Thus, the sky and the earth faced each other, but they wished there was something not just across from them, but also beside them.
And so, the sky forged a sword, and the earth forged a sword. Since there was an opponent this time, they did not need to cut themselves.
The sky struck down with its sword towards the earth, and the earth countered by raising its sword against the sky.
Hundreds of sword strikes rose and fell.
From the rifts in the torn sky, wind poured down incessantly, and water burst forth from the crevices of the battered earth.
The shattered skies were sealed into various moments like spring, summer, autumn, winter, polar night, midnight sun, new moon, and full moon. The split earths were divided into dozens of continents and hundreds of thousands of islands, each preserved with its own unique ecosystem.
In celebration of climate and sea, seasons and the birth of life, people named the moment of the second sword strike [Sword Moon].
2.
Planetarium.
In a brunch cafe serving as an intermediate base in the Lion World, an unexpected commotion was unfolding.
"Hehehe, miss. Let's climb the Tower together~"
A Mohican-haired delinquent roughly grabbed a frail-looking woman's wrist as he spoke. A small piercing glinted on the Mohican man's tongue that flicked incessantly.
"P-Please stop…"
The bespectacled woman cringed in fear, but the Mohican delinquent was relentless.
"Don't be like that, let's climb the Tower~ Don't be satisfied with the floors you've climbed so far, and aim for the 100th floor with tireless ambition~ Mwahaha~"
"Euk… S-Someone, please help…"
Like a subordinate facing a boss who unilaterally decides an absurd quota, the woman sobbed for help.
However, cruelly, there seemed to be no one in this Tower willing to help her.
Was it that this injustice had touched the reverse scale of a girl who was about to quietly eat her meal?
"Ha… really. They won't even let me eat in peace."
A girl who had a trowel strapped to her waist was enjoying her meal but seemed about to stand up.
What was there to hide, this girl was none other than the [Grand Chamberlain of the Death King Family]. Her power was enough to cover the sky and crush the earth. Once the girl intervened, it was a foregone conclusion that the ruffian was no match even for a moment.
But conclusively, the girl did not intervene.
"Stop right there, Grand Chamberlain of the Death King Family."
"Hmm?"
Voices calling out to stop the girl.
Because clear justice did exist in the world.
"You guys…"
"We will intervene."
The ones who stopped the girl were some men.
They were wearing white doboks. The character "天" (Heaven) was written in large letters on the back.
"Beautiful hands of the Grand Chamberlain of the Death King Family shouldn't exist to clean up such petty trash, right?"
At the words of the man in the lead, the girl sat back down.
She then flicked an eyebrow and said.
"Ah… I'll leave it to you. Because right now, I have to eat this [Seafood Cream Pasta] right now."
The men in white doboks smiled broadly and crossed their arms simultaneously.
"Ah… understood."
"Preventing such petty villains from running amok."
"That's what we are here for, after all."
The men in white doboks stood up and slowly walked away.
Among them, only one had his hood pressed down deeply, silent, but all of them walked toward the Mohican delinquent.
Thud, thud.
Their attire was simple white, but their steps had a weight that reminded one of elephants, said to have lived on the Serengeti plains when it was still a grassland.
"Hey, hey… stop now?"
"Huh? Who are you bastards?"
The Mohican delinquent bared his teeth and spoke.
The man at the forefront lifted his head with an attitude of, oh well, it can't be helped. Seeing the man at the forefront, who had been obscured by shadows, the Mohican delinquent sneered.
"What's this, what's this? You stepped forward so boldly, but aren't you just a pretty-faced little kid?"
Indeed.
The man in the dobok at the front, upon closer inspection, appeared more fitting to be called a boy.
A Mohican delinquent and a delicate-looking beautiful boy. At first glance, it was a combination that seemed exceedingly dangerous.
However, the boy, with a smile that could steal girls' hearts in a second, said this:
"My name is Gahae-il."
"What?"
