She continued her journey.

She couldn’t even tell how much time had passed anymore.

She crossed scorching deserts.

Traversed freezing polar regions.

And carved her way through vast, untamed jungles.

Even with her body actively breaking down and riddled with deep-seated ailments, she never once gave up.

Eventually, she managed to cross the entire continent, arriving at a port city on the westernmost edge of the map. She planned to procure food and fresh water here before boarding a ship.

Since she still hadn’t obtained a single sliver of information after wandering for so long, there was a high chance the tower had landed in a place far beyond the reach of human information networks. Therefore, she intended to sail even further north this time.

"I heard you’re looking for extra hands to clean the ship."

She had been walking around the dockside town, trying to earn her fare. The muscular captain with a long, braided beard just waved his hand dismissively at her.

"No, no way. The crew will complain. Letting a woman on board is terrible luck."

This level of blatant dismissal was something she was fully accustomed to by now. Without a single word of complaint, she politely bowed her head and stepped back outside to check a local bulletin board plastered with job postings.

"I found you! Countess Hong Yeon!"

Someone came running up the street, loudly calling her name. The man wearing heavy knight’s armor was a face Hong Yeon instantly recognized.

"...Sir Aaron?"

"So this is where you’ve been! I’ve been searching for you for ages."

Aaron glanced at the bulletin board Hong Yeon had been staring at and offered a bitter smile.

"Why is a grand hero looking for such menial chores? You could easily go to the local lord’s castle, reveal your identity as an Imperial Countess, and simply demand the funds."

"I refused the title. And I have no intention of extorting money from foreigners by throwing around a status I don’t claim."

"You’re as strictly upright as ever," he chuckled. "Ah! I bring excellent news."

Aaron pulled a rolled piece of parchment from his coat and handed it over.

"I rushed all the way here in a single breath just to deliver this to you."

"What is this?"

"It’s news regarding the tower you’ve been looking for."

Hong Yeon’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly unfolded the parchment and scanned the ink.

It stated that an unidentified tower had recently been discovered in a small, rural village situated at the southernmost tip of the Kiola Kingdom.

The Kiola Kingdom... That’s exactly where I first landed...

The tower was only one hundred and twenty-four miles away from her initial point of arrival.

It wasn’t a short distance, of course, but compared to the sheer amount of ground she had painstakingly covered thus far, it was absolutely nothing.

"It perfectly matches your description—a solid gray exterior wall and a nine-story structure. It’s located in such a remote backwater that the news was severely delayed in reaching the capital... Countess?"

Before she even realized it, heavy tears were dripping down her cheeks, dampening the parchment in her trembling hands.

"...Thank you."

She furiously wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"...Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you."

Aaron formed a faint, sympathetic smile and patiently waited for her to calm down. He truly felt that she was a woman burdened by a deeply storied past.

"I’ve already arranged for a fast ship," he added softly. "The fare has been paid in full, so you only need to board."

"...Why is His Majesty going to such lengths to help me? I rejected the Empire’s title."

Aaron laughed heartily, placing a hand on his hip.

"It’s only natural we help you. You’re a grand hero, Countess! If you hadn’t chased away that rampaging dragon during the capital’s defense battle, twenty million Imperial citizens would have burned to ashes."

Hong Yeon remained silent.

If they were openly offering their help, there was no reason to reject it now.

"Once again, thank you so much."

And so, after sailing for a full week, she finally arrived at a port in the Kiola Kingdom.

From this port, she had to march for another long stretch to reach the specific point marked on the parchment. Having completely steeled her resolve, she was just leaving the local village and passing the entrance to the forest when—

"It’s Hong Yeon!"

"Hong Yeon! Hong Yeon! Hong Yeon!"

The forest spirits fluttered close, clinging to her clothes and nuzzling affectionately against her. Now entirely accustomed to their playful nature, Hong Yeon let the tiny beings perch on her fingertips, a soft smile touching her lips.

"Where are you going, child?"

A spirit’s voice echoed from deep within the woods, accompanied by a sudden, overwhelmingly massive presence.

"I am heading to Liman Village," she answered.

Rumble!

As soon as the words left her mouth, thick tree roots erupted from the earth, hoisting Hong Yeon into the air. She let out a short yelp as she plopped down onto her rear.

Her vantage point rose higher and higher. The lush canopy brushed against the top of her head until she broke through the foliage, able to look down upon the sweeping expanse of the forest.

The entity that had risen from the ground was a colossal, ancient tree. It had deep-set eyes and a wide mouth carved into its bark, its countless branches swaying gently in the wind.

