Chapter 7

"Alright, first things first is to make sure everyone is geared and ready. Because once we go in, we aren't coming out till the first floor is dealt with thoroughly. Is there anyone here who could heal others? Anyone?"

Hwan-U watched for someone in the group of eight to react, and luckily, someone did; one of the ground members hiding in the back raised their hand.

"I can Hwan-U, sir!"

"Your ability will be quite helpful in certain situations, so please keep close and stay safe! Er uh... I'm sorry your name is."

"Hyun-Joo, sir! Severity two Rank D!"

"A severity two! And you're a rank D! That's incredible! Welcome to the team Hyun-Joo!"

"Thank you, sir! I look forward to fighting alongside you!"

"Sprouty one, aren't you!"

Hwan-U laughed out loud as he felt excitement creeping into his system.

"Alright, next, we'll need someone with high vitality! Is anyone strong enough to be a tanker?"

Two members raised their hands and instantly looked at each other.

"You too! No way!"

"Ha! I wasn't expecting to find another with us; it's good to know I'm not the only one!"

"I'm Ji-Min! It's nice to meet you-."

"Jeong-Ho! Certified Severity one rank A!"

"No way! You're a Severity One Rank A as well?! Wait, your weapon. Do you also have a!"

Simultaneously both Jeong-Ho and Ji-Min pulled out swords at the same time. With this, Jeong and Ji formed a sudden friendship bond as they repeatedly high five.

"Well, it's good to know we've got some high rankers with us today, and it's even better that you're getting along!"

Hwan-U next searched for a potential mage type in the group. However, this time nobody raised their hands.

"It's unfortunate, but that's okay. As for the rest of you! Can I get your name and highest attribute? You can also share your rank if you'd like."

The remaining five stepped forward, each with different looks in their eyes.

"My name is Jun-Seo, and my highest attribute is agility. I'd like to consider myself an assassin type due to my extreme speed and ability, stealth."

"You sure are the definition of an assassin; what's your severity rank?"

"Severity One Rank B."

Si-Woo felt unease as everyone around him was far more substantial than him.

"Great to have you, Jun-Seo! Please give it your all!"

Next stood a tall and well-built woman. She seemed to be a professional bodybuilder.

"Su-Jin! My highest stat is strength; I'll be able to lift any huge obstacle that would get in our way. You can count on me to make sure we get in and out as quickly as possible!"

"It's nice to have you Su-Jin! Would you mind telling me your ability and rank?"

"My ability is Furious Appetite; It allows me to gather any opponent towards me, as for my Severity Rank. I'm a Severity One Rank S!"

"Incredible! A rank S!"

Hwan-U was in shock, as well as the others, as they began talking amongst themselves. A rank S? That's crazy! She does look pretty strong, though.

"Su-Jin! I hope I don't put too much pressure on you by saying this! But please keep us safe!"

Su-Jin's eye twitched slightly at the request causing her to turn her back and huff.

"If you can't fight for yourself, then you shouldn't be here."

"U-Um, Hwan-U, sir. I'm also a healer."

A shy girl raised her hand as she slowly stepped forward.

"I-I can heal people as well."

"Ah! A second healer! It's great to have you! Wait, a-are you by chance Ji-Ja's Sister?"

"Y-Yes! You know my brother?"

"Of course, he and I went to school together. That means you must be Yeong-Ja!"

"I-I am; I didn't realize people that my brother went to school with would know who I was."

Hwan-U laughs with sincerity.

"He could never stop nagging about how lazy you were when you were home. I'm surprised to see you here of all places, though."

"Well, my brother..."

Yeong-Ya gripped at the sleeves of her shirt.

"Has fallen to Crimson Slumber."

Hwan-U felt a sudden ache form in his chest.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that, Yeong-Ya; I wish I'd known sooner. With everything I've been doing recently for the agency, I would've gone to see him beforehand."

Suddenly one of the remaining two sighed out loud. Instantly they caught everyone's attention.

"What a bore-fest. Can't we just go in already and slaughter some monsters."

"And you are?"

Hwan-U kept an intense glare on those who decided to sigh out loud rudely.

"Eun-Joo, at your service... I'm a Severity Two Rank S. My ability is Life Veil; it allows me to create a net prison that sucks the life of any living thing it touches."

"A-A Severity Two Rank S?"

Si-Woo was shaking slightly at the thought of the power this Scar Bearer had. Before shifting his look over to the other one laughing behind Eun-Joo. While Hwan-U stood gritting his teeth.

