〈A Wimp's Tower Strategy Guide 125〉
He'd had a hunch.
A mission about hunting foxes.
Gyeon Dallae suddenly taking the lead on the 74th floor.
So he'd guessed it was probably a linked quest related to her.
The guess was right.
But not like this.
Gyeon Dallae's background.
A princess of the Heavenly Empire and the chief shaman of the imperial shrine.
From a young age, she showed talent in talisman arts, rituals, and incantations.
Because of that, she took the greatest manshin of the era as her master, learning exorcisms and sorcery as she grew.
Then that nine-tailed fox is the manshin?
That was beyond doubt.
There was a nameplate floating above her head.
〈Thousand-Year Fox Haeryeong〉
Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)
Type: Nine-Tailed Fox (Divine Beast)
The background description confirmed it.
The Grand Manshin Haeryeong of the Heavenly Empire's imperial shrine was in fact a nine-tailed fox. Like all divine beasts, Haeryeong's dream was ascension. To become a Yoseon , one must endure an extremely harsh and grueling process of cultivation.
Haeryeong lived among humans. She came to understand joy, sorrow, anger, and pleasure, steadily advancing toward ascension. But cultivation is difficult. One is constantly tempted—by the desire to consume human livers.
Succumbing to temptation turns one into a yokai. A wicked spirit intoxicated by power, craving fresh human livers. But Haeryeong's will was firm. She never yielded to temptation.
Then calamity struck. While she was away, a rebellion broke out in the empire. An uncle murdered his nephew and seized the throne. Enraged, her beloved disciple Gyeon Dallae released killing intent toward the uncle who had become emperor—and died from the resulting karmic backlash.
It was a tragedy. The death of her disciple felt like her heart was being torn apart. Ascension meant nothing anymore. She withdrew from the mortal world and entered seclusion. With no thoughts and no attachments, her ties to the world faded, and she drew close to ascension. Just as she reached the very brink—disaster struck.
She was subdued by another nine-tailed fox, a former companion who had succumbed to temptation and become a wicked yokai. Forced to consume human livers, Haeryeong sealed herself to prevent turning into an evil spirit.
"Ah…"
It was heartbreaking.
That nine-tailed fox truly was Gyeon Dallae's master, the Grand Manshin.
In childish terms, a good nine-tailed fox had been defeated by a bad one.
And to fail right before ascension…
Juhyeok explained in detail to Gyeon Dallae why Haeryeong had ended up like this.
"I understand now. Once one has tasted a human liver even once, it becomes impossible to cast it aside. That is why Master sealed herself—to prevent becoming a wicked spirit."
Then what about the three-, five-, and seven-tailed foxes?
"They are disciples of the wicked nine-tailed fox who turned Master into this state. They likely set up a formation array around Master's dwelling to keep watch."
In any case, this 74th floor reflected the time after Gyeon Dallae's death.
Perhaps it was a world projected from the lingering regrets she left behind.
The Mad Demon let out a sigh.
"How tragic… a thousand years of cultivation reduced to nothing in an instant."
Juhyeok's heart ached as well.
The ultra-high-difficulty mission required killing Haeryeong—the Grand Manshin, the nine-tailed fox, Gyeon Dallae's master.
He absolutely did not want to complete it.
Fail the mission?
So what if they did?
In a sense, it wouldn't even be a failure.
They'd already cleared the basic mission, after all.
Gyeon Dallae collapsed to the ground, utterly despondent.
How much pain must she be in?
So Juhyeok asked the Mad Demon.
"Is there any way to help her? To stop the progression into a wicked spirit, maybe…"
"Understood. This old man will take a look. See if there's anything that can be done."
The Mad Demon strode forward.
Toward where the Grand Manshin nine-tailed fox Haeryeong was bound.
Then—he froze.
"…This?"
A line drawn across the floor.
Beyond this point, one must not proceed.
An unfamiliar yet overwhelming flow of power could be felt.
An instinctive warning of danger.
Crossing or stepping on this line would bring disaster.
It's not limited to the floor.
Though invisible, it affected the air and even underground.
Flying wouldn't work.
Burrowing underground wouldn't work either.
"…Hmm."
The summoner was watching from behind.
He'd spoken boldly, only to lose face like this.
At that moment—
"Lord Mad Demon, what are you doing?"
Kosak came trotting over.
"Did you step in poop? You should've been careful. I'll go first and undo the knot binding the nine-tailed fox—"
"Don't! Don't move forward."
"…Yes?"
But it was already too late.
Kosak had stepped just one pace ahead of the Mad Demon.
And in doing so, he stepped squarely on the line.