"Our spirit realm owes you a great debt. I shall take you to Liman Village."

"Take her! Take her!" the smaller spirits chimed in.

The ancient tree strode across the landscape, its enormous body eating up the distance. The surroundings blurred past at a dizzying pace, compressing a week’s journey into a mere handful of hours.

Upon finally arriving at her destination, Hong Yeon offered a deep bow.

"Thank you, Spirit."

"Bye! Bye!"

"May the grace of nature be with you always."

With the ancient tree and the spirits departing, Hong Yeon stepped into Liman Village, the final outpost before the tower.

Since the sun was already dipping below the horizon, she decided to wait until morning to venture toward the tower. For the time being, she checked into a local inn.

I’ll be able to see him tomorrow.

Calming her pounding heart, she stood in front of the room’s mirror. Having lived like a walking corpse over the past few weeks, without so much as glancing at a reflection, her appearance was a total disaster.

A belated wave of embarrassment washed over her, flushing her cheeks with heat.

She scrubbed herself clean in the bath. After casting recovery magic on her lingering cuts and bruises, her skin returned to its pristine, pale state.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she spritzed on a touch of perfume and applied this world’s equivalent of moisturizer to her face, indulging in a desperately needed moment of self-care.

Thanks to the power of magic, she quickly regained her radiant appearance.

And so, the next morning arrived.

As soon as day broke, she hired a carriage in the village.

"To the Forest of Demonic Beasts, please," Hong Yeon said as she climbed into the back seat.

The coachman’s eyes widened in confusion. "The Forest of Demonic Beasts?"

"Yes."

The coachman snapped the reins. The horses stepped forward, and the wooden wheels began to roll along the dirt path.

"I mean, I’ll take you since you’re paying, but what business do you have out in those gloomy woods?"

"...Ahaha, I just have a few personal matters to attend to."

"Most folks try to avoid that forest entirely. There’s a weird tower in there, you know."

The colossal tower that had abruptly plummeted into the middle of the forest one day was a major source of local gossip.

"And the rumors are pretty nasty, too." The coachman lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Some say it’s a tower that summons monsters. Others say it’s swarming with demonic beasts, just waiting to invade the world."

Hong Yeon listened, nodding calmly.

"I heard Lord Baekgyeong stepped up and tried to demolish the thing, but well, neither arrows nor magic could leave a single scratch on it!"

"That is impressive."

"Judging by your outfit, miss, you look like a mage. But you’d better keep your guard up."

Hong Yeon offered the chatty coachman a faint, polite smile. Truthfully, she couldn’t tell him the reality of the situation.

The tower didn’t summon monsters. There were no demonic beasts lurking inside. There was merely a single man, asleep within its walls.

After a few hours of traveling, the top of the towering structure slowly pierced the horizon.

"As agreed, this is as far as I can take you." The coachman brought the carriage to a halt. "Any further, and the monsters will start popping up."

"This is fine. Thank you."

She paid her fare and stepped into the dense treeline alone.

Yusin.

As the distance closed, a chaotic swarm of thoughts cluttered her mind.

Is this really the right tower? Is Yusin safe? What should I even say to him?

Her pace quickened until her breathing grew ragged. Unsure if she was walking in the right direction, or how far she had even gone, she pushed blindly through the thickets like a woman fleeing from a predator.

As she trudged forward in a daze, a thick, gray fog began to settle over the woods. With every passing second, the mist grew denser.

The Mist Barrier.

She closed her eyes, recalling Yusin’s exact words.

"The method to bypass the Mist Barrier is simple. You leak your internal mana outward and watch where it flows. The Magic Tower acts as a sort of lightning rod, so it naturally gathers mana."

Channeling mana to her fingertips, she let it bleed into the air. When she released only a trickle, it scattered uselessly. But when she increased the density, the luminescent energy drifted with unwavering purpose, acting as a compass.

Focusing her mind, she followed the current.

"...Ah."

At some point, the fog pulled back like a painted curtain, revealing a towering structure sitting in a wide-open clearing.

Seeing it up close, the exterior was a flawless match to the one she knew. Her heart hammering against her ribs, she marched up to the Magic Tower’s grand front doors.

Because Yusin had engraved the tower’s crest onto her arm, she cautiously pressed her palm against the heavy door.

Vwooom!

With a sudden pulling sensation, she was sucked inside.

She stood in stunned silence.

A pitch-black void greeted her, completely devoid of a single speck of light. Only a suffocating silence hung in the air, and it was cold enough that her breath plumed in white clouds. Exhaling softly, she dropped a hand to her waist.

