1.
[You will be immediately transported to the 70th floor as per your request.]
I was enveloped in a whirlwind without hesitation.
[You have entered the 70th stage.]
The scent of sand, heated by the sun since time immemorial, lingered at the tip of my nose.
The smell of the sun.
In my childhood, there was a lazy fragrance that wafted when I suddenly looked at my palm while playing in the modest playground. Fragrant loam. My body and mind, which had been heated up from the battle just moments ago, settled down.
There was also a message I heard after a long time.
['The Lady Who Walks the Mirage' blesses your ascent.]
Had she been watching my fight from somewhere?
Imagining the lady lounging on a sofa, tearing into a bag of potato chips while watching, made me smile.
"You look relaxed. Even your expression is different."
Another pillar stood before me.
[The Wand Of Ages] was sitting there.
"It's been quite a while since a challenger has appeared in the lobby I manage. The one who stood behind you, even the Sword Emperor, when he came up here, had a calm expression like you..."
The magician narrowed his eyebrows.
"...No. He had an even more relaxed expression. Perhaps it's those with such demeanor who succeed in ascending."
"I'm curious. What kind of face did he have?"
"He had a face that said, aren't you going to offer a drink to your guest? He actually said that too. Of course, he included some quite novel swear words when he spoke, but I won't tell you those."
I clicked my tongue and looked back at Bae Hu-ryeong. Bae Hu-ryeong showed a 'what?' look.
-I don't remember doing that. Of course, as soon as I entered here, I thought that this place was so shitty, thinking there wouldn't be anything to gain, almost to the point of feeling like a beggar, but anyway, I don't remember that.
"Of course, the Sword Emperor himself wouldn't be able to recall."
The magician spoke as if he had heard Bae Hu-ryeong's grumbling. He probably hadn't actually heard it. He just possessed the intelligence to predict things not heard by the ears as if it were natural.
"It's not just the Sword Emperor whose memory has been peeled away. All those who met us pillars for the first time in the tower lose their memory. Even the memory that there was just a stage auction happening is quickly fading."
"...."
"Yes. Death King. Except for you."
The magician leaned on his long staff.
The 70th floor was a white world without mountains, rivers, or plants. However, it was different from the [Pure White Waiting Room] where the lady had stayed. Sssrrkk… Large and small cubes moved as if they were Rubik's cubes.
Some cubes were as huge as the moon. Another cube was smaller than a fist.
Sssrk. The cubes moved incessantly, like cogs in a never-ending motion. The cubes blended with the white background, then protruded out to form sharp edges, and disappeared into whiteness again.
That. Just gathering for a moment before returning. The simple cycle that repeats for eternity was the celestial body and object of this world.
"What do you wish from me?"
"The one who wished for oblivion was the Tower Master."
The magician prodded the question that rushed from the east starting from the west.
"The Tower Master, Amethyst, wanted the tower to be entirely yours. At least, she wanted you to be under that illusion. The less visible the administrator's trail, the better."
"And yet, every time we ascend a stage, she gives us a message to bless us."
The magician smirked bitterly.
"Selfish, isn't it? Because the Duchess can't stand not letting you know that someone is there with you. Such is the nature of a god who only wants to exist when you need him."
Cubes moved slowly behind the magician.
"I cannot save the Tower Master."
"...."
"Everyone chosen as a pillar is the same. In a way, to the Tower Master, we are like the Constellation Killer is to you. We owe a debt. We depended on her for our lives. All we can do is just help the Tower Master. Everyone born in Zrakua… in the same world as the Tower Master, is bound by fate."
The magician looked at me.
"But."
"It's different for someone from the outside."
I was guessing what the magician meant.
"Like the Sword Emperor. Like me."
"Exactly."
His silver eyes sank.
"Death King. It's not that I don't erase your memory. I can't erase it. You have earned that status and authority on your own. If you wait a thousand years, ten thousand years, until a million years pass and ten million years fade, someone will come to climb to the 99th floor. Eventually. Someday, the 100th floor will be broken too. However many times it takes. But, when another being will be granted a position like yours, who knows?"
"...."
"You are a miracle. From a gap created by the lady, through a seam spun with Mutia and Hishmith Kritz, nourished by the rain Hamustra provided, you bloomed. You caught the loophole in the spider web spun by the Tower Master. And I have no intention of waiting once more for a miracle where life blooms in the universe."
I asked again.
"What do you wish from me?"
"Only what you will come to wish for."
That moment.
The magician raised his staff and touched the void. A corner of a cube that popped out from the white background was touched by the staff.
"Until now, you have fought in the [specialized] field."
The cube was dyed with color.
The cube turned yellow, its angular corners worn away. No, melted away. It was as if paint was flowing out of a balloon pricked by scales.
Unlike the balloon, however, the capacity of the cube was infinite.
"From now on, you must struggle in the [non-specialized] fields."
The yellow paint melted down, soaking the floor.
First, at the feet of the magician.
Next, over my shadow.
"The places you haven't paid much attention to until now."
And then the horizon.
My feet were dyed a bright yellow.
The yellow was gentler than gold and as soft as a wheat field.
"Being a Martial Constellation doesn't mean only warriors serve it."
Stepping on the color of wheat grains, the magician looked down.
"Even a merchant who has lived a lifetime away from martial arts might get into a fight with a robber in some dark alley. A musician pursuing love might duel with a rival. Music, medicine, magic, academics, agriculture, commerce, navigation..."
In the yellow waves, human figures were reflected. Someone was striking the ground with a pickaxe, while another was steering a ship towards an unknown sea. Tiiing! A man was plucking the strings of an instrument resembling a violin.
