“Pfft…… Were you scared?”
“…….”
Was I scared?
“Haa…….”
I gently released the handle.
My legs tensed with all their strength.
I nearly collapsed.
They still would not stop trembling.
“Ugh…….”
And I was motion sick on top of that.
Awakening, enhanced physical abilities—
none of it did anything for the mind.
I staggered out of the elevator.
After forcing my spinning vision back into focus—
I looked around.
“……?”
Basement Level 100.
That was definitely what the elevator had displayed.
‘What is this place?’
It was bright.
It was loud.
Was this what a nightclub felt like?
I had never been to one before.
There was not a single person in sight yet—
but it felt as though a crazed party would be waiting if we went only a little farther.
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
“……Guild Master.”
The Guild Master, apparently accustomed to this place, placed a hand on my shoulder.
No, correction.
He did not look accustomed to it at all.
After all—
“You don’t look too good.”
“…….”
His expression was even more twisted than mine—
and mine had already been wrecked by motion sickness and dizziness.
“……No matter how many times you come somewhere like this, you never really get used to it. Not that I’ve been here often enough to say that.”
“What is this place?”
“Here? To put it simply, it’s an illegal establishment.”
“……Are we really supposed to be here?”
“What choice do we have? We have to find Chae-rin.”
Hyeon Chae-rin.
I might not have known her well, but I had seen and heard enough about her.
Was she really the kind of person who came to places like this?
My sister spoke first.
“Hyeon Chae-rin is really here? She actually comes to places like this?”
Unlike Baek Yulheon and me—
my sister’s lips curled upward as though she had discovered something fascinating.
“Normally, she wouldn’t even set foot in a place like this…… but Chae-rin must have been cornered pretty badly.”
“Well, I do see her a little differently now. I thought she was some kind of machine. Maybe we could actually become friends?”
“……Don’t joke around.”
“Yes, sir.”
Apparently, the pointless exchange with my sister helped Baek Yulheon relax a little.
After taking a deep breath, he forced his stiff legs to move.
“Let’s go.”
A long corridor stretched ahead.
Loud EDM pounded through the air.
The clicking of shoes echoed along the walls.
A strangely cold draft sent a shiver down my spine.
Everything about the place felt ominous.
Then—
“Well, well! Look who it is!”
A face I had never seen before appeared.
‘A…… security guard?’
A huge man in a suit.
But unlike the ordinary security guards stationed outside clubs—
there was something about him……
“……Still acting like a delinquent, I see.”
“I haven’t changed a bit!”
He spoke to Baek Yulheon as though they were close.
“……Who is he?”
“……The gatekeeper guarding the entrance ahead.”
“……You look pretty close.”
“……Please don’t say things like that. He’s just strange.”
Baek Yulheon and I whispered quietly.
He seemed to dislike the man quite a bit.
“Old man, Guild Master of White Lotus. What brings you here this time?”
“……I’m looking for someone.”
“Huh? You could do that aboveground too, couldn’t you?”
“The person I’m looking for is here.”
“So you’re looking for one of our customers!?”
“……Don’t call them customers.”
I could not keep up with the man’s strangely high energy.
His eyes were unfocused too.
He almost looked drugged.
His body swayed loosely as though he might collapse at any moment.
But—
“……Sis.”
“Yeah. I know.”
I glanced toward my sister.
Behind her back—
her fist was clenched so tightly that the veins looked ready to burst.
“That guy’s pretty strong.”
He was strong.
Apparently, they did not call him the gatekeeper for nothing.
If Baek Yulheon, who already seemed to be in a bad mood, ended up fighting him—
‘……Would he win?’
My sister looked just as irritated as the Guild Master.
Right.
There was no one alive who could beat my sister when she was in a bad mood.
But what if there were dozens of people like that waiting beyond the door?
Could my sister stop them without her main weapon, the greatsword?
‘And from what I can see, there aren’t any CCTV cameras either.’
Baek Yulheon had already made it clear that this was an illegal place.
The moment the police discovered that we had come here—
the Guild Master, my sister, and White Lotus could all go down together.
My sister knew that too.
“Sohyeok. If I give you the signal, run immediately.”
“……What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
But contrary to our worries—
“Oh, man! I’ve kept such busy people standing around too long! Go on up!”
“……Take care.”
Baek Yulheon opened the door without any trouble.
“Let’s go, kids.”
“Ah, yes.”
“……Relax your fist a little, Sohyeon.”
“……Fine.”
Creeeak―.
The massive iron door opened by itself.
The wider the gap became—
the more the piercing EDM seemed to burrow directly into my brain.
Fortunately, the chill weakened somewhat.
“Ugh…….”
My sister entered first.
I was about to follow her when—
Grab.
“?”
Baek Yulheon caught my shoulder.
“Sohyeok.”
“Yes?”
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“…….”
His expression was serious.
But this time, it felt different from before.
“First. Do not speak to anyone here except me or Sohyeon.”
“……What?”
“Second. Do not put anything in your mouth. No matter what it is.”
“Wait……”
“Third. The moment we find Chae-rin, we leave without looking back. We are getting out of here without causing any kind of disturbance.”
“…….”
“Do you understand?”
“……Yes.”
That was the first moment I truly understood.
This was a dangerous place.
One wrong step—
and I could fall straight over the edge into the abyss.
After walking a little farther beyond the door—
people finally began to appear.
BANG, BANG!
““Woooooo!!””
Cheers.
Fireworks.
‘What the hell is this place?’
Was a space like this even supposed to exist underground?
It was enormous.
No—
it was vast.
People laughed like lunatics.
Things I had never seen or heard of in my life were everywhere.
‘……It feels like hell.’