"What about you then... Just who are you?"

"Jae-Joo, I'm also a Severity Two Rank S. However, my ability isn't important as I won't need to use it when we fight the beasts inside this tower."

It seems a pair of brothers have also joined the group.

"I see; welcome to the force; I hope you two will get us through this safely!"

Jae and Eun looked at each other with grins as Hwan-U turned and faced the tower's open door.

"Once we enter, these doors will shut until we've cleared a floor. It won't be easy, and we could die in here. So please give it your all so we can return!"

In a sudden uproar, everyone cheered for the upcoming battle as Hwan-U stepped forward and entered the black tower for the first time. The world of Scar Bearers begins to shift.

Torches light up the inside of the tower's first floor as the doors close behind them.

"Did everyone make it in?!"

Hwan-U did a headcount, and everyone appeared to make it in safety.

"Good, let us be on our guard; we aren't sure what could be in here."

As the group begins walking together, the air starts turning chilly, and the breathing of everyone becomes visible.

"W-Why did it become so cold all of a sudden?!"

Si-Woo held himself as he shivered and stood in place while everyone else walked forward. The last two to pass him were Jae and Eun. As they turned back with evil-looking grins on their face, they began mocking him.

"Getting cold feet? We haven't seen a single monster, and you already can't continue."

Jae-Joo laughed as he walked away.

Si-Woo ignored him and walked forward without a second thought about it.

"Hold up! Something's coming!"

Hwan-U shouted as he noticed skeleton monsters with armor made of ice sickles.

"Are those skeletons made of ice?!"

Yeong-Ya questioned as she watched them hold up their sickle-shaped weapons.

"This could be bad if they latch you with one of those. You're going to lose some flesh for sure. Be careful, guys! Ji-Min! Jeong-Ho! Stand front! We can't let them get close!"

As Hwan-U was giving commands, more ice skeletons appeared, totaling twelve.

"W-What's with these numbers..."

Si-Woo stepped back, scared for his life.

Hwan-U noticed this but made sure to prioritize everyone else's lives first.

"If they get through, we'll have to be ready! Make sure they don't okay tanks!"

Both Ji-Min and Jeong-Ho shouted in sync as they held up their sword and shields out front.

"Healers, be prepared to fight yourselves! If they get through, we won't be able to protect you fully!"

Yeong-Ya was shaking as the cold and fear merged inside her.

"I-I don't want to die."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure you won't have to fight."

Su-Jin stood before her with armored gauntlets. She was ready to go hand and hand with anything that approached her.

"Su-Jinnn."

Yeong-Ya's eyes teared up as she wanted to hug Su-Jin emotionally.

"J-Just stay behind me!"

The skeletons advanced and began attacking the tankers as they held their shields up. The pressure from the hits continued to increase as if the freezing attacks were affecting them through their shields.

"Hmph, seems they can't even handle a pack of ice skeletons. What a bunch of weaklings... Yet I smell something a lot weaker."

Jae-Joo turned and glared at Si-Woo. Who was shivering on the ground.

"Why are you even here if you can't fight. Why even attempt the tower? Seriously killing you now would save you the pain from being slaughtered slowly by a monster."

Si-Woo's eyes widened at Jae-Joo's words as he continued glaring at him until he smirked and chuckled about it.

"Oh, Eun-Joo, you should've seen his face. He thought I was serious!"

Both of the brothers laughed as they pulled out their weapons. Two different battleaxes, one double-edged and the other a single blade. As they pulled away from their scars and held out their weapons, they smirked and nodded at each other before rushing forward and leaping over the tanks. Leading inwards with their axes pulled to the side before reaching the closest skeletons. They unleash devastating swings that cut them in half immediately as they land. Then charge forth, giving everyone else the confidence to fight as well. Hwan-U and the tanks charged ahead, colliding with ice skeletons on their own.

Ji-Min bashes one of the skeletons back, allowing his newly formed friend Jeong-Ho to deliver a killing blow. Hwan-U dashes in with a jab from his spear. Smashing two of the ice skeleton's heads entirely. As Si-Woo and the healers sat back, Su-Jin also charged forth. Before leaping into the air and landing on top of an ice skeleton, causing it to shatter completely. Yet behind her a sudden swing came down on Su-Jin's shoulder, as she turned she noticed the ice skeleton's head shattering completely. Suddenly from nothingness, Jun-Seo appeared his dagger jammed into the skeleton's head.

