#162
[…] Before answering, we would like to inform you in advance that a total of two questions will be used up.]
Billwill’s bright red eyes slowly closed and opened. His face, hidden under the hat, looked very serious, unlike before.
The story began when Bill Will raised his head after gathering his thoughts.
[Elix is a world where numerous planets have passed through. Countless people have attempted the tower, and among them, only three planets have surpassed the 70th floor.]
“Are we included among those three?”
[Yes, it is also the planet that climbed to the top in the shortest amount of time. In addition to this.]
Bilwill’s eyes landed on Ruhak for just a moment. It was a gaze that felt like a sense of kinship after being together for a long time.
[Earth is also the only planet that exceeds the 80th floor.]
Among the many planets, three planets exceed the 70th floor. And it is the only Earth with more than 80 floors.
I felt like I knew what Billwill was trying to say. He wanted to check. Sehyun, no. He wanted to take risks to find out whether the Earth could go beyond the 80th floor.
[Unfortunately, Elix’s time does not last forever. Our guides needed results to be convinced.]
“what… “The result.”
[Can we say that this is a result that will reach a place that no one has been able to achieve before?]
There was still a lot missing to infer something. Nevertheless, Sehyeon felt Billwill’s desperation for a strong result.
[Interference requires a very high price. Earth is also the only planet that has reached the 50th floor of the tower even before it was called Elix. The potential you showed in that short period of 4 months. Our guides decided to place their hopes on that possibility and, after co-signing, we interfered with you by paying the highest price possible. Of course, I could not have done it.]
Regardless of the timing of the intervention, if Billwill had not intervened, the time given to Elix would have been even shorter than it is now.
[And now, Earth is showing unprecedented feats that even surprise me. Either in a good way or in a bad way. Earth is also the first to attempt to do something with the barrier. But one thing is clear, regardless of the outcome, you are currently getting closer than anyone else to the end that our guides want. We are never wrong.]
For those who hoped for possibilities, Sehyun showed unprecedented achievements. Earth was the most dangerous, but on the contrary, it was probably the most hopeful planet for them.
During that time of watching to get a clear result, the guides must have been worried, hoping that this would be the last time. Is this the right thing to do, is it right to interfere, and is it worth paying a big price for?
[This is why we intervened with you late.]
And after various circumstances, they interfered with Sehyeon. Just before the 85th floor of the tower.
When Billwill finished speaking, Sehyun realized that she was holding her breath. As soon as I was able to breathe, a vast amount of information came in.
Sehyeon swallowed dry saliva, took a short breath, and asked.
“… “What happened to the planets we’ve been to so far?”
[That question is an answer that cannot be heard even if the right to ask questions is exhausted. For now, yes.]
For now. In the end, it was something I could hear someday. Bill Will left her space this time too.
“Then when can I hear it?”
[The day the final preparations begin. That will be the day when you can hear everything.]
Sehyeon’s eyes were distantly closed. Any further answer was unnecessary. Perhaps that doomsday will not be far away. It was a premonition and intuition.
It was at that time that a harsh word suddenly appeared.
“Well, there’s one thing I want to ask you, is that okay?”
[Hmm, it depends on what the question is.]
It was Gapjun Kim. He opened his mouth with a displeased look on his back, with his stomach out. The will to listen and return was evident in Kim Gap-jun’s eyes.
“If we finish conquering the 100th floor of the tower, will we be able to kill that monster?”
[That’s an answer that requires a price… It looks like you have nothing.]
“Urajil, what is the price? Oh, just tell me something.”
Billwill looked back at Sehyeon after hearing those words. He meant to ask for compensation. Sehyun nodded his head half-heartedly, as if he was annoyed.
I guess I’ll just look at the clock again.
[Whether or not you can kill ‘it’ depends on how much it grows.]
“what? Ah, what do you expect in return for that?! What kind of person would be so rude as to ask for this in return! “Wow, I’m just a brat!”
Kim Gap-Jun grabbed the back of his neck and made a loud noise, but then turned his back on him with a huff. The way he walked, stamping his feet making a clicking sound, seemed to threaten him not to catch up.
“Ah, Moller! Rather than believe that, I’d rather go wash my feet and go to sleep, ugh! “Why, there are all these bastards!”
Sehyeon just stood still and watched him until his back started to waddle away. As soon as the small back disappeared, Sehyeon’s eyes turned to Bill Will.
Only then did Bill Will give the correct answer.
[There will be what you want at the end of the tower. It is the only way to fight against ‘it’, and it is everything our guides hope for.]
“That’s a very abstract answer. “Can’t you tell me more accurately?”
