Chapter 291. The Eternity Tower (4)

Eun-Ho watched the key flutter unsteadily, weaving all across the testing ground like it would fall at any moment. “There are two ways we can handle this.”

The first option was for Ji-Eun to lift all of them into the air and catch the key.

“All of us?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Yes. That way, it won’t matter how much the ground tilts beneath us.”

She hesitated. “That’s possible, but it poses a risk.”

“The more we move to chase the key, the more we’ll lose our balance. And the floor will turn into a sea of flames.”

“Then we wouldn’t be able to come back down,” she pointed out.

“And the longer it takes, the bigger the fire will get.”

“So we only get one shot, right?”

Eun-Ho nodded.

Ji-Eun fell into thought for a moment, then looked back at him. “What’s the second option?”

“The second option is to hunt the key.”

Confused, she repeated, “Hunt it?”

The problem with the key right now was simple. Every time they tried to pull it in with Psychokinesis, it fled. If so, the solution was just as simple: they just had to make sure it couldn’t run.

“Basically...” Eun-Ho began, giving a short explanation.

Ji-Eun’s eyelashes trembled as she processed it. “You want me to shoot its wings?”

“Yes. All four of them.”

“Those tiny wings?” she asked in disbelief.

They were smaller than a fingernail. Even from across the field, they were barely visible.

“Yes,” Eun-Ho replied calmly. “Use Prophetic Shooting to read its trajectory, then just land the shots.”

“Just land the shots,” she echoed uncertainly.

Prophetic Shooting was only possible because of her uncanny ability. More precisely, it was a strategy that required her to push that already ghost-like skill to an even more absurd level.

“Um, Eun-Ho,” Ji-Eun called.

“Yes?”

“Sure, I can see the path the target will take with Prophetic Shooting, but that doesn’t mean I can control my aim precisely enough to hit something that small...”

“I know.”

That wasn’t a matter of prediction, because it was pure shooting skill. In other words, it was completely different from blowing apart a zombie’s head or shattering an enemy’s shield like before.

“Still, I believe you. You can do it.”

[Enhanced Vision - Unlocked]

Energy surged through his pounding heart and coursed along his veins. His vision zoomed in and out freely, like a camera lens. His hearing picked up even the faint flutter of wings in the distance. Moreover, he could even sense the subtle shifts in airflow that his teammates’ movements had caused.

The transcendent five senses he now possessed made it all possible.

[07:07]

They still had seven minutes left. Even if they failed once or twice, they had enough time to try again.

“Two minutes for the shot,” Eun-Ho said. “If it fails, we switch immediately to full flight mode.”

“So we’re doing both plans in the end,” Ji-Eun remarked.

“Something like that.” He smiled faintly. “Low risk, high return. What do you think?”

Ji-Eun thought it over, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll try it right away, just in case it fails.”

“Good.”

There is one concern, but I can handle it, Eun-Ho thought.

He steadied himself. “Can you fire on my signal?”

“Yes!” Her lips pressed tightly together, but her expression showed more determination than fear. With a clear resolve, she raised the gun she had taken out, muttering, “Alright. Here I go.”

Jae-Hyuk cheered. “Go get it, Noonim! You’ve got this!”

Shooting the wings of something like a flying butterfly sounded impossible.

Ji-Eun closed her eyes, then opened them again. At that moment, a halo of light bloomed within her pupils. Her heightened senses sharpened further as her clear, dark eyes transcended their limits.

She had long since stopped breathing out of tension. Ji-Eun’s pale, slender finger tightened on the trigger.

Eun-Ho murmured, “Acceleration.”

Time slowed. Even the gunshot stretched out, echoing sluggishly through the air.

Baaaaang—!

***

The moment Ji-Eun held her breath and the golden bullet left the barrel, the entire arena tilted, causing her center of gravity to pitch forward instantly. She held on through sheer, desperate concentration. The tremor that traveled up from her lower half made her fingertips shake.

It was only a tiny tremor, causing barely even a millimeter of difference. However, Ji-Eun could see it. The farther the bullet flew, the more its trajectory veered off course.

No!

