Book 6: Chapter 6
Book 6: Chapter 6
Vur walked ahead of Tafel and Lindyss, the undead rabbit guide held within his arms. The portal had taken them to an underground tunnel without any source of light other than the one in the distance. The lack of light wasn’t a problem; two rows of spherical phoenix flames floated in the air behind and ahead of the group, illuminating the way much like torches on a castle wall.
“Now, remember, you’re the ones who tore the tower’s invitation, rendering it invalid,” Hyeonnam Tokki said. “Since that’s the case, you can only enter through the regular admission area. Then again”—the rabbit turned around to peer over Vur’s shoulder at his companions—“only Vur Besteck would’ve been allowed inside, so it’s actually better this way.”
“Is there anything we have to know about the regular admission area?” Tafel asked. “Is the invitation’s only purpose to let someone inside the tower by bypassing this area?”
“The invitation also included some bonus geums, the currency of the tower,” Hyeonnam Tokki said. “As for things to watch out for in the regular admission area….” The skeletal rabbit paused and tilted its head to the side. Despite the lack of fur and other fleshy surfaces, its cowboy hat remained in the same position. “You absolutely cannot question the administrator. Every time the tower conducts a tutorial round for potential entrants, the administrator is granted the authority to kill one person to show off the tower’s prestige. Usually, anyone who acts up is singled out and executed to keep everyone else in line.”
“Is the administrator strong?” Vur asked.
The skeletal rabbit nodded. “Very strong.”
“How strong?”
“As strong as a lich. Do you know what a lich is? It’s a nearly immortal entity capable of wielding vast amounts of dark magic.”
“A lich?” Vur asked and glanced behind himself. “Auntie, there’s a lich inside the graveyard, right?”
Lindyss nodded. “If the rabbit’s talking about the same kind of lich.”
Vur blinked and looked down at the rabbit. “Isn’t the administrator a little too weak? What if he can’t kill someone who’s causing trouble?”
“I’ve always lived as a rabbit, so I never thought from a dragon’s point of view,” Hyeonnam Tokki said while looking up at Vur. “Let me reword the things you need to watch out for in the regular admission area. Absolutely nothing.”
Vur nodded. “That’s better.”
Hyeonnam Tokki stared straight ahead. Would he still be recognized as a guide by the tower despite his new form? He wasn’t sure, but he was about to find out. As the group approached the exit, Hyeonnam Tokki wanted to close his eyes, but it was difficult to do that without any eyelids. Instead, the skeletal rabbit got to witness the transition between tunnel and waiting room in all its splendor. The black tunnel walls turned into a spacious region with a white floor and towering walls adorned with red and gold curtains. The ceiling towered above in a domelike manner, and at the very center of the dome, a miniature sun was suspended in place.
“There’s a lot of people here, huh?” Tafel asked while looking around the room. The tunnel she had walked through with Vur and Lindyss wasn’t the only one there. There were eleven others, and all but one of them had crowds of people in front of them within the room. Of the groups, Tafel’s was the smallest with a member count of three. The next smallest group, led by a wolf, had twenty people. The largest group, the one headed by a polar bear, had over a hundred members.
“Are all those animals guides?” Lindyss asked, leaning forward a bit to get a better look. All the groups had one animal representing them in the front. “It must be rough being the only herbivore around, huh?”
“At least he doesn’t have to worry about being eaten anymore,” Erin said, taking a glance at the skeletal rabbit. As someone who slept through the rabbit dinner, she couldn’t help but pity the poor guide. Then again, as a rabbit, he was bound to be eaten by something eventually, so she got over it.
Hyeonnam Tokki’s expression darkened. It was a shame he didn’t have any flesh on his skull to properly express the emotions he was feeling. He wriggled and hopped out of Vur’s grasp, taking his place ahead of the group on the ground before turning back to look at the people who had eaten him. “Yes, each group is led by a guide.” He glanced at one of the tunnels along the wall, the empty one. “Once all the guides arrive, the administrator will descend and the admission test will begin.”
“As a guide, you’re allowed to tag along with us through the test?” Tafel asked and raised an eyebrow.
“About that…,” Hyeonnam Tokki said. “No.”
Tafel blinked. “Didn’t you say you’d help us by finding the right routes and pointing out the pitfalls to avoid?”
“Oh, you’ll be surprised by what comes out of your mouth when you’re about to be eaten,” Hyeonnam Tokki said and fiddled with the laces on his boots. He didn’t have thumbs, so it took a while for the rabbit to get his boots looking how he wanted.
“So, when you swore on your name as Hyeonnam Tokki that you’d be really useful for the admission, you…?” Tafel asked, not finishing her question.
“Lied my furry patootie off.” Hyeonnam Tokki glanced behind at himself. “I suppose it can’t be counted as furry anymore.”
“It can’t really be counted as a patootie either; there’s only bone,” Stella said and nodded.
“Right,” Hyeonnam Tokki said, agreeing with Stella before looking at Tafel. “If you were in my situation, you’d do and say the exact same things as me.” He raised one bony paw up, stopping the demon from replying. “The last group’s coming. It’s better to stay quiet and patiently wait for the administrator to descend lest you give him a reason to single you out. Even if he can’t kill you, that doesn’t mean he won’t unfairly dock your points out of bitterness.”
Vur scratched his belly and stared at the skeletal rabbit. “Is the administrator an animal like the guides?”
“No. Why?”
Vur shrugged. “If he was, I was thinking about eating him.” His gaze drifted towards the polar bear, the guide with the most followers. “Are you friends with that bear?”
“Does my answer matter?” Hyeonnam Tokki asked.
Vur blinked. “Huh. I guess it doesn’t.”