia, who was approaching.
– And that means….
"Sigh."
Sylvia sighed right in front of my nose.
"It's been roughly 2 hours since the family head went up."
As expected.
Sylvia was completely unaware of my presence!
"This is crazy. Ah, geez. He struggled to go up as if there was something to gain."
Sylvia squatted on the floor and grumbled while vigorously digging the soil with a planting shovel.
Someone responded to Sylvia's words.
"Ugor, Grand Chamberlain. What if someone hears this gossip?"
Uburka, dressed as a gardener, walked over carrying a large bucket on his bald head and made that remark.
Sylvia shrugged her shoulders.
"Hmph. Except for you, there's absolutely no one listening. Of course I'm gossiping after taking care of that much groundwork."
"Ugor. Are you sure about that?"
"Of course, of course. I'm someone who played the noble lady role twice at that Sormwin Academy and even managed to take down the Duke Ivansia. What does that mean? It means my intuition is max level."
Sylvia said this with a thoroughly boastful attitude.
'When I'm right here in front of you listening.'
It was a moment as pitiful as Sylvia herself, but that must mean my stealth function was perfect.
'Anyway, this is interesting.'
I circled around Sylvia and Uburka.
I tried walking normally, walking on my hands, flipping through the air, and even dancing the Cossack dance.
Bae Hu-ryeong occasionally showed an embarrassed expression.
– Zombie… Why are you drooling like a yellow dog that's seen a bone from charcoal-grilled ribs?
– Thanks for feeling that way. I was struggling to learn how to harness my aura when you were doing exactly this kind of nonsense. That's exactly how I felt when you did it.
– Oh, you little bastard… I didn't realize that. Now that I know, I'm deeply reflecting on it, but apart from that, just because I did it, should you be doing the same? It's always the responsibility of juniors and disciples to break the chain of evil.
– I wanted to break that chain of evil too… But I didn't have the power to do it. A monster living deep within my heart, a snake coiled around my heart, keeps whispering to me… [Why don't you do the same? Are you just going to keep suffering? Go ahead. Now is your chance to pay it back…] I keep succumbing to the demon inside me. You could say it's my incompetence and inability.
– I give up.
– Victory achieved.
Even as we were exchanging such heated words, Uburka and Sylvia showed no signs of noticing us.
By this point, even I was starting to feel a bit awkward.
– Lady. Sword Emperor. So, what should we do now? Where roughly is the key?
– Hehe, well? How about we take a look around at the places that come to mind?
The Lady said this with a beaming smile.
Hmm.
'Hearing that in that way with that face, I'm feeling a bit uneasy…'
I suppressed my uneasiness.
I left Uburka and Sylvia, who were still chatting, and began to walk away.
– Where are you going, Screaming Sky?
– Well, what… Didn't you say to look around wherever comes to mind? That's what I'm doing.
– You're so active! Yep yep. That's good. That's good.
Although that was also an unsettling thing to say, I pressed on.
My first thought was to find the director.
2.
When I arrived, the director was just giving instructions to Kim Yul.
"Kim Yul-ssi, please gather the gardeners."
"Will do."
Following the director's orders, Kim Yul gathered the gardeners. Estelle was the first to rush over, and the Goddess of Protection came down flapping her wings. Sylvia and Uburka, who had been loafing in a corner, were also inevitably called and stood before the director.
The director said,
"Hello. I've been put in charge of managing this garden."
The director started talking in his characteristically calm voice.
"I am quite lacking."
"...."
"Just by calling you all here together like this, or rather, what's this about a regular assembly?… some of you might be displeased. If that happens, just think, oh, an old person… no, not even old compared to you. Just think of me as someone lacking and pity me, I would appreciate it."
The assembled people showed little reaction to his words. More precisely, it wasn't the kind of reaction that was outwardly visible.
Just like me.
– Director…
I muttered, feeling moved.
Of course, the director did not recognize me. He just continued talking to those in front of him.
"As you may know, Gong-ja has gone up to the next floor today."
"...."
"I'm such a novice that I wouldn't even be called a novice if I were a hunter. I probably wouldn't survive if placed on the second floor. So, I don't know what the 90th floor is like. Does anyone here know about it?"
There was someone who raised their hand.
It was Estelle.
"I know just a little about the 99th floor. I can't share details because of a contract with the tower…"
"Is it dangerous?"
"…Yes, very."
Estelle said.
The director took off his glasses and pressed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger before speaking.
"Can he return?"
"If the Family Head decides to return, he could do so immediately."
Estelle said this and slightly lowered her head.
"However, in that case, fundamentally, he wouldn't be able to rechallenge. That's also why most of the notable constellations are stuck without reaching the 100th floor."
"I see…."
The director let out a light sigh.
