I came down the stairs to the entrance hall.
"I'm about to burst."
"I feel like I'm dying."
Maybe it was because they'd eaten their fill of the braised short ribs and desserts Baila had prepared.
Hiyori and Cheon Se-yeon, both patting their stomachs, let out heavy breaths.
"You two went through a lot because of me."
"Come on, how is this because of you, Jin-hyeok? It's because of those crazy bastards. Besides, I need to work too. I'm getting paid."
Hiyori shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't really do much either, considering how big I talked. All I did was take out a few minnows. So I guess I haven't fully repaid my debt."
"What debt? You gave me plenty of information about the next section too."
"Eheh. That's not enough. Anyway, if you're planning to strengthen the Tower again, you really need to be careful. It might not just be a legend — it could be something that actually exists."
Regarding the 81st to 90th floor section, Hiyori and Seo-yoon had both said the same thing.
Starting from the 81st floor, you keep encountering traces and legends, and they all point to the resurrection of some horrifying entity.
If you carelessly strengthen the Tower and something like that pops out, you'd be screwed.
"I've got it all memorized, so don't worry."
Hiyori, who had been watching him with suspicious eyes, broke into a smile.
"Well, who am I to worry about? We might be on the same floor soon anyway."
"That's right. There aren't that many floors left between me and Jin-hyeok now."
Se-yeon let out a deep sigh.
When they first met, Jin-hyeok was still in the 20th floor section.
Se-yeon was in the 80th floor section.
And now he'd already caught up to her chin.
"I know I'll get overtaken anyway! But I'll still do my best."
"Fighting, Se-yeon."
"But is it really okay to accept something like this for free?"
Hiyori pulled out a long spear.
It was a Tower-exclusive item she'd brought from Aethelopolis.
"The performance is insane."
"Right. I happened to need an accessory, and you give me something like this. But you said this is also magitech — is it from the same person as that maid inside...?"
"That's right."
As soon as they sat down, the two had asked in unison.
About how a maid suddenly appeared, and how the energy she gave off wasn't human, yet how could she speak and do housework so well?
So I'd given them a vague explanation.
I said it was a joint creation of a doll-making class whose identity couldn't be revealed, combined with a Tower of Despair special reward.
Anyway, since I'd given them something a Management Bureau general used to own, it should help a little.
*Kuk. Kuk.*
Huh?
Out of nowhere, Hiyori was poking my shoulder and arm.
After rubbing her chin for a while, Hiyori wore a meaningful expression.
"I was wondering why your energy felt smaller than at the exchange meeting, even though your floor count is way higher. So you were suppressing it."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
She was also someone who had devoted herself to the martial path, so she knew better than anyone.
How difficult and how much concentration it took to suppress and hide one's own energy.
Yet Jin-hyeok did it as naturally as breathing.
Was this even possible?
Suddenly, she grew curious.
Just what level of suppression was it?
"Can you try releasing it?"
Jin-hyeok nodded and released his energy suppression.
*WHOOOOOOSH!!*
Hiyori, who had stepped back without realizing it, widened her eyes.
What the hell was this? This explosive eruption?
Hiyori was born with sharper senses than anyone.
And she had honed those senses through daily training, of course.
That was probably why her body was trembling.
At this overwhelming energy that changed even the air around her.
"Hah..."
Hiyori reached out her hand.
Then stopped before her fingers touched.
The sensation she felt was different.
It wasn't a single layer.
'He's even wrapped it in energy.'
A violent energy that felt like it would tear her to shreds the moment she touched it.
Energy honed solely for combat and victory.
The corner of Hiyori's mouth lifted.
Just how strong was this guy?
"Makes me wonder if coming all the way from Kyoto was worth it."
"Huh?"
Muttering to herself, Hiyori shook her head.
"No. Nothing. Haaah! I need to step it up too."
It was a gap that erased not just motivation but any sense of composure, but what could she do? She had to catch up, even if just a little at a time.
"Well then, let's go. To step it up."
"Yeah, right. See you later, Jin-hyeok."
Hiyori linked arms with Se-yeon and waved her hand.
I waved back at the two retreating figures.
But when did those two get so close?
If they're linking arms, aren't they pretty close?
I scratched my head and went back inside.
And then.
"MOMOOOOOK!"
I called for my chubby friend.
"Why are you calling me!!"
Momo came running and slammed on the brakes with a screech.
I bundled Momo up and went up to the rooftop.
Then I pulled out the fragment knife I'd gotten from the last siege battle.
I wasn't sure if our great teacher Momo would like it.
Even though it had mithril, it was only the size of a fingernail.
But contrary to my worries.
"UOOOOO!!"
Momo clenched her fist like Doraemon and snorted roughly.
"What is this! I love it!"
"I got it as a reward from the Saintra siege battle."
"Why are you giving it to me now!"
"I know, right. It just ended up that way."
I decided not to mention that I'd forgotten about it for a while.
After all, I'd been busy going to the Tower of Myth as soon as I came down and beating up the bastards who launched missiles.
"Teacher Momo. Can you do something with the Black Dragon's scales with this?"
It was great that I'd gotten a ton of those precious scales, but I couldn't handle them, so they were just sitting around.
