**"Lost my home.
It sounds silly, but that's how it is.
There's no good in staying any longer — it'll just bring more trouble from this and that — so I figured it was best to find a new place to settle down.
Looking back, I should've left a long time ago."**
It was cramped, noisy, and not even secure.
I should have found a new place ages ago, but the lingering attachment and faint nostalgia kept me there, and that turned out to be a mistake.
Now the unsolved problem was: how to find a new home.
"Should I try asking the Black Market?"
[They deal in real estate too? They really do everything.]
"It's a place criminals often use too, after all."
The Black Market.
Thanks to its unique service of handling items that couldn't be listed in dimensional auctions, it was mainly frequented by criminals.
Maybe because of that, the Black Market also arranged hideouts or safe houses for its clientele.
The cost was high, of course — but the security was usually reliable.
[Not a bad idea, hmm… Wait, hold on — I feel like I'm remembering something… Real estate… Hideout… Home…]
Kakasha stopped Han Yuseong just as he was about to head to the Black Market.
The Eye of War whimpered like a hungry dog, then suddenly lit up with realization.
[Aha! I remember now! I have a hideout of my own! Though I can't guarantee it's still safe…!]
"A hideout? Now that I think about it, you were once a lord of influence."
[Ahem! The title of 'War' isn't given to just anyone, you know! In my prime, there were buildings all over the world dedicated to serving me! I had properties everywhere!]
"And now?"
[…]
Kakasha fell silent at Han Yuseong's question.
[T-that… I'd rather not talk about it.]
"Didn't think you would."
She probably didn't have anything left.
A grim ending for a fallen sovereign. The followers who once worshipped her were likely gone, and her properties probably taken too.
Still, things like hidden hideouts might have remained.
[There are some secret places… Well-hidden, well-secured, with tidy interiors. I think at least one of them should still be safe…]
"Then we'll check them out. At least one should be intact."
[Yes! I shall guide you!]
From then on, Han Yuseong followed Kakasha in search of the hideouts.
Some had already been destroyed — maybe former Vowbearers of War had used them and been discovered.
Fortunately, a few had survived — and among them, there was one that stood out.
[This one's intact! Kuhuhu, what do you think?]
"Not bad. What about security?"
[I'd commissioned a blessing from another Lord back then — it's still holding. The barrier and spells… whew, this is excellent.]
It wasn't very large — as a hideout, that made sense — but it was a two-story cottage, decent enough for someone living alone.
"I'll stay here for a while, then. No one's likely to find it, right?"
[Who would even come looking, hmm? My Vowbearers? Heh…]
"Didn't you say all your surviving Vowbearers were gone?"
[Not completely gone. But the ones worth anything — all dead. The ones still around… well, I doubt they'll keep the contract much longer.]
Now that their Sovereign had fallen, what reason would the Vowbearers have to stay?
Apparently, a few still remained, but it wasn't out of loyalty — more like inertia.
As she said, the contracts would likely dissolve soon enough.
Han Yuseong brushed the dust off a chair.
"So practically speaking, I'm the only Vowbearer of War left."
[It's fair to say that, yes.]
Han Yuseong sat down and sank into thought.
He had made a pact with Kakasha, the Sovereign of War.
In exchange for defeating Akilos and helping Kakasha regain power — to become a stronger Sovereign than before — she had sworn absolute obedience to him.
'Wouldn't be a bad idea to take control of the other Vowbearers too.'
A Sovereign holds absolute influence over their Vowbearers.
But because of their pact, Kakasha now submitted to him.
Which meant Han Yuseong could, in effect, wield that same absolute authority — through her.
'Vowbearers might be loyal to their Sovereign, but they often fight among themselves for power and recognition.'
It was best to snuff out that kind of trouble before it started.
Once his position was solid, taking command of the War Vowbearers wouldn't be such a bad move.
Of course, he wasn't planning to accept just anyone.
"Only those who'd actually be an asset are worth keeping."
[Hmm? Muttering to yourself again, are you?]
"You don't need to know. You'll find out soon enough anyway."
[Uuuh…?]
There was no point in telling a Sovereign obsessed with coin about the future.
Han Yuseong leaned back in the chair and exhaled deeply.
Whatever happened, it was something for later.
Recruiting Vowbearers was a matter to consider after securing a foundation.
For now, his task was clear: conquering the Tower.
"First, let me just rest a bit."