She screamed inwardly, but the bullet had already left her hand.

Crack—

The golden projectile grazed just above the wing and missed.

“Noonim! Are you alright?!” Jae-Hyuk shouted urgently. “Why did the floor tilt? No one even moved!”

Eun-Ho answered calmly, “The bullet.”

“What?”

“The bullet flew,” Eun-Ho said. “That’s why it tilted.”

“What?!”

The ground beyond the safe zone had reacted to the bullet's movement. Eun-Ho had realized it the instant she fired.

“Then we can’t even shoot?! Doesn’t that mean we can’t do anything?!” Jae-Hyuk exclaimed.

“Calm down. We still have time,” Eun-Ho replied evenly.

Jae-Hyuk was practically yelping in panic. “Huh? But—”

In contrast, Eun-Ho remained composed, seemingly calculating something. “Ten seconds from aiming to firing... So it’s shorter than I expected.”

Hmm?

Eun-Ho was far too calm.

Ji-Eun asked cautiously, “Did you anticipate this, Eun-Ho?”

“I thought it might happen.”

“You knew?”

Had he suggested a plan he expected to fail?

Ji-Eun felt a flicker of confusion.

“Let’s try again,” Eun-Ho said.

“But it’ll just miss again...”

“It won’t shake this time.” His composure as he pointed to the gun again was just as baffling. He acted as if nothing had happened. “How far do you think that wall is?”

“Um, I’m not sure,” she answered.

“It’s about six hundred meters,” Eun-Ho replied to his own question.

“What? How could you—”

“This super-sensory perception is quite useful.” Yet, Eun-Ho was still Eun-Ho. “Your bullet took exactly one second to hit that wall.”

“What?”

“I timed it earlier.”

“What are you—”

He said strange things and made strange choices. However, there was always a reason behind them.

“Wait. Did you measure the bullet’s speed?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“So that you can stop the floor from tilting?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled lightly. “You figured it out quickly.”

He was the kind of person who accounted for every variable, only fighting battles he knew he could win.

“You focus on shooting. I’ll balance things at the same time,” said Eun-Ho.

Ji-Eun found herself speechless. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have even listened. She would’ve dismissed it as nonsense and insisted on a realistic plan. However, this was Eun-Ho.

“The problem is, we need to get the firing timing exactly right,” he added.

“Oh! That means we can’t even have a split-second margin for error, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk exclaimed.

“Exactly. Which means... ah.”

Eun-Ho was someone who had always been right and someone who had always proven it with results. That was why Ji-Eun could trust him.

His hand settled gently over hers, the one holding the gun. “Excuse me.”

“Uh...Um...”

“I think this will be faster than explaining.”

He was right. After all, it was practically the same as firing together.

[06:00]

Six minutes remained.

[Four minutes have elapsed.]

[The slope will become steeper very quickly.]

[The flames will grow stronger.]

There was no time left to hesitate.

“Shall we?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Alright,” Ji-Eun replied.

Using him as an excuse, she swallowed the breath that threatened to stop entirely. She silently prayed that the gunshot would drown out the pounding of her heart, which was loud enough to echo in her fingertips.

[Super-Sensory Perception - Unlocked]

[The heightened senses resonate with your Detection skill.]

Her expanded pupils locked onto the target’s movements, including the faint tremors, the vibrations, and even the subtle currents of air that its fragile wings created.

She saw the four thin wings overlap, spread, and overlap again. She read the moment when the bullet’s path and the key’s trajectory would intersect, where it was flying, and where it would fly next.

Eun-Ho murmured, “Acceleration.”

His low, steady voice slipped into her ears.

“Hup!”

She inhaled and held her breath. There was no tremor. She pulled the trigger cleanly, and the gunshot rang out.

Bang!

Please!

The bullet tore through the air alongside her silent prayer. At the same time, she felt a subtle shift in balance from behind her.

Swooosh—

In a world that had fallen into complete stillness, the bullet shot forward with only the slightest recoil. The golden projectile followed exactly the path they had predicted and pierced through all four wings.

I did it!

The sheer intensity of her focus drained her completely, leaving her weak, but she held on. A series of notifications rang in her ears.

