"Yes...?"
Charlie opened his eyes wide as if dumbfounded.
"St, stealing towers! What are you saying! No one has ever done such a thing!"
He screamed loudly, asking why he was saying such strange things.
"They haven't done it?"
Raon tilted his head while looking at Charlie.
"Why? Wasn't it natural to fight over towers?"
In this land filled only with ugly desires, it was rather more bewildering to hear that they didn't target others' towers.
"Th, that's..."
It was when Charlie gulped down his saliva to give his answer.
"The reason is simple."
Priest Srude approached and raised his index finger. Even that pointing gesture looked exactly like Derus.
"Because they don't want to lose what they have."
He shrugged his shoulders as if saying he should know this well too.
"Don't want to lose?"
Raon let out a hollow laugh.
"You're saying these demons who came all the way here to fulfill their ugly desires won't fight life-or-death duels because they don't want to lose what they have?"
Since it didn't make sense by his common sense, he deeply frowned while looking at Priest Srude.
"As you said, at first they fought life-or-death duels betting each other's towers."
Priest Srude nodded gently as if Raon's words were correct.
"The Tower Masters put deep and intense desires into their respective towers, so winners truly gained a lot. Conversely, losers lost everything and instantly fell from rulers to the lowest class. After seeing such tragic and futile endings, tower-betting life-or-death duels gradually decreased, and now no one attempts them."
He twisted his lips and sneered as if there were too many cowards.
"Then do those with towers not fight life-or-death duels at all?"
Raon slightly lowered his eyebrows, demanding an answer.
"No. That's not it."
Charlie calmly shook his head.
"They fight life-or-death duels every day, but they just don't bet their towers, which are everything to them."
He curled up his lips, saying they left their towers alone and bet only small amounts of desire to raise their towers little by little.
-Hah...
Wrath wrinkled his nose bridge as if dumbfounded.
-They've given up fighting and are just sucking blood like mosquitoes!
He snorted, saying it was certain they were called here because they were such humans.
"I, I understand."
Charlie took a short breath.
"Tower Masters who built towers are nobles of this heaven. If they win, they become higher nobles, but if they lose? They become beings worse than beggars, let alone commoners, so they thought it was better not to do it!"
He pressed his lips down, saying that even if he were a Tower Master, he probably wouldn't bet his entire tower in a life-or-death duel.
"Especially since those people achieved nothing outside but became nobles in heaven, they would want to protect that status and power they barely obtained even more. It's natural."
"That's why you're all in such a pathetic state."
Raon clicked his tongue while looking at Charlie.
"This place has a structure where you can keep challenging as long as you don't give up, but you immediately let go when it gets a little painful and difficult, so there's no progress."
Derus Robert designed this heaven's structure to extract human desires to the end like wringing out a dry rag. The reason murder was forbidden and the reason desire-based life-or-death duels were created was to suck up human desires without leaving a single grain.
But people didn't understand that structure and were living as losers even inside here, just like when they were outside. That appearance seemed steeped in failure, making him feel both pitiful and frustrated.
"Hmm..."
Charlie hung his head as if he had nothing to say and let out a sigh about himself.
"Y, you're right. I wasn't like that when I first came here either..."
He also grabbed his own hair, saying that at some point he gave up challenges and only chose easy paths.
"Ahahahahaha!"
Priest Srude clapped his hands and burst into laughter.
"You really are different! Amazing!"
He nodded, saying he didn't expect someone who hadn't been here long to say such things.
"No, it might be because he's a newcomer. He hasn't been tainted by bad influences."
Priest Srude didn't hide his delighted laughter, as if he really thought well of Raon.
"Stop talking nonsense. It's impossible to do anyway."
Raon frowned while looking at Priest Srude.
"I'll ask you one thing, believer."
Priest Srude raised his index finger again and looked at Raon with deep eyes.
"Do you really intend to bet your tower and fight a life-or-death duel even if you lose everything?"
He flashed his eyes blue as if asking seriously.
"Of course."
Raon nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"Even if I lose and lose everything, I'll start again from the bottom."
He clenched his fist, saying he would immediately get up and take on new challenges even if all his desires were taken away.
"Really interesting."
Priest Srude trembled his shoulders while bowing his head.
"Good."
"What's good about it."
Raon frowned while looking at Priest Srude who straightened up and smiled. Just looking at that guy reminded him of Derus Robert, so he used this situation to openly show his irritation.
"I'll notarize it for you."
Priest Srude raised his hand and tapped his own chest.
"From now on, I plan to let people who fight life-or-death duels with you betting towers gain double the desire. Of course, you'll receive double as well."
He nodded, saying the risk would remain the same, but he would double the benefits obtainable from life-or-death duels.
"D, double?"
Charlie widened his eyes as if he had never thought of such a thing.
"That should work."
Raon nodded heavily while looking at Priest Srude.
-Double...
Wrath muttered "double" and narrowed his eyes.
-Is he testing you?
'That's not it.'
Raon firmly shook his chin.
'He suspected me at first, but I perfectly deceived him when offering my desires. That guy really likes me.'
-Why?
'Because I can resolve this heaven's frustrating situation.'
He twisted up his lips while looking at the towers.
-Frustrating situation?
'Yes. Those who gather desires need to bet everything they have and keep clashing to get more desires. But the guys who finally became strong are just sitting still thinking only of their own safety, so everyone must be frustrated.'
Derus probably set up this game thinking people would fight for greater power once they had power, but contrary to his expectations, the humans here were too steeped in defeat. Since even those who finally succeeded only cared about self-preservation, even if he didn't say it, irritation must have been burning inside.
