<h4>Chapter 183 </h4>


    When he regained consciousness, Yu-Seong found himself standing in the middle of a square with a high white fountain in the center. He was holding the Dragon Egg that had turned into a violet color in his arms.


    <i>‘Where am I...?’</i>


    Yu-Seong momentarily wondered before his senses, which had been somewhat scattered, quickly returned. He heard the mixed sounds of his surroundings.


    The clear water gushing out from the fountain hitting the stone pavement, the pping of birds flying over the square, and the hum of people''s conversations all blended together to create a peaceful soundscape that flowed clearly into Yu-Seong''s ears.


    "Is that guy a neer?"


    "An egg? It looks strange."


    "But wait, I think I have seen that guy before."


    The conversation wasn''t solely in Korean. The air was filled with a medley ofnguages, including English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, and many more.


    Yu-Seong felt all his senses return and he let out a short breath. He quickly left the square, still holding the Dragon Egg tightly in his arms.


    <i>‘Come to think of it, the 10th floor is a rest area... It''s the first ce where everyone gathers, regardless of which country’s Tower they have entered.’</i>


    If people formed a party and started activities on this 10th floor, it would allow people from different countries to move up together to the 11th floor. It was indeed a square for a meeting. One puzzling thing was that there were more people than Yu-Seong had expected.


    <i>‘Even if there are people from other countries... In Korea, I thought Kim Do-Jin and I were the fastest…’</i>


    Something was strange. Yu-Seong thought to himself that perhaps his conversation with Loki wasn''t as short as it seemed. He quickly looked around.


    <i>‘But it doesn''t seem like a lot of time has passed. At least the gate to return to Earth hasn''t opened yet…’</i>


    Even as he hurriedly left the square, Yu-Seong was aware of the number of people and the situation around him. He quickly came to one conclusion.


    <i>‘Opening the gate to return to Earth isn''t that difficult anyway, so I can take my time to solve that. What''s more important is finding someone who can tell me what happened... Should I look for Kim Do-Jin? No, if people havee up this far, maybe the Jin siblings or Yoo Jin-Hyuk are already here.’</i>


    Then, at that moment, another question arose in Yu-Seong’s mind.


    <i>‘Come to think of it, has Kim Do-Jin been away from me for a long time?’</i>


    Did Do-Jin wait for him or did he start acting alone? Typically, one would choose to wait for their colleague.


    <i>‘But Kim Do-Jin is not your average guy.’</i>


    In fact, Do-Jin was more likely to wander around alone, and from the start, he had gone along with Yu-Seong somewhat reluctantly. Perhaps Do-Jin would have likely continued on without waiting by the time he felt that Yu-Seong was running a bitte.


    <i>‘Seeing that the gate to return to Earth is not open… Maybe he went straight to the 11th floor.’</i>


    While this could alter the future slightly, Yu-Seong wasn''t too worried. After all, they had ascended the Tower together to the 10th floor and he had experienced Do-Jin''s ways more than anyone else.


    <i>‘He is not the kind of person who would fall into a dangerous situation.’</i>


    On the contrary, Do-Jin might put someone else in danger. Yu-Seong thought calmly and left the square where people had gathered.


    ***


    The 10th floor of the Tower of Heaven was essentially referred to as the Rest Vige, with many buildings resembling the architecture of medieval Europe just like during the time of missions.


    <i>‘In fact, even the NPCs here give off a medieval Western vibe.’</i>


    The dress, behavior, and lifestyle had some differences, but many aspects resembled the Western culture of the past. However, there were distinct differences, including magic tech and alchemy.


    <i>‘That’s why the productive type yers from Earth are reaping so many benefits.’</i>


    Since the Tower of Heaven had been activated, it wouldn''t be long before many artifact creators who learned technology from the 10th floor of the Tower of Heaven would appear on Earth.


    Of course, there were also shops and lodging in this Rest Vige. Even strangers from Earth could buy a house using this world’s currency. And there were two ways to earn the currency of this world.


    <i>‘The first is toplete the missions or work inside the Rest Vige and earn money throughbor.’</i>


    This was the usual andmon way, while the second method was somewhat twisted.


    <i>‘After all, crime always exists in the world.’</i>


    Everyone was still quietly watching each other, but it wouldn''t be long before there were also robberies and frauds happening within this ce. The reason why they didn''t act aggressively and only exchanged cautious nces was that there were security forces called guards also present in this vige.


    <i>‘And that public authority is quite powerful.’</i>


    Having gotten up to the 10th floor of the Tower, there might be some people who might try to confront the soldiers. However, the important thing was that, even among these soldiers, there were individuals with exceptional skills mixed in.


    <i>‘Moreover, there are knights…’</i>


    Up ahead, there were also elite troops and guards tasked with protecting the city, along with wizards and a market. With a significant number of NPC residents, the city''s public security was quite robust.


    <i>‘Well, for now, I don''t know much about those upper echelons.’</i>


    Actually, it wouldn''t have been difficult to create the current atmosphere just by showing a few soldiers being dispatched and taking their carelessly acting colleagues to prison.


    <i>‘Of course, even in such situations, there are always some quick-witted individuals who can find their way around things.’</i>


    With such thoughts in mind, Yu-Seong walked on with the purple Dragon Egg in his arms. Then, suddenly, he caught sight of three burly men standing in a dark alleyway with a figure between them.


    <i>‘After all, the public authority can''t do much about things that happen out of sight. They would think it’ll be even neater if they erase the evidence.’</i>


    Yu-Seong could easily read between the lines regarding this situation. He also noticed a small-bodied woman with long ck hair being surrounded by the men.


