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Chapter 133

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Summon of the Tower (2)

The South Korean government announced a scheduled press conference to be held for the entire world to see.

– So suddenly at this time? What's going on?

It was only a few days after Hibiki and Nate were certified as SSS-Class by the International Hunter Association. The topics included unprecedented system messages recently encountered by the Awakened hunters across the globe and the future movement of the Celestial Dragon's ace guild members. The combination of the two most talked-about subjects made people draw an apparent imagination.

– What, could this be… – What else could it be? It was Seo Jin-Wook again! – So they're the selected users the system mentioned?! – Oh, my days, something unimaginable has been unraveled.

Some watched the briefing live with curiosity, others with excitement, and others with concern. The eyes of the whole world were on Korea. In the midst of it, the president's statement had begun.

"Guild Master Seo Jin-Wook of the Celestial Dragon Guild in Korea was recently 'selected' by the system as an excelling Awakened and has become qualified to challenge the ordeal for this world to proceed to the main quest."

The explanation continued after going through a sufficient adaptation. It was said that a month later, the Gate leading to the dungeon called "Tower of Choice" was to open, and only those who had undergone the ordeals with Seo Jin-Wook would be able to enter it. It had also been mentioned that after climbing the Tower all the way to the 100th floor, the path leading to the main quest would open. The reaction was intense.

– It's as if the system officially recognized that the best hunter on Earth is Seo Jin-Wook! – But isn't it unfair to take the two companions from Celestial Dragon as well? I acknowledge Seo Jin-Wook, but the other two could be picked from other countries. – It's inevitable that Seo Jin-Wook holds the ability to choose.

What was left was whether to support or oppose Seo Jin-Wook's challenge to the Tower. The South Korean government had already been negotiating with governments behind the shadows before declaring that to the world. Thus, most of the allies had already come to an understanding. They were expecting the civilization-reforming-grade items and its influence it would bring by entering the main quest. The support of the Perza species, the aliens at the Australian Gate, also contributed to the formation of such a positive atmosphere.

"I will take this opportunity to make public the correspondence of our ally, the Pezra species."

After following through several trades, Seo Jin-Wook sought the alien's understanding and began to take a step back. As he became busier and busier, he could not show up for every transaction. Instead, the alien requested that they send an agent that Seo Jin-Wook himself designated. In return, he dispatched a Celestial Dragon hunter. In a recent deal, the hunter accompanying the envoys asked the Pezra species' opinion regarding the Tower of Choice. They knew that they had summoned the Tower much earlier than Earth and that they were actively climbing it. To reply, the Pezra envoys told them that they were willing to send their official advice in the form of correspondence. The contents were as follows:

– New friends. Earthlings. I heard you were about to summon Tower of Choice. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations.

From the beginning, there was a hint of viewing the climb of the Tower as something positive.

– First of all, from the position of a species currently climbing the Tower, the system message hasn't revealed everything to you yet. If you climb more than half of the Tower, another fact will be revealed.

They let us know openly the truth that the system had slyly hidden.

– The hidden truth is that more Gates will open when you proceed to the main quest, and the protection device will also disappear.

It was a piece of information released in consideration of their neighbors who had established precious ties with them.

– Nevertheless, we are still climbing the Tower… and we advise our neighbors to do so as well in good faith.

The reason for the advice was simple. It was because they knew that the positive effect of encountering new quests and items was more significant than the risk of opening more Gates. Since they started the tutorial a long time ago, they had seen and heard enough examples of dimensions that went to the main quest before them. That's why they were able to say those words.

– Above all, your civilization that we had indirectly experienced… is determined to have the ability to overcome any form of turbulence, even if it is not to the point of perfect preparation.

The general public opinion also flowed in a similar direction. Of course, it was impossible to unify opinions around the world into one. The representative country that had called for the opposition was….

– The People's Republic of China is firmly against a portion of Korea's hunters' independent acts on quests that affect the entire world! The Korean government and Celestial Dragon should stop their arrogant, self-righteous, one-sided atrocities right now!

Of course, the trend had already leaned to one side, and only a handful of people listened. There was another reason for such an atmosphere to be made.

– According to the Pezra, it takes about ten years to climb the Tower anyway, right?

The internal structure of the Tower didn't merely require the hunters chosen by the system to kill monsters. It also involved solving troublesome tricks and puzzles that controlled the flow of Mana on each floor, and it was causing a lot of trouble for the Pezra. Therefore, people on Earth thought the choice to start climbing early wasn't wrong at all. There was a premise that they could travel between the Tower and the Earth with the returning stone anyway. Of course, everyone had no idea how short the whole process could be shortened if the hunter, who possessed the [The Successor's Eyes], were to climb the Tower.

*

A month later, somewhere in Korea… Government officials and some of the Celestial Dragon were gathered in a place that hadn't been disclosed to the public.

"Then, Guild Master Seo Jin-Wook, and the two of you as well. We wish you the best."

Opening the Gate that led to the Tower of Choice was decided to be held behind closed doors because they were worried about any possible interference from opposing factions.

– Shhh!

In my hand, I had a 'key' in the shape of a steering wheel that shone in gold.

[Summoning Key (Rank: System)] -Key given to an Awakened individual who has completed all of the 'Verification of Qualification' quest. It summons the Gate leading to the Tower of Choice.

It was similar to a one-person dungeon key prepared for the successor.

Whoong!

I turned the key clockwise with force and, I was able to observe how a golden vortex was created. A thousand emotions overwhelmed me.

'In my past life, they had summoned the Tower early, but they didn't care about climbing it or not. Not even the hunters who got the qualifications showed any interest.'

The difficulty of the Tower was so much higher than expected that the cost-effectiveness did not match. Rather than struggling to climb, exploring S-Class and SS-Class dungeons with similar difficulties to each of the Tower's floor was much more profitable, and the compensation items were also decent, so they only poked around the initial stages of the Tower and pulled out. No one also tried hard to climb the Tower, since by reaching the last 100th floor and they would only receive the option of 'entering the quest.' It was hard to judge the trade-off benefits. In the end, the SSS-Class dungeon collapsed in a state where we hadn't entered the main quest, and human civilization itself was destroyed. It was at that point that the Last Five stepped foot on the Tower.

'If we had started the main quest early and raised the level of civilization further… and if strengthened our power, would we have been able to overcome even the SSS-Class collapse?'

It was a meaningless imagination due Angelica.

-Woong!

"Well, we'll be right back."

Leaving behind those who watched us in silence, we crossed the Gate.

*

– You have entered the Tower of Choice!

In front of us, who crossed the golden Gate, a colossal Tower soared through the sky. It wasn't just the height that was enormous. It was also impossible to see how huge the perimeter was.

"Wow!"

Nate admired.

"That…"

Hibiki also sounded nervous.

"That's the Tower of choice, right? I never thought I'd see that."

The dragon murmured in an indifferent manner.

Goong!

As soon as we showed up, the crouching presence in front of the massive door on the first floor unraveled itself.

– Those who received the qualification to climb the Tower.

It's heavy telepathy. It was a metal golem. Its body was made of alien metal.

Rumblee!

Blue light filled its two eyes, each joint all over its body and its circuits.

– To enter the first floor, you must take me down first.

Slowly, as it raised its body, its height of more than 10 meters was boldly revealed.

'It looks grand, but in reality, its power that was turned off had simply been turned on.'

Behind its back was the door to enter the first floor of the Tower. From the center of the enormous Mana Core, like a blue fog, the Mana was transmitted through the atmosphere to become the source of the Golem's power.

"So that's the gatekeeper of the Tower, right?"

I had shared the Tower's structure and the appearing monster information with all of our party members, reasoning out that the information had been obtained from the alien species.

"As we've heard before, that Golem needs to be damaged throughout its body evenly. Otherwise, the damage will be self-repaired."

I thought of how hard we worked in the entrance in my past life. It made me recall the memory of the past—specifically, the climb before I was reborn as Seo Jin-Wook.

*

A scream as if to struggle…

"Nate, you retard! Can't you properly control those god damn skulls?"

Wielding the Scepter of Ishad, Hibiki yelled. She was the Great Wizard who lashed out profanities as always when the battle situation got worse.