"These are the fields you must be willing to reach out to if you want to become a Constellation."
"Well, to put it grandly. Simply put, these are non-specialized, amateur fields for you."
The corners of the magician's mouth twitched like mimosa leaves.
It took me a moment to realize that was a smile.
"So, whether you've cleared the stage or not, we naturally have to call in an [expert] to judge, don't we?"
The magician struck the floor with his staff.
Whoooosh!
Light burst forth, and within it, a vague figure formed.
"Hmm?"
It was the shape of a person.
"Uh? Hmm? Uh-uh-uh—-."
Perhaps he was in the middle of a meal. Someone summoned by the magician appeared in the same seated posture and crashed down with a clang!, squashing his buttocks.
"Aiyo! Oh, this, this. The Black Dragon Master? Or the Heretic Questioner? It's troublesome to summon me like this without an invitation."
The impressive part was how stable the landing was. Despite being summoned abruptly and falling over from an entirely unprepared action, the person immediately rolled on the floor and stood up.
And then, our eyes met.
"Oh?"
"Eh."
Both of us knew each other all too well.
"What is it, Kim Gong-ja. Was it you who called me? I didn't know you had learned summoning magic."
The polished armor shone brilliantly.
As far as I knew, there was only one person in my life who went around wearing armor in everyday life.
"...Patricia?"
"That's right. I was worried for nothing. I thought some emergency had arisen and I was summoned in haste, so I was momentarily tense."
It was indeed the Crusader.
"For your information, Kim Gong-ja, even after knowing my real name, you are the only friend who didn't make a Patrasche joke."
"Uh, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask in this situation, but what is that?"
"What… do you…? You don't know Patrasche?"
The Crusader looked shocked.
"Are you in your right mind?"
"I don't see why I should be treated like this…"
"That's serious. It's a sign of the apocalypse. Kim Gong-ja, what exactly do you know? For what purpose were you born? And yet, can you call yourself a representative hunter of our tower? I recommend you deeply reflect on your life. After reflecting, go watch [A Dog of Flanders] and cry. The reason you have tear glands is precisely for that."
"Okay. I'm definitely sure now that this isn't the kind of conversation we should be having right now."
One thing was clear. Despite not having seen each other for a long time, the fact that we didn't ask about each other's well-being but instead questioned each other's sanity meant our relationship was 360% friendship.
Why exactly 360%? Well, because it's come full circle.
"Death King."
While Patricia and I were bewildered, [The Wand Of Ages] spoke up.
"I'll tell you the quest that needs to be solved from the 70th floor."
We both turned to look at the magician.
"Make that person your follower."
"...."
"From the 71st to the 79th floor. One person per stage. In total, you must recruit at least 9 followers. That is the first mission you must accomplish as a Constellation."
The magician moved his lips.
This time, it was a clear smile.
"A Constellation without followers does not exist."
2.
The room quietened down.
-Indeed. I've got it! I've understood everything perfectly!
In other words, it was not the humans but a ghost that was a bit noisy.
-Why I had people like the Sword Emperor's followers tagging along with me, I couldn't understand. Huh? If a religion that worshipped me as a god were to form, I would have been the first to storm in and smash it to bits. Hey, why would you assholes turn a perfectly alive person into a ghost for a memorial service?
'You are a ghost, you know.'
-No, I'm not. I wasn't.
Bae Hu-ryeong snorted.
-I thought it was strange. Just because I'm too great, I assumed followers naturally gathered to worship me. Tsk. Now it seems I also ran this quest as I cleared from the 70th to the 80th floors.
'Huh?'
-Yes, yes. That pillar or whatever said it, [erases memories]. After clearing the stages, my memories were strangely distorted. As a result, I successfully created followers and the Sword Emperor's followers came into being, but I had slickly forgotten the process itself.
It sounded plausible.
As the origin story of the Sword Emperor's followers was unintentionally revealed, [The Wand Of Ages] opened its lips.
"Normally, from the 70th to the 80th floor are extremely difficult challenges. Unless it's a special case, hunters from the same tower as the challenger are chosen as examiners, and usually, the challenger doesn't get along with those hunters. They're hell-bent on making the challenger fail."
"Heh…"
"Even the most skilled hunters usually fail here. Or they wander around for hundreds of years. But maybe, for the Death King, the story might be different."
Indeed.
The magician also explained the gimmick of the stage to the Crusader. Initially puzzled and tilting her head in confusion, the Crusader quickly grasped the situation.
"So, in short, if I worship Kim Gong-ja as a god, then clearing the 71st floor is simple," she deduced.
The magician nodded.
"That's right, my child."
"Is there any particular condition required to serve a Constellation? For example, does one need to worship sincerely, from the bottom of their heart, or offer their soul, for it to be considered as [serving]?"
"No. If the Death King struggles on the 71st floor, and you acknowledge that [it's enough], then that's the end of it."
"Good."
The Crusader turned to look at me.
"Gong-ja."
"Yes."
"Take a good look at my face."
Her expression was as serious as ever.
"My name is Patricia. The very person… who will make you a god."
"I will gratefully acknowledge it."
What is this?
"I don't expect anything from you. Go to the 71st floor and live as you wish. No, just breathing is fine too. If it's just breathing, anyone can succeed without fail. Don't worry. I will, make you, a god."
Why is it that despite her expression and tone being so earnest… Somehow, it makes me want to poke at her heart and immediately start a petty quarrel.
"Even if you engage in foolish acts… I will still accept you as a god. After all, that too is a form of god."
"Looks like we really did become true friends, huh?"
The first candidate for followership was extraordinary indeed.