With a crisp ring of steel, she drew her Sword Device. Holding the blade upright, she scanned the room.

As her golden eyes adjusted to the gloom, the silhouettes of objects slowly took shape.

A neat table carved from solid wood. Glass tubes tangled together like intricate spiderwebs. And a sofa upholstered in gold fabric.

Then, she spotted something familiar. A magazine resting on the table.

She carefully flipped it open.

Korean...!

How long had it been since she had last seen Korean text? A profound sense of certainty washed over her, stronger than ever before.

This is the Magic Tower I know. There’s no doubt about it.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

But now was not the time to get emotional. Even a single misstep would put both her and Yusin in grave danger.

She steeled her resolve.

Ea, the homunculus, didn’t appear. Just as Jin Bora had warned her, it seemed the tower’s AI had entered a dormant state due to the Master’s prolonged inactivity.

With her sword raised, Hong Yeon advanced, meticulously sweeping her surroundings. Before long, she found exactly what she was looking for.

That’s the magic circle elevator.

She cautiously stepped onto the intricate array. With a low hum, a row of glowing buttons materialized in the air.

Blue lights illuminated every floor, from the first to the ninth.

He’s sleeping on the ninth floor.

Her fingers trembled as she reached forward.

Don’t be a coward.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed the button. A floating sensation lifted the weight from her legs, and her vision warped in a dizzying flash.

The ninth floor. The Master of the Magic Tower’s quarters.

Finally, she had made it.

She snapped her eyes open and stared straight ahead.

The luxurious, jewel-encrusted desk. The auburn leather chair. The transparent wall offering a sweeping view of the sky outside. Everything matched the painstaking details Jin Bora had drilled into her head so she wouldn’t make a mistake.

And though it was partially obscured by a towering bookshelf, a bed sat at the far end of the room.

Right there...

Someone was lying on it.

Thump!

Her mouth went bone-dry. A suffocating wave of tension crushed her chest.

The past several years of agonizing struggle had existed entirely for this single, fleeting moment.

She calmly leveled her sword and slashed through the empty air.

Like unzipping a closed bag, the void tore open.

To execute the eighth sequence of Chaos, an alternate dimension had to be consumed. And that dimension was the entirety of the Magic Tower’s interior.

Every time she dragged her blade through the air, bead-like droplets bled from the rift, coating the steel.

"...Ah."

It was then that a voice shattered the silence.

"...Aah... Aaaaah! ...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Dripping with sheer madness, a mass of purple, gas-like energy violently shoved its head out from the bedroom. Hong Yeon nearly screamed.

"A body! A fresh human body! Just how long has it been?!"

It was Nemesis in its spiritual state.

And the man lying on the bed was undeniably Yusin. The tether of Nemesis’s gaseous form was rooted directly to his chest.

"And you are... Yes, yes! The Guardian of Earth! You made it all the way here!"

A freezing gale swept through the room, sending stacks of documents fluttering wildly into the air.

"Give it to me."

Nemesis expanded rapidly. Two massive arms sprouted from the vapor, and the twisted contours of a face emerged.

"Give me that bodyyyyyyyy!"

The second Nemesis lunged forward with its gaping maw, Hong Yeon swung her sword.

A strike imbued with the pure essence of Chaos cleaved through the air.

"It’s usele—!"

The entity’s words died instantly.

In a fraction of a second, Nemesis’s body, an existence that supposedly couldn’t be harmed by any physical or magical attack, was sliced cleanly in half.

"H-How could this...! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

With an ear-piercing shriek, the purple soul crumbled into ash and scattered into nothingness.

The roaring wind blowing through the room died down, and the thrashing documents fluttered peacefully to the floor.

It’s over.

The end of the great calamity that had driven countless worlds to absolute ruin was anticlimactically simple.

Exhaling a long, trembling breath, Hong Yeon sheathed her sword at her waist.

It had been a very long journey.

She took a step forward.

Toward Yusin, who lay perfectly still on the mattress.

Her heart, which had cooled to absolute zero for combat, began to hammer wildly against her ribs the moment she laid eyes on him.

Thump!

There was no mistaking it.

It was really him.

Perhaps due to the Titan Magic, he didn’t look a day older than when they had parted ways on the New Continent. He still had that familiar, clean-shaven, tidy appearance.

Right now, Yusin’s condition was incredibly precarious. He had cloaked himself in Titan Magic to prevent his body from being stolen, all while plunging into a deep state of consciousness using Requiem Magic to protect his mind.

Time flowed agonizingly slow in the mental realm. She couldn’t even begin to fathom how long he had been fighting a lonely, isolated battle in his own head.

