He was an orphan. Lee Hyun Woo never knew where he came from. He had no memories of his parents, no family name to be proud of. All he had was himself. In a world where monsters roamed the rift-scarred lands and humans died young, strength was the only currency that mattered. If you were weak, you were sacrificed. And Hyun Woo had sworn to himself, he would never be the one left behind.
So he worked harder than anyone else. Climbed every rung of the ladder with blood and grit, pushing forward even when it felt impossible. That was the only way to survive… and maybe, just maybe, one day, find out where he truly belonged.
He had cried the day he got accepted into HEX. The most powerful hunter academy in the world. A place where legends were born. And when elite students from a strong party started inviting him to join, he was overjoyed. Hyun Woo felt like he was finally acknowledged.
So much so… that he even abandoned his own friends to join that cursed party. The one that destroyed him. Maybe this was karma.
He thought he would die when they threw him into the Abyss. Or rather, he should have died. Maybe he already had. But strangely, he was still alive. He remembered the fall, an endless darkness pulling him down forever. He remembered the wind vanishing and the silence pressing in, like the world itself had stopped breathing.
Then came the impact. He hit something solid. But it didn't hurt as much as it should have. Maybe he felt so much pain that the pain from the impact was nothing.
"Gah-cough!" Hyun Woo sat up sharply, blood pouring from his mouth as he clutched his chest.
His head throbbed violently, like thousands of ants were crawling through his brain, chewing every nerve at once. His vision swam, a distorted blur of black and red. His ears rang with a high-pitched noise that drowned out thought.
It was a miracle he was even breathing.
He raised trembling fingers to his body. There was a hole in his chest. Another in his head. A deep, jagged slash across his stomach. His fingers brushed sticky blood and torn flesh.
"Am… am I a zombie now…?" he muttered, voice hoarse and dry. His whole body felt foreign , like it was moving just barely enough to be considered alive.
He pressed his palm against the wound in his chest, but the pain was sharp and alive. It wasn't a dream. He truly hadn't died. Not yet.
But maybe it would've been better if he had. Anyone who entered the Abyssal Tower was never supposed to return.
"Ah-" he gasped as he tried to rise to his knees, only to collapse again. "Argh!"
Still, he forced himself to look around. Everything was pitch black. There was no light. Just void. But he could feel something beneath him, a hard, stone floor.
So this wasn't just a void. Since there was ground, that means he had landed somewhere solid.
And then he heard that voice.
"Oho~"
That voice was soft, playful, yet echoing in the empty space like it came from every direction.
Hyun Woo froze. Every muscle in his body tensed. That was definitely a human voice. Was there a human living inside the tower?
"Do we have a visitor here?" it asked, curious… amused.
Hyun Woo's blood ran cold. Were they enemies or friends?
Then came the footsteps.
They were light and soft, almost childlike.
Tap, tap, tap, echoing off the stone around him like tiny pebbles skipping across water.
With each step, a delicate ching… ching… followed, like a small bell tied to an ankle, swaying with the rhythm of the walk.
Hyun Woo tensed.
He tried to lift his head, but pain shot through his skull like lightning. Everything still looked like a blur of shadows and red light, and his vision pulsed with every beat of his injured heart. Yet the presence was clear, something was approaching him.
"Hmm… let's see," the voice rang out, playful and curious. A girl's voice, high-pitched but far too amused for this place. "Bullet to the forehead, hole in the heart, deep slash to the stomach, eeeh~? What are you, a zombie? How are you still alive?"
Her tone was almost teasing, like she was watching an experiment go wrong.
"What the heck is this…? Tch. And here I thought I finally had some meat to feed Fenrir."
Hyun Woo wanted to snap back with a tired "How the fuck would I know?" but the pain silenced him. He groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. As his blurry sight began to adjust, he caught a flicker of movement, someone circling him with slow, curious steps.
It was a small girl. Maybe seven or eight years old at most. Her long twin-tailed hair dragged behind her, nearly brushing the stone floor. She looked human, but no child walked like that. And there was no way that a human child could survive inside the tower. Was she a phantom? Worse, a demon?
"Ah, I see. You can't see me, can you?" she said sweetly.
Then came a snap.