"In the past, as the successor of the Baekdo Jincheon Swordsmanship Clan, I had the [Martial Name] of [Sun Piercing Sword], but now, after going through various circumstances, my current [Alias] after registering with the Chen Mu-mun Guild is [Haruto]."
Introducing himself as Haruto, the boy snapped his fingers.
"Let's keep the rest of the introductions simple. —Hunter card, open."
With a pop, a card-shaped aura of light flickered in mid-air.
"Huh? A hunter card? No matter what grade a kid like you has, it'll still be... Aaaaack! This, this rank is...!?"
The Mohican hunter, who was scoffing while looking at the card, screamed and collapsed.
That, too, was inevitable. This, too, was bound to happen.
What was there to hide? Could it be hidden even if one tried?
The hunter ranks of the men in doboks were an average [B-rank].
And as for Haruto, who had revealed his hunter card, he was—
"A-An A-rank Hunter!!"
For reference, the term [Hunter] refers to those who climb the Tower, and they were among the [strongest] of hunters. To say they were highly regarded even within one of the [Five Great Guilds], the Chen Mu-mun, gives an idea of their formidable strength.
"I didn't recognize you!"
Like a frog facing a snake, the Mohican hunter flopped down on his knees and bowed his head.
As Haruto looked down on this pitiful sight suitable for a petty villain, with a face filled with sorrow—.
"It's quite sickening to watch, could you please stop this scene?"
"Why stop, junior… It was just getting to the good part…"
Haruto scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
The man in the dobok, who had been silent with his hood pressed down, suddenly burst out in irritation and threw off his clothes.
"Enough! You're really getting on my nerves. You guys… Haruto or whatever, ah, you're all just a pain in the ass!"
The one who had thrown off his dobok was a handsome man with dark chestnut hair.
Haruto was flustered.
"No, Yoo Soo-ha, calling us a pain in the ass, isn't that going a bit too far…?"
"Too far? What's too far!? What's too far is your very existence!"
"What did we even do…?"
"Do what!?"
"N-no…"
Haruto could only repeat "No" or "That's not it." He looked like someone from the outdoor hobby group being criticized by the indoor group, who enjoy games and comics.
Perhaps because such scenes were all too familiar, none of the customers or staff at the Planetarium bothered to stir the pot. The Grand Chamberlain of the Death King Family and the other two retainers who had finished their meals beside her had already returned to their sanctuaries, absent from their spots.
Maybe that's why Yoo Soo-ha vented his frustration, pointing at others.
"You guys too! Why are you just sitting there and watching!?"
Yoo Soo-ha pointed to an old man and a boy who, with hands clasped under their chins like tulips, were happily watching the commotion.
The boy spoke first.
"Did you know? At first, surströmming seems like, why would such food even exist in the world, but as you eat, you come to understand the subtle taste of its logic."
The old man continued.
"Heh. Who's stopping them for whose sake? At this age, I need to have at least this kind of pastime to watch over."
"You're too much…! That's why you're called a water flea, old man…!"
The bespectacled woman who was being harassed by the Mohican delinquent lashed out at the old man.
The old man snapped back in irritation.
"What are you doing! You, who currently occupy the position of Master of the Alchemy Castle, are pretending to be oppressed by such a riff-raff!?"
The Mohican delinquent seemed even more surprised by this.
The woman, referred to as the Master of the Alchemy Castle, pointed at the Mohican delinquent and expressed her injustice.
"He, he's intimidating…! Look at this person…! He's scary…!"
"My goodness, you are scarier!! Do you know how often your disciple comes to me, pleading how terrified they are of you? 'The professor is so frightening, when I go back, the professor will torment me again, Professor Sean, please just tutor me a bit more…'"
"Really…?"
The Master of the Alchemy Castle pressed her glasses firmly with a dry hand.
This brunch cafe, the Planetarium, was carved out from the Great Library of All Things. The Great Library of All Things was a place that gathered various world segments under the name [Apocalypse], and thus, the Planetarium was inhaling the air from numerous worlds just beyond a thin sheet of paper.
