There was a lot he wanted to say, a lot he should say .
But he didn’t know where to start .
He had expected to run into her someday .
He didn’t plan on running away forever .
But he hadn’t prepared any excuse or pretext either .
“…It’s been a while . ”
She had a lot to say to the man who finally offered her a plain greeting .
She also had a lot of feelings that she wanted to pour out .
But her thoughts were all jumbled inside her head .
She needed time to sort them out .
“You’re goddamn right . It’s been a while . ”
She looked at the man she used to like .
The lump of emotions in her heart—the affection that she had for him, the question, and the hatred—beat violently .
The icy clang of the sword slit the awkward atmosphere in half .
She pointed at him with her longsword .
She raised her sword against the man who had once said, ‘A sword suits you better than a bow . ’
His indifferent face, which had been engraved in her heart, was now at the tip of her blade .
“I have… a lot of questions to ask . ”
She wanted to sound nonchalant, but the lump in her throat prevented her from forming a clear sound, and she loathed her tremor and sobs .
“… . ”
He looked at her straight in the eye .
There were a lot that he didn’t get to tell her, a lot he couldn’t tell her . But what he couldn’t say in the past, he couldn’t say in the present . Although it might seem as though he changed, he hadn’t . He was still scared and lost between the two worlds .
“I’ve thought about it every night . ”
And because she knew that, she raised her sword . Her magic power clung to the blade and blazed up . A torrent of magic power raged in all directions .
“Sure, I’m not the brightest, but I still can’t figure it out even after all these nights . ”
A line of tear ran down her cheek .
“I still don’t understand . ”
She didn’t say much .
Thousands of sentences were condensed into one .
Overwhelming emotions were trapped in a single sentence .
“So, tell me yourself, in a way that I can understand . ”
Her firm determination was upheld by the sword she lifted .
“Speak . ”
“… . ”
He understood her . But he knew from his deep contemplation and mental anguish, which had started from the moment they reunited, that the only thing he could say right now was…
“Wait . ”
…this cowardly remark .
“Wait for what?”
She let out a laugh .
For a moment, she was simply dumbfounded .
Life had been hard on her . She didn’t feel like she was alive, and she didn’t have a reason to live either . She thought about taking her own life, but she didn’t because she had to wait . Wait for him to tell her the truth someday .
“You’re gonna run away again?”
She clenched her teeth .
When her sadness choked her, she could have been comforted by Chae Shinhyuk .
Her father was prepared to abandon everything, even Daesung, for her sake .
When her rage blinded her, she could have consulted Chae Joochul .
Her grandfather would have found Kim Hajin and tore his body apart .
But she refused all those options and endured everything alone .
She carried everything—her rage, her sadness, her affection, her hatred—on her shoulders .
Just so that she could… hear him tell the truth someday .
“I’m not running away . ”
He answered calmly, in a voice she still remembered .
“…Then take your weapon out . I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to . ”
At her remark, he took out his gun .
She nodded heavily .
“Be serious, or I’ll kill you . ”
A cold mutter .
She lowered the longsword diagonally . Sssss… Immeasurable magic power blazed up from her body like vapor and also from the sword; she was now prepared to strike at any second .
“You shouldn’t have said what you just said . ”
With that remark, her body leapt forward . Her intent to kill was sincere, and the magic power in her sword danced viciously as it changed its shape .
Tzzzzz…
The blade burned silently as it moved toward his side . But Aether’s barrier blocked its path . The formless Aether absorbed her magic power through ‘Extraction’ .
But she wasn’t taken aback by it .
She didn’t have the time to .
She continued to swing her sword . Once, twice, thrice… The series of reckless attacks were fueled only by emotions . They were not even fit to be called sword techniques .
She continued to slash, so that he wouldn’t notice the tears streaming down her cheek .
Her attacks poured down like rain, accompanied by devastation and explosion .
Koong, koong, koong, koong… .
