episode_0000

Prologue.

“Ugh…”

How much did I drink yesterday? It’s been a while since I poured alcohol on my bare body.

I usually use magic to detox at the right time, but I couldn’t do that yesterday because of the atmosphere. Tsk, I was crazy. I was out of my mind.

My head was a little dizzy. Naturally, I moved my right hand to put it on my forehead. Then I heard a strange sound.

Clang—

A cold metallic sound. A colder sensation wrapped around my wrist. What is this? The softness I feel on my back is definitely a bed, right? But it wasn’t just my right wrist.

Clang— Rattle—

My left wrist, both ankles, and even my waist. There were a total of five places where I felt this bizarre sensation.

If I tried to move each part beyond a certain distance, it endlessly restrained my body. I was startled and opened my eyes.

“What! Who is it!”

An unfamiliar ceiling… but not really. It wasn’t like I saw it often, but it was a ceiling I had encountered a few times. I quickly rolled my eyes around to look around.

Silver chains extended from each corner of the beds, binding my limbs, and a hemispherical restraint extended from about the middle of the mattress, tightly wrapping around my waist.

Surprisingly, there was no one nearby. I don’t know what kind of crazy bastard it is, but they went to all this effort to tie me up and didn’t even set up a guard?

I was dumbfounded. I immediately tried to draw up the magic power surging from my whole body… huh?

‘My magic power, it’s not moving?’

I looked at my body with a pale face. Thanks to that, I uttered a curse word after a long time.

“Damn it, a chain that blocks magic power? That’s all it takes?”

There are such things on the market, but their power is weak. It wouldn’t work on a high-level magician like me. But the restraints I’m wearing now are on a different level.

‘No, there’s still hope. The magic power injected into the chains is gradually fading. If I hold on a little longer, I can escape.’

Immediately after, I heard the sound of a door opening softly somewhere. Damn it, my magic is out of whack and I didn’t even know who was outside the door.

I turned my head, maintaining the most calm expression possible. Soon, my face lit up.

“Sarah? Is that you Sarah?”

Phew, that’s a relief. The woman who opened the door was my longtime companion. I don’t know what’s going on right now, but she’ll save me soon. Let’s find the culprit after that.

But why does she look like that? She looks like when we first met.

“Sarah! Hurry up and save me! What kind of crazy bastard did this to me!”

“…”

At that moment, Sarah’s red eyes looked at me with a bewitching light. Ugh, her eyes are sometimes creepy, you know?

Her eyes have been red ever since ‘that incident.’ It was quite scary.

Soon she smiled softly and said to me.

“Why? Where are you going?”

“…… Huh? Well, of course, I have to find the culprit who made my body like this…”

“What are you going to do after you find them?”

What is this? Something is wrong with the questions and answers. I tried to ignore the anxiety rising in my heart and said.

“Well… I have to punish them. Haha… Stop joking and let me go. My wrist hurts.”

“Hmm, I see.”

She slowly approached me. Now that I see it, Sarah was holding a sandwich in her small hand. That’s strange. It’s not like we’re at the point where she brings me breakfast.

“You must be hungry. Eat this first. We’re doing this to live, right?”

“Oh, uh? Y-yes…”

That’s true, but it felt strange coming from her. For some reason, I unconsciously bit into the sandwich that flew to my lips due to a sense of pressure.

“Deli, delicious. Haha. Delicious. Is that enough? Let me go now.”

“…”

She stared at me intently for a while. Soon her lips opened.

“John.”

Chills—

I got goosebumps for a moment. I tried to be as calm as possible and said.

“What?”

“You’ve always had a good memory and you’ve been quick-witted, right?”

“That’s true. But why?”

“…”

Smile—

“How long are you going to pretend you don’t know?”

“……!”

“You’re still really good at acting. That’s why it’s even more detestable.”

She reached out her hand like a snake and caressed my left hand.

“That’s a pretty ring~ Your girlfriend gave it to you as a gift, right?”

“……”

I couldn’t even answer. It was like I was a frog meeting a predator.

“It’s even on your ring finger? Are you going to get married or something?”

“……”

“You’re wearing the magic amplification ring I gave you on your right index finger, and this ring with no effect on your left ring finger. How should I put it. How…”

Grasp! She grabbed my finger. The finger with the silver ring that my girlfriend gave me.

“I feel, disgusting?”

“Heok!”

She strongly pressed the ring. Her grip, which had already surpassed the realm of a criminal a long time ago, was extremely grotesque. The sound of the ring bursting hit my eardrums with a chilling sound. No, not this…

Creak— snap.

“Well, I’ll let it slide. Women understand women’s hearts, so I can’t break a couple ring.”

“Why, why are you doing this! Sarah Kim!”

No matter what I shouted, she was already lost in her own world. She slowly lowered her head and whispered in my ear.

Her jet-black hair, scattered, seemed to cut off the world and me.

“I don’t care about rings like that. From now on, you’re mine anyway. That girl can just caress her ring and live her whole life.”

“……”

“John, you told me, didn’t you? That you would definitely climb to the top of the tower and return to reality. That you would marry your girlfriend then. You told me, didn’t you?”

“……”

“My wish is the opposite, John.”

Ah, where did it go wrong? After entering this damned tower? Or after finding her in the tutorial? No, that’s not it…

“In this beautiful tower. The two of us will be together forever. No one can conquer the top of the tower. Because I’m going to kill them all.”

I shouldn’t have gotten close to her. I shouldn’t have even talked to her. I shouldn’t have even looked at her.

“I love you. I love you, John. I’ll make you happy for sure.”

“……”

Her unique sticky magic power comes in through the chains. Actually, I knew. I knew who owned the magic power of the restraints.

How could I not know? It’s the magic power of a companion who’s been with me almost every day since entering the tower.

I was just denying it. I wanted to deny it and deny it again, and change reality.

“……”

In the end, there is only one way. No matter what, right now…

I have to kill her.