episode_0164

164. Restraint.

Drizzling- Cheers!

Yohan looked at the liquor filling the glass with a reluctant gaze.

“Isn’t this too much? Is this really okay?”

“Yohan. Are we ordinary people? You were fighting like crazy until just now, why are you acting like this.”

She wasn’t wrong. However-

‘Why is she so talkative today.’

Seeing her eyes, red and glistening, and the strangely long way she spoke, he couldn’t shake off an ominous feeling.

But what could he do? She was his precious comrade. Yohan downed the glass.

“Kheuheueue.”

A burning sensation spread from his esophagus. It was incomparably stronger than any alcohol he had ever drunk.

Yohan grabbed his tingling throat and tried to draw up his magic power-

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s not use magic today. It might be the last drink we have inside the tower, so we should enjoy it comfortably.”

“…Is that really the only reason?”

“Huh? What is?”

“…….”

Yohan sighed deeply.

‘Well, she wouldn’t actually kill me, would she?’

He forced a smile and said.

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s drink. It tastes good.”

“Right?”

The corners of her lips twitched. After exchanging drinks several times, she put her elbow on the table.

Thanks to this, her ample breasts were gathered together. She was wearing a thin dress today.

“Yohan.”

“Yeah.”

“What was your girlfriend’s name again?”

“It’s Seonah, why?”

Her face was quite flushed. Was she drunk? He wasn’t sure.

‘Dizzy…….’

Not using magic and drinking alcohol was quite a chore. Yohan forced his eyes open wide.

“Do you think about her often? That Seonah person?”

Yohan nodded.

“Of course. She’s my only girlfriend.”

“…I see.”

She was silent for a moment before saying.

“What if a lot of time has passed? Like, what if several decades have gone by?”

“That could happen.”

Her expression brightened slightly. However, it darkened again at Yohan’s next words.

“But that doesn’t change anything. I will definitely go back. Not only Seonah, but my mother and father are waiting for me too.”

“…….”

Perhaps she sensed Yohan’s firm resolve, she froze like a stone for a moment.

Then, she grabbed her glass and bowed her head deeply. When she raised her head again, she had a strangely relieved look on her face. Like a monk who had severed all worldly desires.

“Okay, I respect your decision, Yohan.”

“Thank you.”

Yohan felt lighter than before. Her eyes were much clearer than before. That fact was a small comfort.

Yohan smiled slightly and tilted his head back. The strong liquor flowed down his throat. He felt like he could finally drink in peace.

“…….”

On the other side of the transparent glass, Sarah was staring at Yohan’s finger with bright eyes.

Specifically, the ring on his ring finger.

***

‘Ugh…….’

How much did I drink yesterday? It had been a while since he had poured alcohol directly into his bare body.

He usually used magic to detoxify at the right time, but he couldn’t do that yesterday due to the atmosphere. Tsk, I was crazy. I was crazy.

His head was slightly throbbing. He naturally moved his right hand to put it on his forehead. Then, he heard a strange noise.

Clang-

A cold metallic sound. A colder sensation than that wrapped around his wrist. What is it? The softness he felt on his back was definitely the bed, right? But it wasn’t just his right wrist.

Clang- Clatter-

His left wrist, both ankles, and even his waist. There were a total of five places where he felt this bizarre sensation.

If he tried to move each part beyond a certain distance, it relentlessly restrained his body. He was startled and opened his eyes.

“What! Who is it!”

An unfamiliar ceiling… No, it wasn’t. He hadn’t seen it for long, but it was a ceiling he had encountered a few times. He hurriedly rolled his eyes to look around.

Silver chains extending from each corner of the bed were binding his limbs, and a hemispherical restraint extending from the middle of the mattress tightly wrapped around his waist.

Surprisingly, there was no one nearby. He didn’t know who the crazy bastard was, but they had put so much effort into tying him up and didn’t even leave a guard?

He was dumbfounded. He immediately tried to draw up the surging magic power from his entire body… Huh?

‘The magic power, it’s not moving?’

He examined his body with a pale face. Thanks to this, he spat out profanity for the first time in a long time.

“Damn it, chains that block magic power? With just that?”

There were such things on the market, but their power was insignificant. It wouldn’t work on a high-level magician like him. But the restraints he was wearing now were 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, he heard the sound of a door opening softly somewhere. Damn it, his magic power was messed up, so he didn’t even know who was outside the door.

He maintained the calmest expression possible and turned his head. Soon, his face brightened.

“Sarah? Sarah?”

She had a chillingly expressionless face. Yohan felt a small question and shouted.

“Sarah! Please save me quickly! Some crazy bastard did this to me!”

“…….”

At that moment, Sarah’s red eyes emitted an eerie light as she looked at him. He felt goosebumps all over.

Soon, she gave a soft smile and said to him.

“Why? Where are you going?”

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

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

What is it? Something is strange about this conversation. He tried to ignore the anxiety rising in one corner of his chest and said.

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

“Hmm, I see.”

She slowly approached him. Now that he looked at it, Sarah was holding a sandwich in her small hand. That’s strange. It wasn’t like they were close enough to bring each other breakfast.

“You must be hungry. Eat this first. We do things to live, right?”

“Oh, oh? W, well…….”

It was true, but it felt strange coming from her. He inadvertently bit into the sandwich that flew to his lips due to a strange sense of intimidation.

“I, it’s delicious. Haha. It’s delicious. Is that enough? Untie me quickly.”

“…….”

She stared at him intently for a moment. Soon, her lips opened.

“Yohan.”

Goosebumps-

He felt goosebumps all over in an instant. He tried to appear as calm as possible and said.

“Why?”

“You’ve always had a good memory and quick wits, 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 unforgivable.”

She reached out like a snake and caressed his left hand.

“The ring is pretty~ You said your girlfriend gave it to you as a gift?”

“…….”

He couldn’t even answer. It was like he had become a frog that had met a predator.

He usually didn’t wear the ring when fighting, but he tried to wear it as much as possible in everyday life like now.

It was because he wanted to feel Seonah’s warmth even in this way.

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

“…….”

“You wear the magic amplification ring I gave you on the index finger of your right hand, and this ring that has no effect on the ring finger of your left hand. It’s really… What should I say. Really…….”

Grasp! She grabbed his finger. The finger with the silver ring he received from his girlfriend.

“I feel, dirty?”

“Heok!”

She was strongly squeezing the ring. Her grip, which had already surpassed the realm of a master in the old days, was extremely bizarre.

The sound of the ring cracking hit his eardrums with a chilling sound. No, not this……

Squeak- thud.

“Well, I’ll let it go. A woman understands a woman’s heart, so I can’t break a couple ring.”

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

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

Her jet-black hair, scattering and falling, seemed to cut him off from the world.

“I don’t care about this kind of ring. From now on, you’re mine anyway. Let that girl live her whole life just caressing the ring.”

“…….”

“Yohan, you told me, right? That you would definitely climb to the top of the tower and return to reality. That you would marry your girlfriend after that. You told me, right?”

“…….”

“My wish is the opposite, Yohan.”

Ah, where did it go wrong? From entering this damn tower? Or from finding her in the tutorial? No, no….

“In this beautiful tower. We will be together forever. No one can conquer the top of the tower. Because I will kill them all.”

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

“I love you. I love you, Yohan. I will definitely make you happy.”

“…….”

Her unique, sticky magic power enters through the chains. In fact, he knew. He knew who owned the magic power of the restraints.

How could he not know? It was the magic power of his comrade who had been with him almost every day since entering the tower.

He was just denying it. Denying it again and again, he wanted to change reality.

“…….”

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

He has to kill her.