(Viewpoint: Ji-Yunwoo)
Time resumed its course.
The wind suddenly returned.
The cold too.
I breathed suddenly, like a man coming up for air after being underwater for too long.
For a split second, I thought nothing had changed.
Then...
I straightened up… without any difficulty.
I frowned.
The pain...
She had disappeared.
I looked down at my hands and a smile stretched across my lips.
They were no longer trembling.
My legs responded perfectly.
My breathing was regular.
I clenched my fist.
An unknown force was circulating in each of my muscles.
It didn't just erase my exhaustion.
She was replacing him.
I had never had so much energy.
It was as if my body had only just woken up.
I didn't waste any time looking around me.
I knew Jae was in my sights; he remained frozen in his stride, unable to move forward.
Three steps for him.
I only had thirteen left.
I looked up.
This time...
I no longer felt any fear.
I placed my foot on the next step.
CLICK.
The mechanism was already activated.
I jump.
Go up another step.
One more.
I jump.
Breath caught around me.
Jae turned his head abruptly.
Our eyes met.
Incomprehension crossed his face.
I continued to move forward anyway.
A walk.
Then two.
Then three.
I overtook him without slowing down.
The wind whistled around us.
The fog covered the last steps, but my body seemed to know the way.
Each movement was natural.
As if that tower had never been able to stop me, I narrowly avoided that fatal fall.
– From... Yunwoo...
Jae's voice faded behind me.
I didn't reply, I was already at the summit.
A few meters away.
A huge stone pole supported the various team flags.
I held out my hand.
My fingers grasped our banner.
I fired.
The fabric came away with a sharp snap.
For a moment...
The entire tower froze.
Then a circle appeared beneath my feet, the ground gently descended with me.
The wind disappeared.
A white light flooded my eyes.
...
When I was finally able to reopen them...
I had returned to the foot of the tower.
Standing.
Without the slightest injury.
I instinctively lowered my eyes to my torso.
No trace.
Not a drop of blood.
I ran a hand over my ribs.
Intact.
As if all these deaths had never happened.
SPLASH SSSSSSS
A stream of blood poured over me
The other players had just collapsed.
I couldn't hold it in and I vomited immediately.
Jae fell on his head right afterwards
I couldn't move, I clutched the flag to me and stared into the eyes that had begun to notice it.
Kim Young was the first.
His eyes were fixed on me, but he seemed to be staring into space.
She seemed unable to understand where she was.
Jae went back up slowly, but his eyes were fixed on me for a long time.
– you...
I stopped myself.
I understood why.
I preferred to look down at my watch.
A reward?
I turned on the screen.
...
Nothing.
I started again.
Still nothing.
Impossible.
I consulted my inventory.
….. .
I went through all the categories a second time.
No new skills.
No items found.
No change.
My heart raced.
That wasn't normal.
I checked my wedding rings.
The names had disappeared.
All.
The contracts made with the other owners no longer existed.
I remained frozen.
A new icon had just appeared.
I had never seen her before.
An hourglass.
Black .
Completely empty.
Not a grain of sand.
I selected the symbol.
The screen hesitated for a few seconds.
Then a single window opened.
CONTRACT VALIDATED
OWNER: IDENTITY UNDERWORDS
STATUS: SERVANT
THE REWARDS OBTAINED BY THE SIGNATORY ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE CREDITOR.
TIME NOW BELONGS TO THE OWNER.
I stopped breathing.
No...
I scrolled down the window.
It contained nothing else.
I started again.
Again.
Again.
The same message.
Always.
My fingers trembled.
I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached.
– I have...
My voice broke.
I slowly raised my eyes.
In the distance...
Kim Young had sat down on the floor.
Her arms were wrapped around her legs.
His gaze was empty.
She was whispering words that no one understood.
I thought she was ridiculous just a few minutes earlier.
Now...
I must have had exactly the same expression.
A nervous laugh rose in my throat.
– I'm sorry, I signed without reading, I'm an idiot, an idiot.
How are I going to get you back…