Chapter 2. The Pocket Watch's Invitation (2)

The message ended there.

“……!”

Yeonwoo quickly examined the pocket watch.

He wondered if his brother had left any other traces, any other messages.

But he found nothing.

Thud.

Yeonwoo slumped onto the sofa.

He stroked the pocket watch in silence several times.

The scratches all over it, the missing minute hand, the signs of wear and tear kept catching his eye. It was as if he could see the events his brother had experienced on the "other side" playing out before him.

Then, Yeonwoo slowly wound the watch's spring in the opposite direction.

Click.

Someday, for his brother to hear this diary. If his brother were to hear this diary...

His brother's voice started from the beginning again.

After listening to it all, Yeonwoo wound it again.

Someday, this diary...

Yeonwoo rewound the pocket watch several times in his spot.

Each time, his brother's voice echoed in his mind, exactly the same.

The same voice, the same tone, the same diary.

[Initiating inheritance process.]

At that moment, a small window appeared below Yeonwoo's retina.

The interface system.

It meant that the connection with the tower in the other world had been successful.

And.

His body began to change.

Whoosh!

Something stirred inside his abdomen. It felt as if a snake that had been curled up in his stomach was raising its head.

A refreshing yet alien seed.

Mana.

The fundamental element that formed the basis of the world, and the power wielded by those who lived in the tower and that world.

Boom!

The tightly condensed mana exploded, spreading through his body along unknown paths.

Something was changing inside him.

And.

Crack. Crack.

His limbs began to twist in all directions, followed by excruciating pain.

It felt as if his body was being completely disassembled and pierced with needles.

Even during military training, he had undergone torture resistance training, but this was on a different level.

But Yeonwoo did not lose his composure. He did not even groan.

He sat in place, continuously winding the pocket watch's spring while listening to his brother's voice over and over.

Someday, this diary...

His bones twisted. Joints realigned, muscles turned mushy and then hardened again. Black ooze seeped from his torn skin, emitting a foul odor.

All the waste in his body was expelled, and his muscles and bones found their new places on their own.

Crack. Crack.

The pain was so terrible, but compared to what his brother had endured for five years, this pain was nothing.

And.

The seemingly endless process was completed.

[Awakening completed.]

[Inheritance process ended incompletely. Current progress: 5%]

[To complete the inheritance process, a suitable body is required. Complete the body to finish the inheritance process. The more the body grows, the more progress can be accepted.]

[Current state: 'Incomplete Dragon Body'.]

[Physical abilities have improved.]

[Characteristic unlocked.]

[Skill added.]

[Player qualification obtained. Registration can only be done at the Obelisk.]

Yeonwoo had no time to focus on the strange voice.

After the terrible pain, a deep aftertaste remained.

“……”

Yet, Yeonwoo's gaze could not leave the pocket watch for a long time.

Someday, for his brother to hear this diary...

* * *

While winding the pocket watch's spring several times.

Yeonwoo accepted the memories his brother had left along with the diary.

The five years his brother spent climbing the tower.

Meeting comrades and forming Clan Artia. Successfully overcoming difficult challenges and everyone rejoicing. Fighting in wars and standing back-to-back.

Being drenched in blood and exhausted. Sharing a first kiss with a loved one... bursting into tears after being betrayed. Walking alone towards the overwhelming enemies.

Each scene etched itself in his mind, along with the joy, sorrow, and all the emotions his brother had felt.

In those moments, Yeonwoo became his brother.

And when all the scenes ended.

“……”

[Player: Cha Yeonwoo]

Characteristic: Cold-Blooded

Strength: 10 Agility: 15 Vitality: 12 Mana: 21

Skills: Dragon Eye, Enhanced Senses, Time Prediction.

Yeonwoo awoke from his long reverie. When he opened his eyes, a transparent window, like a hologram, floated in front of him.

'It was all real. Everything.'

He had hoped it wasn't. He had wished it was a dream or an illusion, but it wasn't.

It was reality.

Yeonwoo's eyes deepened.

He clearly understood what his brother had gone through.

Who had driven his brother to death, and why his brother had to return after five years in such a state.

The tower, where one could become a god by passing through 99 floors.

But to Yeonwoo, it was nothing more than a lawless place where everyone tore each other apart.

His brother had been torn apart by the demons in such a place.

Then.

'I have to take it back.'

According to the rules of that place.

'I'll do the same to you.'

His brother's abilities had been fully passed on to him.

Player. He had obtained the minimum qualification to climb the tower.

Now it was his turn to step forward.

The sad emotion in Yeonwoo's eyes disappeared.

“……”

Only a cold anger remained.

* * *

Yeonwoo quietly examined the transparent window.

'Is this the "Status Window"?'

The status window was divided into three main categories.

Characteristic, Attributes, Skills.

The characteristic category represented the player's personality or talent.

The first characteristic his brother obtained was 'Omnipath,' the ability to communicate with all things.

Thanks to this, he could use his sensitivity to handle various objects and skills, breaking through many dangers.

The attributes represented the player's ability coefficients.

Skills were the standardized techniques a player could use in the tower.

'It's like a game.'

His brother described the Obelisk as 'a game-like reality that isn't a game.'

He understood why.

'My current characteristic is Cold-Blooded.'