"Hey! Stop doing that!"

As soon as she settled down and tried to pour down spells, the skeleton troops blocked her view, causing her irritation to explode. The same thing even happened twice. However, Nate concentrated on controlling the subordinates without turning his head. It was a thorough disregard for her.

"Damn it!"

The rune shone once more from her scepter. [Inferno (Rank: SSS)]! [Greater Thunderbolt (Rank: SSS)]!

Boosh! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flames and lightning intertwined and covered the Golem. Behind the blazing heat, the gatekeeper, receiving the shock on its body, stumbled. However-

Weing!

Its body, as huge as a mountain, stepped back in an instant and escaped! None of our party members had the skills to fix that giant in one place. They had already used the SS-Rank constraint magic, but it's useless.

"Damn it, if only I had learned the SSS-Class Summon Mastery!"

Even I, who was looking at her through the body of 'Choi Seung-Hyun,' couldn't help but agree with her. We all had witnessed the magic chain summoned by the alien who obtained that card. It had indeed shown overwhelming restraining force. As far as I could judge using the [The Successor's Eyes], it's enough to tie that Golem up motionless. But before we could enter, we couldn't afford to prepare until that point.

Wee-ing!

The Golem's body glowed blue. The flow of its Mana was something only I could see. Hiding behind the skull troops summoned by Nate, I shouted. My old voice was scratched roughly.

"The Golem is starting to heal!"

Randy, with the devil's sword, charged onwards.

"Aaaaaah!"

Purple sword energy gushed out of his sword.

"I'll cover you!"

From behind, Angelica, the saint, blew an arrow of blue Mana. And-

Click, clack!

Nate's subordinates, with only their bones left as it had been a long time that he had acquired them and turned them into his possessions, tenaciously clang on. But then-

-Woong!!

Once again, the broken and charred metal body was restored.

Bam!

Randy rolled on the ground after being hit head-on by the Golem's violent writhe.

"K-argh!"

As he tried to charge again, he stopped and convulsed instead. Then he looked down at the devil's sword in his hand with a look full of hatred.

"Please… At least in times like this!"

It was a meaningless expression of emotion. Whenever Randy faced a crisis, the devil's word stuffed more vicious telepathy into his mind as if it had been waiting for that opportunity—aiming for a moment of mistake to lead to his death.

Whoooooo!

The Golem rushed in like a gust of wind. Someone yelled in desperation.

"I mean, how the hell are we supposed to get to the 100th floor if it's already this difficult when we're still at the entrance?!"

*

I escaped from my memory and focused on reality again.

'… Who was the last one to shout like that? Perhaps it would be Nate.'

I looked at Nate of the current timeline. His appearance from my memory was similar, but the expression in his eyes was entirely different. Recognizing the meaning of my gaze, he nodded.

"Are you ready?"

Only Nate and I could see the entity that answered to his words, but- Everyone could hear her telepathy.

– Do I recognize the presence in front of my eyes as an enemy and attack?

It was the operating system of the item that Nate owned, the [Imperial Protection Program]. A feminine-shaped form composed of Mana floated on top of his curly hair. Thanks to the months of education, artificial intelligence no longer poured out attacks without distinguishing between who was an enemy and who was an ally. It was the result of Nate's hard work.

"Yes, attack!"

There was a flash in the air above Nate. When the brilliant crack disappeared, a magnificent structure was summoned, floating in the air. The cannons immediately scattered lingering light at the muzzle.

"…?!"

Pa-pa-pat! Boo-boo-boo-boo-boo-boo-boom!

Accurately targeting the body of the 10-meter-high metal Golem, the large-calibered multi-round cannon poured out bullets of lights, all trying to destroy its prey. There were only a few bullets crossing the air and missing in vain, even though it was firing thousands of rounds per second. Like a highly-trained marksman, each shot stuck sharply on the outer skin of the Golem.

Whooong!

Over the wound as if ants had ripped it off, blue light fluttered. It was a clear sign that it was trying to regenerate from its wounds.

"I won't give you any chance. Battery!" "I told you not to call me that!"

Euclid rumbled and activated her skill.

[Mana Legacy]

As soon as the Mana transferral toward Nate began, he gave the spirit of the item another instruction.

"Draw Mana from me and use it right away!" – Performing as instructed.

That was an item that initially absorbed the owner's Mana bit by bit and charged it, and it would stop functioning when the Mana it had accumulated had been completely consumed. However, right at that moment, it had absorbed Nate's Mana as naturally as the water flowed. That was because it was convinced that such an act would not cause Mana exhaustion on the subject of protection. The dragon behind it was constantly refilling the Mana consumed by Nate like a fountain of rejuvenation, after all. As a result, for as long as the dragon's Mana Capacity hadn't been emptied yet, the magazine of the item was almost infinite!

Boo-boo-boo-boom!

Flames continued to spark, and light exploded all over the gatekeeper's body.

Paht!

It tried to escape with so much mobility that it no longer fit its gigantic body. The hailstorm of shells, which flew persistently and in great numbers, followed it inch by inch, never losing its mark.

Woooo!

Even when the Golem extended its hands and blocked the incoming barrages, the assault did not stop or falter. After all, we had observed that the gatekeeper's regeneration speed could not keep up with the momentum of the shells that gnawed at its body little by little. I wondered how many minutes it lasted before succumbing to its inevitable fate.

– The gatekeeper of the Tower has been defeated!

A massive chunk of metal was literally torn into shreds and turned into powder.

"Good!"

Compared to our attempt in my previous life, it was effortless.Novels online

Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 134

           

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Chapter 134

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Tenth Floor

After easily taking down the gatekeeper, we entered the first floor. Fortunately, no matter when the Tower was summoned, the internal structure did not change much, and the missions were similar. Since the number of people entered was smaller than in my previous life, the difficulty level was slightly lowered, but other than that, there wasn't much difference.

'And, even if I was judging it objectively… our power now is superior to the five-member party of my previous life!'

Choi Seung-Hyun was a non-combatant member in the previous life, but at that moment, I did not only have the ability to deal the most damage in the party, but I also had the ability to solve the tricks and puzzles. Hibiki learned a lot more spells than she had in her previous life. Although Nate had fewer subordinates, he controlled the undead dragon and an attack mechanism called the [Imperial Guard Program]. The Dragon, Euclid, did not actively engage in combat, but she had the primary fighting force ahead of her. Hence, she mainly played as a source of Mana. Furthermore, it did not affect the Tower's difficulty, as she was recognized as a possession, not an Awakened!

'It didn't take a year even when the Last Five party climbed in earnest, thanks to [The Successor's Eyes]. It was ridiculously fast compared to other dimensions, even though we were that desperate as well since it happened after the SSS-Class dungeon had collapsed.'

However, it would be strange that we would be delayed since all the conditions were better at the moment than in our lives before. We charged with all our might, and in only a matter of days, we reached the tenth floor.

– The tenth floor of the Tower of Choice: Siege Warfare

The system message informed us of the goal.

– Take down the castle and handle the boss monster hidden in the deepest part of it.

The siege was a bit of a different level from the general sense. Instead of being fixed on the ground, the castle we were supposed to take down was floating at a high altitude.

*

[Stardust Wing]!

It had been about 30 minutes since the attack on the tenth floor began. I was flying up into the sky and pouring long-range attacks. The target was the vast castle that had been detached from the ground and was floating hundreds of meters high. It was only defined as a castle since the message called it that, but it was a large-scale structure that was utterly different from Earth's architectural style. Staring at it, I slowly added force to pull the bow.

[Sephirot Guardian Bow]

The thin metal that hadn't been nocked an arrow with became tightly tensed.

Weing!

Follow the finger on the string; a Mana arrow was created. I changed the flow by imagining the image in my head. Then the arrows became much longer than the original form, stretching out, and the number of arrows began to multiply. After such a short time, I was loading 20 pike-like arrows larger than my height with a narrow width. As the length of the bow was a little over a meter, it was supposed to be an impossible nocking movement and a grip that surpassed the laws of physics. That was only possible since it was an energy arrow created with Mana.