Suddenly, there was a low groan .
She held her breath out loud and stopped .
“…!”
Beyond the vision blinded by tears, she saw a man whose face was distorted by pain .
His body was in tatters, and Chae Nayun only realized then that the gun in his hand hadn’t fired a single bullet .
She stared at him blankly . Her thoughts wouldn’t continue as though her brain had frozen .
Her hands were shaking . But why?
Was it because she had hurt him?
…But soon, she tightened the grip around her sword .
“You coward!”
This time, she didn’t keep any distance between them . She ran frantically toward the man on the other side, who was deceiving her even now .
KOOOONG—!
The sword, which swerved 180 degrees right in front of him, was extremely destructive . He raised his arm and stopped the blade .
Crack—
Despite Aether’s defense, his arm snapped in half .
“…Why!”
She yelled and kicked out at him . The kick landed on his stomach, and he was sent flying .
The sight of him holding his chest as he lay on the floor was pathetic . But he crawled back up and stood in front of her again .
She hated that .
So, with her sword in her hand, she jumped at him .
Their hands intertwined, and so did their bodies .
The hard ground below turned into a puddle… and finally .
“Haa… . ”
She breathed heavily as she looked down at him . He was below her, worn out, and the sword was in her hand .
The fight was over .
But she was still enraged at the unwavering aftertaste .
“…You son of a bitch . ”
Her voice trembled, filled with rage, and she grabbed him hard by the collar .
“You think doing this will make me forgive you? By just letting me beat you up? You bastard…”
As he watched her murmur full of resentment, a thought crossed his mind . I can never be forgiven, nor can I apologize . But at least I can spare one death for her . He felted relieved by the thought and also disgusted at himself for thinking so .
“… . ”
“Do you even know what happens to me when I think about you?”
Her cry continued .
“My chest feels tight and my heart hurts . I want to see you but I can’t, I want to meet you but I don’t . I want to trust you but don’t . I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . Just what did you do to me… . ”
She picked the sword up from the ground and raised it high .
Now, his heart was at the tip of her sword .
One single thrust and their ill-fated relationship would be over .
But one fact made her hesitate .
Death was absolute on the 20th floor .
But even so, I…
“I can kill you . I can!”
She cried as if asking him to dodge, while looking down at Kim Hajin .
Kim Hajin’s eyes were still fixed on her .
“——!”
A bestial cry resounded .
She thrusted her sword down hard .
Crack—!
Cold silence replaced the violent storm of emotions .
Haa… Haa… .
Small, thin breathing filled the space .
“Fuck . ”
She let go of the sword and collapsed forward .
Her forehead touched his warm chest .
“There’s no way… that I can kill you… . ”
The longsword had penetrated not his heart, but the cold ground beneath .
She trembled in his arms, crying sorrowfully .
“You cowardly son of a bitch… . ”
A raspy sound emerged from her mouth .
The slight tremor that touched his body almost broke him .
It was a shock that shook his heart .
**
Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon was standing in front of the sixth door of Aisle 8 . She wasn’t alone but with a Ranker whose name was unknown .
This ranker, a man, kept glancing at Jin Seyeon as if he had something to say, then he finally decided to speak out when Jin Seyeon grabbed the doorknob .
“Um, the other two disappeared . ”
“…Really?”
Jin Seyeon pretended she hadn’t noticed and glanced behind .
Her vision stretched far and saw the pair in the middle of a violent brawl . They were Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun, both unveiled .
“Hmm . ”
Jin Seyeon had known who they were for a while . As the Divine Archer, she could dismantle a number of the Tower’s traps . She had been keeping her eye on them even as she walked .
“Wait a minute… . ”
Since she was peeking on them, she decided to do it thoroughly .
She focused her magic power around her eyes, turning them blue . Now, Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin were reflected on her retinae even more clearly .
“…Mm, I see . ”
She was already aware of Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin’s relationship from the rumors .
