He’d had a feeling.

A mission about hunting foxes.

Gyeon Dallae suddenly taking charge on Floor 74.

So he’d guessed it was probably a linked mission connected to her.

His guess was right.

But not like this.

Gyeon Dallae’s backstory.

A princess of the Cheon Empire, and the highest shaman of the imperial shrine.

From a young age, she showed talent in talisman craft, arts, and incantations.

So she served the greatest grand shaman of the era as her teacher, learned rituals, mastered arts, and grew up that way.

‘Then that Nine-Tailed Fox is the grand shaman?’

That was beyond doubt.

Because there was a name tag floating over the head.

<Thousand-Year Fox Haeryeong>

Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)

Type: Nine-Tailed Fox (Divine Beast)

And the background description.

Haeryeong, the grand shaman of the Cheon Empire’s imperial shrine, was in fact a Nine-Tailed Fox. Like all divine beasts, Haeryeong’s dream was ascension. To become an immortal fiend, an妖仙, one had to pass through an extremely harsh, unbearable process called cultivation.

Haeryeong lived mingled among humans. Learning the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, Haeryeong advanced toward ascension. But cultivation is difficult. One must always endure temptation. The desire to consume human livers.

If you fall to temptation, you become a fiend. A wicked spirit drunk on power, craving raw human livers. But Haeryeong’s will was firm. Never once did Haeryeong give in to temptation.

Then an accident occurred. While Haeryeong was away, a rebellion broke out in the empire. An uncle murdered a nephew and took the throne. Enraged, Haeryeong’s beloved disciple, Gyeon Dallae, cast flying death at the uncle who became emperor—and died from ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the karma of that act.

It was a heartbreaking tragedy. A disciple’s death, like the heart being torn apart. Ascension, all of it, was meaningless. Haeryeong left the mortal world and went into seclusion. With thoughts emptied and mind stilled, ties to the world faded, and Haeryeong drew closer to ascension. Near the very edge of ascension, disaster finally struck.

Haeryeong’s companion—another Nine-Tailed Fox—was subdued by a fiend who had become a wicked spirit after failing to overcome temptation, and Haeryeong was forced to consume human livers. Then Haeryeong sealed herself away, to avoid becoming a wicked spirit.

‘Ah.’

A painful story.

That Nine-Tailed Fox was indeed Gyeon Dallae’s teacher—the grand shaman.

Well, it was a childish way to put it, but... a bad Nine-Tailed Fox did something to a good Nine-Tailed Fox.

And to be thwarted right at the brink of ascension...

Juhyeok explained to Gyeon Dallae in detail why Haeryeong ended up like that.

“I believe I understand, my lord. Once one has tasted human liver even once, it becomes impossible to cast it away. That is why Master sealed herself—before she could change into a wicked spirit.”

Then what about the Three-Tailed Foxes, Five-Tailed Foxes, and Seven-Tailed Foxes?

“They are the disciples of the wicked-spirit Nine-Tailed Fox who turned Master Haeryeong into this. They must have installed a formation at Master’s dwelling and were watching.”

Anyway, this Floor 74 was also a point in time after Gyeon Dallae died.

Maybe it was a world reflecting the regret she’d left behind.

Mad Demon let out a sigh.

“How grievous it must be—thousand years of cultivation, turned to foam in an instant.”

Juhyeok’s heart ached, too.

The ultra-high-difficulty optional mission was to kill Haeryeong—grand shaman, Nine-Tailed Fox, and Gyeon Dallae’s teacher.

He didn’t want to complete the mission. Not at all.

Mission failure?

So what if they failed a little?

In a way, it wasn’t even failure.

They’d cleared the basic mission, didn’t they?

Gyeon Dallae sat down, devastated.

How much was she hurting?

So he asked Mad Demon.

“Is there no way to help? To stop the progress of the wicked spirit, or...”

“Understood. This old one will take a look. To see if there is something that can be done.”

Mad Demon strode forward.

Toward the place where the grand shaman, Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong, was bound.

Then—startled!

Mad Demon stopped.

“...This?”

A line drawn across the ground underfoot.

He couldn’t go any farther.

He could feel an unknown, overwhelming flow of energy.

An instinctive danger signal.

If he crossed or stepped on this line, the consequences would be unbearable.

‘It’s not only applied to the floor.’

You couldn’t see it, but it affected the air as well, and the earth beneath.

Meaning it wouldn’t work to fly over it, and it wouldn’t work to go through the ground.

‘Hmm...’

With the summoner watching from behind, he’d made a bold show of it—only to lose face.

Right then—

“Mad Demon-nim, what you doin’?”

Cossack came trotting up.

“Step on a turd? Told you to be careful. I should go first and untie the knots binding the Nine-Tailed Fox—”

“No! Don’t go forward.”