Paht!

I released the bowstring.

Swish!

The arrows containing violent energy had been released. They ripped through the wind and zoomed through 20 trajectories. It was a guided strike that never missed the target and had a 25% destructive power added due to the item effect. An interception close to a homing missile rather than an arrow flew to the castle in the sky.

Boom! Boo-boo-boom!

The sounds of collisions and explosions followed, but most of the arrows were crushed before hitting the castle.

'A shield!'

There was a spherical shield surrounding the castle in the sky all around. In every place that the arrows crashed on, lights flashed and blocked them off. However, I'd been precisely setting the arrows to the same several target points, and the process had been repeated countless times. Eventually, the shield started to crack little by little. The results were showing.

Crack!

I heard the sound of cracking and something breaking in the air. One of the arrows flew through the shield and hit the wall!

Boo-boom!

Dust and debris scattered, and a portion of the outer walls was torn down. The more I broke and shattered the massive wall gradually, the more the apparent change was observable in my eyes.

'The power source of that castle… The Mana has been greatly reduced!'

It's like watching the process of shaving off the life force gauge of a boss monster. The more damage received by the shield that lingered around the entire infrastructure, the more it consumed Mana. And the altitude at which the castle floated was also decreasing as the Mana lessened. It wouldn't crash all of a sudden, but it would eventually reach the ground in that way, and the shield would have vanished by then. From then on, the battled inside the castle would begin. In order to hasten the process, the rest of the party was also doing what I was doing in the air, but they did it on the ground.

*

"There, I've filled your Mana up again. Again!"

Nate's cannon over his head was aimed at the sky.

– Following the instructions of the subject of protection.

There was one critical weakness in the [Imperial Guard Program] cannon's attack. The force of the cannonball was optimized for when the target was within 10 meters. If the distance increased beyond that, the destructive power was reduced. That was because the design itself assumed a one-on-one close-call war situation. Essentially, it was made for when one was surrounded tightly. It was only natural since it was designed to make an efficient multi-strike with limited Mana. However, that weakness was solved with the help of a colleague.

[Space Manipulation (Rank: SSS)!]

Hibiki performed a magic spell. With the spell, space was twisted, and the distance between the sky castle and the ground was narrowed. Through the haze-like shaking spaces, the multi-calibered cannon began firing its bullets out.

Pa-pa-pat!

The saturation of light poured into the fluttering eddy. The bullet jumped across the distance of hundreds of meters like teleportation. And they reappeared on the shield surrounding the castle, the threshold of which space could be folded.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The cannonballs continuously rattled the transparent shield. In that place as well, with a cracking sound, fissures were forming.

"If we keep this up a bit more, I think we'll get a hole in the bottom, too."

While Hibiki maintained the space-twisting magic, she invoked another magic through [Multiple Cognition].

[Earthquake (Rank: SSS)]!

A desolate mountain of stone, a little off the ground from where they stood- The place began to fluctuate without mercy.

Rumble! Rattle!

It bounced crazily in all directions, causing fissure to form in the rocky mountain, leading to a collapse.

Rumbling!

Large rocks rolled all over the place like grains of sand. Hibiki also maintained the earthquake spell and activated the third spell without any breaks.

[Gravitokinesis (Rank: SSS)]!

It was an unrestricted control of gravity that ignored the laws of nature.

Float!

A group of boulders obtained from her act of splitting mountains rose to the sky.

Swish! Boom! Boom boom boom!

Like a catapult in the far history, rocks flew through the air. A blow penetrated it, leaping beyond a distorted space. The power carried in each one was heavy enough to match the SSS-Rank magic.

[Mana Legacy]!

Before the Mana capacity of the two on the ground was emptied, Euclid, the dragon, refueled them. As the attack went on, the castle eventually went down. And at last…

Boom!

The castle found the place where it's supposed to be and weighed its heavy self down on the ground. Then, there was a cheerful voice in the ears of party members on the ground.

"Alright, we're heading inside!"

*

Even after we entered the castle, there was nothing to go through. Since I had identified the shortest route in advance, we went straight to the boss room without any delay or waste of time. Meanwhile, as we approached it, the grumbling of the devil's sword in my hand became more frequent.

'… What on earth is in the boss room in this place that makes me sense this type of unpleasant feeling?' "You'll find out in a little while."

And, when we finally got to the boss room…

'G-argh!'

In that place, there was a huge heart that filled the whole room. Muscles and blood vessels stretched out like tree roots had dug holes and penetrated between walls and the ceiling.

"That's the power source that operates this castle."

I could see the shiny blue flow of Mana in the heart and the flow of Mana that seeped everywhere, following the rhythm of the beat. I explained to the party that the creature didn't attack, but its defense power was quite troublesome.

"Aha, a sacred-type barrier?"

Euclid was quick to understand as if she had ever encountered one in her past world. The reason why the devil's sword kept expressing displeasure was due to that.

"It's not a common barrier. Physical defense barrier, Mana mirroring barrier, and anti-magic barrier are all overlapping."

Pure physical force wouldn't work, and if sword energy were fired against it, it would bounce off. Likewise, when magic was invoked, it was invalidated as soon as it collided with the barrier.

"It's also got a helluva regenerative power."

A moment of silence lingered among the party. Hibiki asked with a serious expression.

"Then what do we do?" "This."

When I explained briefly, the atmosphere turned bright.

"Oh! That's nice." "For sure, it would work that way." "Then I'll prepare the spell right away."

The sword screamed.

'No! Please! Don't! I don't want to!'

I picked up the devil's sword and aimed for the target. Holy and Evil were opposite in terms of properties. In other words, the heart was experiencing the same suffering as the devil's sword as it approached the heart. When the force that repelled each other was maximized, it became a window to penetrate the shield.

Swish!

I threw the sword at it without hesitation.

'No!'

Thuck!

The devil's sword thrown from the tip of my hand became stuck in the middle of the heart. The blade, which was the gathering of evil properties, had penetrated the holy-propertied physical defense barrier. However, the sword's length was too short for the size of the heart filling the entire room. It wasn't enough to stop it from functioning. Furthermore-

Wobble! Shh!

A disgustingly fast recovery rate was triggered, and the heart muscle pushed the sword away.

"Hibiki."

She had already prepared a spell.

[Lightning Bolt]!

A ray of currents burst out from the tip of her hand!

Zap!

The sacred-propertied barrier was closely enveloping the outer portion of the heart. The blade of the devil's sword was currently located in the barrier, but the handle was outside of it. The sword had penetrated through the entire barrier. And the devil's sword was… of course, a conductor.

Tzzzz!

The lightning, which struck the handle, flowed along the blade and poured destructive high-voltage currents inside the heart tissues.

Whoooooooo!

The sound of the heart's muscles and blood vessels twisting and bursting was akin to screams. After it gave off a disgusting smell of burning and sizzling…

Ring!

– Congratulations! The tenth floor of the Tower of Choice has been Cleared!

We heard the message that we had been waiting for. Cheers burst out among the party.

"Okay, good job, everybody!"

After confirming the barrier had completely disappeared, I quietly approached and pulled out the Mana amplifier, a 50% chance brainwashing device, a divine power detector with tremendous accuracy, a holy-type-barrier-breaking crack-inducer, and a lightning rod, all in one.

'You worse-than-a-devil bastard! You used me as a lightning rod!'

Ignoring the pale murmur, I put it back in the sheath.

"Now, shall we take a night off at this castle? I think Euclid needs to be recharged as well."

Her Mana capacity, which served as the Mana tank of our party, was almost empty.

"What kind of skill is that? How do you know so well just by looking at it?"

While complaining, the dragon admitted that my guess was right. Although it could be filled back up by drinking a potion, since we have to rest in between anyway, it's more effective to arrange the schedule like that.

"There are also clean rooms without monsters in the castle, so you can each pick one."

Nate spoke while organizing and grouping the items and Mana Cores mined by the subordinates.

"Come to think of it; it's already the 10th floor." "I mean, was it supposed to be this simple to Clear the Tower of Choice?"

Euclid murmured in wonder. Although it wasn't on the same level as mine, she felt a sense of disharmony because she already had some information about the Tower before she was sucked into the dungeon.