‘I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . ’
But from the looks of it, the rumors were wrong . Those emotions were far too deep for a relationship that ended as just a fling .
“… . ”
She quickly glanced to the side . Fortunately, the Ranker was only vaguely aware of what was happening through the obvious clash of magic power and the sound of air being cut .
“It looks like they’re busy, so let’s just move along . ”
This man didn’t have the ability to listen in on them .
Jin Seyeon decided to stand down .
Her goal was the skillbook, so her top priority right now was to reunite with Aileen .
**
…I was lying still .
I wasn’t sure how much time passed . It could have been only a moment, or it could have been very long . But I came back to my senses when I heard footsteps approaching me .
“… . ”
What approached me swiftly like the wind soon became a shadow . The dark shadow then took on the shape of a human, and she silently stared at me who was covered in blood and barely breathing .
“Boss . ”
Boss stretched her shadow before I could say anything else . The shadow blade stopped at the back of Chae Nayun’s head who was on top of me . Boss looked at me with eyes filled with rage and question .
I said briefly .
“Put it away . ”
“… . ”
Boss gazed at me in silence . A staring contest began unexpectedly, but she soon withdrew her killing intent, and I put Chae Nayun down on the ground .
She had fallen asleep as soon as she finished crying that left me distressed .
Boss looked at Chae Nayun and asked .
“Who is this woman?”
I stared down at the woman who was sound asleep with blood and tear clumped together on her face .
…Suddenly, the aftermaths of my past mistake came back to me as a sharp blade and thrusted my heart .
I swallowed a sigh and took my robe off .
“3 years . ”
I made up my mind after seeing her today .
3 years .
The time left in the original timeline .
My original plan was to continue letting myself be hated by her until then . But now, I decided otherwise .
Though it was far too late, I realized that hating somebody was extremely difficult . I had unknowingly put Chae Nayun through tremendous pain .
Even if the result turns out to be an imperfect understanding, even if we can never be what we were in the past .
Even if it’s too late, I’ll try from now on, so… .
“Wait a little bit . ”
I bent my knees and placed my robe over Chae Nayun’s cold body . Using Stigma, I cooled her head, which was boiling hot from spending too much magic power, and adjusted her to a more comfortable position .
“Kim Hajin . ”
At that moment, Boss called me .
I looked up at her, and she asked worryingly .
“What happened?”
“… . ”
I shook my head and stood up .
We were inside the last compartment of Aisle 8, which meant it was unlikely that anyone would find Chae Nayun here and harm her . As such, I left her there and walked . Boss followed me in silence .
She seemed to be wondering about what happened, but I was too exhausted to explain .
My body was telling me to go lie down just like Chae Nayun; that continually moving wasn’t something a human should do .
“That woman,”
I was in search of a place to rest as my body commanded when Boss broke the silence .
“Is she, like, precious to you?”
“… . ”
Why did she want to know that?
I clutched my burning head in my hands . I was feverish in all parts of my body . Rather than answering a stupid question like that, I needed to find a place to rest .
Fortunately, we had arrived at the next compartment .
I opened the door with the Mystic Key .
No one was inside .
I sat down sluggishly on the couch .
“Kim Hajin . ”
Boss sat next to me and called me worryingly .
“Yes, what is it?”
“…It’s nothing . Looks like I wasn’t being considerate . Rest well for now . ”
“… . ”
When I saw Boss step back, slightly sullen, something inside me wavered . My heart throbbed and shook my whole body .
It was a compulsion of unknown origin; the influence of nameless emotions .
I forced my exhausted body to move .
My body moved as if it wasn’t mine, and I stared at Boss .
“Boss . ”
“Hmm?”
“I, um, know . ”
“Know what…?”
A single sentence came out of my mouth .
“That you were the one who brought me to the orphanage . ”
…At that moment, my vision darkened, my consciousness blurred, and my entire body collapsed forward .
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .
