Ch.210The Black Tower (1)

The ship docked at the island’s shore.

The tumultuous seas of the Outer Continent were deathly quiet near the island. Only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard.

“……”

After disembarking, Najin stepped onto land and looked around. A fog-shrouded island. The only thing on the island was a tall black tower reaching into the sky. In the silence where even breathing echoed loudly, Najin looked up at the sky.

A tower that reached high into the sky.

The tower, its peak hidden by fog, had no windows. There was only one entrance—a tightly sealed black iron door. Najin’s eyes narrowed as he stared at it.

-If you’re thinking of climbing the walls or breaking through the tower, I’d advise against it.

Merlin interjected, reading Najin’s thoughts.

-I tried it myself and failed.

‘……What?’

-Everything that witch made is like that. It’s designed so you can’t conquer it except through the proper method.

Something impossible even for Merlin? Najin blinked in surprise, and Merlin let out a long sigh.

-Why do you think I kept quiet when that Anton kid called the Witch of Abyss the ‘strongest magician’? As much as I hate to admit it, that bitch is higher ranked than me.

The Malefic Star, the Witch of Abyss.

The final enemy Najin would face. Merlin’s expression was like she’d bitten into a bug when speaking of the witch. She looked like she was holding back a stream of curses.

-The Black Tower, that tower? It’s meant to imprison witches, but it was used more for other purposes. She would bestow it upon witches under her command.

‘What purpose was that?’

-Torture.

Merlin said curtly.

-That tower is a well-crafted torture device. The master of that tower would kidnap humans and throw them in there. To test how far humans could be broken, and how pathetic they could become. That’s what this tower was.

‘If it was such a place……’

-Yes. Not anymore. Because I tore the Master of Black Tower to shreds. Her name was Malkuth, a crazy level 9 star, but I’ll tell you about that lunatic later.

Anyway, Merlin added.

-But traces will remain.

I don’t recommend it, but I don’t think you’ll be deterred. Muttering this, Merlin looked at Najin.

-You’re going in, aren’t you?

‘I made a promise, so I have to.’

-Right. Then steel yourself.

Merlin gave a brief explanation about the Black Tower. As he listened, Najin glanced to his side. There stood Anton, staring at the tower with wide eyes.

“Oarsman.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Is that tower our destination? My instinct tells me she’s somewhere in there.”

“You have good intuition.”

“What does that mean?”

“Yes, you’re correct.”

Najin nodded and pointed at the tower.

“The person you’re looking for is in that tower.”

“What is this tower?”

“It’s said to be a prison for witches who committed crimes, and also a torture device for humans.”

“……Is she being tortured then?”

Najin relayed Merlin’s answer through his own mouth.

“I don’t know. We don’t know where the witch Lapis is in the tower. My guide says if she’s reached the top of the tower, the torture would be over.”

“Then she’s not being tortured. She always liked high places. If there’s a tower like this before her, she would definitely have climbed to the top.”

Anton smiled as he said this.

“To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for you. I followed you across the sea just to create an interesting adventure story, but now that we’re here, my thoughts are changing.”

Anton looked at Najin.

He placed his hand on his heart and spoke.

“It’s true. My heart is racing. I can feel she’s close. Finally, finally……”

Excitement, desire, anticipation.

With eyes mixed with all sorts of emotions, Anton looked back and forth between the tower and Najin. Then he gripped his staff more tightly.

“Thank you, guide.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“You’ve performed your task admirably. As promised, the story of La Mancha……”

“The task isn’t over yet.”

Najin interrupted Anton.

“Did I mention I used to be a collector?”

“First I’m hearing of it. Why?”

“A collector’s job isn’t done until they either beat up someone who ran off with money, or bring them before the client. And in my view, this job isn’t finished yet.”

Najin shrugged.

“The witch who stole your heart and disappeared for 400 years—I haven’t brought her before you yet. I’ll take my payment when the job is completely done.”

“……What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’ll climb the tower with you. I’m personally curious too. I want to know what kind of person this witch you loved is.”

And, how you’ll end this story.

“……”

Anton, who seemed taken aback by Najin’s words, soon burst into laughter. His laughter turned into a guffaw. He laughed loudly and patted Najin’s shoulder.

“I suppose the voyage isn’t over yet. Oarsman? Are you ready to row? All the way to the top of that tower.”

“You want me to row where there’s no water?”

“You already have an oar in your hand, don’t you?”

He pointed to the spear in Najin’s hand, then to the staff in his own.

“An oar is ultimately a tool that propels you forward by pushing through water. Though there’s no water here, we still need to push against something to move forward, don’t we?”

He planted his staff on the ground.

Perhaps, rowing through the earth to move forward.

“Let’s go, oarsman.”

The two pushed open the thick iron door of the tower. With a creaking sound, the door of the Black Tower began to open.

2.

“The Black Tower was apparently managed by a witch named ‘Malkuth’ about 1000 years ago. She’s dead now, but her mystery remains in the tower.”

