A Peaceful Morning at the Hospital!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"MOMMYYY!!!"
"Oh, you're finally awake?"
Otaku and Park Chun-ja, who had been unconscious since yesterday, finally opened their eyes.
Ban Hwi-yeol, who had been watching over them, showed a relieved expression.
The two were breathing heavily and simultaneously began feeling their bodies. Only after confirming their limbs were still attached and realizing they were in hospital beds did they slowly regain their senses.
"...Did I really die and come back to life?"
"Ugh... my body, my legs... are they still attached? I'm sure my lower body was... completely blown away in the explosion..."
The two still couldn't believe they were alive. Clear terror lingered in their eyes.
"Hard to believe, right? I felt the same way at first."
"Did you also... die and come back to life, Hwi-yeol?"
"Wait... what about Team Leader Kim Chun-sik and Elizabeth? Don't tell me...?"
"They're in the next room. Let's go see them together later."
Ban Hwi-yeol pointed to the adjacent room with his thumb, smiling lightly.
He spoke with an excited voice, as if boasting.
"By the way, isn't it amazing to die and come back to life? I used to have muscle pain, but now it's completely gone! I feel like I've been reborn!"
Ban Hwi-yeol laughed while showing off his impressive muscles, claiming his physical condition was absolutely fantastic.
But Otaku and Park Chun-ja couldn't laugh at all.
Otaku had died in excruciating pain as his entire body was blown to pieces in the explosion, while Park Chun-ja had suffered a painful death with her abdomen and lower body completely blown away.
They had died feeling the vivid pain of their bodies being torn apart and their breathing stopping.
In comparison, Ban Hwi-yeol, who died instantly from a head injury without even feeling pain, was relatively lucky.
The mere fact of having "experienced" death was terrifying enough for them.
At the same time, the reality of "resurrection" came with an alien thrill.
Perhaps they were the first cases of resurrection in Earth's history.
"Whew... I can't deny it was a unique experience. Though it was a horrible pain I never want to experience again."
"Yeah... that pain right before death... it was fucking painful..."
What the Climbers didn't know was that the "25% damage reduction" effect included in the [Angel's Protection (Small)] also had a pain suppression function.
Thanks to that, the pain they experienced was less intense compared to "real death."
In other words, it was reduced to merely "painful enough to feel like dying," which allowed them to return with their sanity barely intact.
But what if they had felt the full pain of "real death"?
The trauma would have been much deeper, and they might have become empty shells with only their physical bodies surviving.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Just then, another scream erupted from the next room.
"...Ah, looks like the Team Leader is awake too. Want to go see?"
Ban Hwi-yeol got up casually and headed to the next room, with Otaku and Park Chun-ja rising from their beds to follow.
Kim Chun-sik and Elizabeth were particularly traumatized, and it took quite a long time for them to calm down.
------
Rewinding to the day before...
The [Glory] Guild was thrown into chaos by an unprecedented incident.
A mysterious portal had suddenly appeared just 5 meters away from the new tower where the advance team had been deployed!
The remaining [Glory] Guild members were shocked and immediately called the Vice Master.
"What?! A portal appeared in front of the tower? I'll be right there! Respond immediately if anything happens, but absolutely do not enter the portal!"
Yun Seo-jin stopped writing the report he was preparing for the Guild Master and drove straight to the scene.
When he arrived, the remaining guild members were already on guard behind hastily erected barricades, watching the portal warily.
The portal emitted a red light and rotated slowly, giving off an ominous feeling as if monsters might jump out at any moment.
Moreover, there had been the unprecedented situation of the elite advance team emerging from the tower unconscious from shock... the guild members' anxiety was at its peak.
Some were seriously considering requesting support from other guilds.
Yun Seo-jin felt the same way.
*Was this portal created by the tower? Or did it appear by chance? No, coincidence at this timing is too strange. Then, a portal that appeared with some purpose? Damn, we have too little information.*
His mind was so complicated that he felt the urge to smoke, though he normally didn't.
In the end, all personnel maintained a state of alert in front of the portal throughout the night.
However...
In reality, this portal was a transportation portal that Tricia had installed using 150 Tower Coins to go to an internet café!
It was literally just a regular entrance connecting [My Home Tower 95th Floor ↔ Outside]!
The problem was that Tricia herself couldn't go outside due to [Insufficient Authority], so the portal was left abandoned!
For such a simple reason... the [Glory] Guild was shadow boxing in front of a portal where nothing would come out until dawn!
As morning approached after the long night, they reached their limit.
Vice Master Yun Seo-jin hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday and had stayed up all night.
