Crow couldn't comprehend the scene before his eyes.
"I'll give you a snack later, so stay put! ...Oh, you fainted? Can't be helped."
The angel who suddenly appeared easily sealed the [Deep Night's Silence] and pushed it into what looked like an inventory subspace.
「[Transcendent Deep Night's Essence] is awarded as a clear reward.」
Immediately after, Crow received the [Transcendent Deep Night's Essence] as a reward for clearing the 95th floor.
But he didn't even have the luxury to check his reward.
The angel who had just subdued something that shouldn't exist in this world with a single strike.
That overwhelming gap and incomprehensible power instinctively filled Crow's mind with anxiety.
He prepared to activate his gravity skill at any moment and asked the angel.
"...Who exactly are you?"
The angel thought for a moment before answering with a light smile.
"I'm the owner of this place?"
"...What?"
As Crow's wariness heightened, the angel shrugged and changed her words.
"Hmm, though I don't want to admit it... would it make more sense if I said I'm the Tower Administrator?"
"...!!"
Crow's vigilance peaked.
However, the angel looked around and pointed to a distant spot with one hand.
"It's noisy here. How about we go to that warp point over there and talk? Over a cup of tea."
Crow hesitated for a moment.
Should he trust these words?
Could this be another trap?
...What if he refused?
Crow imagined himself refusing the offer.
In his imagination, the angel suddenly turned serious, raised her arm—
-Bang!
......
"...Alright."
In the end, Crow decided to follow her.
He couldn't miss the opportunity to be the first human to have a conversation with the Tower Administrator.
It definitely wasn't because he was scared...!
------
My Home Tower, 33rd floor.
A space where sunset's crimson glow gently settled on the blue sky, and a soft green breeze flowed quietly.
In the middle of a field where colorful petals danced in the air, a quaint cottage and garden spread out like an illustration from a fairy tale.
A mystical place that felt like a painting come to life.
In the center stood a colorless tea table with a white parasol shading it from the sun.
A demon man in bartender attire brought a tea set and began setting the table.
"Miss Tricia, I've prepared coffee and black tea today."
Sitting across from each other at the table were Tricia and Crow.
"I'll have black tea. And you..."
"...I'm fine."
"If you don't like tea or coffee, how about some cider?"
'Cider...?'
Crow wanted to ask why there was cider in the tower, but there were already too many strange things to question, so he changed the subject.
"...I'm not particularly fond of carbonated drinks."
"I see. How about a glass of cool water then?"
"...I'll take that, please."
So a cup of warm black tea was placed before Tricia, and a glass of cold water before Crow.
Tricia picked up her tea with a light smile.
That smile contained a strangely calming comfort.
Tricia took a sip of the tea the bartender had served, exhaled softly, and began to speak.
"—My name is Eriel Tricia. I'm the owner of this vast home and the Tower Administrator."
After introducing herself, Tricia looked directly at Crow.
Her gaze carried a silent pressure, as if saying it was now his turn.
"...I'm known as 'Crow' outside the tower. I awakened as a Climber by the System and have been climbing the tower."
"I see. By any chance, is the region where you currently live... Korea?"
"...Impressive, you even know that."
Crow was slightly taken aback, but the being before him was the mysterious entity managing the tower.
Perhaps knowing where her tower was embedded was just common knowledge for her.
If so, did that mean she already had some understanding of information from outside the tower?
"So it is Korea after all. I'm quite curious by nature. Could you please tell me what you know about Korea's current situation?"
Of course, from Tricia's perspective, she was simply curious about how her long-lost homeland was doing.
"That's..."
While Crow was seriously contemplating whether he should share this information, Tricia added:
"In exchange, if you have any questions for me, I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge?"
Tricia was proposing an exchange of information, not a one-sided interrogation.
From Crow's perspective, humanity knew far too little about the [Tower].
Compared to that, "Korea's current situation" wasn't particularly dangerous information—it could be found with a simple internet search.
The calculation of gains and losses for this information exchange quickly concluded in Crow's mind, and he determined it was definitely beneficial.
"Fine. I accept your proposal. May I ask my question first?"
"Of course. What would you like to know?"
"...What purpose does this tower serve in appearing on Earth?"
At Crow's question, Tricia's expression hardened.
Earth, where mysterious structures called towers suddenly appeared worldwide.
And the fundamental question held by everyone living on that Earth:
Why did the towers appear?
To that question, Tricia answered:
"I don't know."
"?"
In fact, Tricia herself was forced to become the Tower Administrator by the "System," so she had no way of knowing why the tower appeared on Earth!
Crow was momentarily confused, then replied with a slightly angry voice:
"You don't know? Are you mocking me?"
"No, I really don't know."
"What do you—"
Judging that the conversation wouldn't progress any further at this rate, Tricia finally took a risk.
"I'll just tell you the truth because it's too troublesome otherwise. I... was originally Korean."
"...What?"
Tricia casually revealed that she was Korean.
Crow was understandably confused, and Tricia immediately began providing additional explanation.
