A Bit Sentimental (1)
A Bit Sentimental (1)
One week staying in the Tower of Growth.
It wasn't a long time.
Considering my growth speed and the amplified Blessing of Growth, it felt different, but it was still a short time regardless.
So what I would learn during that limited period was already decided.
The 8th Iteration's unique abilities: Divine Archery and Heavenly Thunder.
And among those, it was about Heavenly Thunder—its operation and experience.
'Divine Archery is an important ability too, but right now Heavenly Thunder matters more.'
Divine Archery was an ability that had reached a tremendous level, but I was confident I could reach something similar on my own if I worked at it.
Heavenly Thunder was a little different.
I could train and polish Heavenly Thunder by myself, but it would take far longer than Divine Archery.
But since the 8th Iteration's help would drastically shorten that time, the help I needed was with Heavenly Thunder.
There was another reason too.
"There's another Heavenly Thunder Manifestor?"
[Yes, a person called Senior Daera... manifested it. Strictly speaking, I imitated Senior Daera's Heavenly Thunder.]
Senior Daera. Unlike me, who used imitation, she was a genuine Heavenly Thunder Manifestor.
At that news, the 8th Iteration's eyes went wide. The lightning energy he'd been rolling between his fingers crackled sharply.
[If I learn Heavenly Thunder here and then teach it to her, that'd be good, wouldn't it?]
"Senior? No, more importantly, someone else manifested Heavenly Thunder... I hadn't thought of that."
[It's not impossible, is it?]
"It's not impossible."
When I tilted my head, the 8th Iteration nodded slowly.
"As you know, my Heavenly Thunder wasn't naturally manifested."
[I heard you had help from an artifact.]
"Yeah. The artifact from the dungeon helped a lot. I think it was called Natural Order Punishment? At the time my mana was lightning energy, which was a factor, but without the artifact I wouldn't have gotten Heavenly Thunder."
The 8th Iteration raised Heavenly Thunder over his palm and shrugged.
"That person lucked into a precious artifact too."
[Well... she says she doesn't really know.]
"What? If the manifestor herself doesn't know, who would?"
I had nothing to say in response to the 8th Iteration, who asked with a baffled look.
How would I know when the person in question manifested it while practically in a state of mental and physical collapse?
"The Reverse Side burst open in the second year? Seriously, what a mess... You set it off? You crawled in there yourself? Are you insane?"
[Ghak]
[Don't hit me...]
There was a brief moment of violence during the explanation.
As I covered my crown and scrambled back, the 8th Iteration clicked his tongue softly and sank into thought alone.
"If it was inside the Reverse Side... that might actually be possible."
[The Reverse Side swallows dungeons as it expands. I think there might have been an artifact that grants Heavenly Thunder... a Natural Order Punishment, among the swallowed dungeons.]
The 8th Iteration shook the Heavenly Thunder from his hand and spoke.
It was an abrupt statement, but I nodded while rubbing my crown.
The Reverse Side rampage was stopped, but the hole leading to the Reverse Side still remained.
Because of that, the area around the hole came under Association jurisdiction, and parts of the Association's Defense Force and Subjugation Force were stationed there, managing it strictly.
Of course, as the Association President's proxy, I could come and go as I pleased.
"There's no other way besides that, really. Talk about heaven-sent luck."
[...I suppose so.]
At the 8th Iteration's remark, I pursed my lips with an odd expression.
Judging someone else's misfortune freely isn't a good way of thinking, but objectively, it was heaven-sent luck.
When Senior Daera fell into the Reverse Side.
If there had been even a single monster nearby, she would have died on the spot.
If she'd encountered a monster skilled at tracking or an overwhelming high-rank monster afterward, she would have died.
And if she hadn't miraculously manifested Heavenly Thunder, she would have eventually died from lack of strength.
...No, if it had been heaven-sent luck, she wouldn't have gotten caught up in such an incident in the first place.
Calling it a blessing among misfortunes felt more fitting than heaven-sent luck.
"...Maybe it's not really heaven-sent luck after all."
[Huh?]
As if he'd had the exact same thought I did, the 8th Iteration denied his own statement and pointed next to me.
Beside me, the Purification and Beacon Fire Sword I'd been using just moments ago were resting quietly.
"Looking at those, they're the type that's picky about their users too."
[Yes, that's right.]
"You know as well. Among high-grade or ego-bearing artifacts, there are plenty with difficult temperaments."
As if I wouldn't know.
Besides the Purification and Beacon Fire Sword, thinking of the Proof of Protection stored inside my body, I nodded.
The Proof of Protection was a prime example of an artifact that's picky about its user.
...Whether I still met its criteria was a little ambiguous, but if the conditions were off, it would outright reject you.
"Cases where people luck into good artifacts but get rejected are all too common. You can't just dismiss it all as luck."
[Yes, you're right.]
[Affirmative]
He was right. When I nodded vigorously, the 8th Iteration let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, yeah. It wasn't just luck, so loosen up your face, you little shit."
[Excuse me?]
"You're making a sulky face right after someone badmouths your person's luck, and what?"
