- Boiling Acid -

Charlotte won the game and saved everyone, just like what Bam did in the manhwa.

'Three minutes left.....'

In three minutes left, her power will be sealed again and she will surely collapse.

She let out a sigh.

Things sure happened rather quickly.

Right at 12 p.m., they arrived on this floor and started this selection game. On the first round, she worked together with Khun and won the Sweet Fish. The second round, she made Noah temporarily opened some of the chains inside her and unleash her power a little. The third round, she realized that her fan was quite special and she even fought White with swordsmanship with help of the purple haired lady.

She felt thrilled, but in the same time, tired.

But she can't faint yet.

She returned back to her team and her friends who congratulated her. When she returned, she did a high-five with Altaira who praised her.

"....I thought that you are going to faint any time soon" Noah whispered towards her. He suddenly appeared on her back but that did not surprise her anyway. "You are tougher than I thought."

"Of course" Charlotte responded. "I'm not that easy to die."

"You are quite remarkable" White's last clone came and approached her. "Where do you learn that swordsmanship?"

"Ah.....about that......" Her mind was now circling around to come up with a lie. "....I was taught that swordsmanship when I was training in FUG for seven years."

She thought that no one will be able to know whether she was lying or not since they were not present at the time. Bam was also not there, for they were separated and were only allowed to meet with each other for once a month.

"Is that so?" Bam asked, confused. He had never received that kind of training before.

"I asked master since at the time I was interested in swordsmanship" Charlotte explained. "But I don't expect that it will be useful to win against White."

"Hey, you" Daniel called as he made his way to look for White's last clone. "What was that you said.....about being an accumulation of the souls of people killed by Hoaqin? Does that mean....Roen Yuia.....?"

"Daniel......."

There was a strong trace of hope on his voice and his eyes. He was looking at the clone with the hope that she could grant him what he desired.

"Probably" the last clone answered.

"Then....!"

"I'm sorry, Daniel" the last clone apologized and cut his words. "I'm already a complete whole. The personalities of individual souls are essentially gone. I know very well what you want...... I lied to the mc so that I could intervene in the game. Sorry."

Daniel lowered his head.

His last hope vanished just like this.

It was so quick but painful.

"I see....." he responded. "Then....could you tell her spirit within you something for me?"

The last clone wondered what he wanted to say.

"Tell her.......

.....that's the first thing I wanted to tell you if you ever returned. How could you leave just like that....without even hearing my reply? ...."

Tears fell from his blue eyes and landed on the floor. His tears weighted his six hundred years or more obsession that now has come to an end.

"So....Roen.....Thank you...... Thank you......."

The blanket of silence covered them.

Charlotte looked at Daniel whose obsession will never come true, whose desire will never be granted and lowered her head.

'If I come to this tower six hundreds earlier....then will today's ending......be different?'

"BOOM!!!!"

Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard a loud explosion.

When she turned her head around, she found a huge amount of red liquid falling inside.

It was the boiling acid!

"What the-?"

"Brother, hold my fan."

Charlotte pushed her fan to Altaira. She has been waiting for this moment to come.

"Wait-- where are you going?" asked Altaira who held her fan.

"Of course to bring him back! What else?"

Submarine of Choices

Khun smirked towards Rachel for he had won this bet.

"It looks like the results are out" he said.

Rachel frowned in dissatisfaction and hatred.

There was no way for her to escape from this situation where she should admit everything that she knew.....or was it?

Outside, there were lots of explosions and the submarine where the two of them were in now began to rumble.

"What's going on outside?" Khun asked and looked outside.

"I knew it.....FUG never had any intention of letting you out of here alive" Rachel suddenly said to Khun who was shocked.

"....what?!"

"This place is going to be filled with boiling acid. Since the very beginning....they have determined to kill you all at any cost" Rachel explained.

Yura Ha who was waiting for this moment caught and trapped White who lowered his guard inside her luggage and then called Rachel, "Rachel, run!"

Rachel was ready to jump and to leave Khun inside the submarine.

"....I'll tell you one thing. We're going to stay on the train and head for the floor where the administrator died. The floor where Enryu killed the tower administrator....and where Bam's thorn was found. If we get there and find another thorn, who knows? We may able to find out Bam's true identity.

Honestly, I'm curious too, who Bam really is.