Wooooong!
A bizarre sensation surged up from beneath Kosak's feet.
"…Huh?"
His entire body went limp, and at the same time, an unprecedented, overwhelming force blasted him away.
Papapapap!
"Eek?!"
Whooosh!
Kosak was shot like a bullet toward the basement wall.
Crash!
"Kehk!"
He slammed straight into it.
The force was so great that even the solid granite wall caved inward.
"Ko—Kosak!"
Did he die?
No way…
"Is the assassin okay?"
Gobang rushed over and pulled Kosak out of the wall.
"Su—Summo…ner-nim…"
Kosak trembled violently, groaning.
"I—I'm dying. It's been fun, every—…kgh!"
His head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.
"Kosak!!!"
The summoned beings rushed over.
"Is he dead? Did he fall in battle?"
"Looks like he's on the brink of death."
"Don't lose consciousness! If you fall asleep, you die!"
"Hueee?"
"Healing potion! Hurry, hurry!"
What the hell—just stepping on a line did that?
The Mad Demon and Gobang remained calm.
"The assassin won't die."
"Would he die from that? Maybe if his head were torn off. He's exaggerating."
Damn it. He'd scared him.
"A warrior's flick to the forehead would wake him."
At that moment—
"Gasp!"
Kosak abruptly sat upright.
"You're awake?"
"Huff, huff… I—I had a nightmare. A dream where I stepped on a line and died."
"…"
What is this, dodgeball? Squid Game?
Gobang tried stepping on the line himself.
Wooooong!
"Ghk!"
Thud!
He was also repelled by the invisible force and slammed into the wall.
"Master personally set up this formation. So that no one could approach."
The Grand Manshin nine-tailed fox Haeryeong had sealed herself.
A forbidden zone established by an LSSR-ranked being.
Trespassing meant disaster.
Then, cleanly—
"Let's give up and leave. We can reset and try again later. Or skip this and clear the 75th floor."
But Gyeon Dallae spoke.
"Young master."
"…Yes?"
Her voice was eerily calm.
This felt bad.
He could guess what she was about to say.
"This girl shall go to Master. Before she becomes a wicked spirit, I must send Master off in peace."
Sigh.
"…No, that's not happening. You saw what happened to Kosak, and Gobang too. Even Lord Mad Demon stopped—don't you understand?"
Even so, Gyeon Dallae smiled faintly.
"You know whose disciple I am. A shaman has a shaman's way."
He understood, but…
"This girl knows the young master's ocean-deep kindness. But allowing Master to rest in peace is an obligation I must fulfill."
What should he do?
"I do not doubt the young master's benevolence, but please—understand this girl's resolve."
"…"
There was no helping it.
He would trust her.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"Thank you for your grace."
First—safety measures.
The summoned beings took positions behind Gyeon Dallae.
So they could catch her safely if she were blown back.
How would Gyeon Dallae cross the forbidden zone?
Soon—
Her dance began.
A bell in one hand, a blade in the other.
Solemn and dignified.
She lifted her heel, stepped forward lightly on her toes.
Extended her arms and exhaled.
Drew them back in and inhaled.
The resentment of losing her parents,
the resentment of losing her younger sibling,
the resentment of seeing her master like this.
With a sorrowful salpuri ritual, she advanced step by step.
Sometimes with quick, small steps; sometimes with long strides.
She spun her body like a top, swept her fully extended arms in gentle arcs—
Juhyeok and the summoned beings were transfixed.
An LSSR-ranked shaman.
A dance that moved the heart.
This was Gyeon Dallae.
"P–Princess!"
"Insane…"
"She's beautiful."
"Huee…"
"Women's charm isn't just about the chest."
You're only figuring that out now?
It was impossible not to be awed.
Everyone was captivated by her dance.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
Applause burst out.
Gyeon Dallae had already crossed the line.
Yet nothing happened.
Crackle! Crackle-crackle!
Instead, the formation array shattered beneath her steps.
Crack…
The sounds diminished.
At last, she reached the bound nine-tailed fox Haeryeong.
"Ahh…"
She hurried to remove the binding golden rope and talismans—
"Do not touch them."
The Grand Manshin nine-tailed fox Haeryeong opened her eyes.
At last, their gazes met.
"M–Master?"
"Dallae. I knew you would come."
"…What?"
"Who else could cross this place but you?"
Haeryeong's voice was calm.
Even while facing her dead disciple.
"You've begun a new life. In another world."
"H–How did you know?"
"My soul is bound to the tower. How could I not know?"
Haeryeong looked at Juhyeok.