"People in the world I lived in had to climb it while biting the bullet… But I heard that it took them years to Clear it."

Then Nate rolled his eyes and continued.

"Didn't they climb a little slower on purpose?" "No way! How couldn't they clear it with urgency when hostages were being held?"

That time, Hibiki made a guess.

"Isn't it that our pace is fast because we're in the early stages?" "Is that so…"

While my colleagues were talking- Hibiki first noticed that my expression was slightly stiff.

"What's wrong?"

It was a question that asked what there was to worry about when we had already accomplished the attack perfectly. But I had a good reason to show such a face. I heard telepathy.

'Damn it, do you feel it too?!'

I noticed because of the pain in my fingers. Nodding to the devil's sword, I answered.

"Yes, the divine power is getting stronger even though the boss is dead."

In my past life, after completing the attack, we went straight to the 11th floor without a break. That was because Angelica 'predicted' that it would be better to do so. Even though it was the best environment to rest in the Tower of choice, we left it anyway.

'No, wait a minute. Come to think of it…'

Even if I didn't try, the memories came into my mind right away.

'There were a few more floors that we went through in such a hurry.'

The devil's sword groaned.

'Ugh! That's… that's unusual!'

When I let them listen to the conversation with the devil's sword, the party members also looked grim. At that moment-

"Oh, Jin-Wook. That finger!"

I swallowed the profanity that was rising right below my throat.

'Shit!'

Blood droplets began to flow from the two sacred wounds that Igras-Sho carved on my finger.

'It's the phenomenon that occurs when another god that is not the magical god approaches!'

I climbed the Tower in my previous life, but I had never experienced such a situation before, so I didn't know what was happening.

"No way, is there a shrine or something in this castle?"

Drip!

"H-huh?!"

Nate pointed in the air and made a perplexing sound. Above us, two stems of bloodstreams flowing out of my fingers rose to the sky and drew a soft curve. As if to untie the thread floating by psychokinesis, the line made by the blood went in one direction, drawing a clear guide. It looked like an arrow leading us.Novels online

Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 135

           

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Chapter 135

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Tenth Floor, Hidden Room

'What should I do?'

The two strands of blood embroidered the air.

'It's boldly trying to lure me!'

What created that phenomenon was a divine being which was not the Igras-Sho. Or, at least, it was above the level of a sacred beast.

"Oh, my days."

Euclid murmured while looking at the guiding pointer made out of my blood.

"The gods really love you, don't they? Well, it was suspicious since a holy item came out as a dungeon reward."

Then, she continued in a low voice.

"I've never seen a good ending for them in history."

The message was clear and loud enough that it became meaningless to change the tone of the voice. The devil's sword talked to me in pure desperation.

'I no longer know how many times this has happened. Leave me alone this time, whether you're going to be connecting with the god or be possessed by it.'

I shook my head.

"No, would I really have to go just because it's inviting me to do so?" '…?!' "Let's change the plan."

We were going to take a break on the 10th floor and move, but…

"We'll just proceed to the 11th floor. Let's move on to the next floor. The Tower is like a separate dungeon on each floor, so maybe…"

The devil's sword cut me off.

'That is the most reckless gamble I've ever heard in my entire existence.' "What do you mean?"

I wondered about it for a moment, but I soon found out why. And about what the devil's sword was afraid of.

"Do you think there's going to be a problem?"

It's an indication that I shouldn't ignore it, but rather I should proceed as whatever entity instructed me to.

'That god has already got its eyes on you. It would be good for your safety to, at the very least, pay respect and show your face when it's calling.'

It was strange to hear the sword talking like that.

"Isn't it good for you if I ignored it and proceeded to the 11th floor?"

It was strange that it tried to stop me at that moment. Why was the devil even worrying about me at that point? It was not like the devil's sword that always waited for the day I would die. Then it shouted as if it was dumbfounded.

'It's because I'm afraid I'll be included and end up having a horrible fate! No matter how much they may seem to have been exiled, deities are still deities. It's no sweat for them to destroy a cognitive entity!'

Indeed, that was its intention. Clicking my tongue bitterly, I talked to the party.

"I can't take you all with me and then let you all be noticed by it as well. I'll go alone."

I must prevent another colleague from becoming as troublesome as I was.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Hibiki asked me in a worried voice.

"There's no other way, is there?"

After unpacking and putting down the devil's sword, I followed the bloodstream flowing out of my fingers.

*

The waypoint guided my footsteps to a path that I didn't reach during the tenth floor Clear in my past life.

'Our party didn't go around scanning the entire castle at the time. We haven't been to many routes because we had to go straight to the boss room to finish climbing the Tower as soon as possible.'

Unlike a typical dungeon, there was a less likely chance to get an acquisition during the Clear in the Tower. Furthermore, considering the situation, we were aiming to Clear floors within the shortest time. Things such as routing were not possible, but we wouldn't have dreamed of it even if we had a chance.

[Penetration]!

Just in case, I proceeded while looking ahead to see what was beyond the wall, but I didn't see anything unusual for quite some time. The blood arrows led me further down toward the basement of the grounded air citadel. I followed down the endless stairs, going through the darkness.

Click-clack.

Only the sounds of my feet sharply hitting the floor could be heard in the dark and damp atmosphere. The stone stairs were half-collapsed in some parts of it. I wasn't sure if it must have been traces of siege warfare, but at least no paths were cut off. And the deeper I went, the fewer signs of destruction were present.

'What's this? The deeper I head underground, the more extraordinary the flooring and the materials on the walls are?'

As I moved forward, the surrounding structures became more solid. Even brick-like materials were replaced with those that could be cut and made into weapons. It was strange that they had placed that much of an effort to a place that didn't need to be visited for the Clear of the tenth floor. Considering many things, maybe the one at the end of the pathway was kind of a…

'Hidden Piece.'

If it was a hidden piece, what was the condition for it to be revealed? I made a mixed face while looking at the sacred wound on my finger. Later, even the lights disappeared, and I walked onwards while only relying on the luminous magic I created. It felt like I was stepping my feet into the opened mouth of a monster in the deep ocean, but there was no other choice but to go through with it.

"…!"

After going down for a long time, I finally stopped walking.

'Finally, something new; a door.'

The stairs were cut off, and a heavy-looking iron door waited in front of me.

'Keup! Damn it.'

Pain permeated through me, making me feel like my finger was about to snap off. That was enough proof that the massive sacred power flowed from beyond the entrance. [Penetration] no longer worked. I didn't know what's behind the door, but there was a powerful god's blessing that invalidated even SSS-Class skills.

'I should proceed to the main quest as soon as possible and erase this or something!'

I slowly opened the door, solidifying my determination. And I saw the thing inside the room…

'Idol!'

A dungeon was a representative place of missionary work. It was a place where gods who did not have a proper influence on the tutorial world used to 'preempt' the cream of the species that would proceed to the main quest. It was speculated that that was the case because the dungeon was located on a non-normal dimension and that its power to repel and reject gods was weak. Just as there was a statue after the magical god in the Shepherd 2 Dungeon last time, there was a statue of another entity in there as well.

'Aah!'

The first thing that caught my eye was the head that looked like that of a mountain sheep. But it was not the creature that inhabited the Earth's mountainous regions. The mountain goats in our world weren't covered in scales like what the statue depicted. Meanwhile, there was nothing that could be expected for an ordinary mammal to have below its neck. Instead, eight lumps, both breast-like and abscess-like, were stuck together in a mess. It's a much more bizarre and unpleasant appearance, but something kept reminding me of that idol.

'Looking at it, it's similar to the Mother Goddess of the Lands that the Botarchs serve!'

It was the goddess that symbolized the ever-spreading vitality through endless prosperity. But the Botarch's religion served a deity that did not exist. Perhaps what truly happened was that the religion of worshipping the owner of that statue was distorted and tampered with. Maybe it was only then was it passed on to Botarch. Of course, their prayers and dedications were not directed toward the proper divine entity, so a handful of divine power couldn't be gained by any god.

'However, the idol that is present here is real.'

