We were teleported back as soon as that things speech ended.
The ground cracked like splitting bone, causing Earthquake with the magnitude of 3.8.
8 hours and 30 minutes left before the poison spreads.
We used our mini maps to reach at the location, where the towers emerged from the ground.
Hwadong Pond Waterside Park.
Just beyond Hwadong Pond Waterside Park, two monstrous spires erupted from the soil, ripping through concrete, swallowing trees, and blackening the very air they breathed.
The towers weren't natural. They weren't buildings.
They were monuments to death.
Five stories tall, sculpted like chess pawns carved by something ancient and cruel. One was coated in jet-black obsidian that absorbed the light. The other shone in sickly pearl-white, as if it had been bleached by poison. A noxious green mist curled around both.
We hadn't even stepped inside, and already it felt like a war had begun. The breeze around Hwadong Pond was dead still, as if nature itself was holding its breath.
[MISSION 3 – Poison Twins]
Objective: Enter both towers. Reach the top floors. Prevent the poison explosion.
Penalty: Complete sector contamination.
We were the first to reach the towers.
"Well," Ye-Rin muttered, pulling down her sunglasses, "guess this is what a death trap looks like when it's trying to be fashionable."
[System Notice]:
[Only 3 members may enter the BLACK Tower.]
[4 may enter the WHITE Tower.]
[Choose your team wisely.]
"Three and four?" I frowned. "Seriously?"
"I find it weird." Mother muttered to herself. "Why these specific numbers."
"We need balanced groups," I said.
"I'll go with this young man," Hyun-Tae said suddenly. Pointing at me while patting Boom-Boom across his back. "We'll blow a hole through whatever's upstairs."
"You better," Seo-Yeon muttered.
In the end, we made the call.
Black Tower: Me, Mother, and Hyun-Tae.
White Tower: Seo-Yeon, Ye-Rin, In-Ji, and Song-Woo.
Still, all our eyes turned to Eun-ha.
She hadn't said a word since the towers emerged. Her tiny fingers clutched the leather of Volt's neck-spine like it was the only thing anchoring her to this world.
Hyun-tae foolishly spoke, "We could die inside. I think it's better to leave her behind."
Boom-Boom, The shotgun spoke "Shut up! You old man."
"No one's dying," Seo-Yeon said sharply.
I caught the way she glanced at Eun-ha.
The girl wasn't trembling, wasn't speaking—but her eyes were wide and glossy, like she was a second away from breaking.
"She's not coming with us," In-Ji said quietly. "She's not ready. She just… can't."
"But we can't leave her here," Song-Woo added, voice low. "If we do, then someone else has to stay here and we saw how that worked out.
"Or worse," Mother said grimly, "What if something else shows up while we're gone?"
I looked to Volt.
The dragon had been silent until now, his golden eyes calmly scanning the horizon. He lowered his head slightly, bringing himself level with me.
"I'll guard her," Volt said, voice deep and resonant. "She's safest in the sky with me."
Ye-Rin narrowed her eyes. "You sure?"
"She'll be riding a moving fortress with wings," I answered for him. "If anyone or anything tries to reach her, they'll regret it."
Still, no one moved.
That's when Eun-ha finally spoke.
Her voice was small, almost drowned by the hum of the towers. "You'll come back, right?"
Everyone turned toward her.
Seo-Yeon stepped forward first. She reached up, gently touching Eun-ha's hand where it gripped Volt's scales. "Of course. You're part of this team now, remember? We don't leave teammates behind."
"You're not a mission," I added, crouching slightly to meet her eye. "You're family now. So stay safe, and keep Volt in check."
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Volt's tail flicked once. "She'll keep me on a leash."
Ye-Rin sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if I come back and find a single scratch on her, I'm frying your wings."
"Duly noted," Volt replied.
There was still weight in the air. The unspoken fear. That we were walking into poison, into death, and that maybe—just maybe—we wouldn't walk out.
Song-Woo finally said what we were all thinking.
"She's only safe if we win."
As we turned toward the looming towers, I took one last look over my shoulder.
Eun-ha raised her small hand in a trembling wave.
I didn't wave back.
Instead, I said softly—more to myself than anyone else:
"We'll come back. Even if we have to tear down the tower to do it."
And with that, we stepped through the gates of poison and steel.
A silence that stretched, that watched.
Mi-Sun stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. "I don't like this."