    <i>‘It''s hard to pretend that I didn''t see it, I guess.’</i>


    Clicking his tongue, Yu-Seong stepped into the dark alleyway. He had little interest in the dialogue of third-ss viins or the conversation of the men spewing nonsense.


    "Enough," he said shortly but firmly.


    The three men, who had been spitting while cornering someone, turned to look at Yu-Seong. Their faces turned red as they directed angry res at him and spoke in an unknownnguage.


    <i>‘Based on my feelings, perhaps it''s some sort of Russiannguage?’</i>


    In fact, it didn''t matter where they were from. Yu-Seong spoke in English, which could be easily understood by anyone.


    “Get the hell out, jelly muscle.”


    Perhaps he had used a provocative phrase, the men''s faces turned red in anger. Approaching Yu-Seong with threatening gestures, they exhaled rough breaths.


    <i>‘There are three of them, but it''s a narrow alley. The only thing I have that could be considered a burden is...the Dragon Egg.’</i>


    Actually, Yu-Seong wouldn''t feel burdened even in a wide-open space, but a narrow space was a better situation to be in. And although the Dragon Egg was seemingly cumbersome, it could never be broken, so he considered it to be a very useful tool if he looked at it from a different perspective.


    <i>‘Shall I try to do a strength test?’</i>


    Yu-Seong easily dodged a punch from one of the charging men and swung therge Dragon Egg with one hand.


    <i>Crack-!?</i>


    Instead of the egg creaking, there was a sound of a person''s head breaking before the massive man fell back. He was bleeding.


    "What an amazing weapon."


    Yu-Seong examined the Dragon Egg just in case, but nodded with a satisfied expression. He couldn’t find a single scratch on it.


    "...#&@!^&!...?!"


    The second big man was taken aback by the unexpected situation. He appeared angry as he repeatedly spat out what sounded like curses in Russian.


    Yu-Seong swung the Dragon Egg and hit him on the head. Finally, he showed the remaining man the red blood flowing on the surface of the purple Dragon Egg and asked, "Do you want more, or do you want to run away with your friends?"


    Even though Yu-Seong spoke in Korean, perhaps because of the gesture he made with his chin, the third man seemed to understand themon bodynguage used worldwide and carried his two colleagues on each of his shoulders. Then, he quickly disappeared from the alleyway.


    The man might be seeking revenge against Yu-Seong, but it wasn''t a major concern for Yu-Seong.


    "Hmm..."


    After confirming the men’s backs, Yu-Seong naturally turned to the small figure who was previously surrounded by the men alone.


    <i>‘Wait, it’s not a woman?’</i>


    At first nce, with the long flowing hair and slender figure, Yu-Seong had thought the person was a woman. However, upon closer inspection, it was clearly a man.


    Looking at the slightly seductive eyes and the debauched smile that exuded a certain decadence, Yu-Seong couldn''t shake off his feeling of doubt.


    <i>‘In his eyes…’</i>


    There was no feeling of tension or fear at all. Instead, the other man looked at Yu-Seong and the Dragon Egg in his hand with curiosity. It was as if nothing had happened just moments ago.


    <i>‘This is somewhat…’</i>


    When Yu-Seong felt a sense of unease, the man who had been leaning halfway against the wall slowly bowed at his waist. He said, "I am grateful for your kindness. If it''s not too much trouble, may I ask for your name?"


    The man had a western appearance, except for his dark hair and ck eyes. He also spoke Korean fluently.


    Perhaps it was because of thenguage, or maybe it was due to the seductive aura that the man exuded, Yu-Seong casually told him his name despite the strange tension.


    "…Choi Yu-Seong."


    "Choi Yu-Seong. Nice to meet you. My name is Eveheim Uriel. You can call me Eveheim for short."


    "Eveheim..."


    The name seemed familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time. Yu-Seong tried to search his memory for the character''s name in the original novel he had read, but he couldn’t recall anyone.


    <i>‘Could he not be from the novel?’</i>


    Eveheim had an enigmatic and powerful aura, something that was hard to call it ordinary. To put it bluntly, he had a maic vibe that made it difficult to look away from him, and Yu-Seong found himself observing the man excessively.


    Realizing what he was doing, Yu-Seong felt embarrassed. He said, "Oh, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to stare at you like that."


    Eveheim merely smiled in response. "It''s alright. It''smon for me."


    "Well..." Yu-Seong nodded before groaning softly.


    To be honest, it was difficult not to be captivated by someone like Eveheim. His maic presence drew anyone toward him. Thus, Yu-Seong was easily convinced by the man’s simplement.


    "Well then, I shall take my leave now. We shall meet again when fate permits, my life saver. I shall not forget your name, Choi Yu-Seong," said Eveheim with a smile.


    Then, he slowly walked away from Yu-Seong. It was at that moment when a sweet yet profound vani scent reached Yu-Seong''s nostrils.


    <i>‘Sweet vani scent... I''m sure I''ve read that description before…’</i>


    The problem was, that description could fit anyone or anything. As Yu-Seong contemted this, Eveheim disappeared from his sight.


    Left alone, Yu-Seong scratched his head and shook his head. "Ah, forget it. Maybe I''ll remember himter."


    It was possible that Eveheim wasn''t a character from the original novel, after all. He might simply be a different and unique person.


    "Let''s get back to what I was doing."


    With a shrug, Yu-Seong left the alley and began searching for his party.