CH 171

Another day had passed.

Emma, who had been holding onto Choi Yu-Seong's hand as they walked, suddenly shouted, "Dad, over there! There!"

Yu-Seong nodded before walking towards the village that could be seen in the distance. The end of the journey was near. It hadn’t been very long, but it had certainly been eventful.

‘For some reason, it’s a bit disappointing for it to end.’

Emma was too lively to be considered an NPC made by the Tower. She was still a young girl, but she was bold and didn't throw tantrums very often.

‘It might be because I've been traveling with such a girl for a few days now…’

No matter how hard he tried not to, Yu-Seong couldn't help feeling attached to Emma.

"Soon, we'll be able to see Mom! Aren't you happy, Dad?"

Emma even thought of Yu-Seong as her dad. It wasn't just a simple misunderstanding or joke that could be dismissed, as the emotions conveyed through the Character Understanding skill couldn't be mistaken.

‘Affection…’

Through the Character Understanding skill, Yu-Seong could feel the emotions that Emma was conveying.

Yu-Seong couldn't help but gently stroke Emma’s head with a soft smile. "Of course, I am."

Anyway, this journey would come to an end as soon as they arrived in the village. Yu-Seong pushed aside his regrets and continued walking towards the village.

It was rather unexpected that the young men standing at the entrance of the village could spot the trio from a long distance away. Their eyes widened in surprise. Then, without even looking back, they sprinted into the village as if running away.

‘To be more precise… Are they scared?’

As Yu-Seong, Emma, and Kim Do-Jin attempted to enter the village, there was another commotion. Villagers armed with farming tools and other weapons appeared from all the houses in the medieval countryside village. They were threatening the group, but their faces had the same scared expressions as the young men from before.

‘What's going on?’

Something was strange. The trio had clearly reached the village entrance, but their mission was not over yet, and the surrounding situation was pretty ominous.

Yu-Seong looked around in confusion while Do-Jin became somewhat edgy in response to the tense atmosphere. Emma, who was holding Yu-Seong’s hand, stood trembling behind him.

‘Fear... Damn Character Understanding skill.’

Perhaps the emotions felt particularly heavy because it was that of a child. Naturally, Yu-Seong’s expression shifted from shock to unexplainable anger.

"Everyone, move aside."

Four people, including the two young men who had fled before, appeared as they walked out from the crowd of villagers. Unlike the ordinary-looking young men, there were two people who stood out.

‘An old man, and...one of them is wearing a robe. Is he a wizard?’

The first person to speak among them was an old man with long white hair and beard.

‘Judging by the way he's dressed, he's probably the village chief.’

"I am the village chief of this village, Max. Nice to meet you, foreigner."

As Yu-Seong thought, the old man was indeed the chief.

"My name is Choi Yu-Seong."

“Choi Yu-Seong, you have a unique name,” Max, the village chief, commented on Yu-Seong's name.

Unlike people from Western cultures who often found it difficult to pronounce Korean names, Max easily recognized and pronounced Yu-Seong's name.

"The current situation feels quite hostile, unlike your welcoming."

“I hope you understand. While the village does not dislike strangers, the witch is a different story,” Max explained.

“Witch?” Do-Jin questioned the use of such an unexpected word.

"Do you happen to know about witches, foreigner?" Max asked Do-Jin.

"I don't know much, but it seems like there are no witches among us," replied Do-Jin.

"Why do you think that?" Max asked as his strange, pitying gaze shifted to Emma, who was holding tightly onto Yu-Seong's hand.

"Are you suggesting that this little girl is a witch, Chief?" asked Yu-Seong sharply.

Max's gaze shook slightly. His emotion conveyed through Yu-Seong’s Character Understanding skill was ‘confusion’. However, the emotion soon changed to 'conviction.'

"How long has it been since you met the child? Have there been any instances of fever in between?"

"There was a fever, but it was within the range that young children could easily get."

"That's not just a simple fever. It's the process of the demon’s seed taking root,” answered the black-robed man who stood next to the village chief.

"And who are you?"

At Yu-Seong's question, the villagers murmured loudly. Even the village chief, Max, who had been talking with them, couldn't hide his astonishment.

"I'm a wizard."

"Respect the wizard, foreigner, or you could fall under a curse."

Ignoring Max's warning, Yu-Seong gazed at the wizard as if to see through him. He asked in a dignified manner, "Who asked about that? Can't you tell me your name or where you're from?"

Sensing Yu-Seong’s air of dignity, the wizard’s gaze beneath the robe became animated. He asked, "Foreigner, are you a noble?”

In fact, Yu-Seong was a chaebol. He tried not to show off, but whenever he made up his mind and took action, even his slightest gestures and expressions were imbued with an old-fashioned elegance. However, he was certainly showing it off now.

"Noble? Not a completely wrong word."

"Your phrasing is pretty ambiguous."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

Max had hinted at rules in this world that forbade treating wizards carelessly, but for Yu-Seong, it was a story that didn't even elicit a snort.

'There's even a crazy genius who can freely use that great magic by my side.'

What was the fuss about a wizard who wore his robe inside out and posed like that?

'Did that guy ever catch a Demon King?'

