2.
[The 68th floor stage is now up for auction.]
[The 69th floor stage is now up for auction.]
I blankly listened to the messages ringing one after another in my head, becoming so bewildered that my face almost turned into a fish face, like a carp bread...
No. This pun isn't quite right.
Let's just keep staring blankly.
[The 70th floor stage is now up for auction.]
"Stop."
Finally, the last floor among the stages that could participate in the auction was put up for sale.
The pillar of the tower, [The Wand Of Ages], announced the end of the listings.
"Beyond this point is not the territory I oversee. If you want to escape from the Death King, you should look for another pillar. There might be Constellations who don't know who I am, or even Constellations hearing about the existence of a pillar for the first time, but consider this a special case...."
The message cut off, and silence ensued all around.
"Now, since the items have been listed, shall we look for a buyer?"
It wasn't long.
"I will explain the gist of the auction."
Click, [The Wand Of Ages] tapped the air with the end of the staff.
"As you know, the Death King is a [Hunter], in other words, a challenger climbing the tower towards the hundredth floor, [Sky's Extreme Point]. He is also a Constellation who has received the name [The Sky That Gathers Screams], though not fully blossomed yet."
Indeed.
Hunter is also a term used in the tower for those who climb it.
"So, from now on, it's not a fight between a teacher giving a test and a student taking it, but a fair duel between warriors."
The magician's voice was low in tone and temperature.
Like the sound of a piano softly playing outdoors on a winter day.
Constellations dwelling above in the tower momentarily became spectators, listening to the magician's song.
"I believe every warrior has the right to flee from a duel."
The magician's eyes were silver.
"A sword should only be wielded by those who wish to use it in a duel."
Eyes resembling the color of a blade looked at me.
"So, who willingly wants to duel with the Death King?"
"...."
"Among the countless constellations, which beast hasn't forgotten the joy of victory? Who is the snake that, even after ascending to the sky, cannot shed the pleasure of its scales scraping against the ground? Which star, even after being embraced by the Tower Master, refuses to serve as its master, what light is it scattering now?"
Click, with that.
The magician rolled his tongue inside his mouth.
"64th floor. Auction starts."
['The Bird That Burns Fire' bids.]
As soon as the magician finished speaking, someone sent out a message.
['The Bird That Burns Fire' warns not to bid higher than itself unless one wishes to die.]
The magician tilted his head.
"Well. Using that tone might just invite more people eager to jump in, you know?"
['The Bird That Burns Fire' advises to participate in the auction from the next stage onwards if one does not wish to die.]
"Good. Much better."
I found it hard to spot the difference between the two sentences, but it seemed the magician heard a significant distinction.
An unknown Constellation continuously sent out messages.
['The Bird That Burns Fire' suggests a method for the auction.]
['The Bird That Burns Fire' states that it is logical to auction off the next floor every time the Death King defeats a stage, rather than deciding the administrator for up to the 70th floor all at once.]
['The Bird That Burns Fire' argues very logically that this is because if the Death King is defeated at the 64th floor, only the Constellation that bid for the 65th floor would end up becoming the fool.]
"Hmm…."
The magician closed his left eye.
"That makes sense."
['The Bird That Burns Fire' reminds everyone that it always speaks the truth.]
"Let's assume that's the case. But the most important thing remains."
The magician looked up at the sky.
"The bid? How much do you want to pay for the rights to manage?"
['The Bird That Burns Fire' answers.]
[Everything it has.]
The magician nodded.
"There's no reason not to accept. The administrator for the 64th floor will be changed from 'The Righteous Nine-Tailed Fox' to 'The Bird That Burns Fire'."
And with that, it was over.
The magician turned his head and looked at me.
"Death King. Step onto the next stage."
"...."
The fox wrapped around my neck chirped softly.
Fox was flicking its tail, asking for my decision.
"Yes. I see no reason not to accept."
I put the snake, Hishmith Kritz, that was on my palm into my pocket. Then, I lightly ignored the low hiss it made as I nodded my head.
"Honestly, this snake was not satisfying enough to slice. Please, God, I ask of you."
"Peep."
Upon my words, fox did not hesitate and immediately declared.
[Quest Cleared!]
[The 63rd floor stage has been cleared.]
['A Music Box Only for You' will assign you the same quest from the 64th to the 69th floor as the previous stages.]
[You will be immediately transferred to the 64th floor as per your request.]
Sandstorms enveloped my vision.
3.
-Zombie.
While the scent that crossed the desert wrapped around my nose and swirled through my body, in that brief moment, Bae Hu-ryeong spoke directly to my consciousness.
-I climbed up to the ninety-ninth floor but didn't know about the pillars. Thinking about it, it's not like I never encountered a pillar. I must have met one and forgotten about it.
'....'
-To those pillar folks, there must be the 'authority to erase memories related to themselves.'
That's right.
It must be so.
-Maybe after all this is over, that is, after you climb up to the 70th floor, the memories might all disappear.
It's possible.
-But the likelihood of that happening is low.
Bae Hu-ryeong said.
-You met the Tower Master. No matter how great those pillars are, they can't erase the time marked with meaning by the Tower Master.
His voice was calm yet filled with regret.
-You and I walked different paths.
The Sword Emperor said.
-Follow that path.
Finally, the sandstorm completely obscured my vision.
-Now, there's no one who would dare look down on you as weak!
And then, I opened my eyes.
[You have entered the 64th stage.]
Upon opening my eyes, there was only gray.
Only ash stretched endlessly to the horizon.
['The Bird That Burns Fire' manifests!]
In the middle of that world, a phoenix, a bird entirely engulfed in flames, was fluttering its vast wings.
4.
"—-It was regrettable."