Hyun Woo's world exploded in light. Mana-fueled candles ignited midair, floating like fireflies above him and casting their glow over the entire chamber.
"ARGH!" he cried out as light stabbed into his eyes, triggering a fresh wave of agony in his already throbbing head.
"Aw~ Sorry, sorry!" the girl chirped. "I forgot you had a hole in your head."
He wanted to raise a brow. Maybe glare at her. But he was already exhausted.
As his eyes slowly adjusted, he finally took in the room around him. He was lying in a wide, circular stone chamber. The floor beneath him was cracked and dark, and ahead, there was a path, a narrow one, leading toward an arched doorway that looked like the entrance to some ancient cave. Floating candles drifted lazily through the air, glowing with a gentle yellow light.
And there she was, standing right in front of him.
The girl had fiery red twin-tails that blazed like fire even in the dim light. Her eyes matched her hair. She wore tight black shorts and a black sports bra, oddly casual for someone so young-looking. Hyun Woo blinked. That outfit… on that small body? In the outside world, it'd be odd. But here, inside the Abyssal Tower, it was the least of his worries.
His cracked lips parted. His voice came out in a dry whisper.
"…Who are you?"
The girl grinned smugly, folding her arms with confidence.
"Me? Eh he he~ I'm the goddess of this tower."
Hyun Woo stared. "…???"
"I really am," she insisted, puffing her chest.
"…..???"
"Oi!!" she snapped, stomping her foot as her twin-tails flared like flames. "Don't give me that pitiful zombie look! I am a goddess!! Not a madwoman."
His expression remained blank. "Okay."
Her face twisted. "AAAARGH!" she screamed, ruffling her own hair in frustration. "You don't believe me, do you?!"
"I said okay," Hyun Woo repeated, a little quieter this time.
The girl growled and pointed at him like an angry kitten. "You were supposed to be all shocked and amazed! Fall to your knees-Ah, already on your knees- and worship me or something! What's with this half-dead, soulless response?!"
Hyun Woo blinked. Then exhaled, exhausted.
"Ah, whatever!!" the girl suddenly yelled, throwing her hands in the air like a frustrated child. "Even when you're half dead, you're still alive! I can't let Fenrir eat you-ugh, it's against the rules!" She stomped her foot. Her voice echoed around the stone chamber.
She looked genuinely upset… like he had just stolen her pet's dinner.
"Sorry for being alive," Hyun Woo muttered under his breath, his voice dry and faintly annoyed.
The second he said it, pain stabbed his head again. He winced. Shouldn't have talked back.
The girl raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as she stared at him like he was an alien.
She had lived in this forgotten part of the world for who knows how long, and never, not once, had anyone looked at her like that. Everyone, including demons, looked at her with fear or admiration, but he looked at her with a blank expression. It irritated her.
He didn't bow, didn't scream. He didn't even flinch when she yelled.
She narrowed her crimson eyes and mumbled, "Status window."
A glowing pink dialogue box appeared midair, floating in front of her eyes with a soft chime. Letters formed neatly on the screen.
[PERSONAL INFORMATION]
Name: Unknown
Adopted Name: Lee Hyun Woo
Age: 17
Status: Awakened
Class: Demon Breaker, Battlemage
Attribute: Holy Magic
Combat Style: Close Combat
HEX Cadet Rank: 211
Awakened Hunter Rank: B
She squinted, scanning the data.
"No name, huh?" she murmured to herself.
Interesting... For someone with only a B-Rank Hunter level, he still managed to be in the top half among thousands of cadets at HEX. Well, as expected from a holy magic user.
But still… how was he alive?
"You were quite good," she said aloud, folding her arms. "So how the heck did someone like you end up like... this?"
Hyun Woo didn't respond. He just stared at the ground, blood-stained and silent.
The girl waited, but when the silence stretched too long, she sighed and planted her hands on her hips.
"You see, I quite like you," she said honestly.
Hyun Woo blinked.
"…This is the first time someone ignored me."
He finally glanced at her, expression flat and unreadable. What kind of logic was that? He couldn't understand her brain at all.
Before he could even sigh, she snapped her fingers again.
The effect was immediate.
