Chapter 44

Endless Outer Path only stretched the distance between me and an incoming attack.

And the first time I used it, I had to form hand seals—meaning it took precious seconds to activate.

In the Demon Realm, where my life was always at risk, I kept it active constantly. But here on Earth, leaving it on all the time would only make daily life impossible.

So when the sudden trap went off, my reflexes made me snap out a tentacle.

But people didn’t react as much as I’d feared.

“Are you hurt anywhere, miss?”

“I’m fine.”

“My apologies. I thought we cleared every trap, but it seems one was left.”

“Must’ve been a delayed trigger. More importantly, this is…”

Because what had stopped the arrows was none other than the Tentacle of Transparency.

Enhanced by the Star Scar, it split into thousands of hair-thin threads, catching every arrow midair.

“Could that be… telekinesis?”

“Hayan is the best mage in our unit.”

“…I see.”

With the added effect of subtle perception manipulation, it really did look like magic to anyone who didn’t know better.

I pulled the tentacles back and spoke calmly to the two still staring blankly at the frozen arrows.

“That was close. We don’t know what else could be waiting—let’s get outside quickly.”

“Yeah, let’s!”

We pushed out without further incident and soon climbed over the massive ice wall, which had been cleaved neatly in half, and reached the finish line.

Once the staff dispelled the black band around our ankles, we officially cleared the first mission.

— At last, the first mission is over! What a thrilling start to this year’s Tower of Proof! Wouldn’t you agree, Hans?
— Indeed. Not only is one of Korea’s Seven Immortals here, but even the Sword Immortal’s granddaughter has joined. That sword strike, slicing through space itself—truly lives up to its reputation. Seeing Yoo Se-byeol reminds me of my own daughter.
— Oh? Is your daughter also a skilled swordswoman like Se-byeol?
— No, she lost both her parents at a young age. Her biological father was my wife’s lover, incidentally.
— W-wait, Hans. Yoo Se-byeol’s father, Yoo Cheol-jin, is still alive…
— Is that so? He hasn’t had mission records for years under Korea’s Bureau, so I assumed he was dead.
— …
— …
— Ahem! Unfortunately, the cameras inside the labyrinth were destroyed, so we couldn’t show that footage. But rest assured, more highlights are coming soon—so stay tuned! After a short break for ads, we’ll return with the second mission on the next floor!

“What are you watching, Hayan?”

“Nothing.”

At Se-byeol’s glance, I instantly muted my smartwatch.

Good. She hadn’t heard.

Still, the real question was: what exactly had triggered that trap in the labyrinth?

If the cameras hadn’t been destroyed at that spot, I might never have noticed something was wrong.

Suspicion crept in—could Seol Si-heon and the Old Gods’ Wound guild members who entered with us be hiding something?

All five of them were Middle Level Awakened, yet despite falling into the lava pit in the first mission, they’d crawled out barely injured and made it to the finish line.

I asked Se-byeol about them.

“Do you know those people?”

“Old Gods’ Wound is too big for me to know everyone. And I left a long time ago.”

“I see.”

“But that ability you used—wasn’t it the same one you showed me when we sparred?”

“Yes.”

“It was incredible! It didn’t look like magic at all. I couldn’t sense a trace of mana.”

Of course not. It wasn’t magic.

That much proved Yoo Se-byeol had good instincts—quick to sense threats.

But she also had the bad habit of letting her guard down too easily toward those she trusted.

Even toward Seol Si-heon, clinging under the excuse of guild loyalty.

If that was the case, then I had no choice but to dig into his intentions myself.

“Contestants, please gather over here!”

“Smoking only in designated areas, meals over at the serving line.”

The organizers herded us into a lounge-like space for a short break before the second mission.

Since this year’s Tower of Proof was designed by the Yellow and Blue Towers, new mages in yellow and blue robes bustled around everywhere.

Some even bowed when they recognized senior mages among the participants.

“Hey, what’s for lunch today?”

“Soybean paste soup and curry.”

“Ugh. Same old slop. I had enough of that back in the Tower.”

“Well, it’s Yellow Tower food. But I heard there’s fried chicken, too.”

“Really? How’d that happen?”

“No idea. Some big shot told them to add side dishes, so they brought more.”

“You should’ve said that sooner! Come on, before it’s all gone.”

In front of the serving line, the queue was already long.

Seol Si-heon approached us.

“Miss, if you stay here, we’ll bring your meal.”

“No, I’ll stand in line myself.”

“While you’re up, could you bring mine too?”

“Get it yourself! You brat!”

After some back-and-forth, Yoo Se-byeol and the Old Gods’ Wound swordsmen joined the line, while I stayed behind to hold our seats.

I carefully observed them, looking for anything suspicious.

Using the Tentacle of Suggestion to hypnotize them would have been simple, but the Tower was too dangerous for that. Cameras were everywhere, and with so many Awakened around, anything unusual would be noticed immediately.