"It's somewhat reassuring to know he can return whenever he decides to."
"Yes, I think so too."
"However, that child will definitely not return."
The director's sigh grew heavier.
Estelle, the Goddess of Protection, and Uburka all sighed similarly… Oh, what's this? The Death King Family showing such solidarity.
"He was a child who was quite stubborn from a young age."
The director said.
Sylvia perked up her ears.
"How so?"
"Grand Chamberlain. I sense a sense of impropriety from your curiosity."
"No, no, Advisor-nim. Aren't you viewing me too harshly? I'm just curious about what kind of person our family's head was, that's all. And you too, Advisor-nim, hmm? Aren't you looking quite curious?"
"I merely wish to know more about the Family Head as an advisor."
These vassals….
"I'm curious too. Ugor. What kind of person was Daddy when he was young? Or did he even have a childhood?"
This son of mine….
"Everyone seems curious about Gong-ja. Well, that's understandable."
The director smirked and put his glasses back on.
Most of the family members, probably, no, definitely, were eager to dig into my embarrassing past, their eyes gleaming as they looked at the director. Yet, the director proved why he was not just a specialist who had been looking after children for decades.
"Perhaps we should continue this story at the next assembly."
"Ahh."
The vassals made a disappointed sound right when their curiosity was piqued.
"It's alright. Please wait patiently."
The director said with a smile.
"We'll be facing each other here for a long time."
With that, the assembly ended. Watching the gardeners disperse with regretful faces, I raised my hand to wipe my forehead.
– I need to get out of here soon… preferably today.
– Hmm. Even so, you don't want your embarrassing past revealed in front of everyone, right?
– Yes, um. So… uh, the key.
I looked around, but nothing caught my eye.
I even searched the director's pockets just in case, but it was the same.
– …There's nothing here?
– It seems not. Not here.
The Lady said this with a grin, her tone stirring unease.
Then, as if to drive the point home, the Sword Emperor's voice came.
– Zombie.
– Yes?
I turned to look at the Sword Emperor.
And saw him making a pitiful expression.
– Hang in there.
Oh….
– Sword Emperor-nim. What does that face mean?
– What does it look like?
– It looks shitty….
– Yeah….
– Hey, no, no. Wait a moment. Be a bit angrier, why don't you… what's that about? Are you upset because I joked earlier? If that's it… no, really, why that face! Rather mock me, what on earth….
The Sword Emperor said nothing more.
He just looked at me with a face that seemed to pity something pitiable.
'This is like a creeping unease, crawling up like the smell of dung in a field….'
Ugh.
I clapped my hands with a smack. Then, I took a deep breath and started walking.
– Anyway, it's not around the director, huh. Hmm. Then it must be over there.
My sanctuary is a world of its own, but it's not that vast since it was newly created. By searching each suspicious area one by one, I hoped to find whatever was key… That was the plan.
To speak plainly, it was a mistaken thought.
3.
My sanctuary, The Garden of Withered Flowers.
Squatting by the sea where red waves crashed, I spoke with a haggard face.
– I was wrong.
I'm not even sure if it's really a haggard face. My reflection isn't seen on the surface of the seawater.
And it wasn't just because the sea of my sanctuary was red. I had even set up a greenhouse for the warmth-needing flowers, but my reflection did not appear on the greenhouse glass either.
– Keuh. You really are quick-witted, Zombie.
The Sword Emperor sat cross-legged next to me, picking at his teeth with the tip of his fingernail.
– To realize that in just [one week].
Indeed.
It had already been a week since I entered this place, which should be called the 91st floor, not the 89th!
– No! Why isn't there even a single clue!?
I exclaimed with a fiery spirit… Exclaimed? Damn. Even that feels ambiguous here where I can't use my actual voice.
Is it like the feeling that my very existence is ambiguous? Like the expression a seal or a Shiba Inu usually wears!
– I thought there would be something next to the Director. Or maybe when I went to the first Lily of the valley flowers I planted, the surroundings would start twinkling. But this… Do you know how I feel right now?
– [It feels like I've been thrown into an unfinished test map where the event processing isn't done.]
That was what the Lady said as she leapt next to me.
– That's how some climbers describe it.
– Who is that climber?
– Mahos.
The very constellation known as The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains.
– That person speaks like that…
– Mmm. Screaming Sky doesn't like treating the inside of the tower like a game, so you might get angry at that comparison….
– Yes… No, no. I understand the feeling well. Sword Emperor-nim, you know it too, right?
– Of course, I know, Zombie. Why wouldn't I?
The Sword Emperor lay sprawled out, supporting his head with his interlocked fingers.
In the sky, stained red by the broken sunset, angular clouds were floating by.
– I've been dealing with this crap for 140 years.