[In this dusty pit? Wouldn't it be better to clean up first before sleeping? Vowbearer, are you listening to me?]
Han Yuseong ignored Kakasha's chatter and closed his eyes.
Three days later, the promised time arrived.
At that very moment, a tower erupted in South Korea.
In Seoul's Seocho District, the mountains teeming with monsters began to tremble. Then, the earth split open—and from the rupture, a massive tower burst forth.
The monsters simply stared in dumb silence at the tower's sudden appearance.
— Ki… Kiihiiii?
— Kkiririk… Krrrk…?
It was a grotesque tower.
It looked as though it were made of woven flesh and skin, stitched together like some horrific sculpture.
Blood endlessly poured down from its outer walls, soaking the surrounding earth in gore.
From within the tower, a crimson aura gushed forth like a storm.
Monsters caught in its influence either fled in terror—or went mad and began to rampage.
[The
[This tower is the creation of the wanderer,
[Only players registered in Korea may challenge this tower. Additionally, the level of enemies within will be adjusted according to the challenger's level. However, entry is not permitted below level 100.]
[Players who successfully clear the tower will receive massive rewards.]
The name of the tower was "Tower of Bloodfiend."
A grim, blood-soaked name that suited its grotesque appearance.
As the tower appeared, crowds quickly gathered.
Journalists, government officials, alliance representatives—and of course, players.
"We can go in too, right?"
"Should we give it a shot...?"
A few players, trying to read the atmosphere, cautiously approached the tower, attempting to enter.
But then:
[You cannot enter the tower.]
[As the player who opened this tower through the Trial reward, 'Han Yuseong' has exclusive priority to challenge it first.]
[Other players must wait 6 hours before entering.]
The system blocked their entry.
It was a benefit granted solely to Han Yuseong, the one who had brought the Tower of Bloodfiend to Korea.
The players let out frustrated sighs as they stared up at the tower.
"Damn it, what kind of special privilege is that…"
"How many floors does it have? From the outside, it looks pretty tall."
"No one's cleared a tower within six hours before, have they? So maybe the penalty isn't that bad."
"Yeah, not really. Towers are usually tough anyway."
There were players whose entire lives had changed after successfully conquering a tower.
And even if you didn't make it to the end, it didn't really matter—there were floors where you could safely exit midway.
Even reaching the middle floors of the tower could grant tremendous rewards.
It was only natural that players were eager to enter.
"Tch. It's been so long since a new tower showed up!"
"We're going in the moment those 6 hours are up. Everyone, get ready!"
"What about Han Yuseong? Can we reach him? Where is he right now?"
"We're trying to find out."
It had been a long time since a tower appeared in Korea.
Naturally, all eyes of the Korean players turned toward it.
From high-level elites to lower-level adventurers—everyone was focused on the tower.
And among them…
"Han Yuseong…"
…was Mi Suho, a Vowbearer of Justice.
He was reviewing a floating screen filled with detailed information on Han Yuseong—collected by other members of the Justice Vowbearers.
"From the looks of it, he's a newly awakened one, not long into his career."
"Yes. It's not confirmed, but based on the timeline, he's likely a recent Awakener."
"Interesting."
The subordinates at Mi Suho's side were reporting what they had uncovered.
The data on the screen now was all thanks to their research.
"Did you find out which Sovereign he made a pact with?"
"Apologies. We haven't determined that yet. His skill set is so broad it's difficult to analyze."
"He seems to use swordsmanship, martial arts, magic… even firearm techniques."
"Fire magic, specifically. Flames…"
He uses fire.
The moment he heard that, a certain Sovereign came to mind.
A Sovereign who had once been defeated by the Sovereign of Justice and had completely fallen:
"No way… That can't be."
The Sovereign of War crossed his mind—but the chances were practically zero.
A Sovereign who had lost all her power couldn't possibly have picked up a player like that.
Even from a player's perspective, there was no reason to form a contract with her.
There were plenty of Sovereigns offering better terms. Contracting with a fallen one would only bring losses.
The player might even have to raise the Sovereign themselves.
"Identify all Sovereigns he could realistically have contracted with. If it's a nameless one, we may even be able to seize the contract ourselves."
"Understood. The Sovereign of Justice will be pleased with this."
It would also help solidify Mi Suho's position.
His standing wasn't bad to begin with—losing track of the Sovereign of War was unfortunate, but everything else had gone smoothly since then.
On top of that, the recent divine trials had been ones he didn't need to participate in, giving him time to focus on growth.