I knew the identity of that god. It was the one in charge of all life. The name was 'Rom.'

Rumbleee!

When I opened the door, there was nothing in the room except for the idol. However, when my glance met with its two stone-carved eyes, a weak vibration covered the entire room. In an instant, flesh and blood vessels sprang up through the cracks in the bricks, creating a heart shape. There were more than one or two.

Rumble! Rumblee! Crunch!

Small flesh stuck out as it pushed bricks away and swelled like balloons. It took the shape of a heart, and like a hydra that reproduced through childbirth, another heart bloomed from the outer layer. After that, the same thing was repeated countless times. Hundreds of hearts were intertwined with blood vessels, covering the floor and ceiling like dizzying gourd vines. My finger was already hurting like it was going to explode at any second.

Drip!

The bloodstream that guided me whirled into a strange dance in the air. Then they made beautiful text strings in front of my eyes.

'Archid text.'

I read the contents.

-Thee, tell me the being that you want to kill.

"…"

As I kept my mouth shut, the blood-knitted text string scattered once in the air and gathered again. It became a new sentence.

-Or, put it on your tongue, the being that you want to let it live.

The authority of the god of life was more like a terrible fear for the living. Naturally, the one who could give life also had the power to take it away again. Its area of manipulation ranged from the moment life was born up to the last moment when it would ultimately fade. Whether that was a real deity or a sacred beast that was controlled by it… It would never propose something to anyone if it couldn't do just that. Nevertheless-

'… I shouldn't carelessly use my tongue here!'

I was in a similar situation to Igras-Sho's behavior, in which it left three holy wounds on my finger without asking. The god of life was an aristocrat by comparison. It didn't engrave a gift on my body and wouldn't allow itself to be held back or rejected regardless of what my answer was going to be.

'That saying just now is recommending me to make a wish!'

The behaviors of such gods were like a vicious loan recommendation. Regardless of whether one needed it or not, it meant to give them a credit line first so that they could use it as much as they wanted. Of course, if they fell for their words and used them carelessly, the terrible doom that was suspended would come for them.

'But honestly, it's a problem that it is desirable.'

Just as I had contemplated with Igras-Sho, an idea indeed came up in my mind as I heard the suggestion.

'If Mercadius could be finished for good with this…!'

If I could borrow a god's power to blow away its existence without a trace…

'But it's a no-no.'

A trap would always accompany such an easy method that had reached a point where it would even twist any existing principles. I lowered my impulse and talked to it carefully.

"I'm sorry, but I don't need it right now."

Then, without even waiting for a moment, blood droplets formed the next sentence.

-However, I can see traces on thy body of many gods already passing by.

The only thing that possessed my body was Igras-Sho… What did it mean by a lot of deities? Did it consider me touching the sacred items as an act of being in contact with gods as well? Blood droplets spoke as if to answer my question.

-The most concentrated one is 'magic,' and the next is 'luck.'

The god of magic, Igras-Sho. The god of luck, Ramang-Schurt.

"… For the one that oversees luck, I had only touched its sacred item." – It isn't so, mortal. There will be no trace left like this just by contacting the object. The god of luck has given you an eye even for a moment.

The god looked at me in person?

– He would have intervened directly in you by touching the odds.

I understood what it meant. Perhaps that was the reason why the sacred item came out of all the rewards I chose. The god must have touched the case of [Random Card of Fate] coming out among many SSS-Class items, beating the rare probability.

– And, there is another deity.

Right before my thoughts were about to get complicated- Bloodstreams continued to assemble the texts.

– It's so faint that it took me time to notice, but what must this be? The breath of a deity is embedded deep in your soul. The identity is…

For a while, a smooth drawing of an Earth-equivalent punctuation mark ('······') was embroidered in the air.

– Ah yes, I have identified it. it is 'Time.'

God of time?! The moment I heard the keyword…

'Ah!'

The knowledge I already knew overlapped with the existence mentioned by blood droplets. At that moment, my head cleared up, and I came up with one hypothesis. A piece of thought passed by as quickly as light. I remembered her words that told me the true meaning of the successor.

'The successor has experienced an average of 3,000 regressions per cycle so far.'

Repeated regression. The countless reversal of time. What would be the driving force that made it possible to repeat it thousands, tens of thousands of times? In addition to that…

'The Emperor managed to evacuate only the spirit of the successor to the far past.'

Starting from the distant future, when the empire was being destroyed, they returned the soul to an ancient time where the existence of Mana was not yet known to anyone but the successor itself. How long of an interval of time did the soul leap through? What was the reason why such an ambitious thing was possible?

'The Empire had borrowed a god's power!'

While I was lost in thought, the blood droplets made a few more sentences.

– It is very faint, but it's a trace all too familiar to us. – The time that makes all the changes is an essential factor for any deity. – As I did, other gods would have had no choice but to be attracted to your soul.

Then it continued to tell me something that felt inevitable.

– But others wouldn't have noticed it except me. This is because there is no other deity that cares as much about the mortals as I do. – That's inevitable. I tell you, all life deserves to be respected!

It was a famous epigraph from the scriptures of those who served 'Rom.'

'Every life deserves to be respected.'

However, that blood drop omitted the sentence that followed it.

'And only the scheduled, inevitable death guarantees its respect.'

The blood droplets, as if to entice me, created new sentences once more.

– You shall climb to the top of this Tower and move on to the next level. – From then on, many gods can watch you from closer and give you more. – Won't you serve me before that happens?

It was an outright temptation.

-You may forget the god of time for a moment. I don't get involved after death. In this life, why don't you serve me only while your flame of life is still lit? – The most powerful weapon for a living being is life, and the most vulnerable vital point is life as well. If you're a mortal, choosing me is the wisest path to take.

I spoke politely but clearly without room for any misinterpretation.

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of entrusting my existence to a great deity."

The blood droplets didn't give up.

– Look. -' Magic' lost its most potent leg. – 'Luck' was banished from the valley of convergence. – 'Time' was nailed to a repeated loop. – The sword of 'Battle' is rusty and broken. – 'Mind' has lost the foundation to prove itself. – 'Space' has split into numerous debris and scattered.

Currently, the god of life was talking about the disastrous fall of the exiled gods. They had been swept away with the end of an era. It all happened in the distant past before the material world even began. Nevertheless, they were immortals who are still called great beings.

'But anyway, being exiled goes for the god of life as well.'

I gathered my strength and said it once again.

"I'm sorry, but I…"

At that moment-

Boosh!

The heart vines laid on the floor and ceiling began to burn at once.

'What the hell is this?!'

The scar on my finger opened as if it were tearing apart, and more blood gushed out. A much thicker and more turbulent text than before asked me in the air.

– Would thee, indeed, refuse even my last offer?

Novels online

Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 136

           

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Chapter 136

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Tenth Floor, in Front of the Bonfire

Burble!

Blood poured out so much it made me doubt if it was okay for that amount to come out of such a small wound. It was gushing out like water would from a broken faucet.

'Damn, from the god of magic to the god of life… Why do the gods make such a fuss whenever they see me anyway?!'

The current situation was even nastier because not only did I not have control to stop the situation, but I didn't even have an infinite reserve of blood in my body.

'As expected, Auto-Heal's not working!'

The snake bracelet wrapped around my wrist failed to activate the magic. Perhaps it would be useless even if I drank a potion.

'Is it going to bleed me to death if I don't listen?'

I had my past and present life. However, I never would've imagined my end would be because too much blood was coming out of my fingers. I was sweating like a log. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

'Anyways, those things called gods are of no help to me!'

I thought I would wake up and have seizures if someone mentioned the gods in my sleep. While I was trying to think with a sense of urgency in my head… The bloodstream was no longer a thin solid line. Instead, it had turned thick and rough as it made another sentence.

-Thee, this is my last offer.

And then-

Boosh!

Instinctively, I felt it.

"…!"

Something was approaching me.

– It may not be possible because of the presence of traces left by 'magic' in the body… but the traces of 'time' left in the soul are relatively blurry. All right, I'll leave it there, too.

'Leave it? What? Don't!'

But what it wanted to do started before I could say anything. Something like an invisible storm collided with me.

Splash!