Yu-Seong was not even afraid of any curses that the wizard might unleash. After all, Do-Jin would not just stand by and watch it all happen from beside him.

"My name is Kalstein. I am a follower of the ruler of the Hexagram," said the wizard.

Yu-Seong's gaze flickered at those words.

'Ruler of the Hexagram? Is he talking about the Hexagram Master?'

In earthly terms, it would have meant that the wizard belonged to the Demon King Worshipers faction. However, Kalstein was an NPC created in the Tower of Heaven, which meant that his affiliation had a different meaning than that of the Demon King Worshipers.

Naturally, thoughts of the original novel flooded Yu-Seong's mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"Foreigners, we know why you are passing through this road through the revelation of god. Abandon the witch and enter the village. If you do, we will open the way for you," Village Chief Max said urgently as he stepped forward.

At the same time, a new message appeared in front of Yu-Seong and Do-Jin:

A mission selection crossroad has been encountered.

1. Abandon the girl and enter the village as instructed by the Village Chief. Upon completing the mission, you will be able to proceed to the next floor safely.

2. Help the girl gain the approval of the villagers and return to her hometown. If you fail, the game will reset and you will return to the 1st floor.

They were facing an easy road and a difficult road. The obvious choice made Yu-Seong furrow his brow.

"This is..."

Of course, choosing option 1 would be the easiest since they were simply NPC characters after all. Regardless of the choice made, the game would reset when the next person entered, so it was best to choose the option that would progress to the next floor with rewards.

However, Yu-Seong was not inclined to take the easy way out. It might be because, in a short amount of time, he had developed some feelings for the brave and cute girl, Emma.

‘This Tower’s damn test.’

It was time for Yu-Seong to make a decision that was completely different from the original novel, inviting an unexpected turn of events.

"The old man is just spouting nonsense," Do-Jin criticized in a calm, cold tone as he stepped forward. "Where's the proof that this little girl is a witch?"

"That's what the wizard..."

"Hey wizard, geezer, how much do you really know about magic?"

"Uh, well..." Max looked embarrassed.

If he said he knew a lot about magic, he could be cursed by the wizard, Kalstein. But if he said he didn't know anything, he would completely lose the argument to Do-Jin. Above all, he didn't really know much about magic.

"Magic is the path of the demons," said Do-Jin.

“What…?” Kalstein wanted to speak up angrily.

"Even if it's not a kind that borrows the power of demons, since magic creates laws that can't exist in this world, it can't be said to be completely righteous."

"Who do you think you are, thoughtlessly blabbering about magic like that?"

"Blabbering about magic? Thoughtlessly?" Do-Jin grinned as two Pentagrams, one on each hand, appeared. One hand was engulfed in flames while the other was drenched in a stream of water.

"Wizard!"

“Oh…my God!”

The voices of the village people, who had been quietly murmuring amongst themselves, suddenly rose in a loud commotion. At the same time, the eyes of Village Chief Max and Kalstein widened in shock.

"I can't believe they're making such a fuss over this kind of trivial magic. And you, aren’t you the real witch here?" Do-Jin said with a sneer.

"Do not insult the wizard." Kalstein emanated a cold aura that caused his robe to flutter.

At that moment, a bright light flashed through Yu-Seong's mind.

‘Ah...! The Ruler of the Hexagram!’

Indeed, they were undoubtedly different from the Hexagram Masters. Rather, they were the true followers that were even higher in rank than the Hexagram Masters themselves. In other words, they followed the Demon King. And the term used to describe the wizards who followed the Demon King in this world was clear.

"He’s a dark wizard," Yu-Seong said.

Then, a message appeared in front of him once again.

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The first option at the crossroad has disappeared. You must help the girl gain the approval of the villagers and return to her hometown.

If you fail, the game will reset and you will return to the 1st floor.

Yu-Seong smiled contentedly, not even sparing a glance at the disappearing first option.

‘Kim Do-Jin, I was worried that you might choose to go simply out of laziness.’

However, Do-Jin had chosen the same path that Yu-Seong had decided on internally. Also, there was no turning back now.

"A dark wizard?" Max said in surprise as he turned to Kalstein.

"I've been to places with many people like you before, so I can see right through you. This girl has the qualities of both a wizard and a spiritualist, and quite exceptional ones at that."

"So...?"

"Dark wizards corrupt those with pure magical and spiritual abilities, absorbing their energy to reach higher levels of magic. Do you think I didn’t know that you were trying to wreck this child’s emotions and leave an irreparable wound in her heart?” Do-Jin said.

As a flow of mana began to emanate around him, Kalstein muttered, "Of all people… To meet a wizard like you here. How unlucky."

Kalstein seemingly confessed to his crime.

The frightened village chief, Max, quickly distanced himself from Kalstein. Meanwhile, Kalstein began muttering to himself, paying no attention to Max. Perhaps he thought it would be easy to deal with an ordinary person like Max.

"But what will you do about it? As you said, your magic is pure, and mine is demonic. If we unleash them together, your magic will undoubtedly be slower."

"Who said we're going to fight with magic?"

"What?"

With those words, a flashing silver light shot out from Do-Jin's waist and sliced through the neck of Kalstein, the middle-aged wizard hiding under his robes.