[You've been granted an extra-life.]
The message flashing before me made me sigh in relief. I really thought that was the end for me.
The surrounding darkness gradually faded away, and I found myself in the middle of a vast meadow. I removed the Hahoe mask from my face, and it instantly transformed into a long sword in my hand.
[The item 'Hahoe Mask' reveals its true nature.]
[You have obtained 'Eon-geom'.]
That crazy old man... so this is where he had hidden it.
I examined the sword. It had a silver-ornamented hilt and a blade engraved with star patterns. Just holding it, I could feel its weight. This sword had seen many battles. A mystical ether seemed to seep from it.
I stored it in my inventory and looked around.
I stood in the middle of a large field, with a dirt path running alongside it. I opened the current path description.
+
[Path]: Floor '0'.
Category: 'E'
Description: Ground floor.
Time limit: None.
Reward: None.
+
Your current Tower ranking is 1,200,348.
Only entities within the top 100 of the rankings can challenge the 'Realm of Doors'.
+
Since I hadn't finished the Hell storyline and had just died, the previous storyline had simply been replaced. Floor 0 of the Tower was the most peaceful. That meant I shouldn't have too much trouble finding the exit.
Yoon Jiyeon and Taehyun must've landed on higher floors. My extra life had dropped me here, but usually, one can only enter a floor equivalent in level to the one before. So they must've ended up in a floor much higher than mine.
With everything I'd explained to them about the system, they should manage.
It was then that a familiar sound rang in my ears.
['The Witness Burdened by Regrets' is happy to see you're alive.]
I smiled.
"I'm happy too."
I stored away my tattered Sect uniform in my inventory and put on my old suit.
Floor 0 was the place Kwon Joonseo had spent the most time in, so my memories were clear enough to help me find my way to civilization. Moreover, most of the paths on this floor led to the one and only city.
Floor 0 was a vast valley with endless fields and meadows. All around, massive mountains inhabited by S-rank monsters blocked the path for anyone daring to venture further.
I walked toward the city for half the day, crossing paths with a few farmers who pointed me in the right direction.
I didn't need directions—Kwon Joonseo's memories were clear—but talking to another human felt good.
At nightfall, I finally reached the city gates. Despite the late hour, most shops were still open, and the inns were still serving food.
But that wasn't what interested me. I headed for a building at the center of the city and opened the door, which bore the inscription: 'Explorers HQ'.
Inside, it was quiet. A single man with a light beard and graying hair manned the front desk.
I walked up to him, and before I could say a word, he stopped me without even looking.
"Sorry, but we still haven't found an exit. For expedition info, check the board in the town square."
"Uh, no, you're mistaken."
The burly man looked up at me.
"I'm here to register for the exploration team."
"Hahaha, that's a good one!"
But seeing I wasn't joking, his expression shifted.
"No, seriously?"
I opened my inventory.
"How much do I have to pay?"
"Wait, you think there's a fee?"
He rummaged through his desk drawers and pulled out a form.
"Just fill this out—and put that thing away," he said, pointing at my inventory.
I took the form and filled in the boxes, making sure to lie about my age.
"You know most expeditions never return. Are you really sure about this?"
"That doesn't particularly scare me."
The man's face filled with confusion as he pointed me toward the barracks where I could settle in. I left the room silently.
The rookie barracks were quiet. In fact, most recruiting happened early on, when each wave of realities arrived in the Tower. When people realized that most exploration groups never came back from the upper floors, they stopped enrolling.
That wasn't such a bad thing for me—it meant I had the barracks to myself.
***
Yoon Jiyeon landed hard on the ground, followed by Taehyun, who crashed down on top of her, crushing her under his weight and making her groan in pain.
"Honja-ssi!"
Before she could get up, the portal closed behind them.
She pushed Taehyun off to the side and caught her breath, still in shock from what had just happened. She looked around, panicked, trying to figure out where they had landed.
They were in the middle of a makeshift camp. Dozens of tents were lined up in rows. She checked the system:
+
[Path]: Floor '50'.
Category: 'A'
Description: Dark.
Time limit: None.
Reward: ???
+
Your current Tower ranking is 1,200,349.
Only entities within the top 100 of the rankings can challenge the 'Realm of Doors'.
+
A patrolling man noticed them and told them to get up. They were led to the largest tent. Inside, several people were gathered around a table with a map spread across it.
A young man in his twenties stepped toward her. He had short hair falling over his eyes and wore black sweatpants and a sweater with an interwoven fabric collar in a checkered pattern.
A powerful cosmos radiated from him, though he seemed to be trying to conceal it.
The young man locked his glowing red eyes onto Yoon Jiyeon's.
"Welcome to the outpost of the 1st exploration section. I'm Kwon Joonseo."