There was a lot he wanted to say, a lot he should say .
But he didn’t know where to start .
He had expected to run into her someday .
He didn’t plan on running away forever .
But he hadn’t prepared any excuse or pretext either .
“…It’s been a while . ”
She had a lot to say to the man who finally offered her a plain greeting .
She also had a lot of feelings that she wanted to pour out .
But her thoughts were all jumbled inside her head .
She needed time to sort them out .
“You’re goddamn right . It’s been a while . ”
She looked at the man she used to like .
The lump of emotions in her heart—the affection that she had for him, the question, and the hatred—beat violently .
The icy clang of the sword slit the awkward atmosphere in half .
She pointed at him with her longsword .
She raised her sword against the man who had once said, ‘A sword suits you better than a bow . ’
His indifferent face, which had been engraved in her heart, was now at the tip of her blade .
“I have… a lot of questions to ask . ”
She wanted to sound nonchalant, but the lump in her throat prevented her from forming a clear sound, and she loathed her tremor and sobs .
“… . ”
He looked at her straight in the eye .
There were a lot that he didn’t get to tell her, a lot he couldn’t tell her . But what he couldn’t say in the past, he couldn’t say in the present . Although it might seem as though he changed, he hadn’t . He was still scared and lost between the two worlds .
“I’ve thought about it every night . ”
And because she knew that, she raised her sword . Her magic power clung to the blade and blazed up . A torrent of magic power raged in all directions .
“Sure, I’m not the brightest, but I still can’t figure it out even after all these nights . ”
A line of tear ran down her cheek .
“I still don’t understand . ”
She didn’t say much .
Thousands of sentences were condensed into one .
Overwhelming emotions were trapped in a single sentence .
“So, tell me yourself, in a way that I can understand . ”
Her firm determination was upheld by the sword she lifted .
“Speak . ”
“… . ”
He understood her . But he knew from his deep contemplation and mental anguish, which had started from the moment they reunited, that the only thing he could say right now was…
“Wait . ”
…this cowardly remark .
“Wait for what?”
She let out a laugh .
For a moment, she was simply dumbfounded .
Life had been hard on her . She didn’t feel like she was alive, and she didn’t have a reason to live either . She thought about taking her own life, but she didn’t because she had to wait . Wait for him to tell her the truth someday .
“You’re gonna run away again?”
She clenched her teeth .
When her sadness choked her, she could have been comforted by Chae Shinhyuk .
Her father was prepared to abandon everything, even Daesung, for her sake .
When her rage blinded her, she could have consulted Chae Joochul .
Her grandfather would have found Kim Hajin and tore his body apart .
But she refused all those options and endured everything alone .
She carried everything—her rage, her sadness, her affection, her hatred—on her shoulders .
Just so that she could… hear him tell the truth someday .
“I’m not running away . ”
He answered calmly, in a voice she still remembered .
“…Then take your weapon out . I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to . ”
At her remark, he took out his gun .
She nodded heavily .
“Be serious, or I’ll kill you . ”
A cold mutter .
She lowered the longsword diagonally . Sssss… Immeasurable magic power blazed up from her body like vapor and also from the sword; she was now prepared to strike at any second .
“You shouldn’t have said what you just said . ”
With that remark, her body leapt forward . Her intent to kill was sincere, and the magic power in her sword danced viciously as it changed its shape .
Tzzzzz…
The blade burned silently as it moved toward his side . But Aether’s barrier blocked its path . The formless Aether absorbed her magic power through ‘Extraction’ .
But she wasn’t taken aback by it .
She didn’t have the time to .
She continued to swing her sword . Once, twice, thrice… The series of reckless attacks were fueled only by emotions . They were not even fit to be called sword techniques .
She continued to slash, so that he wouldn’t notice the tears streaming down her cheek .
Her attacks poured down like rain, accompanied by devastation and explosion .
Koong, koong, koong, koong… .