“...Yesm?”

But it was already too late.

Cossack was exactly one step ahead of Mad Demon.

And so he stepped on the line.

WOOOONG!

A strange sensation rose up from beneath Cossack’s feet.

“...Huh?”

His entire body went limp, and at the same time, an unprecedented, overwhelming force shoved him back violently.

PAPAPAPAPA...

“GYEEK?”

WHIIISH!

Driven by that force, Cossack shot like a bullet toward the basement wall.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

“KEK!”

He slammed into it.

It hit so hard that the solid granite wall caved in.

“Co, Cossack!”

Was he dead?

No way.

“Assassin, you alright?”

Meatshield rushed over and yanked Cossack out of the stone wall.

“Co, Comman...der.”

Cossack trembled, convulsing as he groaned.

“I, I dead. Been fun..., keh!”

Then his head lolled to the side, and he blacked out.

“Cossack!!!”

The summoned entities swarmed in.

“Is he dead? Killed in action?”

“Looks like he’s about to die.”

“Don’t lose consciousness! If you fall asleep, you die.”

“WAAAH...?”

“Healing Potion! Hurry, hurry.”

No, what the hell—he stepped on a line and that happened?

Mad Demon and Meatshield stayed calm.

“Assassin does not die.”

“Would he die from that? Unless the head was removed. He exaggerates too much.”

Damn it. He’d startled him.

“If the warrior flicks his forehead, he will wake.”

In that instant—

“HUH—!”

Cossack jerked upright.

“You’re awake?”

“Pant, pant... I, I had a nightmare. Dream I step on line and die.”

“...”

What is this, dodgeball? Squid Game?

Meatshield tried stepping on the line too. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

WOOOONG!

“Kuh!”

THUD!

But the unseen force shoved him back into the wall as well.

“Master installed the formation herself. So that no one could approach.”

Grand shaman, Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong, who had sealed herself.

A forbidden zone set by an LSSR rank.

If you trespassed, you were done for.

Then, well—clean and simple.

“Let’s give up and leave. We can reset and try again later. Or skip this and clear Floor 75.”

But then Gyeon Dallae—

“Master Bong.”

“...Yes?”

Her voice had sunk low.

This was bad.

He could guess what she wanted to say.

“I will go to Master. Before Master turns into a wicked spirit, I must send Master off in peace.”

A sigh.

“...No. That won’t do. You saw what happened to Cossack, and Meatshield too—and even Mad Demon stopped. Don’t you get it?”

Even so, Gyeon Dallae smiled faintly.

“You know whose disciple I am. A shaman has a shaman’s way.”

He understood, but...

“I understand the meaning as vast as the sea in Master Bong’s heart. However, sending Master off in peace is a duty I must fulfill.”

What was he supposed to do?

“I do not fail to know Master Bong’s kind heart, but please—take my will into your heart.”

“...”

He had no choice.

He’d trust her.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“I thank you for your grace.”

First—safety measures.

The summoned entities stood ready behind Gyeon Dallae.

So they could catch her safely if she was flung back.

So how would Gyeon Dallae cross the forbidden zone?

Soon—

Her dance began.

A bell in one hand, a blade in the other.

Solemn and noble.

She lifted her heel, stepped lightly forward on the ball of her foot.

Stretched out her arms and exhaled.

Drew them back in and inhaled.

The grief of losing parents, the grief of losing a younger sibling, the grief of seeing her teacher like this.

With a heartbreaking way of casting out sorrow, Gyeon Dallae advanced step by step.

Sometimes with quick little steps, sometimes with long strides,

Spinning her body like a top, softly sweeping her outstretched arms,

Juhyeok and the summoned entities were entranced.

An SS rank shaman.

A dance that moved the heart.

This was Gyeon Dallae.

“P-Princess!”

“Crazy...”

“Pretty.”

“WAAAH...”

“A woman’s charm ain’t only about breasts.”

You finally learn that now?

It was impossible not to be amazed.

Everyone was captivated by her dance.

CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!

Applause burst out.

Gyeon Dallae had already crossed the line.

But nothing happened.

KRAK! KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!

Instead, the formation shattered under her footsteps.

KRAK-KRAK...

Even the sound faded.

And at last she arrived before bound Haeryeong.

“Ah...”

When she hurried to tear away the sacred straw rope and talismans binding her—

“Do not touch it.”

Grand shaman, Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong, opened her eyes.

At last, her gaze met Gyeon Dallae’s.

“M-Master?”

“Dallae. I knew you would come.”

“...What?”

“Who else could cross this, if not you?”

Haeryeong’s voice was calm.

Even as she faced her dead disciple.

“You have started a new life. In another world.”

“H-How...?”

“My soul is bound to the tower. How could I not know?”

Haeryeong looked at Juhyeok.