“Sohyeok. Don’t fall behind.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“If we lose each other once, it’s over. Communications and phone signals are completely dead down here. Stay with us no matter what.”
“Yes.”
No communications.
No phone calls.
In a place this enormous.
The moment I lost sight of those two—
I would become lost.
Alone.
In a place filled with lions and hyenas lurking everywhere.
Like a baby impala separated from its herd.
‘……No, I’m probably even lower than that.’
At least an impala could run fast.
Not that I considered myself slow—
but compared to the people around me, I was confident I was painfully sluggish.
‘Everyone here is at least a mid-floor Awakened.’
There were not many who seemed stronger than my sister.
But most of them looked more powerful than the terrorist from the supermarket.
To someone like me, who had only just cleared the 1st Floor—
this was paradise for predators.
“Ugh…….”
Goosebumps rose across my arms.
Then my sister poked the Guild Master in the back and spoke in a slightly lowered voice.
“Do you actually know where Hyeon Chae-rin is?”
“……Sohyeon, lower your voice.”
“No, seriously. Haven’t we been circling the same area over and over? Do you actually know?”
“A-Ahem.”
“……I knew it.”
Judging from Baek Yulheon’s reaction—
his plan had apparently been to wander around underground until he happened to spot Hyeon Chae-rin.
‘Like that’s going to work.’
First—
This place was huge.
Second—
There were far too many people.
The ratio of men to women was roughly even.
Hyeon Chae-rin had short hair.
But in a place this vast and crowded—
There were countless women with short hair.
She did not have an extraordinarily distinctive face or some obvious scar either.
Find Hyeon Chae-rin instantly with the naked eye?
‘What are we, wild animals?’
It was impossible with ordinary human senses.
“……Wait.”
‘Senses?’
A memory suddenly surfaced.
Not a pleasant one.
If anything, it belonged firmly in the category of painful memories.
Still—
It was useful.
“……Enhanced Senses.”
“Hm? What did you say?”
Baek Yulheon reacted to my muttering.
“Guild Master, could I…… have your ear for a second?”
“My ear?”
My sister, who had suddenly stopped walking, tilted her head.
The Guild Master looked at my expression and leaned his ear toward me.
Then—
“……There is a way to find Chae-rin.”
“……What?”
“Whew…….”
Jeong Sohyeok took a deep breath.
Jeong Sohyeon watched him with a displeased expression.
“No, what exactly is he about to do?”
“Hmm…….”
Sohyeok had not yet told Jeong Sohyeon about his second ability.
Baek Yulheon understood why.
With Jeong Sohyeon’s personality, there was no way she would willingly let her brother enter the Tower.
That meant Baek Yulheon had no choice but to keep quiet as well.
Revealing the truth was a matter between the siblings.
“I’m ready.”
“……All right.”
Jeong Sohyeok wore a determined expression.
But Baek Yulheon could not help worrying.
Because he had already heard everything about Sohyeok’s ability.
‘Enhanced Senses…….’
The ability of Jeong Cheongun—
Director of the Seoul Awakened Management Bureau.
Baek Yulheon knew that ability well.
He had been tested by it.
He had suffered because of it.
More than once.
If he had to summarize the ability in a single phrase—
it was terrifying.
The five human senses.
Sight.
Hearing.
Taste.
Smell.
Touch.
It pushed all of them to their limits.
At first glance, it sounded like nothing more than a useful ability.
But once you looked deeper—
it was extremely dangerous.
There was no way an ordinary human could adapt to senses sharpened to the level of a wild beast.
Even the body of an Awakened was not enough to protect the mind from the strain.
Jeong Sohyeok had only gained access to this ability around a month ago.
Forget adapting—
using it probably placed a burden on his body every single time.
Sohyeok had said that the borrowed ability was weakened—
but there was no way that meant there were no penalties at all.
That was why, when explaining his plan, Sohyeok had made one specific request.
‘I’ll focus exclusively on my hearing and follow Hyeon Chae-rin’s voice, so please make sure you don’t lose me.’
If he became separated from them—
it was over.
Even knowing that—
Jeong Sohyeok had revealed the ability.
Baek Yulheon could only nod.
“……Borrow.”
Jeong Sohyeok murmured in an extremely quiet voice.
Then—
“Urgh!?”
He staggered for a moment—
and closed his eyes.
“Haa……! Haa……!”
He focused only on hearing.
Shutting out sight.
Shutting out smell.
Opening only his ears as wide as possible.
“Sohyeon, get ready.”
“Damn it…… What is this? What’s wrong with Sohyeok!?”
“Just do what I say and follow him.”
Fortunately, Sohyeok’s physical abilities were far below theirs.
If all they had to do was keep up with him—
there was no chance of losing him.
“Uuugh…… Uuuugh……!”
One second.
Two seconds.
Sweat poured from Sohyeok like rain.
Then—
his eyes opened.
“Found her.”
Jeong Sohyeok started running.
They immediately followed.
THWACK―!
“Huh?”
An impact.
The back of Baek Yulheon’s head.
His back.
Even his rear.
Something heavy had flown into him.
“G-Guild Master! What the hell is that!?”
Something writhed against his back.
And it was—
“What…… the hell.”
‘A Monster……?’
“Oh my……! I’m so sorry!”
Someone came running frantically from the distance.
“The merchandise escaped through a small opening in the cage! Oh dear…… I’ll compensate you for all the damages!”
Baek Yulheon had heard of this.
In the underworld, there were cases where people bought and sold Tower monsters created through abilities.
But—
that was not important right now.
‘Sohyeok……!’
He hurriedly tore the Monster off his back and looked around.
Sohyeon wore a bewildered expression.
Everyone nearby was staring at them.
The monster dealer looked completely flustered.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me……!”
They had lost Sohyeok.