[Congratulations!]

[You have surpassed the limits of your five senses!]

[The proficiency of the skill Psychokinesis(Lv. 15) has increased significantly!]

[The proficiency of the skill Detection(Lv. 2) has increased significantly!]

[The proficiency of the skill Super-Sensory Perception has increased significantly!]

“We did it,” Eun-Ho said.

“Noonim! You really did it!” Jae-Hyuk shouted.

As her heart pounded frantically like an untamed colt, Ji-Eun said in an attempt to hide it, “Psychokinesis.”

The wingless key fell into her grasp.

Clink—

[The Second Trial has been cleared!]

[You have acquired the Second Key.]

***

The moment Ji-Eun grasped the golden key, Eun-Ho’s vision warped again.

[You have absorbed the memory fragment.]

For an instant, it was as if a wall of water had formed in front of him, blurring everything. Then, just as quickly, a familiar space came into view. It was a pitch-black void, like a starless universe. Within it stood the former chairman.

With a sweep of his hand, the former chairman created a pristine white floor, then raised walls and a ceiling around it. Slowly, a massive cube and a small key took shape.

Just as they were nearing completion, a thunderous crash echoed from afar.

Boom—!

Through the vibrations, a towering, familiar figure emerged.

“Have you been here all this time?” the Management Bureau director had asked.

He looks younger, Eun-Ho thought.

His features hadn’t changed, but something felt different. He exuded less pressure than he did now.

“The followers have filled the entrance,” the director reported. “You should prioritize your safety.”

Clearly displeased, the former chairman muttered, “They’ve already reached this far? Persistent bastards,”

He came to a stop, then pulled something from inside his coat to check. It was an envelope and a small, black box that rattled ominously.

What is that? Eun-Ho wondered.

It was only slightly larger than his palm, yet it shook violently, as if something alive were trapped inside. The chairman’s expression twisted as he struggled to keep hold of it.

“Calling themselves followers of a god? What a joke,” he scoffed.

“The weaker they are, the more they need something to believe in,” the director replied calmly.

Gods and the followers who worshipped them? This is escalating fast, Eun-Ho thought.

Clicking his tongue, the former chairman tucked the box back into his coat. “Deliver a message to the Ruler of the Western Heavens.”

“The Ruler of the Western Heavens?”

The ruler of the western sky and the master of that domain? Eun-Ho questioned.

2. Ruler of the Western Heavens - 11.5%

It’s the second major shareholder! Eun-Ho realized.

It was the one who hadn’t attended the gathering that the Master of the Snowy Mountains had hosted. Eun-Ho hadn’t expected to hear that name here.

“You mean the Heavenly King of Broad Vision?” the director asked.

The Heavenly King of Broad Vision? Wait. That sounds familiar.

[Jikokuten’s Pipa]

Eun-Ho thought of Yeon Bo-Ra’s instrument.

“It belongs to an old friend of mine... I thought it had been destroyed. Seeing it so intact makes me want to keep it by my side.”

Instead of simply taking it back as his old friend’s possession, the man had given Eun-Ho something in return. He had granted him the Third Eye and even arranged a palace-like residence where the injured could rest and recover.

Could that man be the Heavenly King? Was he on the former chairman’s side?

“Stop,” Eun-Ho muttered to himself.

That leap in logic was too much. He had been peering into other people’s memories so often that his imagination had started running wild. Just as he was about to shake his head and dismiss the thought, the memory continued.

“Tell him that your subordinate is in danger.”

“Understood.”

A subordinate?

Eun-Ho’s eyes widened. In that instant, a memory flashed through his mind.

When he had first received the Third Eye, a bolt of lightning had split the pitch-black sky wide open. From that brilliance, something had drawn closer—a long, sinuous frame with horns crowning its head in proud display.

A dragon had entered his vision and then slipped out again.

It was someone who commanded dragons, Eun-Ho thought. And the former chairman had possessed the body of a winged dragon. There’s no way that was a coincidence. No, it couldn’t be...

“This age, where foolish gods have vanished... now calls for a king.”

What on earth is going on?