[Characteristic: Cold-Blooded]

Maintains cold rationality in any situation. Shows excellent resistance to mind control curses and brainwashing.

It was a talent Yeonwoo originally possessed.

Probably from the various training he received as a professional soldier.

The ability to command the battlefield and maintain a clear judgment in chaotic situations.

'Not bad.'

No, it was more than not bad.

It was very good.

In a world filled with bizarre and diverse magic and skills, having a card to protect oneself was important.

'But, the attributes are still quite weak.'

Even after completing the awakening as a player and adapting his constitution, he was still an ordinary human.

Most of his attributes were below 20 on average.

They were far too weak to climb the tower, where all kinds of monsters roamed.

But it made sense.

He didn't know how to handle mana, had no notable skills, and the concept of skills hadn't fully formed in his mind yet.

The only thing he could rely on was the instinctive senses he had honed on the battlefield.

The same went for the skills category.

[Dragon Eye (Dragon Demon Eye)]

The eye of a dragon. Sees through the truth. Can glimpse the abilities of others and objects.

[Enhanced Senses]

Dramatically improves the five senses.

[Time Prediction] (Special)

Can foresee a certain amount of time ahead.

The Dragon Eye was the only trace his brother left while performing the inheritance process through the pocket watch.

'Jungwoo said he could accidentally make a contract with the ancient dragon Kalathus on the 11th floor. Is this a trace of that?'

Dragons were originally proud and fierce beings who sought the truth.

It seemed he had gained the ability to glimpse the truth after being exposed to their characteristics.

However, how much help this would be in the future was uncertain.

'The Enhanced Senses seem to match my characteristic.'

A skill that allowed him to arbitrarily adjust the strength of his five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

Yeonwoo liked this skill the most.

On the battlefield, anything could happen.

He might need to find invisible enemies, smell the faint scent of oil, or hear the footsteps of distant enemies.

If he could freely control these senses, it would be a great help when climbing the tower.

'The most noticeable one is this.'

Yeonwoo's gaze was fixed on the last skill.

'Time Prediction, huh.'

Yeonwoo examined the pocket watch in his hand.

'It must be because of this.'

Skills were sometimes given based on the player's characteristics, but they could also be granted through the player's environment or valuable items.

Especially, skills marked as 'Special' could be considered unique.

'Well, let's give it a try.'

Yeonwoo took a deep breath.

He was certainly starting from a better foundation than other players, thanks to his brother's help.

But, on the other hand, the path ahead was long.

The ones who had driven his brother to death were among the strongest in the tower.

They had become stronger and stronger over years, or even centuries.

The path to catching them was too long.

The image of his brother in the photo came to mind again.

'You just wanted me to find the elixir and live quietly, didn't you?'

His fists clenched tightly. His veins bulged.

'I can't just let that be.'

* * *

Yeonwoo began to tidy up his affairs.

[Hey, Sergeant Cha! What the hell are you talking about? Suddenly applying for discharge?]

The voice of his commander, furious, came from the other end of the phone.

It was understandable.

After sending him to Korea to sort out his feelings after his brother's death, he had suddenly applied for discharge. If it were Yeonwoo, he would have been angry too.

But Yeonwoo didn't offer any excuses.

[What's going on? Do you have a complaint? If you have something to say, tell me. What will we do if 'Cain' leaves...!]

"Sorry."

Yeonwoo said that and hung up.

The phone rang again, but he turned it off and threw it in a street trash can.

He had been treated like a son by his commander, but because of that, he had to cut ties more firmly.

He also put up the only house he had left for sale.

It was a house he hadn't used since being deployed, but there was no longer any reason to keep it.

He didn't want a place to return to.

Instead, he bought various things with the remaining money.

He packed a new backpack with a few basic clothes, combat rations, several large swords like the ones he used in the military, and emergency kits, among other survival essentials.

He wanted to get some firearms or explosives from the black market, but he shook his head.

'The tower is designed to test the player's skills. It's better to avoid such things. Besides, without a steady supply of ammunition, they would just be a burden.'

After all the preparations were complete.

Yeonwoo went to a deserted park in the early morning.

Wearing a black hoodie, jeans, and a deeply pulled-down cap, he slung a backpack full of supplies over his right shoulder. He had already burned his military uniform and bag before leaving.

'Considering the time difference between reality and the Obelisk, it's probably been about a week since the cycle started?'

To enter the tower, he had to reach a specific place first.

The tutorial.

A place to test the qualifications of players who wanted to enter the tower.

Entering a week late was a disadvantageous start.

But Yeonwoo deliberately chose this timing.

'Players who start late are given certain advantages. The more they catch up to the leading players, the more points they can accumulate, and there are hidden pieces given only to latecomers. And.'

Yeonwoo's eyes glinted coldly.

'"That guy" will appear around this time."

Yeonwoo organized his plan in his mind.

Click. He wound the spring of the pocket watch his brother left in the opposite direction and pressed it.

Then, a cluster of light spread in the middle of the park, and a shadow rose up.

The shadow swirled and formed a lump.

The Gate.

The gateway to the world where the tower existed.

Yeonwoo stepped into the gate without hesitation. His eyes were colder than ever.

'From today on, I will.'

He would make it clear to the ones beyond.

Who they had messed with.

'I am Cha Jungwoo.'

And the gate closed.