[I wasn't really... making that kind of face.]
"Hey, pull up that scene right now with the Authority of Knowledge."
[...Emotions aren't something you can objectively categorize.]
"Look at that tongue getting longer the moment things don't go your way. Petty bastard."
[I'm not a bastard.]
[And I didn't stick out my tongue... blebleble]
- Mmph, mrmph...!
At the hand roughly trying to pry my mouth open, I flapped my limbs like a chicken.
In the end, I could only be freed after surrendering some food and a few bottles of drinks from my subspace.
My supplies were plundered again today.
As I lay collapsed on the floor catching my breath, the 8th Iteration indifferently tore open the packaging and put the prepared food into his mouth.
- Chew chew...
One bite, two bites... the more his mouth moved, the more the 8th Iteration's expression grew subtle.
"...Is it because of the All-Rounder unique ability? The cooking correction kicks in ridiculously too."
[It's because I grew them with Taesan.]
[And even if you compliment me, there's nothing to give.]
Pouting, I hugged the Purification and Beacon Fire Sword, which had been hovering nearby, tightly like pillows.
A brief rest period. I spent the time reviewing the sparring we'd just had.
'Ah, right. I have to mention that too.'
I meant to.
When the Reverse Side came to mind, suddenly lightning crashed through my head.
I shot my upper body upright. The 8th Iteration, who'd been devouring a beef rice bowl, blinked.
"Mm? Wha's it? Jus' gimme a bi' more. Once I finish this..."
[The Tower. There was a Tower inside the Reverse Side.]
"Wha mmph— koff, khoff! Khaff!"
[Ack]
[Don't spray it everywhere]
[Here's some water...]
.
.
.
"No, fuck, why are you only telling me that today?"
[There was so much to say... it got pushed back...]
"...I guess so. It's like peeling an onion with you, the stories just keep coming... whew."
The 8th Iteration, having emptied two bottles of water, let out a deep sigh.
"There's a Tower inside the Reverse Side? And its attribute is wind?"
[Yes, I didn't go in, but both my detection and observation sensed a wind attribute.]
"Wind, huh..."
The 8th Iteration crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
I also adjusted my posture and sat quietly.
It was something I'd definitely wanted to consult about if I met the 8th Iteration.
"The Tower I went to was lightning-attribute, so it was comfortable. Since the attribute matched, it was easy to use."
The 8th Iteration had experienced a Tower in the African Demon Realm. And not just the entrance—he was someone who'd been on the verge of conquering it.
"So then there's one for each of the Five Great Attributes? Hellfire, Bitter Cold, the Dead. Plus the lightning-attribute Tower in the Demon Realm... and the wind-attribute Tower in the Reverse Side."
The 8th Iteration folded down his fingers one by one and tilted his head.
"But those last two didn't have Tower Masters. If someone had cleared them... would they have become the Tower Master?"
[Ah, that part's a little different.]
I explained what I'd heard from Lady Ariel and Lady Sierra.
The rights and duties of a Tower. The qualifications for becoming a Tower Master...
"If you're unqualified, the Tower uses its surplus to hand you a Wish Ticket, and if you meet the qualifications, you become the Tower Master?"
[Yes, that's the type of system they described. They said it's similar to how artifacts work.]
"The 11th after me cleared the lightning-attribute Tower but got a Wish Ticket. So the 11th wasn't qualified?"
[Yes.]
"Qualified..."
The 8th Iteration's expression turned strange at the explanation. He fell silent for a while, deep in thought.
"...That Bitter Cold Tower Master bastard. His behavior at the end was kinda off, now that I think about it."
When he finally spoke, the 8th Iteration tilted his head.
"As you know, that guy was the type to hole up in the back and stir up environmental chaos. Not the sort to stand on the frontlines."
[Yes, I know.]
"But during my round, he suddenly went insane and pushed straight into the inland."
The 8th Iteration clicked his tongue, still baffled by the memory.
"So I had to turn back right before clearing the Tower. It was tempting to finish the clear, sure, but what's the point if the world gets destroyed in the meantime."
[...Right.]
"After that... well, you know the rest."
The 8th Iteration died.
"Why did the Bitter Cold bastard do it? He could've gotten surrounded in the inland and ended up dead."
The 8th Iteration tilted his head again.
"Was he that confident he'd make it back alive? Did he not care about dying since it's a fake world? And why my round, of all times? Why only during the period when I was clearing the Tower?"
[That's...]
A flurry of thoughts surfaced in my mind.
"Was I... qualified?"
I hesitated, unsure, and the 8th Iteration spoke in my place.
"So Bitter Cold charged recklessly into the inland to stop me from becoming the Tower Master?"
[I've been thinking something similar, but... I can't be certain.]
"Why go that far? Even if I became a Tower Master, it's a fake world anyway..."
Questions he'd never had time to dwell on while alive. The 8th Iteration kept voicing them.
"Ha. What's the point of agonizing over it when I'm already dead."
In the end, they were all unanswerable questions for now. After muttering to himself for a while, the 8th Iteration roughly tousled his hair and sprang to his feet.