“But conversely, if I don’t get caught, then it isn’t a problem. Should I lure him out to the smoking area later, Mala-nim?”

“Who’s Mala?”

I froze.

The soft, graceful voice wasn’t Mala’s.

Turning my head, I saw a woman seated naturally beside me—someone I’d only just seen on the broadcast.

From head to toe, she was clad in immaculate white. The only parts not white were the faintly colored lips and nails, and the cherry blossom–tinted irises born of Awakening.

White Immortal.

Her sudden approach made me tense, ready to unleash Extreme Magic at any moment.

She tilted her head curiously.

“Who’s Mala?”

“It’s nothing. Just the Outer God I serve…”

“Revelatio, Judicium, Iustitia, Salus. None of the Four has a name like Mala.”

The Seven Immortals were Korean titles, but not all of them were Korean by birth.

Like Alexei, White Immortal had come from abroad—specifically the Baltic States.

I wasn’t fluent in English, but the names she listed clearly referred to the Outer Gods of Revelation, Judgment, Justice, and Salvation.

“No, the one I serve isn’t among those four…”

“I understand. Sometimes I talk with people from my homeland too, even though they’re already dead.”

“…”

“You’d call it ‘misery loves company.’ Want to touch it?”

She pulled a tiny skull from her robes and offered it to me.

Ugh. Creepy.

My instinctive recoil was closer to hatred than sympathy, but I forced myself to brush the top of the skull lightly with a fingernail, maintaining what little courtesy I could.

Then I asked why she had come.

“So, what brings you here? Need a light for your cigarette?”

“Such a rude man. I came to talk about the next floor.”

“The next floor?”

“Yes. Monster wave defense.”

Monster wave defense—that was the mission of the Tower’s second floor.

It was the most basic trial of monster-slaying skill, run in teams and designed much like a Gate raid.

Naturally, those who’d cleared more than just easy Gates—those with real combat experience—had the advantage.

Back in the wild old days, they used to unleash hordes of real monsters. Now it’s just illusionary clones.

And the reason wasn’t safety, but budget. It cost too much to transport actual monsters.

“The clones are made to analyze weaknesses. If you just brute-force them, you won’t earn any points.”

“Of course.”

“In the old days, the simple method was to revive a monster’s dead parents in front of it so it couldn’t fight, then let it get torn apart until it died.”

What kind of horrific spell was that!?

“Because of what I did on the first floor, the rules were tightened. Unfortunately.”

Unlike me, who bent over backwards to blend into the Special Unit…

A Transcendent Immortal didn’t need to care about appearances or passing normally.

If this were real combat, her way would’ve worked flawlessly.

But this was an event—a competition with rules.

White Immortal needed someone who knew monsters—their weaknesses, their strategies.

But one question weighed on me.

“Why me, out of everyone here? There are plenty of powerful Awakened around.”

“Reason? I don’t judge people by the path they’ve lived.”

“Then how do you judge them?”

“By the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“My eyes can read death. Death that’s already passed, and death that’s yet to come.”

“That’s quite a line. I’d like to say something that cool someday.”

She ignored me, naturally.

Like petals drifting across paper, her gaze swept lightly over the participants gathered in the lounge.

Her eyes lingered briefly on Yoo Se-byeol—standing at the serving station, collecting curry and fried chicken—then flickered once.

“Of all the people here, almost none have experienced death.”

“You mean they’ve fought with their lives on the line?”

“No. I mean literally counting the number of times they’ve died.”

Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero.

Then, pointing at Se-byeol: “One.”

And finally, her finger shifted toward me.

“But you’re different.”

“How many times have I died, then?”

“No idea.”

“…What?”

“The trail of death you’ve left is far too vast to count. Not something a human could leave behind.”

A heart stopping. A throat being cut.

If you defined death as losing more than half your blood, then sure, in the Demon Realm I’d died more than once.

But “countless”? That could only mean she was including the deaths of my tentacles too.

If Mala-nim were here, she would’ve told me what to say in this moment.

For a heartbeat, silence pressed between us.

“So that’s why you’re asking for my help.”

“Mm. If you’ve died that many times, it means you know monsters that well. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. But I’m not sure I can team up with you.”

With Seol Si-heon and the Old Gods’ Wound swordsmen, they already had six.

The rules hadn’t been announced yet, but if it was like the first mission, where pairs were mandatory, I couldn’t risk letting Se-byeol get paired with them.

Just then, she returned—two trays in hand.

The moment she spotted White Immortal seated beside me, her face stiffened and her steps faltered.

I quickly explained, pointing to Se-byeol, that I already had a partner.

To my surprise, White Immortal simply nodded, stood up, and accepted it without a fuss.

“Mm. I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“But it won’t matter.”

“…Excuse me?”

“That girl’s going to die soon anyway.”