"T-Thanks for the assist..."

"No problem, but you should head over to the healers and get that fixed up before it gets worse."

"Yeah, yeah."

Before they knew it, the group cleared out all twelve ice skeletons, and the group was able to breathe once again. However, the chilling air continued to breeze through the area.

"Great work, everyone! We were able to take them down without taking severe casualties! Especially you two, great push forward."

Jae and Eun fist-bumped with big grins on their face. Everyone was cheerful until Su-Jin had asked an unexpected question out loud.

"Hwan-U, why did we bring him. He isn't even able to stand, let alone fight!"

Su-Jin pointed at Si-Woo, who was still shivering on the ground.

"He's hopeless; he's been like that the entire time."

Jae-Joo said as he and everyone else turned to look at Si-Woo.

Hwan-U stared before sighing.

"Si-Woo, will you let your title hold you back? You're better than this! I know you are! You want to save Mina after all, right!?"

Si-Woo looked up at Hwan-U, but so did everyone else.

"His title? What exactly is his title, Hwan-U?"

Si-Woo began looking at everyone else as they started talking. Suddenly pieces of the puzzle started forming.

"The weakest person here... Is he known as the weakest Scar Bearer?!"

Heong-Yo asked, instantly setting everyone else into motion.

"That's it, isn't it."

Eun-Joo and Jae-Joo looked shocked to learn the truth, just along with everyone else.

"How is that possible? How can you be the weakest of the weak? Aren't you a Scar Bearer?!"

Yeong-Ya questioned him, but she did it out of pure concern compared to the others.

Su-Jin shook her head as she turned in disapproval. The Joo brothers started smirking, and Jeong-Ho and Ji-Min began talking in private; however, by their faces, it seemed they felt guilty about what they said out loud. Jun-Seo and Hwan-U remained silent as they watched everyone else's reactions, and with this, Si-Woo had enough as he stood up and unintentionally ran further into the tower's first floor.

"Si-Woo! Wait! We don't know what's down that way!"

Hwan-U shouted, trying to stop him from going anything further. However, he was too far gone.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! I'm supposed to protect him; I'm supposed to help him bring Mina back! What did I do! What did I do!"

Hwan-U dissolved his spear and charged forth, trying to reach Si-Woo, causing the rest of the group to follow along.

"They hate me! Because I'm weak! They're all against me... I shouldn't be here; I shouldn't have come to this stupid tower! Mina, Mina! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I can't save you because I'm not strong enough! I'm nothing, but the weakest of the weak!"

As Si-Woo continued running with his eyes full of tears, the sudden air chill vanished, and suddenly a burst of fierce heat pressed against his body. Forcing his eyes to shoot up, he instantly finds himself in a giant room. In the center with a huge statue that towered over him like a skyscraper as it stood with its arms to the sky. Magma flows at the bottom, and if you take one wrong step, you'll fall deep down into it.

"I-I don't wanna be here!"

As Si-Woo turned, everyone else's voices closed in as well as their appearances.

Instantly bashing into him, everyone enters the arena, and a sudden giant door forms, completely blocking their exit. Leaving them stuck in the arena room.

"W-What is this!? Why is there magma at the bottom?!"

Yeong-Ya was frightened at the thought of falling in.

While everyone else prepared for a potential battle that could happen.

"Everyone remain calm; while we may be far from the cold now, we still have no clue what this room may hold!"

Si-Woo observed the statue and instantly noticed something was off with it.

"I-It's face; I swore it had a face!"

"What are you on about Si-Woo?"

"When I got here, the statue had a face! I know it did!"

"Oh great, he's scared shitless because of a statue!"

"Jae-Joo! Stop targeting Si-Woo for five minutes; we've got more pressing matters to attend to!"

Hwan-U snapped at Jae-Joo as he began observing the statue as well.

"It is odd that a statue would have no face. But where could its face go if it previously had one."

Suddenly a scream filled the air as Yeong-Ya watched Su-Jin take a laser to the leg.

"What happened?!"

Hwan-U and Hyun-Joo rushed over to Su-Jin.

"Hyun-Joo, make sure you stop her bleeding, alright! Yeong-Ya, I need you to tell me what you saw!"

Yeong-Ya held her breath and instead pointed towards a floating stone eye that stared down at them.

"W-What the hell is that."

"there's one over here too!"

Ji-Min shouted, dividing the other's attention.

"T-They're the eyes... The eyes of the statue!"

