Donghyun's eyes stared at the blinking message hovering in the air. Blood continued to trickle from his wounds, warm against the cold floor, he tried to move, but his body refused. Everything around him had turned into a blur of red and silence.
And then, he passed out.
In his dreams, he was back at the convenience store.
The lights buzzed overhead. A girl behind the counter gave him a familiar, gentle smile.
He nodded at her, out of habit.
Then her smile twisted. Blood soaked through her shirt, seeping from her stomach.
"You killed me," she whispered. "After all I did for you."
He woke with a jolt, drenched in sweat.
His arms and legs were wrapped in thick white bandages. A dull pain throbbed under every breath,the small room smelled of antiseptic. Beyond the hospital window, he could see rows of old rooftops and quiet streets.
He slowly pulled himself up with the help of a walking stick, every movement sharp with pain.
The door creaked open, Han Jae-min stepped in. His eyes widened with relief.
"You're awake.. Thank God."
Donghyun stared at him for a long moment, his face unreadable.
"I thought you didn't pass the first floor."
Han Jae-min's smile faded.
"The other two.. they didn't make it past the second floor entrance trial. I barely survived."
"You brought me here?"
He nodded.
Donghyun bowed, the gesture slow and stiff.
"Thank you."
Han Jae-min frowned.
"You feel different."
Donghyun didn't answer. He turned to the window instead, letting the breeze hit his face, the air felt too clean, too soft. His mind kept replaying her face, the moment the sword pierced through her chest.
He turned again, bowed once more, and limped out of the room.
"Wait, at least take a few more days to rest"
Donghyun didn't stop.
"Then let me at least drive you."
He gave no response.
Outside, the world kept moving as if nothing had changed, children laughed, cars passed. Donghyun walked alone, dragging his injured leg behind him.
Posters littered the walls and streetlights:
"Tower of Trials Survivors Speak: Only 25,000 Returned Alive Out of 45,000 Worldwide."
Another billboard flashed by a store entrance:
"Some Call It Salvation. Most Call It Hell. The Heroes Who Returned And Those Willing To Go Back."
He kept walking.
His stiff, battered body barely obeyed him. Each step felt heavier than the last.
After what felt like an endless struggle, he finally reached his apartment.
But it wasn't there anymore.
Large cranes and trucks surrounded the ruins. The building was being torn down.
People stood nearby, whispering.
"They said the owner was killed by a monster. She had debts, so they're repossessing the land."
Donghyun didn't speak. He didn't blink. Simply turned and walked away.
He wandered through the city until he reached the graveyard on the outskirts.
He passed rows of cold stones, stopping in front of one weathered by time.
A single flower lay at its base once white, now brown and brittle.
He sat down beside it.
"Mom," he whispered.
The wind stirred faintly, brushing through his hair.
"I've decided. I'll climb the Tower. Don't worry.. I won't die. Not until I make the wish."
Tears slid down his cheeks in silence. Behind him, his shadow twitched something inside it stirred, awakened by the weight of his vow.
He sat there, the wind tugging gently at his clothes, eyes locked on the grave, the day was colder than usual, the scenes from the Floor… they flashed behind his eyes like a broken film reel the blood, the screams. He could still see it all.
"Hey, boy. What are you doing here?"
Donghyun turned toward the voice, an old man stood nearby, holding a shovel. His hair and mustache were completely white, and his eyes lingered on Donghyun with a strange intensity.
Donghyun lowered his gaze and muttered, "Nothing."
He stood slowly, his joints ached his body felt stiff, like it wasn't quite his. Without another word, he began to walk away. The old man said nothing, just watched in silence, but something about him felt off. Like his presence clung to the air.
With nowhere to go, Donghyun sat outside the cemetery gates, eyes turned toward the gray sky, he sighed. The wind bit through his clothes, but that wasn't why he felt cold.
His instincts screamed leave.
Dragging his legs, he leaned on the walking stick and wandered through the empty streets. He didn't know where he was going, eventually, he reached an abandoned house, he slipped inside.
Dust, silence,shadows.
His thoughts churned in the dark. He sat down and whispered to himself,
"Status."
A translucent window blinked into existence.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Joo Donghyun
Level: 1
System: Soul-Link Shadow Extraction
Synchronization: 4%
Shadow Slots: 4 / 10
Skills:
Active
• Shadow Grasp (Lv.2)
• Shadow Echo (Lv.1)
Passive
• Soul Sync Instinct
Donghyun scanned the screen with dull eyes.
"Shadow slots, are those for the shadows I extracted?"
He thought back to the manhwa he'd watched.
"Arise," he said, nothing "come out." Donghyun tried everything that came to mind shouting commands, waving his arms, even kicking the floor. Still, nothing.
For the last time, he closed his eyes and concentrated and focused on the goblin, not just the monster, but the flickers of memory he'd seen during extraction. The terrified, broken mind behind those yellow eyes.
Suddenly, a thick shadow crept out from the ground like fog. It writhed, twisted and then took shape, the hunched figure of the goblin stood before him, kneeling.
Donghyun blinked.
"Sit" it sat, "Rise" It stood.
He paused,"It obeys."
Donghyun pointed,"Go get that chair from the corner."
The goblin shuffled over, grabbed it, and dragged it back.
Donghyun gasped. "It actually works."
He remembered the others the humans whose shadows he'd also extracted. Just to sound cool, he whispered under his breath:
"Come forth."
The shadow on the ground stirred again. Slowly, three humanoid shapes emerged, kneeling just like the goblin.
A status window appeared.
Status:
[Goblin – Lv.1]
[Human – Lv.1]
[Human – Lv.1]
[Human – Lv.1]
[Name can be given]
Donghyun stared at the list.
"Name..?"
He looked at one of the human shadows the one that resembled the drunk man. It was hard to tell, but the way it clutched a shattered weapon felt familiar.
"Yun.."
The shadow tilted its head. The room grew colder.
[Yun – Human – Lv.1]
Donghyun didn't know why he chose that name, but the goblin beside it was now staring at him eyes wide, like it was waiting.