Then bowed her head politely—
a gesture asking him to take good care of her disciple.
Juhyeok returned the bow.
"Dallae, were you disappointed to learn my true nature? I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter. Whoever you are, you will always be my master."
"My good child."
Haeryeong comforted the weeping Gyeon Dallae.
"Now… let me rest."
"…Isn't there another way?"
"You know how harsh the price of defying heaven is."
"This isn't your fault, Master."
"No. It is my fault. Even foolishness is a sin."
Gyeon Dallae's hands trembled.
She had to kill her master?
Juhyeok and the other summoned beings watching felt the same anguish.
"This won't do. We're exiting the tower. The 74th-floor ultra-high-difficulty mission is failed!"
"The warrior agrees."
"A wise decision, my lord."
"Senior Veronica Caliber reporting: a swift retreat is momentum for the next advance."
"Correct."
"Hoek!"
"Woof woof!"
But—
"Young master."
"…Yes?"
"Please, grant my master's wish."
"…"
A plea to be killed.
"That is the way to honor my master."
Hoo—
He'd tried to leave immediately precisely because he knew this would happen.
He understood why Gyeon Dallae felt this way.
This wasn't about clearing a tower mission.
It was about not letting her master become a wicked spirit.
About sending her off as she truly was.
The best possible choice.
And the right one.
He knew it.
He knew all of it.
But could a human heart always be rational?
Juhyeok hesitated.
Then the Mad Demon stepped forward.
He walked straight toward Haeryeong.
"This old man will do it. Surely it is better than having her life end by her disciple's hand."
Haeryeong smiled gently.
"You are frightening. And that is why I am at ease."
"Hahaha. Truth be told, I am an old man who couldn't even cross the formation you set."
"That is because our domains differ. Had you a bit more time, you would have unraveled the formation with ease."
She wasn't wrong.
Analyzing the flow of qi was merely complicated.
"In that case, let us remove the rope and talismans. I'd rather not strike someone while they're bound."
The golden rope and talismans—
what Haeryeong had bound herself with to restrain the yokai power.
"Please don't. Strike me as I am. If my power is released, people will be hurt."
"Do you think I cannot handle you?"
"I have cultivated for a thousand years. And if the yokai madness is added—"
"I pride myself on madness as well."
Haeryeong chuckled.
"Not just you. The one you serve, my disciple, even that cute-looking child there… can you fight me while protecting them all?"
The Mad Demon smiled back.
Pointing at Gobang—
"Embarrassing as it is, I won't be fighting alone. I have a serviceable shield. Two against one. Don't complain later."
Haeryeong couldn't understand it.
Why not just fight while she was bound?
"Why go this far?"
"So you may die well—and ascend. Ascension is a kind of death, after all. Cutting ties with the mortal world and rising to another."
Haeryeong's eyes wavered.
"…Ah."
"Is there anything effort cannot overcome? You did reach the brink of ascension, didn't you?"
"Th–That was—"
"Does one ascend by dying peacefully? You must sever the chains of regret yourself."
Then he looked to Juhyeok.
"Summoner."
A request for permission.
Juhyeok was uneasy, honestly.
Could they really win?
The mission to defeat the thousand-year nine-tailed fox was hard because of the formation.
Break through it, and it's easy—
the fox was bound by rope and talismans.
But if those were removed?
A thousand-year nine-tailed fox, turned mad yokai, would rampage.
Could they suppress it?
Even within the same LSSR rank, the gap could be vast.
Just compare Gobang and the Mad Demon.
A mad thousand-year nine-tailed fox.
The thought alone was chilling.
Screw it—let's try.
If he couldn't trust the summoned beings, who could he trust?
"Do it."
Juhyeok granted permission.
Grab!
The Mad Demon seized the golden rope binding Haeryeong and tore it apart.
"N–No!!!"
"Yes."
Snap!
The rope broke free from Haeryeong's body.
"Release your power as a nine-tailed fox. Rampage if you must. Subdue the yokai within your heart. That is the path to ascension."
Then—
"Grrrr…"
Shrrrrrrrk!
Behind her back, nine enormous tails spread out like a fan.
Haeryeong's face twisted.
Her body swelled, coarse black fur bristled up, razor-sharp claws shot out from her hands and feet, and her mouth tore open all the way to beneath her ears.
"Grrrk!"
Haeryeong, the nine-tailed fox, had become a yokai.
At last, she was freed from her restraints.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gobang charged in.
Haeryeong answered by swinging claws wreathed in bluish force.
Slash! Gobang's upper arm was severed halfway through—
black armor and thick flesh alike.
