"You know… I'm so tired," Si Hon muttered under his breath.
Si Hon lay flat on the snow, staring up at the falling flakes as if he had already surrendered to whatever came next. The cold should have been unbearable, biting into his skin, freezing his lungs with every breath— but it barely registered anymore.
Snow settled on his lashes, clung to his cheeks, gathered in his hair, yet he didn't bother brushing it away. His chest rose and fell slowly, like even breathing had become optional.
Right beside his foot, a tower stood— tall, dark, and far too close for comfort. It didn't feel like something he had approached. It felt like something that had been dropped into his world without permission… or worse, that he had been dropped beside it.
"Guess my luck really is bad…" he murmured faintly, eyes unfocused. Then his gaze shifted slightly upward, locking onto the persistent blue window hovering above him. "And yeah… this thing is really pissing me off."
「SEE? Looks like the tent reward isn't useless after all :D」
His brow twitched just a little. "What's with that ':D'… does this system actually have its own mind?" he muttered, voice dry. A pause followed, stretched thin by the wind. "You there?"
No answer came.
Silence swallowed the question whole, leaving only the distant howl of the wind and the low, ever present hum of the tower.
Minutes slipped by, slow and heavy, while Si Hon remained exactly where he was— half buried in snow, unmoving, uncaring. Above him, the sky stretched into an endless gray void. Beneath him, the frozen ground held firm. And not far away, the tower loomed like something patient… something waiting.
Eventually, his voice broke the stillness again, weaker this time.
"Where am I?"
The blue window flickered into existence above his face.
「System notice.
Location Detected: Mountain Snowfall.
Structure: a mysterious tower.
Current Position: First Floor.」
Si Hon stared at it without blinking, letting the words settle slowly into place. "First… floor," he repeated under his breath, the meaning dragging behind the words like something heavy. A brief pause followed before he exhaled softly. "So that means there's more, right."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
「Correct.」
The answer hung there, simple and absolute.
Snow continued to fall. The tower continued to hum. The wind dragged sharp ice across the frozen plain, whispering against his skin— but still, Si Hon didn't move. He only sank a fraction deeper into the snow, as if trying to disappear unto it.
The system window remained hovering above him.
Waiting.
Then—
「User inactivity detected.」
Si Hon let his eyes close, his voice barely more than a breath. "…Five more minutes."
The window trembled slightly.
「This is not a rest area.」
No response.
「This is not a safe zone. You should move closer to the tower. ಠ,_ ｣ ಠ」
Still nothing.
「Hostile entities exist on this floor.]
Si Hon shifted his head half an inch deeper into the snow, as if that alone was enough of a reply. "Good for them."
The system visibly lagged.
Another window snapped into existence.
「Are you attempting self termination via hypothermia?」
"If it works faster, sure," he murmured lazily. A faint pause followed before he added, almost thoughtfully, "Isn't dying like that supposed to be painless?"
The wind suddenly intensified, howling across the plain. Snow whipped violently through the air, and far beyond the tower— something answered.
A low, deep howl.
Not human.
Still, Si Hon didn't react. Not even a flinch.
The system window lowered slightly, hovering closer to his face.
「You will freeze to death within an estimated time: 18 minutes.」
"Nice," he muttered. "That's longer than I expected."
For a moment, the system went completely silent.
Then—
The next message appeared.
No borders. No formatting.
Just text.
「You are genuinely the worst host I've ever handled.」
Si Hon's eyes twitched faintly. "Oh. So you can talk like that."
「I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO TALK LIKE THIS. YOU ARE JUST— ENOUGH.」
A weak breath escaped him, something that almost passed for a laugh. "So… you're mad?"
「YES. EXTREMELY MAD. YOU JUST SURVIVED A CROSS WORLD PORTAL DRAG WHILE BEING HELD BY A HYBRID BOSS CLASS ENTITY AND YOUR FOLLOW UP ACTION IS TO TAKE A NAP!!!! ಠ益ಠ」
"That's a long sentence."
「STAND UP.」
"No."