"I was living in Korea when I had an accident, and when I opened my eyes, I had fallen into another world and was living a new life. Then suddenly my home... this tower was moved to Earth, and I came back with it. That's when I also received the Tower Administrator authority."
"Wait, is it okay to reveal this to an outsider like me?"
Crow voiced his honest doubt.
The Tower Administrator being a fellow Korean—if this information spread, it could lead not just to a simple mishap but to a catastrophe.
But Tricia answered his question with a smile.
"Because you have a clean soul?"
"...?"
"I can see everything."
In fact, after becoming an angel, she gained the ability to intuitively distinguish between good and evil in others.
While she couldn't know detailed thoughts or personalities, she could definitely tell if someone was trustworthy.
"Do you have even the slightest intention of disclosing this information to the outside world?"
"...No. I can't even imagine what would happen if something like that got out."
"Right? That's what I'm saying."
"......"
Crow somehow felt like he was being led along by Tricia's flow.
Was this what it felt like to be enchanted by an angel?
"Anyway, you're a trustworthy person. I've decided that."
"Who are you to decide? Is it okay to trust people so easily?"
"Yes. If you can trust someone, you trust them. Do you think there needs to be some grand reason?"
"...What if you get scammed?"
"Scammed? I experienced that plenty in my past life."
Tricia smiled calmly, as if she had gone through it many times.
"Still, there were far more people who found salvation through my trust than those who betrayed it."
Crow refuted her words.
"That's impractical talk. It still means you were betrayed."
"You're right. It is impractical. But if you only focus on practicality in life, you miss out on many things. I don't want to miss those things."
Tricia maintained eye contact and added:
"Trusting means I'm the one taking the first step of courage. It's not about testing the other person's sincerity, but about believing in my own choice."
"......"
A brief but weighty silence followed.
"And I believe in my choice. My experience and judgment tell me that you are a trustworthy person."
Then, Tricia smiled and spoke in a benevolent voice.
"So I will trust you."
Trust.
That word contained no coercion or pretense.
It was simply trust as it was.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm always sincere."
Tricia's declaration that she would trust him no matter what touched something deep within Crow.
The glacier of distrust in Crow's heart began to melt slowly, like ice under sunlight.
He found himself wanting to trust the pure white angel girl before him.
After a long silence, Crow finally exhaled and nodded.
"...Alright. Then I'll try to trust your words too."
At that moment, Tricia's smile softened even more.
Her genuine trust had saved another soul—on the surface, it was simply a joyful expression, but.
'Of course, I'm not just blindly trusting.'
...Internally, her mind was working quickly.
'Now I've made him completely trust me. This should make our information exchange much smoother.'
That smile contained a hint of triumph.
The conversation and atmosphere so far, and Crow's reactions.
She had woven all of these elements together to lead Crow toward trusting her.
'Of course, this was a bit of a gamble from my perspective...'
The act of declaring sincere trust in someone could have backfired and only increased their wariness.
Honestly, she was still slightly concerned whether this was the right decision.
'Still... I believe in the choice I made. I have no intention of using and discarding this person.'
When she raised her head again, there were no more shadows in her eyes.
'I need to properly repay the trust given to me. From the moment I decided to trust, it became a promise I must keep until the end.'
Instead, only firm resolve and gentle certainty remained.
Tricia slowly emptied the remaining tea in her cup and spoke.
"Now, ask me what you're curious about. I'll answer within the limits of my knowledge."
"Alright, then may I ask about the general structure of the tower?"
Crow's question was a more sensitive topic than expected.
But having already promised to trust, she couldn't take back her answer now.
"I know that. The tower needs [Climbers] to maintain itself. Someone needs to challenge and overcome trials for it to function. If no one climbs, it seems the collapse gradually begins."
"Collapse... So to prevent tower collapse, Climbers must endlessly climb the tower?"
In fact, Crow had witnessed some towers collapsing and disappearing, or monsters from inside escaping and causing major disasters.
Fortunately, thanks to Crow's intervention, greater damage was prevented, but ultimately the tower collapse itself couldn't be stopped.
And now, it turns out this happened because [Climbers] weren't climbing those towers from the beginning.
"That's right. The tower is even maintained by the deaths of Climbers. Every time a Climber ascends or dies, a currency called Tower Coins is produced, which can be used to maintain the tower."
"Wait, Tower Coins were resources for maintaining the tower?"
"Yes. The Tower Administrator's role is to provide rewards, grant skills, and design dungeons within those rules."
Tricia put down her cup and added:
"That's all I know. I can't give definitive answers about the rest, so it would be difficult to speak carelessly."
"...No, this is already enough. More than enough."
Tricia's promise to trust was certainly not just empty decoration.
'Anyway, it doesn't really matter from my position. There's no chance of Climbers dying with the resurrection buff.'
In truth, from her position, this wasn't particularly problematic information to share.
Rather, it was part of the bigger picture to maintain My Home Tower.
"Now, could you tell me in detail about Korea's current situation?"
It was now Tricia's turn to receive information.
Crow was silent for a moment, then quietly exhaled and began to speak.
"...Very well, I'll answer your question clearly. The current situation in Korea is—"
And so, Crow's long story continued.