But then, srrrk—
as if nothing had happened, the flesh reattached itself.
Gobang's LSSR-rank Ultra Regeneration, obtained through rapid-regeneration upgrades.
"Gngh!"
After taking the blow head-on, Gobang wrapped his arms tightly around Haeryeong's yokai body from behind.
"Kraaaaaah!"
Haeryeong's nine tails transformed into spears and stabbed into Gobang's torso.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Ghk—"
Even Gobang seemed to be reaching his limit.
For the first time, his usually expressionless face twisted in pain.
"Hold on just a little longer."
The Mad Demon stepped in.
He placed his hand on Haeryeong's head.
"Come to your senses. You trained for a thousand years—can you not undo a single mistake?"
The Mad Demon's energy poured in through her head.
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
Haeryeong screamed.
And so did Gyeon Dallae.
The Haeryeong preserved in her memories—
warm, benevolent, thoughtful.
Her beloved master.
She couldn't just stand there.
She had to do something—anything.
In the end, all she could do was perform a salpuri ritual, pouring every last ounce of resentment into it.
Gyeon Dallae's dance began.
Quick-witted Rajiks pulled out a portable orchestra device from his subspace bag and flipped the switch.
Doom-doom-doom-doom!
Drums echoed.
The rhythm of the salpuri ritual.
Holy Sword Lucius Bardin also refused to stand idle.
Radiance more brilliant than ever before erupted from his entire body.
"O light!!!"
He shone like the sun itself.
"O light!!!"
Haeryeong struggled violently.
Nine razor-sharp tail-spears lashed out.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Gobang's body was torn to shreds.
Yet he did not release her.
Instead, he held her even tighter.
The Mad Demon drew out every last shred of his energy to suppress the yokai power.
Please regain your senses.
Return to the power of the imperial grand shaman you once were.
"Haa…"
Juhyeok couldn't just stand by either.
Was he really supposed to just watch this?
Even for a wimp, this crossed the line.
So he walked straight toward Haeryeong.
"M–Master Summoner!!!"
"Commander, you mustn't!"
Mustn't, my ass!
He had learned the Mad Demon's martial arts himself.
In truth, he was practically the man's disciple.
He circulated Heaven-and-Earth Unity Art, placed his hand over the Mad Demon's hand resting on Haeryeong's head.
"…Summoner?"
"Keep going."
Juhyeok's energy joined with the Mad Demon's.
Together, they pressed down on the yokai aura.
Gyeon Dallae's dance continued without pause.
Kosak, Senior Veronica, and Rajiks offered their prayers.
Bardin's radiance blazed.
All of them shared a single wish.
And then—change occurred.
"Grrr…"
The nine tail-spears that had been relentlessly stabbing Gobang lost their strength and drooped limply.
Haeryeong's eyes, once torn vertically, returned to normal.
For a brief moment, Haeryeong regained her senses.
She felt ashamed.
Just because the golden rope had been removed, she'd gone berserk like this?
Was this all a thousand years of cultivation amounted to?
Was being forced to eat a human liver truly such an unforgivable sin?
No.
That wasn't the only reason.
In the end, she'd failed to sever desire.
Her craving for power.
Her ambition to climb higher and higher.
Wasn't the goal of ascension itself much the same?
The selfish desire to look down upon the world and finally claim freedom of soul and body.
That desire had caused everything.
How could she speak of ascension when she hadn't even abandoned greed?
A thousand years of cultivation—utterly meaningless.
All she'd done was waste time.
Her disciple Gyeon Dallae had returned from death to save the world and was struggling so desperately—
and what about herself?
She couldn't bear to face her disciple.
And then despair washed over her.
The fallen Heavenly Empire.
The suffering of its people born from that collapse.
Yet she had withdrawn into seclusion, claiming to sever worldly ties.
It had been irresponsible.
She should have stepped forward for a better world.
Regret. Self-reproach. Crushing loss.
Amid it all, her disciple's dance caught Haeryeong's eye.
The salpuri ritual she herself had taught.
How beautiful she is.
Despite losing her parents, her only sibling, and being trapped in an abyssal space, her disciple endured without breaking—
and now danced for the sake of a greater cause.
If Haeryeong had ever contributed anything to the world,
it was raising that child.
At last, her heart grew calm.
The final fragment of lingering regret dissolved.
When regret vanished, so too did her ties to the mortal world.
And then—
Flaaash!
Amid brilliant light, the soul of Haeryeong, the thousand-year nine-tailed fox,
sss—
finally broke free from the tower's binding.
Spot!
She ascended.
Ding!
[All missions on the 74th floor have been completed.]