An intense smell clung to the mucous membrane of my nose.
It was the smell of burning.
The bird, engulfed in flames, could easily wrap the world with its two wings. The wings traversed between heaven and earth, and due to the burning wings, there was no distinction between up and down.
Looking up or down, everything was burned to ashes.
"When the Sword Emperor ascended the tower with overwhelming momentum, I ignored him. I scorned him. Thus, I lost the opportunity to contend with the highest reaching warrior since the tower was erected. It was regrettable, deeply regrettable."
I gripped the hilt of my sword.
"I understand why you participated in the auction."
The eyes of the phoenix looked down at me. In fact, it was unclear whether it even had eyes. The phoenix was constantly burning, and there was no part that the flames did not engulf.
So, probably the phoenix was glaring at me not with the eyes of the flesh but with the eyes of the soul.
"You are said to be a successor of the Sword Emperor. Is that true?"
"Even with ears burning in fire, you only pick the correct words to hear."
"Good. It's a good opportunity. I cannot allow myself to bear two regrets."
The phoenix fluttered its wings.
The ash that settled on the world stirred, swept up by the wingbeats.
The gray snowflakes fluttered, brushing against my cheeks.
"I am the burning fire, a calamity and an ominous bird. I wish to be the last fire left in the world."
"I am the Death King."
I wiped the ash off my cheek. My mouth felt gritty. Ash had swept into my throat, filling it. Willingly chewing and swallowing the remnants left by the fire, I showed my respect for the duel.
"I am the sword that wishes to break other swords."
Further conversation was pointless.
In no time, the adjudicator who had followed me onto the stage, [The Wand Of Ages], stood between us.
The magician lifted his long staff and tapped the ground lightly.
Taking that subtle signal as my cue, I charged across the ash heap.
"Hishmith Kritz. Fulfill your promise."
The loser from the previous stage responded to my command.
['The Eye Living in the Labyrinth' manifests its power.]
Wriggle.
The thread like snake crawled out of my pocket and coiled around my wrist like a bracelet. The snake had sworn to assist me in conquering the tower, thus fulfilling its promise.
['The Eye Living in the Labyrinth' exposes the enemy's information.]
Within the flow of aura, time slowed, and in the sluggish current, characters were etched before my eyes.
I could see the enemy's true name.
The Bird That Burns Fire.
Docheol¹
Following that, the origin of the Phoenix were embroidered in the void.
In one stroke.
The writing of Hishmith Kritz was as twisted as his own body, yet as clear as the gleam in a hermit's eye, making it easy to read.
+
Docheol is fire.
If water represents the righteous path as it flows downward, fire is the rebellious heart going against it. Docheol's fire symbolizes emotion.
Fire consumes others to grow itself. It has no eyes to see the world. Therefore, Docheol governs the realm of emotion, specifically the blinded ones: [Hatred], [Loathing], and most of all, the [Pleasure] that melts away in self-display.
It screams as if about to die immediately but never dies, in fact, it only kills others.
If I was lost in the pleasure of observing others, Docheol is addicted to displaying himself.
Demanding to be the sole focus, its reality is such that without anything around to burn, it cannot burn itself.
Its names are [The Fire That Burns Fire], [The Self That Consumes Itself], [Blindness].
Merely a fire that has gone blind.
+
Indeed.
I instantly pierced through the identity of the Phoenix.
"It wasn't just a grudge for not being able to fight the Sword Emperor."
The Constellation's wings fluttered.
In other words, the Phoenix squinted its eyes.
Despite having an appearance far removed from humans, I was confident in my ability to read [the expression of fire] more than anyone.
I saw its psychology through the angle at which the flames wrapped around the Constellation bent, the way the flames split, and the signs of embers burning.
"You were merely vexed for not participating in the 'event' known as the Sword Emperor. A duel between warriors wasn't your interest."
"...."
"I've fought with the Sword Emperor once. I have exchanged swords with him. You're just longing for that title. Envious of the Constellations who had it in the past, jealous of those who lost to me, and envious of the genuine constellations who could truly compete against me, you too wanted to join in."
I swung my sword while transmitting my voice.
"Right now, in your head, you're not contemplating how to defeat me, but rather how to stage the most plausible scene to engrave yourself in the memories of other Constellations."
"...!"
The Phoenix couldn't refute my words. Not that it chose not to, but it couldn't.
It wasn't for lack of a rebuttal, but for lack of time to do so.
The Phoenix couldn't keep up with the accelerated pace of time I had invoked with my aura. When it attempted to utter a single word, I had already spilled a dozen, leaving it no turn to counter.
If that was the case with its voice, imagine the speed of the sword.
"Perhaps it was you who bestowed the flame skill upon Yoo Soo-ha."
Sword Emperor had once appraised, saying that Estelle, the Devil King of Fall Rain, was a D-class Constellation.
Even if we purely consider the power they possessed, this Firebird would also be about that level. Between D+ and C- grade.
"I have no time to entertain someone who has no intention of fighting me."
A flash.
I declared with dual meanings.
"Be extinguished."
And I cut down the Constellation that could have become Yoo Soo-ha's deity.
Screams followed.
If it took years to cut down the Devil King of Fall Rain, this time, not even seconds were needed.
"The sixty-fourth floor. Duel concluded. The victor is the Death King."
[The Wand Of Ages], having observed the entire fight, declared.
The voice quietly settled in the midst of the ash swirling in the air.
"Then, let's immediately start the auction for the 65th floor."
*****
1) Taotie is based off Taotie (饕餮, Tāotiè, lit. Ravenous Gluttony), one of the Four Perils in Chinese mythology, and is known as 도철 (Docheol) in Korean, and とうてつ (トウテツ, Tōtetsu) in Japanese.