Chapter 201
Translator: penny
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Shattering the Limits
Drip, drip.
Sweat was falling like raindrops.
Kukukukuku!
The gravity tearing at space had already surpassed hundreds of times that of Earth.
If any living creature entered this place.
Pffft!
It would naturally explode and die on the spot.
Nothing could retain its form in the space any longer; everything simply vanished.
Crushed and shattered.
Boom! Boom! Kwoooaaang!
The entire space was breaking apart in real time.
"......"
The only thing maintaining its form perfectly was the silver-haired man standing at the center, drenched in sweat.
Go Yohan alone.
"Haa... ah...."
The pressure from the gravity, combined with the heat radiating from his crushed muscles, made even his breath scorching hot.
"Ha...."
It was pressure so intense that even speaking was difficult.
"...More."
Finally, Go Yohan seemed to have adapted somewhat to the gravity and forced out his voice.
"More... add... more...."
His cells were splitting apart in real time.
His organs were burning from the overwhelming heat, and his nerves were disintegrating.
But still.
"Raise it higher."
Go Yohan's voice continued without pause.
That was when it happened.
Fwaaah!
The pressure crushing the space vanished in an instant, and Go Yohan's entire body swelled up.
Popopopopopop!
Explosions erupted from all over his body, and due to the sudden pressure change, it looked like his form ballooned several times over.
Pooof!
The sight of Go Yohan, fully inflated, finally bursting was a grotesque spectacle unlike anything else.
If someone had been there, they would have covered their mouth in horror.
If they knew Go Yohan, they would have collapsed in despair.
For the exploded and burst Go Yohan appeared utterly dead.
But.
Drip.
From within the peeling husk, Go Yohan emerged in his original form.
"......"
Go Yohan, eyes closed, adapting to the changes.
In this space, he had to focus every nerve, inspect and regenerate his cells at every moment just to survive.
It was a space where survival itself was impossible from the start.
"Why'd you stop?"
At Go Yohan's voice.
Rustle.
Yu Se-hwa revealed herself from the fallen petals.
Ssslr.
At the same time, Yoon Seung-ah emerged from the shadows.
"That was the maximum gravity the Tower allows."
"Any more would be impossible."
The two who usually snarled at each other, contradicting every word, were in perfect agreement now.
"Push it further, and the Tower itself will collapse."
"Even the Captain's regeneration has its limits. This method is too dangerous."
Yu Se-hwa shot Yoon Seung-ah a glare.
"The Tower will soon be yours, anyway."
Yet her words were directed at Go Yohan.
"Enough."
Go Yohan spoke.
"Stop talking. My head's throbbing."
Even Go Yohan seemed to suffer aftereffects; hearing their voices, he clutched his pounding head.
Wobble.
As Go Yohan staggered, both Yu Se-hwa and Yoon Seung-ah reached out to support him simultaneously, but he steadied himself again.
*Truly, even lesser divinities couldn't have endured this.*
*As expected of the Captain, but no more is possible.*
The two shared the same thought, though phrased differently.
"Were there any results?"
Yu Se-hwa asked.
"We found no traces."
Yoon Seung-ah answered.
Their eyes met once more.
"Just a tiny bit."
And finally, Go Yohan's response came.
It had truly been a grueling time.
Tearing his body apart, down to the cellular level.
No—beyond that, to the atomic level, enduring just to inspect it all.
And at last, he had uncovered that result.
"Finally!"
"At last!"
The two rejoiced that this mad ordeal was over.
"As I said, just a tiny bit. I felt like I could grasp it with a little more, but it ended."
Unlike his usual self, Go Yohan spoke with a hint of irritation.
"But I found the trace, so that's enough. Now..."
In less than a few minutes of extreme adaptation to that hellish change, Go Yohan continued.
"We need a different approach."
"What's that?"
"Whatever it is, we'll help."
*
*
*
Babel's 1st floor.
It was still teeming with crowds of people.
Ever since the city was born, players preparing to climb Babel had made resting on the 1st floor a cultural norm.
[Cooldown applied to re-entering Babel.]
Once you left Babel, re-entry took time, so many stayed inside until their goals were met.
Players maintaining themselves in this safe zone of a city.
[You can now use the Goldian Auction House through the system.]
[The Guild System has been activated.]
Unmatched conveniences compared to the past.
[Guild benefits granted.]
Players were hooked on Babel, unable to tear themselves away, even beyond mere survival.
Of course, this had once led to the 1st floor reaching full capacity.
[The special stairways of Babel are expanding.]
Babel was supporting players through updates, as if it were a living game.
