Chapter 61 The Tower (3) (1/2)

‘One month.’

Yeon-woo took out the pocket watch from his backpack and gazed at the face of the watch.

A pocket watch badly stained. The hour-hand was fixed at ‘XII’ just like when he first got it. The only difference was that before it was completely still, but now it was slightly trembling.

It meant that the watch was winding little by little.

‘That’ll be enough.’

Yeon-woo put the pocket watch back into his backpack and hung Magic Bayonet on his waist.

‘By the way….’

Yeon-woo’s two eyes sank deeply.

His keener senses scanned through the surrounding area.

‘I got so many players on my tail.’

A group of people started to follow him soon after he exited the smithy.

‘Fifteen? No, seventeen.’

Yeon-woo expanded his cognitive reach to its fullest extent to determine the location of his pursuers.

‘Are they after my rewards? Or maybe they’re here to threaten me.’

It seemed to be both.

Judging by their movements, it didn’t seem they were from just one clan. Because they were moving separately in groups of five or six people

But even so, they were just small fries. It wouldn’t pose him any threat even if they ambushed him all at once.

‘But I don’t want to get tangled up in a fight right now.’

Yeon-woo made a turn at the next corner, pretending not to notice them.

As soon as he turned, the players following behind also moved in a hurry. But when they turned around the corner, they saw an empty street covered in shadows.

“What? Where’s this fucker?”

“Damn it! We can’t lose him!”

In the end, the pursuers could only pull their hair out in frustration.

*   *   *

After slipping past his pursuers, Yeon-woo rented a room at a shabby nearby inn.

Then he went outside again after buying a robe to put around himself.

He had enough money in hand. A substantial amount of Karma points he had accumulated during the tutorial.

Since the points acted as a currency in The Tower, it came in very handy.

There was no need to worry about attracting people’s attention. Because there were lots of people who were dressed up similarly to him.

After walking down a few streets, Yeon-woo arrived at the highest building in the vicinity.

It was a coffee shop.

“How can I help you sir?”

“I’d like to use the terrace.”

After paying quite a lot of Karma, Yeon-woo was soon led to the terrace on the fifth floor.

As he entered the terrace, a wide prospect of Outer District burst upon his view.

Because the sun was setting in the west, the entire city was lit up with various lamps and lights, giving off a spectacular night view.

“I must say, this is your lucky day sir. As you can see, our terrace is known for having a splendid view, a lot of customers visit our cafe to have a glance at it. And this time around, we usually have a regular customer….”

“Hazelnut coffee, without syrup. I hope the beans are not artificial.”

Yeon-woo cut off the waiter’s words and sat down on a chair to see the night view.

The waiter quietly backed away without a hint of dislike.

“….”

Yeon-woo didn’t budge from his seat until the coffee he ordered arrived.

The coffee was quite delicious.

He heard the coffee beans were native to the Earth. Once they became popular in The Tower, people here also started to produce them in farms.

The coffee here was quite different from what he used to drink, but it still tasted good.

Yeon-woo enjoyed drinking coffee back when he was on Earth. Having a coffee break just before entering a battle, he could cool off the adrenaline from his head.

Just like right now.

He could finally relax a little from the tension he had kept until now.

A cool evening breeze, an open night view, and a hot cup of coffee.

Everything was good.

‘You always knew the best places.’

This cafe was a place his brother used to visit very often.

A place his brother used to visit when he had first formed Arthia and was so eager to climb The Tower. A place full of memories of Jeong-woo laughing, chatting and having fun with his teammates….

Yeon-woo sat still at the cafe watching the night view, trying to dwell on his brother’s past inscribed in the diary.

Imagining what kind of thought his brother would have had sitting on this chair. Picturing how his brother would have laughed while talking with his friends.

The Outer District was a place that ordinary players wouldn’t find amusing.

But to his brother, it was a place full of fond memories.

Yeon-woo was going to retrace the places his brother had been to during the time he had to stay here. During the month until Gyges’ Eyes was complete.

He brought the cup of coffee to his lips again.

The hazelnut coffee tasted a little more bitter.

*   *   *

The next morning.

Yeon-woo left the inn wearing the same mask and robe he wore the day before. His destination was a restaurant.

When he arrived, the restaurant was already crowded with people who had come for breakfast just like himself.

“Is there any empty table?”

“I’m sorry but there’s no empty table at present. You’ll have to share one. Is that okay?”

After giving a nod, Yeon-woo was guided to a giant table placed in the middle of the restaurant.

The people who had already been seated at this table, as if they also had come alone just like Yeon-woo, were eating their meals on their own.

Amongst the menu items written in an incomprehensible language, Yeon-woo ordered the dish that his brother had recommended in his diary.

The dish looked similar to the kebab he once had in Turkey.

About the taste,

‘Oh, right. You had the worst taste buds in the world. I forgot about that.’

It was horrible.

*    *    *

After finishing his meal, Yeon-woo went for a stroll following a forest trail on the outskirts.

A place where a fresh brisk of wind blew.

There were hardly any people on this path, so it was very quiet.

Yeon-woo felt elated at the thought of finding a good place to rest.

His mood, previously ruined from eating a terrible meal, seemed to be refreshed.

*   *   *

“Looking for a weapon? Or any armor? We’ve got everything you’ll ever need!”

“As for this item I’ve got here…”

Unlike the quiet forest trail he was just in, Yeon-woo was now in a street filled with voices of vendors and customers.

The street was crowded with a variety of people.

Yeon-woo walked along the street for a long time.

*   *   *

In the southwest corner of the Outer District, there was a place similar to an aquarium on Earth.

A place displaying a collection of aquatic organisms gathered from all over the world.

But the reason why Yeon-woo was here was

“….”

To see the girls here.