Si-Woo shouted, confirming that it did have a face.

"Then where's its mouth?!"

Jae-Joo asked, looking around in worry.

Instantaneously the eyes began to light up with some type of energy.

"Watch out; it's going to fire again!"

Su-Jin shouted, pulling Hyun-Joo out of the way of the blast.

Instead of a single shot, the eyes traced out a message along the ground. It read as such.

"Three seek blood, two seek fame, and two seek a savior. Three desire wealth, and one seeks power. Which one's goals are the most zealous?"

"W-What does this mean?! Is this some kind of riddle?"

Hwan-U observed it and looked at everyone else.

"Blood, fame, a savior, wealth, and power... There are only ten of us. So it isn't talking about us..."

Hwan-U began thinking to himself while everyone stared at him in concern.

"But it's not telling us to figure them out; it's asking us who's goals are most zeal, which means..."

Hwan-U grins and looks up at the statue.

"The most zealous one would be the one who seeks power!"

It went silent as Hwan-U waited for confirmation, but as he waited, his confirmation came in an unexchangeable form as Hwan-U was shot through his head with a laser from one of the eyes. He fell lifeless onto the ground, and immediately, the realization of the situation became apparent. Either someone had to get it right, or they would die.

"W-What the fuck! H-He's dead! Just like that!"

Jae-Joo held his brother Eun-Joo as they prepared for another attack. The eyes were waiting for the following answer.

"I-Is it wealth!"

Jun-Seo answered hesitantly, hoping it would throw off the statues' eyes.

But in that exact moment, both eyes fired and killed Jun-Seo and Hyun-Joo, then the mouth descended from the ceiling and landed on Yeong-Ya, splattering blood all over the ground where she stood. The puzzle's difficulty was finally revealed as it slowly ascended back to the top.

"T-Three people this time!? Why was it three this time?!"

Si-Woo tried to think, but the fear was eating away any thoughts in his brain.

Su-Jin stood as she wiped Hyun-Joo's blood from her face.

"It's because wealth had three people on it. Why power only had one. This means if we choose wrong. Anymore we could all lose our lives."

The remaining six survivors stood together, thinking of what to do.

"Think about it; power and wealth were wrong, which means fame would also be out of the equation. So that narrows it down to blood and savior... But what exactly could it be?"

"W-Well, we only have two choices if we count fame as an incorrect choice."

Su-Jin stood and stepped toward the statue.

"It's the only chance we've got, a clear fifty, fifty shot at survival."

"Wait! Su-Jin! Don't do it! You'll kill us!"

"It's not like any of you would be willing to risk your lives on a gamble! So be quiet and let me do this!"

"But this isn't a gamble you can win! The changes are against you!"

Eun-Joo shouted as Su-Jin pushed forward with her decision.

"The answer is! Savior!"

Once again, the eyes fired and annihilated Su-Jin and Ji-Min, Leaving the Joo brothers, Jeong-Ho, and Si-Woo left alive.

"Shit! Shit! That means fame has to be an option! Blood and fame! Those are our only options!"

Jeong-Ho sobbed at his new friend's death as he held his lifeless body; the Joo brothers panicked as they tried to think of the answer, and Si-Woo stood in fear.

"Fame or blood, fame or blood. Which is it damn it!"

Eun-Joo rushed over to Si-Woo and began shaking him.

"Hey! Hey! Which is it! Do you know?! You've been nothing but useless this entire time, so why don't you help, huh?!"

"Eun! It's not going to do us any good. He won't even move."

"Then why don't we use him as a shield!"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Well, we can hold him up while we answer and put him in the direction of the firing laser!"

"Eun, are you out of your mind?!"

"If I wasn't! We'd all be dying today!"

Eun forcefully dragged Si-Woo over to the statue and pulled his head back by his hair.

"Pick, blood or fame. Get some blood on your hands!"

"Eun! Stop! If he chooses wrong, he won't be the only one who dies!"

"Quiet, Jae! I'm saving us!"

Suddenly Eun pulled out his axe and placed the razor-sharp blade against Si-Woo's throat.

"If you don't answer, I'll kill you and force Jeong-Ho to answer instead!"

Si-Woo stared blankly at the statue as his face turned pale.

"A-Alright, I'll do it... Just leave him out of this."

"G-Good guy, you're a good guy. Smart too, I like that."

Si-Woo swallowed forcefully as he thought of which to choose. Blood and fame rushed through his mind as he believed he would die either way he quickly just chose.