"Anyone hunting on 3F?"
"There's a party system—why not use it?"
"You gotta check faces to know if they won't backstab you. Phrenology's science."
"What nonsense? With the overseers around, illegal stuff doesn't happen anyway."
Players chatting away.
"If you can't kill monsters properly, it's illegal. Sure, you respawn if you die in Babel, but re-entry takes time. No point wasting attempts."
"Fair enough."
Meanwhile.
[The Player System has been activated.]
Someone who had appeared in the city was staring at the floating system messages.
In Babel, the sight of someone marveling at them was nothing special anymore.
"Newbie, huh."
"Just one or two. Ignore 'em."
"Latecomers. Gotta help newbies."
[The Level system has been activated.]
[Level 1]
[Ability stats have been unlocked.]
[Basic skills granted.]
System messages kept appearing and unfolding endlessly.
[The Guild System has been activated.]
[The Auction System has been activated.]
[The Tutorial Guide has been activated.]
Arrows floating before his eyes, text appearing beside them.
[Participate in the Tutorial Guide.]
[Reward: Babel Entry Pass x1]
And then.
"Not bad, huh?"
The man muttered to himself without realizing it.
It was vastly different from before.
Intuitive systems prioritizing player convenience.
Systems clearly presenting objectives.
"I like it."
He could say he quite liked it.
That was when it happened.
Ding.
Another system message rang out.
He thought it was over, but apparently not.
[P.S. Your hair color was too eye-catching, so it's been set to unrecognizable.]
His face twisted.
No wonder no one around had noticed him.
It was good that it prevented annoying recognition issues.
"A Goddess Knight must always proudly reveal himself at any time. Hiding oneself means you can't face the Goddess with a clear conscience, doesn't it?"
It went against his beliefs.
"Right now..."
As he was about to demand restoration to normal.
"It's Go Yohan—!"
A shout came from somewhere.
"The Lord of Babel Tower!"
"It's the real deal!"
"Where! Where!"
The once-quiet 1st floor erupted into massive chaos.
*
*
*
[How is it?]
The system message hadn't vanished yet.
As if deliberately grating on his nerves.
[No change of heart even now?]
It kept addressing him.
Thanks to the earlier commotion, the area around the man had become quite deserted.
The uproar followed even as he left the city.
"Go Yohan's on 1F!"
"For real?"
"Admin descending in person? Insane!"
"Back to town!"
Players outside the city, hearing the news, rushed past him toward the city.
[Of course, something like this wouldn't sway you. Who do you think you are?]
The message.
"You're right. Commotions like this are just part of the trials a Goddess Knight must endure."
The man—his true identity was Go Yohan.
"If you get it, hurry and restore it. And what's with those people?"
[Probably mistook you. Silver-haired guys are trendy these days. They say they're imitating you.]
"Even though this happens often, it's still like this?"
[Don't you remember Travania?]
At the system message, followed by Yu Se-hwa's words.
"......"
Go Yohan fell silent.
It was as if the system message smirked.
[Familiar, isn't it?]
There too, the moment Go Yohan—or rather, Michael—showed himself, the whole city went into an uproar.
The lord led knights out, and the king tried to greet Michael not in court but in the market streets.
Of course, imposters existed then too, but their fates were gruesome.
*'Impersonating a Goddess Knight? Are they sane?'*
Just those words drove some to take their own lives.
[So, shall we handle it like back then?]
"Not trying to stir up confusion?"
As Go Yohan spoke.
"Aw, man."
The people who had gone to the city were returning.
"Another fake? Who's claiming to be Go Yohan now?"
"Who knows. Can't be helped. They say just seeing Go Yohan's face improves your skin."
"Heals cancer."
"Levels you up?"
"......"
Grumbling voices, but smiles spread across their faces.
[Strange, right? They treat it like some event.]
Yu Se-hwa said.
[A clear difference from Travania...]
The message faded.
—The change you've created here.
It came as a voice.
It was as if Yu Se-hwa were saying:
*'There, you were a butcher, but also a bystander.'*
*'But here, it's different.'*
*'This is your power, what you can do.'*
And the message reappeared.
[Anyway, can't restore the hair color.]
"Why?"
[Your silver hair isn't just any silver hair.]
Go Yohan of the Pantheon, seeking the Goddess's traces.
By shredding his body to pieces, he had barely succeeded in finding a faint trace.
But to fully seize that trace.
[As you said, I've sealed all your power. Right now, you are...]
Yu Se-hwa's smile seemed to reappear.
[A Level 1 player.]