Billwill just nodded. His monocle reflected white in the light. He said it made him feel like he was drawing some insurmountable line.
[Let me ask you one question.]
“Yeah, well… . tell.”
[If a situation arises where you need to attack the ‘next floor,’ would you be able to do it?]
Even though the meaning was unclear, I roughly understood it. He was now asking Sehyeon if he could beat the 88th floor. The answer to that was fixed.
[I am asking in terms of ‘you’.]
“… “I can’t.”
[Are you unable to do it or are you unable to go?]
both. However, Sehyun could not give a cool answer. It was because I couldn’t guess Billwill’s intention in asking this question.
[You’ll have to look for it. That’s all I can say.]
The moment Billwill’s eyes closed deeply, the conversation ended. Billwill’s tailcoat fluttered through her silence, and she slowly began to rise into the air.
But it was different from other days. The brilliant light that went up the hem of her clothes turned Billwill’s figure into white. Seeing Ruhak raising his arm next to her, Sehyun grabbed his hand and quickly lowered it.
[We will see each other again soon. Until then, I will take a short break. We will see you on the day when the final preparations begin. The price is… A watch would be nice.]
After speaking softly, Bill Will’s figure disappeared without a trace. It looked like the fading of a withering flower.
Only the words ‘final preparation’ were repeated countless times. Only after thinking about it for a while and remembering it enough to never forget, did Sehyun look back at Ruhak.
“let’s go.”
Naturally, Ruhak did not remove his grip. The hand was firm enough to be comforting. He looked back to see if he had ever held something so affectionately, but he could never find it.
***
Sehyeon’s eyes narrowed. In my blurry vision, there was a window through which light leaked. As he forced his closed eyes open and twisted his body, he felt a strong arm tightly binding his waist.
Black wings fill the field of vision.
As I pulled my hand away and removed the black wings that covered my body, a stabbing pain suddenly rose up my back. It was a pain I had forgotten about. The back of my neck was now so tingly that I was scared to touch it.
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It was only a few hours ago that I fell asleep after being tormented by Ruhak all night. I don’t know what kind of dream I had, but he appeared in the early morning while I was sleeping well and bit my wing. Thanks to this, I had to go through a hard time because only Se-hyeon, who was startled in his sleep, accepted me.
“Get out of the way.”
When I pushed away the arms that were tightly wrapped around me and stood up, the area between my wings throbbed from how much I had been hurt. Moreover, it was so sensitive that even the slightest touch made its collar stand up, making my jaw clench.
The wing feathers trembled convulsively several times. Everywhere I touched the back of my neck, I could feel the marks of my teeth, which were full of bites.
The day I had that dream was always like this. On days when Ruhak had deep dreams, he searched for Sehyeon to the point of losing his mind. He couldn’t bear to ask, but during the act, his lips were pressed close and his voice whispering revealed all the circumstances.
‘I won’t go… ‘Say it.’
What he let out was anxiety. The words were repeated several times until the muddy voice quieted down. Sehyun’s answer was always the same.
“… “I’m so tired.”
As I muttered while rubbing my neck full of teeth marks, I felt Ruhak stand up next to me. But something was different. His wildly stretched out hand rushed towards Sehyun’s ear.
By the time I realized that, Ruhak’s firm hand had already pressed tightly to Sehyeon’s ear, blocking it. Unsurprisingly, Sehyun slipped into Ruhak’s arms due to the pressure pressing down on his body.
Before my eyes, white letters appeared, spreading like ink. When the text became clear, what followed was the wailing sound of a monster.
[You have successfully conquered the 87th floor of the ‘Tower of Tests.’]
Kkkkkk-
“Ugh… !”
Sehyeon strongly scratched the back of Ruhak’s hand, who was covering his ears. My whole body was shaking with a distant sense of fear, and my breathing became heavy. The feeling of her head becoming muddy was always the same.
When the bodies that were shaking in the field became wet with sweat, the roar that shook the world disappeared. Even though there was no trace, the lingering feeling remained for a long time and did not disappear.
In the room, only Sehyun’s heavy breathing continued to linger. As Ruhak’s hand slowly fell, Sehyeon’s breathing gradually became more stable.
“… every time… since?”
“It will get better soon, so don’t worry.”
“you also… Was it like this?”
“Everyone did that.”
All I could hear was that I had become numb from experiencing too much. She couldn’t bear to ask how much it takes to become numb. I just had to wait for the trembling to subside when I heard the word ‘soon.’
And as soon as the trembling subsided, Sehyeon put on his outer clothes and stood up. He was going out to meet everyone. Ruhak didn’t bother to catch Sehyeon who was running away.