Even Lee Hwa, who I'd given one scale to, hadn't contacted me, so it seemed she still hadn't found a way to work with them.
"Hmmmm! Right! Elia's not here, right?!"
Momo looked around quickly and opened the Infinite Storage.
Then, grunting, she pulled out a bundle of scales.
Spreading the scales out on the rooftop, Momo raised the fragment knife.
I sat quietly beside her, clasping my hands together.
Please, let it cut!
After a moment of sliding the knife back and forth a few times.
"It cut!"
Momo held up the scale, now split in two.
Yessss!
I gave Momo a rough high-five.
Long live mithril.
"But you have to slide it back and forth a few times! The blade is really small!"
"I know, right. And there are so many scales."
Maybe because I made a slightly worried face.
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
Great Teacher Momo wiggled her chubby finger left and right.
"No need to worry! Momo's hands are super fast!"
"As expected...! I believed in you!"
*Slap!*
Another high-five.
"But master! What are you going to use this for!"
Countless thoughts I'd had since getting the scales.
The first thing that came to mind was armor, the safe option.
Since there were so many scales, I thought about making armor for my friends.
But Seira, Renya, Dark, Elia, and Carmella had all shaken their heads.
-I already have my own armor, so I'm fine.
-Armor? Not needed.
-I don't die anyway.
-Ugh, it'd make me heavy, I don't want that.
-I'm in the back lines anyway, so I'm fine.
Even Yodel Ranger Kancho had expressed reluctance.
He said that when he tried on the Centipede Elder's armor last time, it clanked and interfered with stealth and covert movement.
So I changed direction.
Weapons. But designed so they could also be used for defense if needed.
"Here like this, in this way, scrape scrape."
After explaining what I wanted in detail.
"Hmm! Momo totally gets it!"
Momo jumped up and gave me a thumbs up.
I returned the thumbs up and continued.
"Momo, is there anything you want to make from the Black Dragon scales? There are plenty, so anything."
"Momo has to protect the bag!"
Momo held out the Infinite Storage owner Felts' bag.
"I'm going to wrap this around it!"
"Let's do that. The Infinite Storage owner's bag wrapped in Black Dragon scales!"
"Totally awesome!"
She seemed very satisfied.
Great Teacher Momo placed her hands on her cheeks and beamed.
"Then Momo's going to work!"
"I'll bring you snacks!"
"Okay! I'm counting on you, master!"
Momo tied a headband around her forehead and jumped into the pile of scales.
Starting to cut at a speed invisible to the eye.
There was a huge amount, but since she was quick-handed, she'd probably finish it in no time.
'I'll bring Momo snacks.'
I stretched as I stood up.
Five Tower of Despair tickets had already piled up.
I needed to go clear them quickly.
Just as I was about to go down to prepare Momo's snacks.
*Ding!*
An unexpected notification rang out.
[A resident of the Tower of Despair, &*$@, requests a conversation with Player Yoo Jin-hyeok!]
* * *
Rome, Italy. Vatican City.
Cardinal Carlo Moncini, in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, furrowed his brow.
Leaning back in his chair, he looked at the hundreds of documents piled beside him.
All collected from the 81st to 90th floor section.
'It feels like I can grasp it, but I can't quite reach it.'
He hadn't been interested in that section from the beginning.
No matter how much divine power they radiated, they were still monsters.
But as time passed and data was collected one by one, he couldn't help but pay attention.
That was because the traces left throughout the Tower strangely matched the Bible.
'Could there really be a connection between the Tower of Despair and reality?'
It was hard to see it as a coincidence.
Unless someone had taken the Bible into the Tower of Despair and copied it, it was impossible for such similarities to exist.
Among them, one part in particular caught his attention.
And the Lord saw that the god had already defiled itself, so even uttering its name was an abomination.
Therefore the Lord cast it into the deep darkness, sealed it with a seal, and said, "Until the appointed time, you shall never again see the light of the world."
And the being who heard this said, "I too am a being bearing divinity like the Lord, so as long as the Lord does not disappear, I too shall not disappear, and as long as I do not disappear, I shall appear again."
This wasn't an excerpt from the Bible.
It was a passage completed by assembling words and sentences that appeared repeatedly in that section.
He moved his hand to the Bible.
And opened a page he had marked earlier.
That god was called a god, but its glory was like rotten water, and its words sickened the souls of men.
Therefore the Lord bound it, cast it into the abyss, closed the door, and said, "This seal is not eternal, so you must always watch over it to ensure it does not awaken."
Carlo rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
Beyond this, he could find passages pointing to that evil throughout the Bible.
One who possessed divine power stronger than anyone, who could have succeeded the Lord, but was eventually corrupted and cast into the pit.
And thus, one who watched over Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles to ensure they did not awaken.
He could hardly imagine it.
If such a being actually existed, if it were reborn as a monster of the Tower, just how strong would it be?
Cardinal Carlo Moncini clasped his hands together.
And prayed.
May no one approach this pit.
May the imprisoned being never awaken.
* * *
Jin-hyeok, who had called over Seira and Carmella who were nearby, shouted cheerfully.
"Accept conversation!"
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T/N:
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