Rallying her focus once more, she extended an arm. Through remote chanting, a glowing blue magic circle materialized beneath Yusin’s body.

It was a spell designed to unravel mana bonds, nullifying any significant magical effects at their very source.

<High Lord Cancellation>

A radiant blue light surged upward, embracing his form.

The Requiem Magic shattered in a flash, but the Titan Magic clung stubbornly to his skin like dark, greasy stains on clothing, refusing to burn away.

"Yusin!"

She cried out his name, drawing forth the absolute limits of her mana.

<High Lord Cancellation> ×10

Blue light erupted, attempting to purify his body once more, but the stains lingered.

"Come back! Please!"

Screaming at the top of her lungs, she rotated all eight of her circles simultaneously, spewing out a monstrous wave of mana. A tsunami of azure light completely engulfed the entire ninth floor in a single instant.

<High Lord Cancellation> ×100

The entire world was dyed deep blue before slowly returning to normal. Finally, the Titan Magic that had been caked onto Yusin like ancient grime darkened into ash and dissolved completely.

"Haa... haa..."

She rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

However.

"...Yusin?"

He didn’t wake up.

No matter how long she stood there waiting, absolutely nothing changed.

"Why aren’t you waking up?"

Tearfully, she stumbled to his side.

She had crossed over into an alternate dimension. She had destroyed Nemesis. She had neutralized the Titan Magic.

Hadn’t she done exactly what he asked? Hadn’t she followed his reckless, suicidal plan to the letter?

Then why wasn’t he opening his eyes?

"You’re just messing with me, right? You’ve scared me enough, so please get up now. Please..."

She shook his shoulders, her expression twisting in sheer desperation, but it was to no avail.

Her fleeting joy evaporated, replaced by a profound, crushing despair. Completely broken, she collapsed onto his chest.

Only the pathetic sound of her sobbing echoed through the quiet room.

This absolute silence, this utter stillness, it felt like the most terrifying nightmare in the world.

"...So what exactly did you want me to save?"

Her crushing sorrow violently morphed into rage.

"What were you supposedly waiting for?!" she wailed, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. "How was any of this the best option?! You don’t spare a single ounce of thought for anyone else! Have you ever once considered how agonizing it would be for the people left behind after you sacrificed yourself? You’re always so damn one-sided...!"

Right then, a heavy hand lightly rested against her shaking shoulder.

Hong Yeon whipped her head up, tears streaming down her blotchy face.

"...You’re heavy."

Before she knew it, Yusin’s vivid blue eyes were staring right back at her.

"...Ah."

His lips curled into that characteristic, lopsided smirk, the one she loved more than anything else in the world.

"Aah... Aaaaaaaaaah!"

Trembling violently, Hong Yeon practically drowned in a fresh flood of tears.

Still lying flat on his back, Yusin reached up and gently stroked her cheek.

"Why does it feel like you’re crying every single time I see you?"

She let out a watery sob and practically tackled him in a crushing hug.

He held her in silence.

Yusin rhythmically stroked her hair, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

And then, reality finally hit him.

Every single one of his impossible plans had fallen perfectly into place.

Hong Yeon had actually succeeded.

Only then did a profound, overwhelming sense of relief wash over him. Blood rushed hotly through his veins, and his dulled senses sparked fully to life.

Looking down at the red-haired woman sobbing into his chest, his own heart began to pound wildly.

"Was it tough getting all the way here?" he asked softly.

"...Yes."

"How tough?"

"So, so tough."

Finding her whimpering and nuzzling into his chest impossibly cute, Yusin threw his head back and burst into laughter.

She peeked her head up.

Her golden eyes blinked rapidly as she gazed down at him, and Yusin met her gaze with striking azure eyes.

Tears continued to slide down her cheeks, but a brilliant smile broke across her face. Yusin felt a lump forming in his throat, too.

The two of them laughed and cried together, locking eyes, lacing their fingers together, and pressing their foreheads against each other.

She offered a beaming smile, and Yusin grinned, flashing his teeth. Pure vitality erupted within them, every living cell in their bodies singing with life.

Just looking at each other made them so overwhelmingly happy that they trembled.

"Let’s go home," Yusin whispered.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she offered him a radiant, sunlit smile.

"Yes!"

Nemesis had been destroyed. Past Earth, at the very edge of all dimensions, the two had finally reunited.

It was humanity’s first recorded victory in a desperate war against calamity that had repeated hundreds of times over.

And standing at the very center of it all was the Master of the Magic Tower and his Guardian.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Bathed in the warm sunlight flooding through the window, their lips finally met.

*