I had a hunch. There was no way for me to detect divine power except for the pain in my finger, but somehow I could tell. 'Rom,' the god of life, had given me something right at that moment. I barely composed myself to pay respect by swallowing the profanities. At that moment, I realized that the idol wasn't like a sacred beast. Rather, the god itself was delivering its will on its own.

"Great being. God of life. I dare ask you a question. Just now, what have you done upon me…? -It's my proposal. "What?"

I wanted to start a fundamental discussion about the meaning of the word 'proposal' in the Archid language. After imbuing something to my soul without asking for permission, it had the guts to say that it was nothing but a proposal?

-Yes. That's my proposal. Take a look.

I focused my attention on a trace that made me feel itchy. As I did so-

Paht!

[Orb of Immortality (Rank: ???)] -Item Description: It is a spiritual artifact that deviates from the constraints of the material world. If it's coupled with the user's soul, forced separation can cause severe damage to the astral body. – The more the user reaps another life with its own hands, the more energy one charges inside the Orb. After charging it 100%, the user will be able to activate the item at any time. – From the moment the item is activated, the user is freed from the circle of death. – Beware that if the user dies while the item is not activated, this Orb will disappear naturally. -Current Spiritual Power Charged: 0%

"…"

It was also an item that I had never heard of before. It felt like it was a type of sacred item. The explanation was also unusual.

'Immortality, is it?'

Aging was indeed delayed as one gained more active Mana, but through the cases of other worlds, it became evident that the limit was only several times the original life span. But looking at the description of the item, it boldly stated… That one could be free from the circle of death.

'Does those words mean that there would be no more aging? Or will it grant the user the unprecedented ability to regenerate even when their head explodes, and their heart shatters?'

Whatever it was, the more important fact was that…

'It just combined that item with my soul!'

I couldn't figure out what kind of immortality I would get if I 'activated' the item, but one thing was clear. The moment I activated it, the god would enslave me. It was the same case as using all three of the sacred scars that Igras-Sho, the magical god, gave me. The god of life, Rom, was seducing me in a different way than the spider god.

"By any chance, this item's rank is…"

There was only one reason why the rank was marked '???'. The drop of blood answered me as if my guess was true.

– Don't worry. The system won't notice. "Is this perhaps an EX-Class?"

Then it was a big problem. What if the item, which was prohibited in the tutorial world, were integrated with my soul? I remembered a nightmarish supposition that I wouldn't be able to go back to Earth. However, the blood droplets made bold letters as if to emphasize it.

– Words of the control cognition who talk like a parrot about this item cannot be communicated to the person who manages and regulates it. "… But 'they' can see my soul."

Although the ministry spirit that I met when I Awakened couldn't see my unique skill, it knew that the insignia of Awakening was engraved in my soul.

– There's nothing to worry about. Many parts that compose the system… are also the result of borrowing our powers for an extended period of time. This degree of intervention is easy to be bypassed. "?!"

I tried to ask more about it, but the blood drops did not allow it.

-This is my last suggestion. I have planted the Orb in your soul. The more you kill the living in the future, the more spiritual power you shall gain.

The sentence was followed by drawing a word meaning 'and.'

– Filling it up to its maximum will not rigger it immediately. You can choose when to activate it at any time you want. The Orb will forever suspend the coming of your death from the moment you had made a decision.

And the suspension period would be exactly the same as the period of slavery.

– My suggestion is for me to return with this Orb embedded in your soul.

As if to give me time to think, it went silent for a while.

– By any chance, if you don't want to, I can 'rip' the Orb off of your soul again. What is your choice?

I had no choice but to pour out curses and swear inwardly. That treacherous bastard!

"…!"

In the end, I had no choice but to choose to accept the proposal that was not, in any way, a proposal.

*

"And, you accepted it?!"

Hibiki asked with a pale face. We decided, in the end, to rest on the 10th floor and to move on as initially planned. We lit an artifact that acted as a bonfire and finished our meals while sitting by it.

"Yes, I couldn't help it."

I nodded in front of the frightened party members. Everyone's vivid expressions were seen beyond the shade created by the bonfire. In the hidden room on the 10th floor, before coming back there, I conveyed my will to accept the Orb. Blood droplets made large letters as if they were very satisfied.

– You have made the right choice.

And my blood droplets, which gave me directions and spelled sentences, were scattered in the air. Heart vines that covered the floors, walls, and ceilings had also withered. The pain in my fingers completely disappeared. When I returned, as I held the devil's sword, it spoke the following words:

'The sacred power that filled the surrounding area has completely disappeared.'

Afterward, as it heard the explanation together with my colleagues, it added:

'It fused the Orb in your soul?'

It sent a mental wave in a shocked and wondering tone.

'I don't know if it's fortunate or not, but I can't feel anything. There is no indication of an increase in sacred power or an increase in one layer of other properties.'

Indeed, it didn't even feel the trace of the 'god of time' from the beginning. The god of life seemed to have left a similar level of trace in my soul. It was clear that it was harder to detect than the one that recklessly engraved three holy scars on my body.

"Hmm."

Nate murmured with a serious look.

"… Isn't this a good thing? If Jin-Wook died first, I was going to make him into my subordinate, but this is much better than that."

"I'm pretty sure I told you I don't like that offer, didn't I? Anyway, this is not a good thing either. I did get my hands on immortality, but I'll be a slave to a god forever in return. There will be no instance that I will use this."

The devil's sword on my back muttered sarcastically.

'I think someone said that when he got three holy wounds from the god of magic.'

Ignoring the echo, I thought about it. I couldn't say it in front of them, but there was a decisive reason to refuse immortality. If I didn't die in that life, it meant that I would be blocked from reincarnation and regression as a successor. Even if I considered the pros and cons, there was no reason for me to activate the Orb.

"Mmmm."

Euclid, who was listening to the conversation, thought hard before speaking.

"I'm for it, too. The gods of this age, anyway… are those that don't benefit anyone by being involved with them."

I suddenly got curious when I heard that.

"To the dragon kind, how is the nature of the entities called gods regarded?"

She said as she fumbled through her memory.

"As I said, we were also in the tutorial stage. The gods couldn't interfere properly, but… The long-lived ancient dragons came in and out of other dimensions even before the Gates were opened. Thanks to that, they gained information to some degree."

Euclid continued in a tone that seemed to tell an old tale.

"In the distant past… They said that space was not as divided as it is now. There was only one dimension in the world."

A phrase came to mind among the words of 'Rom' that I heard in front of the idol.

'Space has split into numerous debris and scattered.'

The dragon locked her glance on each one of us.

"It was a world where ideas and materials were not completely distinguished, was it? When emotions flowed like mud and thought had mass. Anyway, we call it the mythological era. And the gods were, of course, the rulers of the mythological era."

She also said that the end of the mythological era was due to the war between the enemies of unknown identity and the gods. I remembered something similar to the tale I knew from her story.

'It is similar to the story of the Sebrarian Empire… which collapsed after the final war with unknown beings.'

However, it was different in a way that the end of the mythological era was a distant past, and the collapse of the empire was a distant future. Although for those who didn't know the truth, the former must be in a distant past, and the latter was a past closer than that.

"Forcing to end the mythical era, they exiled the gods."

Since then, the deities had been prohibited from directly interfering with the world.

"And then what was created was the current world, the material world; the place where we live. Something must have happened at the end that caused the dimension to be broken into countless pieces. The mortals were scattered in each dimension as well."

From Nate's perspective, it seemed to be a fascinating story. He even asked a question with sparkling eyes.

"So, where are those gods? What about the enemies that fought and won?" "I don't know about either of them."

She stammered through her memory and continued.

"What is certain about the gods is that, at the same time as when they were exiled, most of their 'true power' and 'memory' had been taken away. Due to that, in order to spread influence in the physical world we live in, they have no choice but to use indirect methods."

They did that by increasing the number of mortals who devoted their faith to them or by creating incarnations. Hibiki, who was quietly listening to the story, spoke in a strange manner.

"However, considering what Mr. Jin-Wook just told us, as well as what happened in that incident with the magic god… I think nothing good ever comes out of serving the god from a mortal perspective. Rather than protecting and guiding the living, I think they're regarded as tools."