"Vice Master, you'll collapse at this rate! You should eat something..."
"In this situation, food is...!"
*Growl—*
"......"
His eyes met with the guild members.
With a deep sigh, Yun Seo-jin decided to compromise with reality.
"Leave a minimal number of people at the scene, and the rest go get a quick meal."
So Yun Seo-jin led 23 guild members to a nearby soup restaurant.
<Ppeokppeokhaeyu Pork Soup>
*What an odd name for a restaurant...*
Yun Seo-jin thought as he looked at the sign.
As they entered, the owner, whose smile reached his ears because his restaurant had become tower-adjacent property, welcomed them with a bright face.
"Welcome~! What would you like to order?"
"I heard the spicy bean sprout pork soup is delicious here. We'll have that for all tables. Vice Master, what would you like?"
"Mixed pork soup, special size. And... add one large plate of boiled pork slices to each table."
Yun Seo-jin said as he pulled out a card marked [Glory].
This morning's soup was on the Vice Master.
"Boiled pork slices! Thank you, Vice Master!"
"Thank you, Vice Master!"
"...Yes, you must all be hungry. Let's eat well and get back to our senses."
Of course, the hungriest person here was the Vice Master himself, but no one pointed that out.
A little later...
"Here's your soup first! Enjoy your meal!"
Steaming hot stone bowls were placed on each table, and the guild members' faces gradually began to show signs of life.
"Wow... it's spicy and refreshing. Soup is really the best!"
"There's so much meat! Are you sure we didn't accidentally order the special size?"
"That can't be right, look at the Vice Master's soup."
When guild members asked if this was the special size due to the enormous amount of meat, another member pointed to Yun Seo-jin's bowl.
Literally, there was a mountain of meat there.
*This place serves huge portions.*
Yun Seo-jin took a slow spoonful of broth, then let out a small sigh.
*So this is why they say food gives you strength... I've only had one bite, but my mind already feels calmer.*
That's when it happened.
*SLAM!*
The door opened, and the shadows of strangers crossed the interior.
"Well, well, leisurely eating soup in this situation. The name of the [Glory] Guild is truly wasted."
With the heavy sound of dress shoes, three figures appeared wearing black coats, the symbol of the [Geom Heuk] Guild.
The one in the lead looked down at Yun Seo-jin with a face devoid of any trace of humor.
"Are you Yun Seo-jin, Vice Master of the [Glory] Guild?"
Yun Seo-jin frowned and put down his spoon.
"...[Geom Heuk] Guild. What business do you have here?"
"We came to gather information about the portal that appeared in front of the tower. But I see no one's thinking of entering it, just eating soup instead. Did you ever intend to investigate that portal?"
The [Geom Heuk] Guild members snickered as they spoke.
It sounded like mockery, implying that the [Glory] Guild members were cowards.
The [Glory] Guild members in the restaurant rose from their seats, barely containing their anger.
"What's this? Are you picking a fight? I'll—!"
"This is a restaurant. Let's avoid unnecessary conflict."
A fight almost broke out, but Yun Seo-jin raised his hand to restrain his guild members.
The tension felt like it could explode at any moment.
Yun Seo-jin narrowed his eyes and said:
"We've been monitoring that portal very carefully. But it's strangely non-aggressive, so we were gathering new personnel to deal with it."
The man from the [Geom Heuk] Guild snorted.
"Nice way of saying you're just waiting at a soup restaurant. Right?"
The [Glory] Guild members' expressions twisted with anger, but the [Geom Heuk] Guild members continued regardless.
"Whatever. From now on, our [Geom Heuk] Guild will investigate that portal directly."
At his gesture, a figure waiting outside entered the restaurant.
A mask with red gleaming eyes reminiscent of a crow.
Though dressed in a formal suit with a distinctive red tie, there was an ominous aura about him that raised goosebumps.
A strangely alien, shadow-like energy surrounded his entire body.
"Let me introduce you. Our [Geom Heuk] Guild's strongest ranker... <World Climber Ranking 9th>, 'Crow'."
"...!"
Yun Seo-jin's eyes widened momentarily.
The surrounding [Glory] Guild members also let out small gasps.
*Is that really Crow?*
Rumor had it he had completely conquered over six towers and single-handedly subjugated numerous monster-class bosses—a monster among monsters.
Now, he was facing Yun Seo-jin in this quiet soup restaurant.
Crow quietly looked at Yun Seo-jin and said:
"...I'm going in alone. Don't interfere."
His speech was brief and cold.
Then he glanced around the restaurant and muttered:
"...I'll be back before the soup gets cold."
With those words, Crow walked toward the portal.