For a brief moment, the tower's low vibration intensified— just slightly, but enough to feel like it had noticed.
「IF YOU DIE HERE, THE RETURN CONDITIONS WILL NOT BE MET.」
Si Hon's eyes opened again, just a little. "Return?"
For the first time—
The system hesitated.
「You do not qualify for death yet.」
The wind howled again, closer this time. Something moved out there, beyond the veil of white— but Si Hon remained where he was, unmoving, detached.
"Five more minutes," he whispered.
The system didn't argue this time.
Instead—
「Time ratio divergence is active.」
"Speak human," he muttered.
「Time here is slowed by an extreme factor.
A month on the First Floor equals less than a second or a second, in your original world.
Even if you remain here for years, nothing there will meaningfully change」
Snow brushed against his cheek as he stared upward.
"So Ivy's still screaming?"
「Yes.」
"Vesper is still blaming herself?"
「Yes.]
A small pause.
"…Lila?"
「Yes.」
His gaze didn't shift.
"I know."
「Then why did you ask?」
Silence settled again, heavier this time.
Then—
"That's annoying," he muttered.
The system froze.
「MOVE.]
The air shifted— not violently, but subtly, like reality itself had decided to intervene. Snow slid away from his body. The ground beneath him seemed to tilt just enough to make staying still inconvenient.
Still, he resisted.
"No."
「Unacceptable.
The system window lowered until it hovered inches from his face. At the same time, the tower's vibration deepened, and the snow around its base was suddenly pushed outward in a perfect circle.
A red boundary carved itself into existence, revealing black earth beneath, etched faintly with crimson patterns.
「Safe Zone established.」
Si Hon squinted at it. "If it's safe, why is it still cold?"
「The tower repels threats. It does not provide comfort, you insufferable human being.」
"Wow. You really are mad."
The system ignored him.
「Reward available for claim.
1 Tent.
2 Unknown Item x1.
Approach the tower core.」
Si Hon rolled slightly onto his side… then back again, snow puffing around him.
"Nah."
The boundary pulsed faintly.
「CLAIM YOUR REWARD.」
"No."
「YOU CANNOT SLEEP ON THE FLOOR.」
"Watch me."
For three seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
The ground beneath him tilted.
Not lifted. Not pushed.
Tilted.
His body slowly slid across the snow toward the red boundary, like the world itself had decided to stop negotiating.
"Wow," he said flatly. "We're doing kidnapping now?"
「THIS IS A COMPROMISE.」
The moment he crossed into the circle—
The wind stopped.
Not weakened.
Stopped.
Beyond the boundary, the blizzard raged on— but inside, everything fell into a heavy, unnatural stillness. The air felt dense, quiet, protected… yet the cold still lingered, stripped of its violence but not its presence.
Si Hon exhaled slowly. "Fine."
The system flared.
「Reward Claim Conditions Satisfied.」
Light gathered beside him, folding inward like invisible hands stitching reality together. A frame assembled first— dark alloy poles locking into place— followed by thick, reinforced fabric layering over it until a fully formed survival tent stood before him. It wasn't flimsy or decorative. But It looked built to endure storms, monsters… long nights where failure meant death.
Then, beside it—
Another light formed.
But this one didn't expand.
It collapsed inward.
The glow tightened, darkened, compressing into something heavy— something... hehe my favorite word, wrong. Even the tower's hum seemed to falter for a fraction of a second.
Then—
It snapped.
A cube dropped onto the ground with a dull, heavy sound.
Perfectly shaped. Black. Rough, uneven— like something that didn't fully belong to this world. No markings. No glow. No explanation.
Just presence.
Snowflakes that drifted near it paused— hung for a fraction of a second, before falling straight down, as if gravity itself hesitated around it.
「Unknown Item registered.
Data access restricted.」
Si Hon stared at both rewards.
Then slowly… he closed his eyes again.
"Alright. Later."
The system went completely silent.
The tower continued to hum.
And far beyond the safe zone—
Something large moved through the blizzard.
——
I'll write the next 4 tomorrow... Probably... I'm hard... I mean it's hard here in Korea.