A Midnight Visitor
That night.
Lee Taepyeong's bedroom.
A pale blue moonlight shone down on Lee Taepyeong.
Zzz...
Taepyeong was fast asleep, looking completely at peace.
Scratch, scratch.
Oblivious to the world, he was just scratching his belly.
...
The moonlight bathed him for a long moment, and then...
Shimmer...
It began to scatter in a bizarre, shimmering pattern.
Snore...
Not that he cared.
He had eaten his fill of warm, hearty food.
Unlike the hard stone beds the elves used,
he was lying on a bed that was incredibly soft and warm.
Scratch, scratch.
Taepyeong continued to scratch his belly.
Rustle.
The moment Taepyeong rolled over.
Flash!
The shimmering moonlight began to take shape.
Appearing in a translucent, ghost-like form right in front of Taepyeong was none other than the Emperor.
No,
it wasn't the Emperor.
Though he looked identical to the Emperor,
a closer look revealed a large scar running across his face, unlike the current ruler.
...
The entity looked around the room for a long moment as if searching for something.
...?
Then, his eyes locked onto Taepyeong.
"A human...?"
His voice was filled with doubt.
"Mmh..."
At the sound, Taepyeong opened his eyes.
And the moment their eyes met.
"You are..."
"Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me!"
A stream of colorful curses burst from Taepyeong's mouth.
"Okay, okay! I get it!"
"Are you certain you understand?"
What kind of madness was this in the middle of the night?
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I looked up at Alteon with a half-asleep face.
"Yeah. So you're saying you're Alteon."
"Indeed."
The one standing before my eyes was none other than the progenitor of the elves,
the first emperor of the Empire,
Alteon.
Ugh.
Seriously.
Who in their right mind would expect the ghost of the first elven emperor to pop up while they were sleeping?
"You..."
Alteon spoke, seemingly lost in thought.
"You are a human."
What kind of obvious nonsense was that?
"Of course I'm human. What, did you think I was an orc?"
My brain felt numb.
The Emperor hadn't mentioned anything like this.
Like, 'Hey, an elven ghost might show up.'
"To think my memories would be inherited by a human."
"..."
"Has the Elf Empire fallen?"
"No."
"Did you steal the Holy Grail?"
"No."
"Then how did you inherit my memories?"
"It's a long story."
"I am listening."
I gave the Emperor-lookalike elf a brief rundown of what had happened.
From how things got messed up and a human like me ended up in the promotion match,
to how I slaughtered all the elves to pass the match.
How I inherited Alteon's blood,
and finally, how I became the Emperor's adopted son.
"I see..."
Surprisingly, he took it quite calmly.
Or maybe he just didn't fully grasp it yet.
"A human..."
"..."
"From what I recall, they were a very lowly species."
"Is that so..."
"Even more primitive than the orcs."
"Sure, sure."
"Had I known they were such a dangerous race, I would have nipped them in the bud back then..."
"Oh, look at you."
"But I suppose this, too, is my own shortcoming."
"Yeah. It's definitely your fault."
"If you were able to inherit my memories..."
"What? What is it now?"
"Indeed, you must be far more powerful than any elf in the Empire."
Wow.
This old man's ability to pivot is insane.
"I have waited a long time to be succeeded."
"..."
"Yet, my memories were passed down to a human, not one of my own kind."
"Seriously, how many times are you going to repeat the exact same thing?"
"It is truly hard to believe..."
Whether I gave him attitude or not, the elven grandpa just kept muttering to himself.
"But it matters not."
Wait, you talked like it mattered a whole lot, and now suddenly it doesn't?
Is this old man senile...?
They said Alteon passed away thousands of years ago.
If he'd been rotting inside the blood of memories or the Holy Grail or whatever for thousands of years...
Maybe it's only natural that he's gone senile.
"This, too, is fate."
"...All of a sudden?"
Bringing up fate now?
"I shall pass down everything I have to yo—"
It was then.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, a black light erupted from the center of Alteon's body.
Slash!
The black light tore through Alteon's pale blue form.
Riiip!
The black light swallowed his tattered, torn figure.
And at the same time,
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
an unknown voice echoed in my head.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My heart began to beat in sync with the voice.
Let's kill.
If I kill that thing, I'll feel so much better...
Flash!
The unfinished sword gifted to me by the Emperor.
The moment I reached for it, the black light exploded in reverse.
And,
Alteon calmly revealed himself from amidst the dissipated black light.
"You possess a dangerous power."
"..."
A dangerous power.
"A power capable of destroying the world."
Was he talking about the Heavenly Slaughter Star?
"I, too, was almost..."
I pulled back the hand I had stretched toward the unfinished sword.
"...Yes, now I see why fate has guided me here."
"What do you mean?"
"You are destined to become stronger than anyone else."
"..."
"However, that strength will one day consume even you."
"So?"
"I shall teach you how to control this power."
Teach me?
I looked at Alteon with suspicious eyes.
"Why?"
"I did not expect such a question..."
"You must have something to gain, which is why you're offering to teach me."
"Something to gain..."
Alteon fell into thought for a moment.
"Hmm."
"Humm."
"Hummmm."
Ah, seriously.
This old man is making a big deal out of it.
"Amusement."
"Amusement?"
"I, too, was one who met his end while coveting power."
"..."
"If I could witness a different ending..."
Alteon gazed into space with a dreamy look in his eyes.
He let out a faint smile, then locked eyes with me once more.