Perhaps that was why, although the atmosphere of a space is usually determined by the actions of the people located there, the Planetarium was particularly extreme in this regard.
When the Mohican delinquent caused a ruckus, it resembled a cheap bar, and when the Chen Mu-mun disciples intervened, it had an indescribable eerie feeling, and when Yoo Soo-ha shouted, the cafe became as hot as fire, but with the Master of the Alchemy Castle's simple action, it seemed to turn into a winter night.
"Ahaaaaa… Is that so… yes… How should I scold this ungrateful wretch… I guess I need to go back now…"
Feeling a strong sense of duty, the Master of the Alchemy Castle stepped outside the Planetarium.
The boy looked quietly at the old man.
"What?"
"Don't you feel sorry for Miss Alchemist's disciple?"
"Who put that guy on his path? This is exactly what he brought upon himself."
"You know? I'm starting to like your character…"
The old man snorted. While he did, the Mohican hunter quietly crawled away.
Yoo Soo-ha, witnessing all this, pressed his forehead.
"These crazy fools…"
Chen Mu-mun disciples cowered, watching Yoo Soo-ha's mood.
Yoo Soo-ha hit his chest, almost despairing anew that these were his seniors.
"Ah, really. Gong-ja. This damn Gong-ja! Do you see? Do you understand? This is the world you've created!"
"It doesn't seem like such a bad world…"
"Senior, please keep your mouth shut until we depart… Countdown starts now, 3~ 2~ 1~"
"No…"
Haruto closed his mouth. Seeing this, Yoo Soo-ha took a deep breath and then exhaled.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this when he suddenly started doing the Cossack dance… I should have made him dance more. I should have placed him in a void where no one can see and made him dance forever…"
[The God Who Dances in Emptiness expresses serious concern and mild regret.]
Such a declaration from the tower did not reach Yoo Soo-ha.
Yoo Soo-ha pressed his hood down again and walked over to the old man.
"Hey, old man… pack some food for me."
"With what?"
"Ah, the usual stuff… you know, the one the big old guy likes. What's it, risotto?"
"This kid really has no manners… He's the spitting image of me when I was young. Sheesh."
Despite his words, the old man took the order with familiar movements and lit the stove in the kitchen. He then started cooking, pulling out bottles of water that Evian would want as mentors.
Watching this, Yoo Soo-ha urged his seniors.
"What are you all doing! Seniors, get ready to go up soon. Lunchtime is almost over, you know?"
"We haven't even finished our meal yet…"
"Then take it and eat on the go! Seriously, what disappointing seniors."
"No…"
Amid their fumbling, these were also the senior disciples from Martial Alliance. They skillfully held bowls and chopsticks to continue their meal.
Yoo Soo-ha turned back to the old man.
"And then there's that… the big old guy, you know. He said to take some time off and come hang out sometime. Bring that Sword Saint guy too."
"Why again?"
"Oh why, you ask. Maybe the old man misses another old man. Go play some Go with him."
"That Bu Wol-sun guy…"
Muttering, the old man finished cooking with a face that didn't seem entirely displeased.
Taking the packaged food, Yoo Soo-ha said to his seniors.
"Let's go."
The disciples of Chen Mu-mun chuckled while packing up their bowls and chopsticks.
"Right, junior."
"Let's return to our [Castle]."
"To the pinnacle of Baekdo, [Murim Alliance]—"
Yoo Soo-ha sighed.
"Oh Gong-ja, please, realize the enormity of your sin…"
[ Key formation complete. ]
[ All the Apostles you recruited have offered their sincere prayers to you. ]
And then, once again, a declaration from the Tower resonated somewhere.
[ Floor 92 has been cleared! ]
This announcement, too, went unheard by Yoo Soo-ha.
He simply cursed and grumbled as he led his senior disciples out of the Planetarium.
And following them slowly was someone who had heard the declaration of the Tower.
[ Entering Floor 93. ]