“Malkuth? I’ve never heard of that witch.”

“I just heard about her today too. Anyway, that witch was both a warden who watched over the witches imprisoned in the Black Tower and a torturer…”

Floor 0 of the tower.

As they walked through the tower with its chilly air, Najin spoke.

“Her torture method apparently used memories.”

“Memories?”

“Yes. Using the subject’s memories to create a kind of illusion? Like the graveyard of stars? What? What are you talking about?”

“Who are you talking to?”

“I’m talking with my inner guide. Just a moment.”

“…When this job is over, I’ll introduce you to a therapist I know well.”

Ignoring Anton’s sympathetic gaze, Najin nodded after listening to Merlin’s explanation.

“It shows illusions based on memories, and they’re placed on each floor. If you can’t break through them, you’ll be trapped in dreams forever.”

Merlin explained that Malkuth was a witch with the mystery of ‘Reminiscence,’ which she used to torture humans.

“The trial begins the moment we cross that line.”

Najin took a deep breath as he pointed to the tower’s first floor, where the real trial would begin after passing the entrance.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course. If you faint, I’ll grab your neck and carry you to the next floor. I’ll even slap you awake if needed.”

“You seem confident.”

“The reality waiting for me is too attractive to be defeated by mere illusions.”

With a confident smile, Anton walked ahead. Najin followed him into the first floor. The moment the two crossed the line marking the first floor.

Thud.

Like blowing out a candle in a dark room, Najin’s vision went black. It wasn’t just his vision that was cut off. Najin’s consciousness was severed for a moment.

Blink.

Najin closed his eyes as if falling into a deep sleep. The sensation was like sinking into deep water. Something pulled Najin up from his endless descent. It was fingers with sharp nails.

The mystery that remained in the tower after losing its master.

A touch that tried to draw memories from the soul.

The moment those fingers touched Najin’s soul.

Crack.

The sharp nails broke, the skin and muscles of the fingers tore, and even the bones crumbled. Najin sensed something was wrong.

Crack, crunch!

Like someone who had grasped something too heavy to pull out with their own hands, the fingers trembled but still managed to extract something from Najin. But what was pulled out wasn’t Najin’s.

It was someone else’s memory residing within Najin.

-Ah.

The voice of the memory’s owner was heard.

-I didn’t think of this.

Along with Merlin’s surprised voice, a bright white light flashed in Najin’s vision. Blinded by the white flash, Najin blinked several times to recover his sight.

After blinking for some time.

“Did I.”

Someone’s voice reached Najin’s ears.

“Look easy to you?”

It was a cold voice. A cold voice devoid of emotion resonated in Najin’s eardrums. Frowning, Najin looked toward the source of the sound.

The first thing that caught his eye was the frozen ground.

The next thing was a mountain of corpses.

And then.

“I’ll have to gouge out those eyes first.”

It was the sight of a girl holding up a witch by her hair on the frozen ground. Her hair resembled a lake. Her eyes, too, resembled a lake.

The woman who resembled a lake.

The magician of the lake, Merlin.

The Merlin that Najin knew well was gouging out a witch’s eyes with her bare hands.

3.

What’s going on?

Wasn’t this supposed to be based on his own memories? Najin urgently called out to his inner self. He called out to Merlin, who was always listening to him.

‘Merlin. Merlin?’

There was no answer. Like when he entered the dream of the Lonely Star, he couldn’t sense Merlin from within.

“You know.”

The Merlin who was always with Najin wasn’t here. The only one present was Merlin from the past, and Najin could hardly recognize this woman standing alone on the frozen ground as the Merlin he knew.

“I hate you all. I hate demons. I hate dragons. I hate witches. Looking at you makes me unbearably disgusted. Why are you alive? What are you thinking, living like this?”

A voice so cold it could freeze.

With an expressionless gaze looking down at the witch, she was gouging out the witch’s eyes with her bare hands. The witch couldn’t even scream, as her mouth was frozen shut.

“…, ……!”

The witch convulsed repeatedly. With fingers bleeding from torn nails, the witch clawed at the ground. Unable to even scream, the witch trembled, but Merlin continued to extract the eye slowly with an indifferent gaze.

Without using any magic, with bare hands.

Inefficiently, very slowly.

After plucking out one of the witch’s eyes, Merlin finally smiled. Grinning, she brought her face close to the witch’s remaining eye.

“Is the Witch of Abyss, your mother, watching? I hope she is. Please, please, please. I hope she’s screaming while trapped in there, unable to do anything, watching her kind being slaughtered.”

Merlin burst into laughter.

“Just like she took everything from me.”

With a grip, Merlin seized the witch’s face and pushed her thumb into the witch’s remaining eye.

“I want you, all witches, the Witch of Abyss, to suffer.”

Forever.

Splash.

The witch’s body, after a violent convulsion, went limp. Dripping with blood, Merlin turned her head. Her deep blue eyes turned toward Najin.

“Who are you?”

In the sky, twelve stars were shining.