"Not much left until level 200. It's about time I tackled a tower again. Start assembling a team to conquer the Tower of Bloodfiend."
"Yes, Sir Mi Suho."
Neither Mi Suho nor his subordinates seriously believed Han Yuseong would clear the tower within six hours.
Of course not—that was far too short a time.
Sure, he might get ahead a little.
But Mi Suho was confident he could catch up easily.
"Bloodfiend, huh… I wonder what kind of reward it'll give."
Mi Suho smiled faintly, anticipating the tower's rewards.
All across Korea, every player's eyes were fixed on the Tower of Bloodfiend.
The same was true for the Sovereigns of the Stars.
Who was this player named Han Yuseong?
And could he really clear the tower in just six hours?
If he failed, who would be sent next to conquer it?
Amidst all these swirling questions—
"Was it really necessary for 'Bloodfiend' to make this tower so on-brand?"
The man in question, Han Yuseong, was standing in the lobby of the first floor of the tower.
It was horrifying—a lobby where blood poured from the ceiling like a waterfall.
The walls and floor were coated with sticky, flesh-like matter, pulsating grotesquely.
[Honestly, this place is saturated with bad taste.]
"Feels like he's absolutely desperate to scream, 'Look at me, I'm Bloodfiend!'"
[I agree with you completely.]
Han Yuseong sighed and stepped forward.
At the center of the blood-splattered lobby stood a massive map.
As he approached, a system message appeared before him:
[This tower is the creation of the wanderer,
[It is composed of Bloodfiend himself and the fanatical followers who once served him. Their shared trait is an obsessive drive for combat.]
[Accordingly, the Tower of Bloodfiend is structured almost entirely around combat. There are no trap-filled mazes.]
[Endure grueling, brutal battles and reach the top floor. The final floor features an extreme level of difficulty, so choose carefully.]
[Will you challenge it to the end—or withdraw?]
[We wish you a good fight.]
It was a message briefly explaining the structure of the tower.
Despite its grotesque appearance, the internal layout of the tower was exactly what Han Yuseong had hoped for.
'Bloodfiend, huh…'
There was only one thing that gave him pause—the wanderer,
Han Yuseong had never encountered him personally in his previous life, but he knew just how twisted and deranged that transcendent being was.
A tower designed by such a figure wouldn't be ordinary, that was certain.
[It's a straightforward tower. Just win the battle on each floor and reach the top. Nothing more.]
"That works. I'm glad there's no maze."
In his previous life, Han Yuseong had cleared many towers.
The worst of them all had been one entirely composed of complex mazes on every floor—
riddled with traps and annoying gimmicks. It was a tower he never wanted to deal with again.
Compared to that, the Tower of Bloodfiend was merciful.
[Please choose your initial route.]
The map showed multiple routes leading up to the top.
However, the final floor was shrouded in a fog-like veil, hiding its exact nature and even how many total floors there were.
Each floor, however, had a labeled keyword:
'Normal, Elite, Reward, Giant, Event, Rest, Boss'
These gave a brief indication of what each floor contained.
'Normal' meant relatively standard monsters.
'Elite' signified tougher enemies—dangerous foes with significant power.
Naturally, Elite floors would offer far greater rewards than the Normal ones.
[The Tower of Bloodfiend contains a system called
[Each
[The higher the difficulty of the floor, the stronger and more specialized the
[Remember: only by collecting enough
Would you choose the safer route and advance cautiously—
or take the more difficult path and grow stronger faster? It was one or the other.
The former would be easier, but offer fewer
The latter, of course, would be the exact opposite.
[Which route will you choose?]
"You already know, don't you?"
The map displayed several possible paths.
Some were clearly easier. Others were moderately challenging.
But there was one—
"This one stands out."
One route in particular was filled almost entirely with 'Elite' floors.
So many, in fact, that it looked like 'Elite' had replaced 'Normal' entirely.
Among all the routes, it had the highest concentration of powerful enemies.
Without a moment's hesitation, Han Yuseong chose that route.
The risk was high, but the return would be worth it.
More than anything—
"Looks like fun."
[I like this one too! It suits my tastes perfectly!]
It was the path that most excited Han Yuseong. The one that aligned perfectly with his instincts.
Han Yuseong clenched his fist,
eagerly awaiting the battles that would soon shatter his limits.
He savored the quickening rhythm of his heartbeat—
the thrill before the storm.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]