Suddenly, there was a low groan .
She held her breath out loud and stopped .
“…!”
Beyond the vision blinded by tears, she saw a man whose face was distorted by pain .
His body was in tatters, and Chae Nayun only realized then that the gun in his hand hadn’t fired a single bullet .
She stared at him blankly . Her thoughts wouldn’t continue as though her brain had frozen .
Her hands were shaking . But why?
Was it because she had hurt him?
…But soon, she tightened the grip around her sword .
“You coward!”
This time, she didn’t keep any distance between them . She ran frantically toward the man on the other side, who was deceiving her even now .
KOOOONG—!
The sword, which swerved 180 degrees right in front of him, was extremely destructive . He raised his arm and stopped the blade .
Crack—
Despite Aether’s defense, his arm snapped in half .
“…Why!”
She yelled and kicked out at him . The kick landed on his stomach, and he was sent flying .
The sight of him holding his chest as he lay on the floor was pathetic . But he crawled back up and stood in front of her again .
She hated that .
So, with her sword in her hand, she jumped at him .
Their hands intertwined, and so did their bodies .
The hard ground below turned into a puddle… and finally .
“Haa… . ”
She breathed heavily as she looked down at him . He was below her, worn out, and the sword was in her hand .
The fight was over .
But she was still enraged at the unwavering aftertaste .
“…You son of a bitch . ”
Her voice trembled, filled with rage, and she grabbed him hard by the collar .
“You think doing this will make me forgive you? By just letting me beat you up? You bastard…”
As he watched her murmur full of resentment, a thought crossed his mind . I can never be forgiven, nor can I apologize . But at least I can spare one death for her . He felted relieved by the thought and also disgusted at himself for thinking so .
“… . ”
“Do you even know what happens to me when I think about you?”
Her cry continued .
“My chest feels tight and my heart hurts . I want to see you but I can’t, I want to meet you but I don’t . I want to trust you but don’t . I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . Just what did you do to me… . ”
She picked the sword up from the ground and raised it high .
Now, his heart was at the tip of her sword .
One single thrust and their ill-fated relationship would be over .
But one fact made her hesitate .
Death was absolute on the 20th floor .
But even so, I…
“I can kill you . I can!”
She cried as if asking him to dodge, while looking down at Kim Hajin .
Kim Hajin’s eyes were still fixed on her .
“——!”
A bestial cry resounded .
She thrusted her sword down hard .
Crack—!
Cold silence replaced the violent storm of emotions .
Haa… Haa… .
Small, thin breathing filled the space .
“Fuck . ”
She let go of the sword and collapsed forward .
Her forehead touched his warm chest .
“There’s no way… that I can kill you… . ”
The longsword had penetrated not his heart, but the cold ground beneath .
She trembled in his arms, crying sorrowfully .
“You cowardly son of a bitch… . ”
A raspy sound emerged from her mouth .
The slight tremor that touched his body almost broke him .
It was a shock that shook his heart .
**
Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon was standing in front of the sixth door of Aisle 8 . She wasn’t alone but with a Ranker whose name was unknown .
This ranker, a man, kept glancing at Jin Seyeon as if he had something to say, then he finally decided to speak out when Jin Seyeon grabbed the doorknob .
“Um, the other two disappeared . ”
“…Really?”
Jin Seyeon pretended she hadn’t noticed and glanced behind .
Her vision stretched far and saw the pair in the middle of a violent brawl . They were Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun, both unveiled .
“Hmm . ”
Jin Seyeon had known who they were for a while . As the Divine Archer, she could dismantle a number of the Tower’s traps . She had been keeping her eye on them even as she walked .
“Wait a minute… . ”
Since she was peeking on them, she decided to do it thoroughly .
She focused her magic power around her eyes, turning them blue . Now, Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin were reflected on her retinae even more clearly .
“…Mm, I see . ”
She was already aware of Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin’s relationship from the rumors .