"I believe that would be this old man's final pleasure."
He slowly raised his hand, and then...
Sliiiip.
Alteon suddenly thrust his hand into my stomach.
Whoa, that startled me.
Fortunately, my belly wasn't torn open or anything.
His ghostly hand had simply passed through me.
"It is clean and strong enough to rival any elf's."
"Huh?"
"No... it is far superior to an elf's."
"What is?"
"Your Clean Core."
Clean Core?
Did he mean my dantian?
"It is naturally gifted, and well-maintained to boot."
"I-I guess so?"
"Furthermore, it seems you have trained it diligently."
Well, it wasn't so much that I trained it.
It was thanks to the Deep Sleep Socks.
Sliip.
Alteon's hand, which had been examining my dantian, pulled back out.
"Ah, seriously, that's so creepy. Next time, give me a heads-up..."
"Creepy? You have already slaughtered hundreds of my kin."
"That's different."
"How strange..."
Alteon tilted his head, seemingly unable to comprehend.
"From now on, I shall train your Clean Core for you."
"Huh?"
"While your consciousness is asleep, I shall take charge of your Clean Core."
Wait.
This meant...
he was going to auto-train me while I slept?
My dantian?
For free?
Jackpot...
Honestly, I had been feeling like my physical body was lagging behind my instincts and skills.
Although it had improved a lot since I activated my dantian thanks to the Deep Sleep Socks,
fundamentally, my stamina and physical strength still felt lacking.
But he was going to train it for me automatically?
There was no reason to refuse.
"Then it's a deal. Thanks."
"Tha...?"
"I'm saying thank you, Grandfather."
"Grand...?"
"It's a term of respect. For an esteemed elder."
"A fine term. You may call me Grandfather from now on."
"Sure, Grandfather."
I bowed my head.
And when I looked up again,
Fade...
Alteon's form had become noticeably fainter.
Sensing it himself, Alteon looked down at his body and nodded.
"It seems it is time for me to return."
Makes sense.
Looking out the window, the sky was turning a pale blue.
Dawn had already arrived.
"Well then, I'll be in your hands starting tomorrow."
"Yes, leave it to your Grandfather."
Grand...
As Alteon turned around,
Dissolve...
his pale blue form, which looked as if it were made of moonlight, vanished.
Chirp, chirp.
Soon after, the sun began to rise.
"Yaaawn..."
Ah, I'm exhausted.
Seriously, if he was going to show up, he should have done it earlier.
Popping up in the middle of the night like that.
Do you know how bad sleep deprivation is for your health?
"I'm sleeping in today..."
To block out even a single speck of light,
I tightly drew the blackout curtains and dove back into bed.
Zzz...
Getting a good night's sleep is never easy.
When I finally opened my eyes,
it was already past three in the afternoon.
"..."
Ugh.
Look at how bloated my face is.
Rumble...
I was starving, too.
Even though I had eaten a massive amount yesterday.
Step.
When I walked out,
neither Woo Jumin nor Do Sangjin was around.
Jumin was probably at school,
and Sangjin must have gone to the grocery store.
I'm so hungry.
...I guess I'll have to hit the buffet today.
After a quick wash and change of clothes,
I headed to the buffet.
You have to start the day with eggs.
I piled scrambled eggs onto my plate.
"I'll start with five plates of steak, please."
I placed my order at the live cooking station.
I had to grab some vegetables too.
I returned to my table carrying four plates at once.
"Mmh, not bad."
Of course, it couldn't compare to Do Sangjin's cooking.
Strange.
The chefs working here were surely top-tier professionals.
Why did Do Sangjin's food taste so much better?
Was this the power of a personal touch?
Chew, chew.
I sliced into the thick steaks the staff brought to my table.
One with salt, one with mustard, one with brown sauce.
I enjoyed them with various seasonings.
I also ate the roasted potatoes and mushrooms.
I had been incredibly hungry even when using the Deep Sleep Socks.
How much hungrier would I get once I started training my dantian?
I needed to eat as much as possible beforehand.
And for the time being, I should take it easy on climbing the tower.
Since I didn't know how the dantian training would affect me.
I could run various tests by renting a training room from the Association.
I also needed to organize the new information I had gained from inheriting Alteon's memories.
Since we would be tackling the 50th floor soon.
I would compare the strategies for the monsters on the 50th floor
with Alteon's memories.
That way, not just me, but my team members could prepare as well.
The rewards would increase starting from the 50th floor.
Party play was definitely the way to go over solo runs.
Sure, going solo was fine.
But,
the more chests we opened, the better.
Rather than going alone and opening one Platinum chest,
it was better to get my Platinum plus three Gold chests from my teammates.
This would boost our item acquisition rate, so it was a no-brainer.
And...
Since the guild is slowly finding its footing...
I could get the postponed collaborations out of the way while I was resting.
Everything was falling into place perfectly.
Chew, chew.
I chewed and swallowed the steak while organizing my plans in my head.
Mmh.
Should I get two more plates?
Maybe grab some lobster too.
Rustle.
Just as I was about to stand up,
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong?"
a government official who looked somewhat flustered approached me.
What was going on for them to seek me out in the dining hall at this hour?
"I apologize for interrupting your meal."
"It's fine. What's the matter?"
I set my fork down and looked at the official.
"Well, the thing is..."
The official spoke with a troubled expression.
What was it that made them hesitate so much?
"...Some people claiming to be your grandparents have come to see you."
Huh?
What kind of nonsense was this now?