Since he was offering to solve that for him, it was natural to welcome him like a Benefactor and give additional rewards.
"However, this condition will only apply when betting towers in life-or-death duels, not desires. If you win, double the opponent's built tower will be added to your tower."
Priest Srude smiled brightly, saying it would be very interesting.
"That's enough."
Raon lowered his hand, meaning he didn't wish for more than that.
"Then when will you start?"
Priest Srude politely clasped his hands, saying he would prepare to announce the details accordingly.
"What a stupid question."
Raon shot an irritated look at Priest Srude who was smiling warmly just like Derus Robert.
"Right now."
***
The temple after night fell following Raon's departure.
"You brought something very interesting."
Priest Srude turned around with a cool gaze revealed.
"Yes. It was interesting material, so I didn't want to leave it in the Land of Clouds."
Vayph bowed his waist and lowered his head to Priest Srude.
"But did you examine him?"
He narrowed his eyes as if that was what he was most curious about.
"Since you said what you did, I thoroughly examined him. He's a worm who thinks he lived desperately."
Priest Srude stroked his chin while recalling only Zilfen's shell that Raon had deliberately exposed.
"As expected."
Vayph exhaled a short sigh as if relieved.
"What, did Karipen provoke you or something?"
Priest Srude let out a cold laugh as if he knew where Vayph's worry came from.
"No. I just wanted to confirm."
Vayph shook his head vigorously, saying he wanted to be careful for this heaven's sake.
"That guy called Zilfen is like a frog that only aims upward. He just jumps and jumps again."
Priest Srude lowered his hand, saying there was no need to think deeply about Raon.
"However, thanks to that frog, it seems great changes will come to this heaven."
He let out a deep laugh, saying the quality and quantity of desires produced in heaven would likely double.
"That's right. If the rewards from life-or-death duels betting towers become double, anyone will challenge him!" (E/N: Why didn't you do this from the start, then?)
Vayph licked his lips, saying that no matter how much those worms focused on self-preservation, they would find that reward hard to resist.
"That person will be pleased too. Not just desires..."
Priest Srude showed hazy eyes as if receiving a god when he said "that person."
"Because new Shadows will also increase." (E/N: I thought author gave up on shadows and hoped everyone forgot about their existence)
***
"How annoying!"
Raon frowned while lying between the bushes.
"Telling me to wait a day, the work processing is damn slow for heaven!"
Priest Srude had asked to wait just one day before starting the tower-betting life-or-death duels. In fact, the work processing wasn't slow, but he took this opportunity to freely curse Srude, who was Derus's clone, while wrinkling his nose bridge.
"Um, there..."
Charlie swallowed dry saliva and approached Raon's side.
"Are you really going to do it? If you lose, you'll lose everything?"
He furrowed his eyebrows, saying that if defeated, all possessed desires would be taken away instantly, making him the lowest class.
"If I don't do it, when will I build that tower? Even if I steal desires from weaklings, I'll never reach that sky even after several years."
Raon raised his finger and pointed to heaven's blackened sky.
'Probably that place can never be reached by ordinary methods.'
It looked close, but could never be reached with desire-based life-or-death duels alone. Fighting tower-betting life-or-death duels to create clearly visible results would be the only way to summon an Archangel.
"R, really, Lord Zilfen, your guts seem to have swollen so much they burst."
Charlie shook his head repeatedly, saying that if it were him, he would never step forward for life-or-death duels and would enjoy his current life as a Tower Master.
"Such a life has no meaning."
Raon clicked his tongue heavily.
"It would be worse than a house cat that ate feed and grew up in the Land of Clouds."
He sneered, saying he'd rather die than live such an ugly life.
"Th, that's..."
Charlie was about to speak but closed his mouth again.
"You're right. It is an ugly life."
He bit his lips as if realizing that what he had hoped for was ultimately just a sand castle.
'That guy too...'
Raon smiled faintly while looking at Charlie who was reflecting on himself.
'He's useful.'
Seeing him continue to gain mental enlightenment in the midst of this, although he was a bit cowardly, Charlie also seemed to be a fairly useful talent.
"But why are you sleeping here, Lord Zilfen?"
Charlie tilted his head while looking at Raon.
"You got new desires too, so you could sleep at your lodging."
He blinked, asking if there weren't desires gained through life-or-death duels when coming out of the temple.
"It's precious."
Raon immediately opened his mouth.
"With the current desires, I can build one more layer of the tower."
He licked his lips, saying he was saving it to build the tower higher.
"Ah..."
Charlie gaped as if finding it incredible.
"W, wait a moment. But why do you spend so much money on food?"
He blinked as if he didn't understand.
"Because I need to fill my stomach to fight."
Raon frowned, asking why he was asking something obvious.
'Actually, I want to save on food too...'
-Food is absolutely not allowed!
With that demon king so crazy about food picking fights, he couldn't save on food too.
'I might be suspected too.'
Since he had always eaten voraciously when in the Land of Clouds, sudden changes to his diet might raise suspicions. He had no choice but to continue eating large amounts of food.
-Hmph!
Wrath snorted and shook his head.
-Someday you'll be grateful to this king. If you also fall for this taste...
'Wait.'
Raon raised his hand to cover Wrath's mouth.
'Finally came.'
-Hm? What came?
Wrath tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
'The reply to the contact I sent when coming here.'
Raon curled up his lips while looking at the gently swaying bushes.
'It's Evelyn.'