Hyun-Tae muttered, "We're still alive. That already feels like a trap."
I reached for the handle, expecting heat or a surge of mana. Nothing. It opened with a hiss—too smoothly—and revealed… nothing but blackness.
A single corridor swallowed in shadow.
I glanced down at Junior.
The baby spider monkey stared back, all eight red eyes glowing faintly. It sniffed once, then chirped.
"That's either a good sign or a funeral bell," I said.
The corridor spiraled, narrowed, then cracked open into a maze.
And I mean maze.
Tall stone walls loomed at least twenty feet high, etched with poison ivy patterns and glowing fungal growth. We couldn't see the ceiling—or the sky. Just the throb of sickly green veins along the cracks of the stone.
The door slammed shut behind us.
[ WARNING: Communication Disabled Inside the Maze ]
Our walkie-talkies fizzled into silence. I tapped mine twice and shoved it back into my belt.
"Guess we're on our own," Boom-Boom spoke out loud.
"So we trust Junior," I said, and crouched down beside the spider monkey. "You got this?"
He sniffed the air, then clambered onto my shoulder and pointed—two of his arms stretching forward.
That was all we had.
We moved quickly.
Left. Right. Dead end. Turn around.
Junior chirped once at every wrong turn, tugging my hair or patting my cheek when I hesitated. I started to realize—he wasn't just following scent. He was sensing pressure shifts, mana currents, maybe even vibration.
Whatever it was, the little guy was good.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tower, I imagined the others were struggling.
But Seo-Yeon had something we didn't—flight.
Her new skill she obtained at level 15.
White Tower – Seo-Yeon's Team
According to what we learned later, the white tower maze wasn't easier—just more spacious. The walls were smooth ivory stone, constantly shifting when no one was looking. One second a path existed; the next, a dead end.
Seo-Yeon floated just a few feet off the ground, arms spread wide, her telekinetic field humming faintly.
Every time the walls shimmered like heat haze, Seo-Yeon changed direction. Not once did she touch the floor. In-Ji and Ye-Rin ran below her, watching her hands. If they twisted—left. If they pulsed—pause. If they clenched—backtrack immediately.
It was like watching a dancer move through a nightmare, guiding her team like a phantom conductor.
"They're cheating," Ye-Rin mumbled once.
By the time her team reached the center chamber, Seo-Yeon hadn't even broken a sweat.
Black Tower – Final Turn
Junior squeaked excitedly.
We turned a final bend—and the green light broke into silver.
A staircase.
Winding. Spiral. Upward.
"Third floor," Mi-Sun said, adjusting her grip on her dagger. "Feels like we're about to fight something."
Hyun-Tae loaded Boom-Boom with a tired sigh. "I hope it's not polite."
We climbed the stairs.
The Guardian Arena.
And stepped into a cathedral of war.
Massive. Stone floors coated in shimmering poison. The circular chamber stretched at least thirty meters across, with massive pillars carved like skeletal serpents. Light streamed from glowing runes in the domed ceiling.
And in the middle—it stood.
A Centaur, towering and fully armored. Black plate wrapped around its equine lower body, segmented and heavy. Its upper torso rippled with muscle, draped in crimson banners, and in its hands—
A spear twice my height in the left. A buckler with glowing runes in the right.
Its helmet had no eye holes. Just a solid black helm with a single slit of green fire cutting across like a visor.
When it stepped forward, the entire tower trembled.
My hand curled around my wooden sword.
Mi-Sun whispered, "That's the Guardian. I suppose.
White Tower – Guardian Arena
At the same time, Seo-Yeon's team emerged into their arena—and froze.
The floor was pure white marble. Pillars wrapped in golden vines. A still, glassy pool encircled the central platform.
And in the pool, coiled like a sleeping god—
A white snake, easily the length of a two football fields.
Its eyes were closed, body glistening with faint blue steam. Runes were carved into its scales—runes that pulsed with heartbeat-like rhythm.
In-Ji stepped back instantly. "That's not a snake."
"It's a temple guardian," Seo-Yeon whispered.
The moment she said it—the anaconda's eyes snapped open.
Two golden orbs stared straight at her.
And it hissed.
Low. Deep. Like the sound of thunder curling inside a teacup.
We were standing at the gates of hell again. But this time, there were no goblins. No swarms.
Just one guardian each.
And no one else was coming to help.
I raised my sword and breathed deep.
"Let's dance, horseman."