Euclid nodded.

"Yes, I understand that. I'm on the same page. However, after finishing the tutorial, the divine power seems to come quite handy. Just as gods see the mortal as a tool, should I say, it is also a symbiotic relationship that the mortal uses that power as a tool?"

Then I tried to choose my words for a while.

"Of course, I think that's dangerous, too. It would be perfect if the process of devoting faith and gaining divine power were just and reasonable. But… what if the transaction subjects are not trustworthy?" "Why don't you believe them?"

The dragon answered Nate's question.

"The gods perceived by us dragon kind… well, simply put it…"

She kept trying to figure out the words before finally continuing, clapping her hand.

"Yeah, like an old person with dementia!"

Our faces were distorted in unison. What? God's got Alzheimer's?

"I told you earlier, right? The divine beings lost most of their true self and memories when they were exiled. As a result, the only memory fragments left are thought to be very intense and distant. But when the true nature was broken, the ability to build new memories also became problematic."

She must be saying that the new memories earned from that point on had become volatile.

"In the end, they keep forgetting. Of course, that memory span isn't comparable to the mortal standard."

They must've been in a state that although the old person didn't forget his or her childhood memories, they were still unable to recognize the people around them then.

"This point has been proven through numerous scriptures produced by the species that entered the main quest."

She gave an example.

"From what I heard, they seem to be on and off a lot. They confuse those who devoted a prayer thousands of years ago with those who prayed now… and others deny what they said hundreds of years ago. Anyway, I don't think the gods should be too trusted or be too dependent on them."

I was looking at the bonfire, and I solidified a decision that I had already made. Neither Igras-Sho's Stain nor Rom's Orb should ever be touched. Of course, the Orb would inevitably be charged by itself as a result of future battles.

'Oh, come to think of it.'

I suddenly wondered.

'What's the standard for taking life with my hands? Does it mean that even if I unconsciously evaporate a single microorganism, the count goes in?'

The answer to that question was confirmed the very next day.Novels online

Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 137

           

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Chapter 137

I Came Back And Conquered It All

11th Floor → 25th Floor

The next day, 11th floor. Through the hunter that began there, the [Orb of Immortality] was charged for the first time. It had been proven that the kill count didn't go up with microorganisms or plants.

Wobble! Wobble!

A group of slimes approached from the front, their bodies jiggling. Instead of wiping out many with a sword energy screen, I deliberately aimed for only one. The monster's name was Hundred-Eyed Slime. It was a monster that's big as a house. More than a hundred eyes had densely covered over the opaque apricot-colored mucous membrane.

Shhhhhh!

The sword was stuck in the mucous membrane wall. I released the sword energy in that state. A purple ray of light penetrated the enemy. The mouthless monster fluttered without screaming. Then, as its last struggle, it stared at me, rolling its packed eyes all at once. A system message popped up.

[Petrification Resistance (Rank: SSS) skill resists the enemy's status effect attack!] [Decay Resistance (Rank: SSS) skill resists the enemy's status effect attack!] [Poison Resistance (Rank: SSS) skill resists the enemy's status effect attack!] [Cold Resistance (Rank: SSS) skill resists the enemy's status effect attack!] . . .

It was a monster that randomly caused abnormal status effects wherever its eyes landed on. However, each effect was only A-Rank level. Naturally, it didn't work against our group, as we had been plastered with various resistance skills before the battle began.

Whoong!

The blade's mental wave rang in my head.

'Damn it, are you fighting them slowly on purpose right now?'

The devil's sword, stuck in the mucus, mumbled. Instead of answering back, I gradually amplified the energy on it while it was still in the monster. The slime had already been fatally wounded, and although they would die if I left it alone, the system message hadn't appeared just yet.

'There's no point in further observation. Is it not counted if I just led it to death? Would it only count the kill once I've actually ended its life?'

I released sword energy to finish it off.

Swoosh!

The slime shattered into pieces. The fragments of mucus splashed all over my face. Only then did it pop out.

– The [Orb of Immortality] has absorbed spiritual power. – Current Spiritual Power Charged: 0.001%

'I see, so that's how the kill count goes up.'

Shaking off what's on the sword, I pondered around my thoughts.

'0.001% for one? That means if I kill 100,000 slimes of that level, the Orb will be charged right away, right?'

But in the end, that prediction was wrong. Even when I killed another slime…

-The [Orb of Immortality] has absorbed spiritual power. – Current Spiritual Power Charged: 0.001%

When the message that the spiritual energy was charged appeared, but the figure was barely rising. It seemed to be slowly filling in units below the indicated decimal point. As I devoted myself to the hunt, I could tell from the figure slightly fluctuating again that…

'Eventually, I'll have to slay a lot more than 100,000 living beings to fill it up to 100%.'

My experiment continued even after clearing the 11th floor.

12th floor.

"Squeal!"

A swarm of hydras, a type of monster that had numerous heads mounted on a snake's body, awaited us.

"Let's make some changes here."

Instead of stepping up myself, I gave Nate an order.

"Nate, kill them all!" "Okay."

Yesterday, I checked that only the monsters I killed were counted. But then, I became curious as to what would happen if I explicitly commanded others to do the killing for me.

Rarrrgh!

Following my instructions, the undead troops were summoned from the shadow and charged forth. There were some individuals whose bones were could be seen all over their bodies due to the progressed decomposition among the zombies, but they were more potent in the meantime. Their combat capability was comparable to that of A-Class or higher hunters.

"Squeal!" "Rargh… Uhhh!"

I observed the message that popped up.

'Indeed, this is different from yesterday. The kill count still goes up, but it's much slower than when I killed them myself.'

It was a result of the comparison from killing the same kinds of hydra myself. I also noticed something else.

'Oh? The count's stopped even though Nate's still hunting.'

With 'explicit instructions' in effect, the count did not go up when the agent moving for me got too far away. On the other hand, in the case of a direct remote attack from me, the count went up no matter how far the distance was. And-

"Squeaaal!"

With the zombies almost dead, When I cut off their breath with a knife, the count went up very slowly.

"I'm getting the rough gist of it. Then, let's check one last thing."

13th floor.

The enemy that appeared in the graveyard-like dreary field were undead monsters such as zombies and skeletons. They were the down-graded versions of Nate's subordinates, and their battle power was incomparable to them. I stood in front of them and prepared for the attack.

Whoong!

The purple tide amplified by the devil's sword vibrated, waiting to be unleashed. I waited for the gap to show, then I let it explode all at once.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The undead monsters got sliced and minced up. Black blood poured, and rotten flesh rolled around on the soil floor where negative energy lingered. However, there was no change in the system message.

'The undead is not counted as a life form. That at least only needed common sense.'

I spoke as I nodded.

"I've got the results. That's it for the experiment."

In the end, the principle of charging the Orb was as follows: If I killed the target myself, the count would go up at the fastest rate, and there were no restrictions to it. If I commanded someone else to kill on behalf of me, it would go up slower, and it was limited in terms of distance. What qualified as a life form to the Orb were monsters of a specific size or larger, excluding plants and microorganisms. In a universal sense, the stronger the opponent was, the more spiritual power it filled. Also, noticing that the slime was counted, the murdered entity's intelligence didn't seem to factor in the amount of spiritual power the item was charged with. I wanted to conduct additional experiments, but there were some cases where conditions couldn't be met.

'What if I killed it, but I didn't put any effort into it? For example… What if I press the launch button of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and it directly hits the 'Lost Land' and kills a monster?'

At the moment, there was no way to prove it, so I had to give up. Regardless, there was only one reason why I needed to figure out the ways that it could be charged.

"I have to give this up."

There was no trick to reducing the Orb's charging speed. If I continued hunting at the same pace as I did at the time, I expected the Orb to be fully charged within a few months or a year at the longest. The devil's sword agreed.

'After all, you'll have no choice but to be careful not to trigger it the moment you fill it all the way to 100%.'

And then it clicked its tongue.

'I can't believe you did the experiments ever so meticulously. You're indeed a terrible guy.' "I wanted to avoid it if there was a way to avoid it. But I can't see any other way."