"Using my brain worked up an appetite. Let's pick this back up. There's only a few hours left anyway."
[......]
"What now. What's with that face—what are you unhappy about?"
[It's not that I'm unhappy...]
I pouted under his downward gaze.
The 2nd Iteration.
We never got to have a conversation. I got sliced apart for a whole week, and at the end, all I got was a single apology before I left.
The 5th Iteration.
We did talk after fighting for a bit, but it didn't last long.
The 10th Iteration.
We fought like we were trying to kill each other, exchanged a few words at the very end, and that was it.
And what about the 8th Iteration?
We talked for a whole week. We exchanged opinions while sparring, he stole my food, we chatted about all sorts of trivial things...
Which meant, in our own way, we'd formed a bond.
So now that we were about to part... I just felt gloomy.
[It's just, my mood is kind of...]
[Gloom]
[Melancholy]
[Dejection...]
- Click-click-clack...
The necklace clicked and clattered on its own. The 8th Iteration's expression turned vaguely awkward.
"...Was I always this sentimental? No, I wasn't, so this isn't a body thing—it's the soul... It's your issue."
Letting out a hollow laugh, the 8th Iteration tapped my head with his bow. Thunk, thunk.
But my pout still didn't go away, so the 8th Iteration shrugged.
"I'm already finished. A guy who never even existed in the first place, really. Even forming a bond like this is only possible thanks to the Tower's little loophole, so don't get too hung up on it."
[I know that...]
But emotions don't exactly obey on command. I hadn't meant it to, but my mood sank sharply.
"...You know what? I'll tell you. Even for us—the fake Lee Ha-yuls—our limits were clear."
Scratching the back of his head with a troubled look, the 8th Iteration suddenly spoke.
"Even if our bodies were fine, our souls were half-baked. While everyone else was whole, we were barely sprouted seeds at best. Obviously, our limits had to be sharply drawn."
[...Yeah.]
"But you're different."
When I lifted my head slightly, the 8th Iteration shrugged and went on.
"You're whole. Sure, the curses and all that have made your situation a complete shitshow, but... once you solve those, there won't be a problem. And even in your current state, your ceiling is so far off I can't even see it."
- Plop.
Resting a hand on my head, the 8th Iteration spoke in a serious tone.
"You're going to win. Obviously. I mean, think about your abilities. You copy everything and then turn it into your own Innate Talent. You've had the Tower Masters pouring Authorities and support into you. Even if you wanted to lose, you couldn't. Got it?"
[...Yeah.]
I nodded quietly, taking it in.
The unease that had been lodged in my gloomy mood settled down a little.
It hit harder because it came from someone who'd fought the Tower Masters of the Dead and Bitter Cold to the bloody end.
The 8th Iteration snorted a grin and roughly tousled my hair.
"If you get it, then get up, you brat. You planning to just laze around for the last few hours?"
[Ueeeee.]
Only after my hair was a complete bird's nest did I get up. The 8th Iteration picked up the bow lying beside him.
"Alright, bow up. Sparring format again. Don't release the pain protection. I'm actually going to hit you."
After that firm warning, the 8th Iteration drew his bowstring. Rumble! Heavenly Thunder coalesced into an arrow, rumbling like a storm.
I pulled my bow from Subspace and matched his draw, but hesitated a moment, chewing on my lip.
I'd learned so much from the 8th Iteration.
Divine Archery and Heavenly Thunder. Beyond that, his firsthand experiences and techniques...
He'd given everything he could pass on without holding back.
I gave a small sniff to clear my slightly stuffy nose and dipped my head.
[...Thank y—]
- Rumble!
[Hyahk!]
I swung my bow desperately and deflected the arrow. Crash! The Heavenly Thunder detonated. My body, jolting with electricity, went flying backward and tumbled across the ground.
"Who bows their head after the match already started?"
[Yeek...]
I spat out a pebble that had gotten into my mouth and pushed myself up. Crackle! Heavenly Thunder condensed smoothly and coalesced into an arrow.
"Hey, hey you piece of shit wait. When I said your casting speed got faster, that's—"
[Heavenly Thunder Flash.]
"Ah, shit!"
Heavenly Thunder flared. Crash! The mountaintop, seared white, collapsed in a cascade of rubble.
* * *
[Unique Ability 「Mana Affinity」 has matured.]
[Unique Ability 「All-Rounder」 has matured.]
...
[Unique Ability 「Hea??」 has matured.]
...
[The Tower Master of Harmonization slams the keyboard.]
[What d& we do! The k^d is plann$ng s@me absurd scheme an*...!]
[The Tower Master of Observation casts his eyes down.]
[Th-that's ri@ght. Confin#d and powerl$ss as we a%re, what can we po^ssibly...]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization seals her lips.]
[...Even so! We ha%ve to tr@y something!]
[The Tower Master of Observation shuts his eyes tight.]
[The o-only com#munication wi&ndow—the St%atus Window—looks like th@at... h&w are we...]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization keeps her lips firmly sealed.]
[......]