Every single nerve in Hyun Woo's body went silent. The burning, stabbing pain was gone. It was like someone had flipped a switch inside him and turned off all the agony. His body was still broken, his wounds were still there, but he didn't feel them anymore.
He gasped, as if finally taking his first breath after drowning.
"Gah-!" he coughed harshly, blood sputtering from his lips again.
But at least now… it wasn't unbearable.
The girl grinned, clearly proud of her magic.
"You see, I am a goddess. The ruler of this tower," the girl declared, puffing her chest like she was making an important royal speech. Her hands rested on her hips, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
Then she turned her attention back to the glowing pink window floating beside her. "Lee Hyun Woo… I know what happened to you now."
Hyun Woo lifted his eyes, surprised. "You know?"
He finally stood, slowly and carefully. When he was fully upright, he blinked down at the girl. She wasn't even tall enough to reach his knees.
He couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Poor little goddess, he thought.
"Yeah, poor you," she replied, as if reading his mind. "You died like a chicken out there." She gave an exaggerated sigh.
His temple twitched. Was that supposed to be comforting… or mocking?
"So…you are the goddess of this tower?" He asked.
She twirled around in a circle, spreading her arms dramatically. "Of course, I'm the goddess of this tower! Bu-ha-ha-ha!!" she laughed, striking a villain pose.
Hyun Woo stared blankly. "Right… So, did you kill the people who came here before me?"
At those words, she froze mid-spin.
"I said I'm a goddess, not a murderer," she snapped, scowling. "Why would I kill them? They jumped into the pit like lunatics and died on their own. It's not my fault people can't even fall and land properly. Not everyone's a zombie like you, ya know?"
She crossed her arms and looked away with a huff. "Thanks to those idiots, at least Fenrir got snacks. But you're the first living person I've seen in ages. I can't even use you as a snack, what should I even do?"
Hyun Woo looked down at himself, his wounds, his blood-stained skin. His body was shredded, but somehow still working. Anyone else would've been dead the moment they hit the abyss. So why was he still here?
"…Am I really a zombie?" he muttered to himself.
"Who's Fenrir?" he asked, suddenly remembering the name she kept throwing around. Seriously, he didn't understand why he asked it when there were other pressing matters to solve.
"My wolf," she said bluntly, giving him a deadpan look.
"Ah. I see." He nodded, as if that explained everything.
He glanced around the glowing chamber. The stone walls were smooth and ancient, and the arched tunnel ahead was carved with mysterious runes. Floating candles lit the space with a soft hum. The place looked like a forgotten prison. Ah, well, it indeed was a forgotten prison.
"So…" he cleared his throat, "…how do I go back?"
The girl's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Here's the thing," she said. "Your body is only working because you're inside the tower. The moment you leave, you'll die for real."
Hyun Woo stared at her, eyes blinking slowly, not sure he heard her right.
"…What?"
"The tower's mana is keeping you alive," she explained casually, lifting a finger. "Like... your brain and heart should be mush by now, but the mana is replacing their functions. The moment you step outside, poof! you drop dead."
"…How? Why would the tower do that?" he asked, alarm slowly rising in his voice.
She tapped her chin, pretending to think deeply. "Hmm. Good question. I have no idea."
Hyun Woo squinted. "Aren't you supposed to be the goddess here?"
"I am!" she shot back. "But like I said, this is my first time meeting a living person! I've never seen this happen before."
He looked down at his hands. Now that he wasn't overwhelmed by pain, he could feel it, a faint current of energy, flowing through him. Smooth and cold, yet somehow comforting. Like... water and wind combined into one.
"…Is this mana special?" he whispered. Was this... his prison now? Used and fed as a food to a seed, and now trapped inside a tower?
"Special?" The girl tilted her head, then nodded. "Yup. The tower has the purest mana in the entire world. That's why people die when they fall in. Even S-Rank hunters can't handle it. But you?" She leaned in close, eyes glinting. "It didn't kill you. Instead, it kept you alive. You're either cursed… or like, are you something like Tower's secret love child?"
Hyun Woo: "...???"
Well… it didn't make any sense to him. How could a tower make babies anyway? And even if it could, shouldn't they be tiny towers or something? It can't be humans, right? He slapped his own cheek. What the hell was he even thinking right now?