So see you later Khun. If you manage to survive from this, I mean--"

"You sure talk a lot for a loser" Charlotte immediately interrupted their talk.

She was flying on the shinsu and headed towards them. She landed on the submarine and stood there next to Rachel and held her wrist harshly and puled her close to her.

"You--!"

"You are neither strong or smart, but you are quite daring to hurt my friends again and again" Charlotte said to her with a soft but dangerous tone that contained her anger towards the girl with freckles.

"I was just competing like any others. I didn't do anything wrong" Rachel hissed at her strong grip.

"So do I" Charlotte responded, holding on her wrist tighter than before.

Then, she added with a louder voice, "If you have talked enough then scram!"

"KYAA!!!"

Charlotte actually pulled Rachel and threw her away!

"How noisy."

From below, Charlotte could hear that Rachel was cursing her and Bam and Yura calling for Rachel's name in worry. She didn't really care about it though as she looked at Khun who was dumbfounded.

Her left hand was holding the top of the circle-shaped door and her right hand was extended towards him.

"Now, let's go back to the others" Charlotte said to him.

"....you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"What? You care for her? I thought that you would praise me for throwing her away."

"Then I really have to say that you did a good job."

Charlotte made a lopsided smile when she heard the praise.

She let out a sigh and jumped inside.

"Listen very well, Khun" Charlotte said to him. "I only have less than one minute before I faint. So you'll have to listen to me carefully since I can't get you out of here. Do not ask and just listen to me, could you?"

Khun was taken back for a moment. But knowing this was a serious situation, he chose to listen to her first before questioning her later.

"All right."

"Yuri Ha Zahard and Evan are heading here right now by riding the boiling acid, so going to the source where the boiling acid is poured inside is our only way to escape. If you wonder which one, then look at where Hwaryun will be staring at.

You don't have to worry of not being able to escape from here. The Sweet Fish will be coming soon and so as brother and Rak. "

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Bam received a message on his pocket.

┌──── •✧• ────┐

Brother, sorry, I think you have to make a trip and come to us. I can't get out.

└──── •✧• ────┘

When he received that message from his pocket, he knew what he should do. Without hesitation, he rode his [Blue Oar] along with Rak who volunteered to follow him.

Bam felt that his body has became lighter. It was as if someone had removed the burden on his shoulders. He assumed that it was because of the power of souls that White's last clone had transferred to him.

To their surprise, a huge or gigantic sized Sweet Fish suddenly appeared from the submarine of choices. Inside its mouth, both Bam and Rak saw Khun along with the unconscious Charlotte.

Khun carried Charlotte and jumped. When he was about to fall, Bam caught his hand and he was holding Charlotte tightly. He watched how the Sweet Fish that was amazingly big, but at the end was devoured by the boiling acid and vanished without leaving corpse or even ash.

He used his lighthouse to stand up while carrying Charlotte.

"Khun, are you alright?" Bam asked Khun.

"Ah, I'm fine. This is no time to get emotional."

"What happened with Female Black Turtle?"

"I guess she pushed herself too hard that she fainted. But with a little bit rest, she will be fine."

"I see...." Bam responded, looked relieved.

"How are we supposed to escape, turtle number three? Hurry up and think of something!"

"What do you think I am? Alphago? And why am I turtle number three?"

Khun turned his head around to look for someone among all the regulars there. According to Charlotte, he should be looking at where Hwaryun was staring at since the boiling acid came from all directions.

And right now, the red haired female was looking to a direction. She was looking at a direction, at one of the sources of the boiling acid.

'That must be it!'

He asked the others to make a path to that source of the boiling acid immediately.

Boro was surprised and of course, disagreed. But Sachi, on the other hand, he didn't hesitate to make a path for them.

The orange path that he made was made from rose vine with some thorns and it was quite big and large enough for them to walk on it. All the regulars who wanted to survive will of course walk to that path without hesitation.

But in the middle of their way, there was another explosion and more boiling acid falling inside.

The regulars noticed that there were three figures behind the boiling acid that was pouring inside. From their shadows, Bam found the two of them familiar, but wasn't sure whether the two people behind the boiling acid were the people who he knew.

It was until he heard the female who was standing in the middle of the two others greeted him with a grin,

"Well, well, long time no see."