Beyond - 7
The Ranker named Proud descended to the 1st floor.
The only reason he descended to such a low floor was because there was someone he had to see.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Pandora! Pandora!"
He called out to someone else's house and shouted Pandora's name.
"Come out, Pandora!"
This was Pandora's home, the place where one of the three beauties of the Tower lived, along with Tsukuyomi and Aphrodite.
Finally, after much searching, he was able to find Pandora's house.
However...
"Married? That's ridiculous."
Soon, she would be married.
He had climbed the Tower thinking only of her; how could he allow it?
As he pounded on the door in frustration, it slowly opened.
"Oh, Pan...do...?
Proud tilted his head.
Bulging muscles, a height that touched the ceiling.
He had definitely been told this was Pandora's house, so why did a man come out?
However, somehow, his face seemed familiar.
"It's a shame I came out instead of Pandora."
The Hero Hercules.
Also known by the terrifying name "Giant Slayer."
"She's out right now. What do you want with her?"
Boom, boom.
Proud looked up at the approaching Hercules.
He was at least two heads taller than him.
Not only was he huge, but the pressure emanating from him was no joke.
'Don't be scared. I'm a Ranker now too.'
Gulp.
Proud lifted his head and looked Hercules in the eyes.
Then, he confidently pounded his chest and said:
"I've come to challenge Kim YuWon."
"To Kim YuWon?"
"Yes. I started climbing the Tower long before him, and my feelings for Pandora are much stronger. I also have the right to stand by her side."
A determined and resolute tone. However, in response to Proud's words, Hercules sighed and muttered.
"There are still crazies like this..."
Even before the Tower forgot about Kim YuWon, things like this had happened more than once.
Pandora, one of the three beauties of the Tower. Unlike Tsukuyomi, whose whereabouts were unknown, or Artemis, who was surrounded by the immense power of Olympus, she could be found anytime if one wished.
Furthermore, her side was empty, so many men had fallen in love with her.
The only difference was that this guy had come despite knowing about YuWon's existence.
"Are you calling me crazy..."
Proud was momentarily angered by Hercules' words, but then he met his eyes, and his voice faded.
"Ha... yes..."
"If I offended you, I apologize. And I'll have to apologize again."
"What do you mean?"
"Leave. It's advice."
Hercules' expression was genuinely concerned for Proud.
"If that guy comes, you might die."
It was the truth.
Only Baruna, a High-Ranker, had experienced it.
How many beatings had that guy taken to remember YuWon's name?
However, Proud, who was now standing in front of him, looked like a rookie who had just become a Ranker, not a High-Ranker.
However...
"I'm already prepared to fight him."
"...Eh?"
Faced with Proud's confident response, Hercules doubted his own ears.
Fight?
Seriously, did he say fight?
Seeing the fiery gaze, it seemed he didn't mishear.
Truly, what an absurd situation.
'I've never seen someone like this before,' Hercules thought, watching this reaction.
From his reaction, he could see what kind of life he had lived.
He had fought to become a Ranker, but he had never encountered Great Guilds and considered himself the limit of the sky. Not knowing that beyond the sky, there is another sky, he could be ignorant and brave.
Interestingly, to Hercules, it seemed like YuWon could wipe out that guy with just a finger, even if he didn't acknowledge it.
"Can I tell you a story?"
-------------
"We can't let an unknown guest into the house," Hercules thought and led Proud to a chair in the garden.
After quickly serving tea, Hercules sat silently before speaking.
"Don't give up on life."
"What are you saying?"
"Even if it's so tough you want to die, eventually, you'll find a reason to live. So..."
"So, am I here to die now? Is that what you're saying?"
"That's right."
Hercules nodded.
"Have you come to cause trouble by chasing a woman who already has an owner? Indeed, I'd prefer to kick you out first, but..."
As he continued speaking, Hercules' gaze turned backward.
With a defeated expression, he covered his face with a hand.
"Too late."
Thud-.
YuWon and Pandora, who had gone out and returned without Hercules noticing.
Among them, YuWon, who had experienced similar situations several times, understood the situation and approached Proud.
"Again?"
"That's right, are you Kim YuWon?"
"And what if I am?"
"I'll officially challenge you."
Thud-.
Standing up, Proud looked at Pandora beside YuWon.
"Bet on her and have a duel with me."
Huh?
Suddenly, everything spun before his eyes.
And the next moment...
"Is she an object? Betting and fighting for her?"
Just when it seemed like YuWon's face would twist to the side, the world flipped.
-----------------
When did he fall?
In the darkness, Proud's consciousness slowly rose to the surface.
"You're not dead, are you?"
Hercules' voice echoed.
Dead? Who?
Slowly, vision returned. Proud was lying on the garden floor, bleeding.
What the hell had happened?
"Ugh..."
Getting up, Proud felt intense dizziness.