And bowed her head politely.

A meaning: please take good care of my disciple.

Juhyeok bowed back.

“Dallae. You must be disappointed to learn what I am. I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter who you are, you’ll always be my teacher.”

“You sweet child.”

Haeryeong comforted the weeping Gyeon Dallae.

“Now, make it easy for me.”

“...Is there no other way?”

“You know as well. How harsh the price is for violating the mandate of heaven.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No. It is my fault. Foolishness is a sin, too.”

Gyeon Dallae’s hands trembled.

She had to kill her teacher?

The ones watching—Juhyeok and the other summoned entities—hurt just the same.

“No. We’re exiting the tower. Floor 74 ultra-high-difficulty optional mission—failed!”

“Warrior agrees.”

“A wise choice. My lord.”

“Supervisor Veronica Caliber: a swift retreat is propulsion for an advance.”

“Right.”

“WAAH!”

“Bark, bark!”

But—

“Master Bong,”

“Yes?”

“Please grant Master’s wish.”

“...”

Kill her.

“That is the way to honor Master.”

He’d known she would say it, which was why he’d tried to exit immediately.

How could he not understand why she was like this?

Not to complete the tower mission.

But because she didn’t want her teacher to become a wicked spirit.

She wanted to send her off as a human.

The best possible way.

The right path, too.

He knew.

He knew it all.

But could a human heart always be rational?

Juhyeok hesitated.

Then Mad Demon stepped forward.

Walking straight toward Haeryeong.

“This old one will do it. Surely it is better than ending your life by your disciple’s hand, is it not?”

Haeryeong wore a gentle smile.

“You are a frightening person. That is why I feel at ease.”

“Hahaha. In truth, I am an old man who cannot even cross the formation you set.”

“That is only because our fields differ. If you had even a little more time, you would have dismantled a mere formation in no time.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Analyzing the flow of energy was tricky, that was all.

“In that case, let us remove the sacred straw rope and talismans. Even so, I don’t like laying hands on someone who is bound.”

The sacred straw rope and talismans.

What Haeryeong had bound herself with to control the fiend’s power.

“Do not do that. Strike me in this state. If my power is unsealed, you will be hurt.”

“You think I cannot handle you?”

“I have cultivated for a thousand years. And if the fiend’s madness is added...”

“This old one prides himself on madness as well.”

Haeryeong gave a small laugh.

“It is not only you. The one you serve, and my disciple, and that cute child there... can you protect all of them while fighting me?”

Mad Demon smiled back.

Pointing at Meatshield.

“Shamefully, I won’t do it alone. There is a usable shield over there. Two against one. Don’t complain later that it’s unfair.”

Haeryeong couldn’t understand.

With the rope and talismans left on, she could strike easily.

“Why would you do this?”

“So you can die well, and ascend. Ascension is also a kind of death—cutting off ties to the mortal world and rising to another world.”

Haeryeong’s eyes trembled.

“...Ah.”

“Is there anything you cannot do if you try? In any case, you did grasp the very edge of ascension, did you not?”

“Th-That...”

“Can you ascend by dying comfortably? You must cut the chain of regret yourself.”

Then Mad Demon looked at Juhyeok.

“Summoner.”

A request for permission.

To be honest, Juhyeok was uneasy too.

Could they really win?

A mission to kill a thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox.

The reason it was difficult was because they had to break through the formation and get inside.

If they got inside, it was easy.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was bound by the sacred straw rope and talismans.

But if they removed them?

A thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox would become a crazed fiend and rampage.

Could they suppress that?

Even within the same LSSR rank, the gap could be vast.

Just comparing Meatshield and Mad Demon, you could see it.

A thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox turned into a fiend.

Even imagining it was chilling.

Damn it. Fine.

They’d go for it.

If he couldn’t trust the summoned entities, who could he trust?

“Do it.”

Juhyeok granted permission.

SNATCH!

Mad Demon grabbed the sacred straw rope binding Haeryeong’s body and tore.

“N-No!!!”

“It will be done.”

SNAP!

The rope snapped away from Haeryeong’s body.

“Unseal your power as a Nine-Tailed Fox. Rampage as you please. Then subdue the fiend in your heart. That is the path that leads to ascension.”

That was when—

“GRRRK...”

SHRRRRAAAK!

Behind her back, nine enormous tails unfurled like a fan.

Haeryeong’s face twisted.

Her body swelled larger, black fur bristled up in a rush, sharp claws jutted out long from hands and feet, and her mouth split all the way to her ears.

“GRK!”

Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong had become a fiend.

At last, she was freed from her bindings.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD.

Meatshield charged in.

Haeryeong answered by swinging bluish claws made of blade of energy.

SHHK! SHHKKK!

Meatshield’s forearm was sliced nearly in half.