‘I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . ’
But from the looks of it, the rumors were wrong . Those emotions were far too deep for a relationship that ended as just a fling .
“… . ”
She quickly glanced to the side . Fortunately, the Ranker was only vaguely aware of what was happening through the obvious clash of magic power and the sound of air being cut .
“It looks like they’re busy, so let’s just move along . ”
This man didn’t have the ability to listen in on them .
Jin Seyeon decided to stand down .
Her goal was the skillbook, so her top priority right now was to reunite with Aileen .
**
…I was lying still .
I wasn’t sure how much time passed . It could have been only a moment, or it could have been very long . But I came back to my senses when I heard footsteps approaching me .
“… . ”
What approached me swiftly like the wind soon became a shadow . The dark shadow then took on the shape of a human, and she silently stared at me who was covered in blood and barely breathing .
“Boss . ”
Boss stretched her shadow before I could say anything else . The shadow blade stopped at the back of Chae Nayun’s head who was on top of me . Boss looked at me with eyes filled with rage and question .
I said briefly .
“Put it away . ”
“… . ”
Boss gazed at me in silence . A staring contest began unexpectedly, but she soon withdrew her killing intent, and I put Chae Nayun down on the ground .
She had fallen asleep as soon as she finished crying that left me distressed .
Boss looked at Chae Nayun and asked .
“Who is this woman?”
I stared down at the woman who was sound asleep with blood and tear clumped together on her face .
…Suddenly, the aftermaths of my past mistake came back to me as a sharp blade and thrusted my heart .
I swallowed a sigh and took my robe off .
“3 years . ”
I made up my mind after seeing her today .
3 years .
The time left in the original timeline .
My original plan was to continue letting myself be hated by her until then . But now, I decided otherwise .
Though it was far too late, I realized that hating somebody was extremely difficult . I had unknowingly put Chae Nayun through tremendous pain .
Even if the result turns out to be an imperfect understanding, even if we can never be what we were in the past .
Even if it’s too late, I’ll try from now on, so… .
“Wait a little bit . ”
I bent my knees and placed my robe over Chae Nayun’s cold body . Using Stigma, I cooled her head, which was boiling hot from spending too much magic power, and adjusted her to a more comfortable position .
“Kim Hajin . ”
At that moment, Boss called me .
I looked up at her, and she asked worryingly .
“What happened?”
“… . ”
I shook my head and stood up .
We were inside the last compartment of Aisle 8, which meant it was unlikely that anyone would find Chae Nayun here and harm her . As such, I left her there and walked . Boss followed me in silence .
She seemed to be wondering about what happened, but I was too exhausted to explain .
My body was telling me to go lie down just like Chae Nayun; that continually moving wasn’t something a human should do .
“That woman,”
I was in search of a place to rest as my body commanded when Boss broke the silence .
“Is she, like, precious to you?”
“… . ”
Why did she want to know that?
I clutched my burning head in my hands . I was feverish in all parts of my body . Rather than answering a stupid question like that, I needed to find a place to rest .
Fortunately, we had arrived at the next compartment .
I opened the door with the Mystic Key .
No one was inside .
I sat down sluggishly on the couch .
“Kim Hajin . ”
Boss sat next to me and called me worryingly .
“Yes, what is it?”
“…It’s nothing . Looks like I wasn’t being considerate . Rest well for now . ”
“… . ”
When I saw Boss step back, slightly sullen, something inside me wavered . My heart throbbed and shook my whole body .
It was a compulsion of unknown origin; the influence of nameless emotions .
I forced my exhausted body to move .
My body moved as if it wasn’t mine, and I stared at Boss .
“Boss . ”
“Hmm?”
“I, um, know . ”
“Know what…?”
A single sentence came out of my mouth .
“That you were the one who brought me to the orphanage . ”
…At that moment, my vision darkened, my consciousness blurred, and my entire body collapsed forward .
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .
