1.
Witness A.
First testimony.
"Th-The Sword Emperor? Yeah, famous…."
The magic boy, with his bangs half-covering his face, stuttered.
"I personally witnessed the Sword Emperor shattering the sixth spire… It was incredible. With just a swing of his sword, the tower, heavily coated with all sorts of magic, just crumbled to pieces…. Ah! It must have been the first and last time the Elder got that angry. Hmm…. I was really pleased that all those despicable people in the 6th branch died, but as a result, my entire lineage was wiped out, blocking my path to success. In the end, after decades, I was stuck cleaning sewers for 131 years…."
Witness B.
Second testimony.
"...I don't know why you're asking this."
The librarian with an irritable look sighed.
"The Sword Constellation… commonly known as the Sword Emperor, is so famous that it'd be strange if someone didn't know him. His fame was probably ten times that of what Constellation Killer enjoys now. Anyway, he was the only one who went beyond the 99th floor. I honestly think he cleared the 100th floor. …Huh? Why was such a psychopath famous? …What are you talking about? Why have you been making such a disgusted face since earlier?"
Witness C.
Third testimony.
-I never particularly wanted to become a Constellation.
The world's biggest troublemaker blabbered.
-I don't know when it started, but people began to worship me. And somehow, I ended up becoming a Constellation? Well, that's a story for later. Anyway. The conclusion is that I am an incredibly great guy. A true savior, you know, Zombie. Even if I just stay still, I am revered as a god.
Since this testimony from the witness is utterly useless, it is classified as nonsense.
"This world is rotten…!"
"Really, why have you been acting like that since earlier? …Ah, you too were personally chosen by the Tower Master. It makes sense you're a bit strange."
[Assistant Writer] muttered, watching me fall into despair in real-time.
This is the hideout of the Hamustra believers.
A secret base reached after descending into an underground cave for quite a while. There were no decent buildings or furniture. Just some mats spread on the cave floor and a few simple canned goods.
But just being here seemed to reassure the believers, as they exclaimed, "Ah…", "Thank goodness", "Thanks to the Mr. Savior, we could return alive from that hell!" and so on.
"Thank you so much! Our lives are all indebted to the Mr. Savior!"
"Ahaha…. Don't mention it."
Normally, I would have calmly accepted their gratitude. But now, a magnitude 5 earthquake was happening on my face. The Sword Emperor Religion. The fact that such a religion existed in this universe had shocked and terrified me to the point of nearly losing my mind.
Barely hanging onto my sanity, I spoke up.
"Hmm. Then, everyone should return to their own worlds now."
"...."
The believers glanced at each other at my completely normal remark.
"Uh, Mr. Savior. The thing is…"
"I'm sorry. But we have no world to return to."
The Assistant Writer explained.
"The Magic Tower invaded and turned it into a colony. Long ago, there were rebellions, but that's a story from hundreds of years ago. Now, there are only traitors who collaborate with the Magic Tower to enjoy wealth and honor. Even if we wanted to return… there's no place to go back to. And we don't want to."
"Huh."
I was somewhat surprised. A colony.
I had anticipated it to some extent, but it was really possible for a tower to conquer another world's tower.
"That's why people like us can only stay on the 50th floor."
The Assistant Writer leaned on his forehead and sighed.
"We can't flee to the lower floors. There are plenty waiting to capture us and offer us to the Magic Tower. Nor can we move to the higher floors."
"Why? Can't you just complete the quest and move on to the 51st floor?"
"...You. You really are a newbie who just arrived here."
The Assistant Writer looked at me with eyes full of wonder.
"Really, you know nothing. Well, it could be that your acting skills are just extraordinary. Until a moment ago, I thought you were a hidden master who had come down to the 50th floor in disguise."
What is she talking about?
"That, intruder sir."
The magic boy spoke from beside me, his face troubled.
And the words that came out of the boy's mouth far exceeded my expectations.
"There has been no hunter who cleared the 50th floor… since 150 years ago."
What?
"I mean, specifically, no hunter who isn't affiliated with the Magic Tower. To clear the 50th floor, you have to be associated with the Magic Tower or… at least not be its enemy."
"Really? …For 150 years? How is that possible?"
"The Magic Tower, they are blocking the quest."
The magic boy fidgeted with his staff, looking anxious.
"You must have had a person in charge for each of the stages you've been through so far. A responsible Constellation… But beyond the 50th floor, there's no such helpful guide. You have to find a Constellation yourself, win their favor, get recognized by them, and then… complete their quest to pass."
"No. Wait a minute. That's strange."
I frowned.
"Then if the Constellations just give out quests, that's it, right? As soon as I reached the 50th floor, I received countless whispers from the Constellations. Asking to join them in their quests. How can the Magic Tower monopolize the quests?"
"...."
The magic boy pulled his hood down further. It was almost forgotten amidst the dramatic betrayal, but the boy was also a member of the Magic Tower. Until just two hours ago.
"Those are just minor quests."
The Assistant Writer answered instead of the magic boy.
"Kill someone. Help someone. Such quests can be issued anytime. And rewards can be given too. But, to compose a quest worthy of the recognition of [clearing the 50th floor], you can't bypass the Magic Tower."
"You look confused. Hmm. But, you're also the Hamustra's messenger, right?"
The Assistant Writer scratched her cheek.
"First of all, whether you like it or not, the Magic Tower is the power that rules this 50th floor. You know that, right?"
"Yes. Roughly…."
"Then it should make sense that it's difficult to create a quest that bypasses the Mage Tower to qualify for clearing the 50th floor, right? It's like a novel that spent 497 pages building up the final boss only to conclude in the last 3 pages with 'Actually, you don't really need to defeat that boss' 'Yeah, yeah, you can just ignore it.' That kind of novel would be trash, right?"
What an apt analogy for an apostle of Hamustra….
"So, even for the Constellations, to create a 50th floor conquest quest, they inevitably have to involve the [Magic Tower]."
The Assistant Writer spread his fingers.
"First. Get recognized by the Magic Tower. Serve the Magic Tower for a long time, or maintain consistent good relations to become [A Member of the Magic Tower] or [An Honorary Member of the Magic Tower]. Thus, earn achievements like [You have gained solid support from the force ruling this 50th floor]. …This is the current [Regular Route]. Hunters who climb up this route consistently emerge, maybe one or two a year."
"...."
"Second. Directly confront the Magic Tower and subdue it. …This corresponds to the [Irregular Route]."
"And no hunter has managed to break through this Irregular Route for the last 150 years… That's what you mean."
I said, understanding.
The Assistant Writer nodded.
"Yep. It's not an easy task."
The Assistant Writer snapped her fingers.
Then, out of thin air, sheets of paper appeared with a rustling sound. Each page, emitting a faint light like fireflies, circled around the Assistant Writer.
"These pages are my skill. [Rejected Contest Entries]."
"...."
"It's not a name I came up with. Don't look at me like that. I'll pluck out your eyes."
There she goes with her feisty personality.
"...Anyway, I can peek into other people's [Failed Quests] with my [Rejected Contest Entries] skill. And all these are traces of those who tried and failed to clear the 50th floor through that [Irregular Route]."
Rustle.
The torn pages fluttered as if they had wings.
I grabbed and looked at one of the closest sheets.
+
[Liberation War of the Monopolized City]
Constellation: The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains
Difficulty: SSS
Mission Objective: Warriors! The moment of uprising has finally come. For the past 20 years, the demons of the Magic Tower have oppressively ruled over the Monopolized City. It's said the Sword Emperor has vanished, but why would there be only one hero in this world? Now is the time for you to wield the sword.
Rise up. Fight back! Topple all five fingers of the Magic Tower, rescue the Constellations groaning under their grip, and walk proudly beyond the Monopolized City!
Result: Failure
Reason for Rejection: Decisive defeat of the coalition forces. Most of the higher-ups of [The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains] slaughtered. Subsequently, the Constellation publicly acknowledged the quest's failure. A humiliating ceasefire was agreed upon, not issuing any quests targeting the Magic Tower for the next 100 years.
+
Pluck.
I caught another piece of paper.
+
[Love Saves the World]
Constellation: The Incarnation of Love and Lust
Difficulty: SSS
Mission Objective: Are you at peace, dear lovers? I am at peace. But not everyone in the Monopolized City is. (Drumroll)
That person is the ruler of the Magic Tower, the Tower Master, the Elder. (Surprise!)
It's said that the Elder hasn't opened their heart to anyone else in a thousand years. Being human, wouldn't the Elder feel loneliness? (Curious) I firmly believe that beneath that frozen wasteland, there must be a most beautiful flower blooming.
Anyone is fine. Show the Elder the charm of love, the beauty of the world! It's an incredibly difficult task, but our wonderful lovers can do it, right? (Thumbs up!)
Result: Failure
Reason for Rejection: All followers of [The Incarnation of Love and Lust] who approached the Elder of the Magic Tower were executed. Those who touched the Elder's shoulder had their fingers chopped off 230 times, and those who attempted a kiss had their lips split into 23 pieces. Subsequently, the Constellation publicly acknowledged the quest's failure.
+
"...."
I flipped through the torn papers.
Serious, light-hearted, each Constellation's quests were written in different tones and tastes. However, one word was always included in each one.
Failure.
"...."
[Failure], [Failure], [Failure].
The [Irregular Route Quests], actively undertaken until 100 years ago, began to decrease at some point. No, they rapidly diminished. Eventually updating once every 10 years, then every 20 years…
And then they vanished.
"The last Irregular Route Quest was issued 31 years ago."
The Assistant Writer snapped his fingers.
Like a lie, the fluttering sheets in the air disappeared.
"We actively encouraged participation in quests, but even that's ineffective now. Since Hamustra disappeared, we've been too busy taking care of our own lives… Now this city, the 50th stage, is literally a place where time has stagnated."
"...Why?"
I had to ask.
"Why would the Magic Tower do this? What benefit do they gain from such actions?"
"A lot."
The Assistant Writer replied immediately.
"By enforcing this [Regular Route], they fill the floors beyond the 50th with their allied forces. This way, not the Constellations, but the Magic Tower monopolizes the progression of the tower. And a perpetual monopoly brings enormous benefits."
"But..."
"Right."
Did she guess what I was about to say?
The Assistant Writer nodded quietly in agreement with me.
"It's boring."
"...."
"Deathly boring. So dull. Tedious. Stale and stiflingly monotonous."
Initially scoffing at the idea of a 'regular route,' the Assistant Writer let out a sigh.
"Ever since the Magic Tower started ruling over the Monopolized City, aside from the brief period of chaos brought by the Sword Emperor, there's been hardly any fun. That's why we, the librarians, resist the Magic Tower."
The Assistant Writer smirked bitterly, looking around.
Less than ten believers were there, healing their bodies wounded from imprisonment. All of them looked ragged. On their faces, there was a sense of relief just to have survived.
"...'We,' as I call it, is all that's left now."
Is that so.
'I understand.'
I looked up.
To others, it might seem like I was lamenting to the empty air, but in my eyes, Bae Hu-ryeong was visible.
'Why you shattered the Magic Tower.'
-Hmm.
'It wasn't just for fun, causing havoc.'
-Well, seeing that Elder's face contort was pretty amusing.
Bae Hu-ryeong was lying long across the air, using it as his bed.
-I didn't expect that after I disappeared, not a single newcomer would defeat the Magic Tower. Well, I was a bit exceptionally strong.
'Why didn't you destroy everything instead of just one spire?'
-That's obvious. I'm not a nanny spoon-feeding kids.
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke indifferently.
-If the Magic Tower are bastards, then what about those who can't defeat those bastards? And what about those who become dogs of those bastards, panting while breaking through the 50th floor?
"...."
-Hey. Kim Zombie, you might not feel it because you're doing well, but these guys are also hunters. Hunters who have made it up to the 50th floor. Strong ones. Their novice days ended long ago; they should be able to take care of themselves.
"...."
-By destroying one spire, I've already done my part.
Indeed.
That was such a Bae Hu-ryeong-like thing to say, and I nodded in agreement. Perhaps Bae Hu-ryeong and I weren't so different.
Would you leave them to be responsible for themselves? Or would you help them stand up and take responsibility?
It seemed that only our last attitude was what differentiated him from me.
"Assistant Writer."
"Huh?"
"I have a request."
That one difference made me speak up.
"Please call at least one believer from each sect, including the Sword Emperor Religion."
"...I can do that, but why?"
"I am a hunter. A hunter has things they must do."
I knew what I wanted to do.
"I will ascend to the next stage."