"The answer is blood!"

Si-Woo shouted, causing fear to welp up inside the others. As they prepared to die, Si-Woo found himself waiting for what felt like an eternity till Eun-Joo removed his axe from Si-Woo's throat and stepped back. Only to notice something heavily off-putting. As he turned around wholly, Eun-Joo and Jae-Joo's heads were replaced by the eyes of the statue. Leaving only him and Jeong-Ho left; however, they weren't dead as they began attacking the remaining too.

As Jae-Joo swings at Jeong-Ho, he misses and latches his axe into Ji-Min's body. Jeong-Ho stands up and quickly backs away, keeping himself from getting too close to the edge.

Si-Woo dodges with his reflexes instinctively as Eun-Jun slams downwards with his axe, cracking the ground before him. However, that wasn't the other problem that arose as the arms of the statue began to move; the eyes that controlled the dead brothers were ripped from their bodies and lodged back into the figure itself.

Along with its mouth, which latched itself back onto its face. Giving it a sinister smile that sent chills down both Jeong-Ho and Si-Woo's spines.

It extended its arm out like it was offering a helping hand, then began writing another message onto the ground.

"The final piece of the game must remain for his partner's name to sustain."

"It's obvious what it's asking... It wants one of us to stay as an offering and allow the other to survive. This must be how other researchers survived... By leeching off the sacrifices of others."

Jeong-Ho and Si-Woo look at each other. Both felt the need to live, yet Si-Woo ultimately held out his arm and spoke strong feelings.

"I want to live as much as you do; more than anything I could ever want was to live and save my sister. But the way I am now, I'm afraid I won't be able to achieve that goal. So live a long and peaceful life, try to stay out of trouble... Okay."

"Wait! Si-Woo! Let me do it! I can't let someone else sacrifice themselves for me! It's not fair!"

Si-Woo notices the eyes of the statue lighting up slowly.

"You don't have time! Start running for the door! NOW!"

"Si-Woo, please! Don't die for my sake!"

Si-Woo felt slight anger as he turned and bore into Jeong-Ho's face.

"Stop whining and go, damn it! I'm saving your ass! So shut up and go! Stop complaining about your god-forsaken pride!"

"S-Si-Woo! I'll never forget this! I promise I'll pay you back for every bit of it."

Tears formed in Jeong-Ho's eyes as he stood up and began running for the door.

Si-Woo quickly turned and reached for the statue's hand, instantly placing it in and feeling it close around him.

Within seconds the hand began to crush Si-Woo's arm. Immense pain overwhelmed Si-Woo's mind as he started rethinking his decision. Or at least until he saw Jeong-Ho safely leaving the room.

"I-It was for the best; I can't do anything right. Nor do I have the power to save anyone, let alone my sister. I-I'm so sorry, Mina; I truly wanted to save you from this horrible fate that was bestowed on you. Yet I failed as a hero, a savior, and a brother..."

Si-Woo was lifted as the statue crushed his arm, leaving him with nothing but a bloody mess. As it became mashed entirely, Si-Woo fell to the ground below, lying with blood pouring from his missing right arm.

Tears fill his eyes as visions of Mina flash before his eyes once again.

"Mina, you were my only family... I hope dying like this means a lot to you because I genuinely did try."

A shot was fired from the statue's eyes as it pierced through Si-Woo's chest, blood spewed from his mouth, and his eyes twitched shortly after, barely allowing him to see the text box that appeared before him.

"Secret Route is chosen, the weakest of the weak dies a hero... UNLOCKED! Enabling system creation rebirth! Welcome, Creator's Chosen One or also known as Player."

"C-Creator's Chosen One? P-Player? I-I must be dreaming."

"Rebirth status eight percent, estimated time one year and sixteen days till rebirth is complete. Be patient, Player, as this process will take some time. Your rebirth is no joke, as the creator has chosen to give you another chance. You should be thankful our creator is never usually the generous type."

"The Creator...Resurrecting, me? What in the world is going on-."

Si-Woo passes out entirely due to blood loss; unsure of what's happening, he finds himself lost with many questions but unable to ask them.

What does The Creator insist on achieving by rebirthing Si-Woo, why was he chosen of all people, and why was he locked from his Scar Bearer Tree? It seems Si-Woo has many things he needs to figure out, yet we'll get to that soon enough.

Si-Woo's rebirth eats away the time as his new body is reformed along with potential new abilities.