Even through the pitch-black armor and thick hide.

But then—smoothly,

As if nothing had happened, the flesh fused back together.

Meatshield’s LSSR rank super regeneration, gained through an upgraded rapid regeneration.

“NNGH!”

After taking the first blow with his body, Meatshield wrapped Haeryeong’s fiend body in a crushing hold from behind.

“KRAAAAAAH!”

Haeryeong’s nine tails turned into spears and began stabbing into Meatshield’s torso.

STAB-STAB-STAB-STAB!

“Guhk...”

Even Meatshield looked like he was struggling.

The face that was always expressionless twisted harshly.

“Hold on just a little.”

Mad Demon stepped in.

Mad Demon reached a hand toward the head of fiend Haeryeong.

“Come to your senses. You cultivated for a thousand years—can you not undo a single mistake?”

Mad Demon’s energy surged in through her head.

“KRAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Haeryeong screamed.

And so did Gyeon Dallae.

Haeryeong’s old image that remained in her memories.

Warm, benevolent, thoughtful—her teacher.

She couldn’t just stand there.

She had to do something.

In the end, the only thing she could do was a sorrow-casting ritual—pouring out every last grief.

Gyeon Dallae’s dance began.

Rajix, quick to catch on, pulled portable orchestra equipment from the Subspace Backpack and flipped the switch.

Doom-doom-doom-doom!

Drums echoed out.

The rhythm of a sorrow-casting ritual.

Holy knight Lucius Bardin didn’t stay still either.

Radiating a brilliance he’d never shown before with his entire body—

“Light!!!”

He shone like the sun.

“Light!!!”

Haeryeong struggled.

Nine sharp tail spears.

STAB-STAB-STAB-STAB-STAB!

Meatshield’s body became a wreck.

But he didn’t let go of Haeryeong.

He held tighter.

Mad Demon also drew out every last bit of energy in his body to control the fiend’s power.

Please come to your senses.

And regain, like before, the power of the imperial grand shaman.

“Haah...”

Juhyeok couldn’t stay still either.

Was he really supposed to just watch this?

No matter how much of a weak man he was, this wasn’t it.

So he walked toward Haeryeong.

“C-Comman—!”

“Commander, you can’t.”

Can’t my ass!

He had learned Mad Demon’s martial arts too.

If you looked at it that way, he was practically a disciple.

He circulated Heavenly-Earth One-Origin Art, then covered his hand over Mad Demon’s hand placed on Haeryeong’s head.

“...Summoner?”

“Keep going.”

Juhyeok’s energy joined Mad Demon’s.

The two of them together pressed down the fiend’s energy.

Gyeon Dallae’s dance continued, and Cossack, Supervisor Veronica, and Rajix prayed, and Bardin’s Radiance blazed.

Everyone wished with one heart.

Then a change came.

“GRRRK...”

The nine tail spears that had been stabbing Meatshield over and over lost their strength and drooped.

Haeryeong’s eyes, which had been split straight down, returned to normal.

Haeryeong came to her senses for a moment.

She was ashamed.

All because a sacred straw rope had been removed—she’d gone berserk and raged like a mad beast.

Was a thousand years of cultivation worth only this?

Was being made to eat human liver against her will such a grave sin?

No.

It wasn’t only because she’d eaten liver.

In the end, it was because she hadn’t cut away desire.

A craving for power, greed to rise higher.

If you thought about it, wasn’t the purpose of ascension similar?

The selfishness of wanting to look down upon the world and finally seize freedom for soul and flesh.

Everything had come from that.

How could she speak of ascension when she couldn’t even throw away greed?

A thousand years of cultivation was all an illusion.

She’d only wasted time.

Her disciple, Gyeon Dallae, had returned from death to save the world and was fighting like this, and she—

She couldn’t face her disciple.

And it was devastating.

The ruined Cheon Empire.

The suffering of the people caused by it—

Yet she’d entered seclusion, claiming she would cut ties to the mortal world.

It was irresponsible.

She should have stepped forward, for a better world.

Regret and self-reproach, a vicious sense of loss.

And then, in that moment, her disciple’s dance entered Haeryeong’s eyes.

The sorrow-casting ritual she herself had taught.

‘How can she be so beautiful.’

A disciple who lost parents, lost her only younger sibling, was trapped in a bottomless space—yet never broke, endured, and now danced for the greater cause.

If there was anything Haeryeong had contributed to the world, it was raising that child.

At last, her heart became calm.

Now it felt like even the last shard of lingering regret was fading away.

When regret disappears, ties to the mortal world are severed as well.

And so—

FWOOOOSH!

With a brilliant light, the soul of thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong—

SSSST—

At last loosened the tower’s bondage.

SPOT!

And advanced toward ascension.

Ding!

[You have completed all missions on Floor 74.]

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