Touching his head, he noticed he was bleeding.
It was a mark of a blow.
'Was I hit? By me?'
Gulp-.
"I started climbing the Tower before him. But seriously, is there such a difference?"
It hadn't been more than a decade since YuWon became a Ranker.
Moreover, he had started climbing the Tower 200 years before him.
He thought his experience would put him ahead.
But...
"Move. I want to talk to this guy."
"Don't kill him."
"If only he had a clear mind like Baruna..."
Hercules stepped aside at YuWon's words.
Proud, left alone with YuWon in the garden, clenched his fists tightly.
"I'll try again."
"...?"
"I want to fight you fairly. Betting everything I have."
YuWon wore an expression of disbelief as he saw Proud extend his clenched fist.
At first, he felt irritated, but now it just seemed ridiculous.
"Have you looked at the Ranking?"
"I'm not interested in those number games."
Somehow...
Only then did YuWon understand Proud's reckless attitude.
Although rare, they existed.
Players who weren't interested in the Ranking.
Probably, this guy had only heard his name and hadn't bothered to check his position in the Ranking.
As expected, ignorance is bold.
"Take a look."
"I don't think I'm going to win."
Proud's response left YuWon with a perplexed expression.
"I'm not so foolish as to be unaware of the power difference."
Was he intending to challenge him without even thinking about winning? He didn't seem like one of those guys who pursued Pandora just for her looks, like Baruna.
Of course...
"Well, then..."
It's not that he took it lightly.
Proud stepped back and assumed a combat stance as YuWon nodded.
Snap!
Immediately after concentrating Arcane Power in his fist, he lunged at YuWon with a fierce aura.
And shortly after...
Boom!
"...?"
He lost consciousness again upon hearing a sound on his forehead.
---------------
Proud, who had fainted for a moment, realized the reason for his defeat from the throbbing in his forehead.
A simple blow to the forehead.
Upon regaining consciousness, he found himself lying in the courtyard, gazing at the sky.
Ugh...
Proud bit his lip and stood up.
YuWon looked down at him with an expression that said, "Are you going to continue like this?"
"...I lost."
YuWon nodded at his acknowledgment.
Even without that, he was thinking he would have to use a bit more force if he continued.
"I heard you're getting married soon."
Proud spoke with a melancholic tone.
"Why did you choose her?"
"Why?"
"Yes, why?"
It's not like he was the older brother marrying off his sister, so he didn't understand the question.
However, it was the first time he had been asked that question.
YuWon immersed himself in his thoughts for a moment.
'Why...?'
"I'm getting married."
He wasn't even sure when Pandora mentioned it to him for the first time.
With so many responsibilities on his shoulders, his ability to feel emotions like love had dulled.
Marriage?
He hadn't even considered it.
However...
"There was a time when I was forgotten."
Now it was a story everyone knew.
There was a time when the world forgot the name Kim YuWon, and then remembered it.
"But one person remembered me."
Pandora had waited for him.
Thinking that he would return someday.
To someone everyone had forgotten, with no hope.
"She kept repeating my Name. I don't know since when."
"Kim YuWon, Kim YuWon, Kim YuWon, YuWon..."
Pandora, repeating the same Name over and over again amidst tears so as not to forget it.
Thinking about it, she was probably eating cake at that time.
He couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Why not love her?"
It was probably at that moment...
When he fell in love with her, even though she pursued him unilaterally.
"She saved me. What I received from her was so great that I have no choice but to repay it with my heart."
She was the only one who remembered and loved him when everyone else had forgotten.
She was a beautiful person, but her heart towards him was even more beautiful.
"Does that answer your question?"
That was why YuWon loved Pandora.
"She..."
Proud's lips trembled as he listened to YuWon's words.
"Why does she love you?"
Another "why" question.
Thinking about it, it was a question he should have heard before, but why hadn't he heard it until now?
Maybe it was because the only ones spending time with him were a stupid monkey and a muscle-brained bastard instead of a brain.
'Now that I think about it, why?'
It was a question he hadn't even thought to ask, being too familiar.
He had been letting many things slide under the excuse of being clumsy.
It seemed like it wasn't something that could be overlooked as innocent, as they didn't even know why they loved each other.
YuWon, who had been deep in thought, nodded.
"You're right. I should ask her without fail. Thank you."
"...?"
This time, Proud was the one left bewildered by YuWon's reaction.
However, he soon stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled with a refreshing smile.
"It seems you're a better man than I expected."
Snap~
Turning around, he showed his white teeth.
"Take good care of Pandora, Kim YuWon."
Step, step~
Proud turned around and left YuWon's house.
As he watched Proud walk away,
Hercules, who had been observing YuWon and Proud from the second floor, asked in a hoarse voice:
"So, what's happening?"
"I don't know."
As expected, Pandora didn't remember.
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)