Since I decided that further experiments were meaningless, we broke through the Tower at full speed as we did before. As a result, we reached the 25th floor after taking almost the same duration it took us to climb from the first floor to the 10th floor.

*

"It's strange… How can we go through it faster than the lower floors?"

The moment we entered the 25th floor… Hibiki murmured as if she also couldn't believe it, even if she had contributed to such a feat.

"Yeah… that's really weird. The difficulty level of the Tower that I heard of was far from this."

Euclid was deeply lost in thought with a haunted face.

"I mean, the lower floors were just the beginning, so it's pretty understandable that we went through them quickly… but why is our pace increasing?"

Nate scratched his head, too.

"I only walked when told to walk… fought when told to fight… and rested when told to rest."

They probably didn't have to get their heads running busily. It's because I had prepared all the orders and methods in advance and commanded them based on past information.

"Has there been any… particularly dangerous moments until now? Except for the altar on the 10th floor." "… There weren't any."

I murmured as if it was nothing.

"What's wrong with it? It's better if it's faster, right?"

It would've been a lot more strange to be delayed, considering I combined the vivid experiences I had in my past life, the ability to see through all the internal structures, and the unique skills I had that allowed me to avoid time-consuming puzzles and tricks. The reason why the pace was getting faster as we climbed through the Tower was the same for me as well. To add more to that, the body and mind of other party members had become familiar with the patterns and pace of consecutive hunting. All of them were growing as they climbed the Tower.

'Come to think of it, it feels like a pretty well-organized training program- This Tower of Choice.'

Throwing my glance forward, I connected my thoughts.

'Of course, there are exceptions like this floor.'

Nate spoke as if he was reminded of it.

"Oh, wait a minute. I heard that floor 25 is a unique place."

He seemed to remember what I mentioned during the meeting before entering the Tower.

"Yeah, this is kind of a bonus floor. It's a place where you can pass easily without effort." "Right! It was."

I didn't know if it was made by one of the previous successors, the past's standard system, or a system after it was already contaminated the designed the 25th floor. It was also unclear what it was initially intended for. What was certain was that that floor was not functioning properly.

"Uh, there. Aren't those monsters? All of them?"

The interior was structured like a giant factory. Countless glass tubes were lined up, and in them, hideous green-skinned monsters are asleep with their eyes closed. They were all monsters. I thought they would be close to 10,000 units if I counted their m But even when we approached them, they showed no sign of moving. The Monsters were lost in a deep sleep.

"Are they dead?"

Nate whispered lowly. I shook my head.

"No, they're all alive."

A clear Mana Core was visible in each of the monsters' hearts. I naturally didn't let them know how embarrassed we were in the past life when the Last Five party arrived on that floor. We were nervous, thinking that it was definitely a trap. However, after looking all over the place for a few days there before leaping, we were finally convinced. The 25th floor was a dungeon that was more like a free pass.

"What kind of monster is that?" "I heard that if you check it with the encyclopedia, it comes up with the name 'Bio-dolls.'"

I wrapped what I experienced as something that I heard and told them.

"Nate, do you want to experiment with it?"

I swung the knife.

Swish! Boo-boom!

The glass tube was broken, and the monster in it was exposed.

"Jin-Wook! What if it wakes up…" "No, they never wake up. It doesn't matter even if I make such a fuss."

I approached and shoved the devil's sword into the monster's big thigh.

'… Damn it. Its blood tastes worse than most things. This is not a normal creature!'

The devil's sword, which tasted a little of its bodily fluids, lamented. After pulling out the blade, the monster continued breathing, but it still remained unmoving.

"You see?" "That's so weird."

I took the Core out of its heart with a quick movement and absorbed it. Only then did the monster's life energy disappear. And as a consequence…

– Current Spiritual Power Charging Rate: 0.522%

The visible figures did not change, but a message appeared that it became charged a little bit more.

'It's certain that these creatures are alive.'

"Nate, what do you think?" "It does feel like it won't work."

While Nate replied to my query, he invoked his unique skill, [Shadow Across Boundaries]. Nate focused for a moment and shook his head right away.

"As expected, it doesn't work." "Hmm."

Although it was a creature that used to have life attached to it, it couldn't be turned into an undead even if it was killed. There might be a reason why there was the word 'doll' attached to the name, but since it didn't move, we didn't know what secrets they were carrying. The conclusion came to me fast.

"We have over 10,000 monsters waiting for their Cores to be pulled, and we can't just leave them."

Nate summoned the army of subordinates and scattered them all over the 25th floor. We reached the only obstacle on the 25th floor while zombies were pulling out Cores with skilled slaughter movements. There was a tightly closed door. It was the entrance to the maze that needed to be passed through to get to the next floor. I examine the patterns on the door. Usually, that type of obstacle was a puzzle or trick that used Mana.

"Hmm? There's no response."

It was different from the other floors where it would give out orders needed to be done to accomplish the mission when hunters approached. The gate in front of us remained silent. I explained the situation.

"It is another proof that the 25th floor has completely shut down. I think it was originally designed to open when Mana is spilled on the surface of the door, and a certain puzzle is solved."

Euclid nodded as if she finally understood.

"Aha! But now, the puzzle itself isn't working?" "But that doesn't mean the door will open as well. It's like the power's turned off with the seal locked." "Then the only way… is to destroy it, huh?"

That's right. In my past life, my colleagues, who gave up while looking for a way out, used various skills in order to smash that door. The result was a big explosion.

'Among the traps in there, there was a kind that exploded when applied with shock.'

I almost died with them back then.

'There's no need to do the same thing in this life.'

I held the sword and looked through the internal structure.

'Ah, so this is the structure.'

It was the first time I had seen it that way because everything exploded and broke back then. I thrust the sword energy in a sophisticated shape.

Swish! Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!

The maze entrance was cut out like slicing sashimi, avoiding the place where explosive materials were located. After a while…

Boo-boo-boo-boom!

Large and small collapses took place. When I dismantled it with a sophisticated movement as if I was maneuvering a scalpel, although dust and piles of stones were suspended in the air, there was no big explosion like in the previous life. After the dust subsided, an empty passage appeared in front of us over a pile of stones.

"This is enough for us to go through, right?"

Euclid replied as if she was dumbfounded.

"The maze that has stopped functioning is definitely strange… but the man who breaks and goes through it with brute force is a lot more."

Heading straight inside, we walked quickly without paying much attention to the internal structure. After we confirmed that there were no monsters around, all we had to do was be careful of the manual traps we might not know. While doing so-

'No, what's that?'

The devil's sword screamed, shocked. Knowing what it was responding to, I spoke calmly.

"I've already checked with penetration." 'Then why are you approaching it so defenselessly…!'

At that moment, the other party members saw it, too. Euclid was the fastest to react.

"What, isn't that an altar again?"

It was shaped similarly to the altar I found in a hidden room on the 10th floor. Nate and Hibiki also looked tense. But I shook my hand as if they had nothing to worry about. There was a reason for such conviction.

"There's no response from the scar. And while we were heading all the way here, the devil's sword didn't respond to it either."

The devil's sword tried to protest, but it also realized the difference between what happened back then and the current situation, causing it to stop its telepathy. And it kept silent as if it was sensing something. It spoke as if it was determined.

'···Oh, I see. I can't feel any divine power.'

I replied to it.

"That's an altar, but it's been disconnected from its god."

Nate looked at it and asked.

"The place where the idol should be is empty… Is that why it's been cut off?" "It's not because of that kind of reason. It's because that's the original statue of the god." "Huh?" "That itself is the completed idol. The empty altar represents the god it's dedicated to."

A materially indescribable being- That altar belonged to the 'god of spirit.' There was no reason known why unlike other altars, the object of the god of spirit alone did not have any divine power remaining. Its altars were often found in places other than the Tower, but their condition remained similar. The existence of a priest or incarnation who borrowed the power of the god was also unknown.

"Now, shall we move on?"

At the same time, the subordinates who had just finished collecting Cores gathered around. After absorbing all the trophies, we stood in front of the portal to send us to the next floor.

I Came Back And Conquered It All

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