Claiming the Tower's Throne
Hinkel stared at Yoo Ji-sung in disbelief.
[What… what are you trying to do? How does a freshly appointed administrator even know about this place?]
“Ah… there are ways to know everything.”
Yoo Ji-sung answered casually as he strolled forward, never forgetting to flash Hinkel a smile.
The bastard still doesn’t know I’ve regressed.
He stopped in front of the dark-red sphere. Its color alone was enough to stir an instinctive sense of dread and unease. Ignoring the feeling, Yoo Ji-sung lowered his gaze. Before the sphere lay a panel covered in countless unknown symbols—thousands of buttons. He pressed one.
Hinkel’s face twisted in horror.
[Stop that immediately! Otherwise I’ll strip you of your administrator privileges!]
“Strip me? The Tower only lets you choose an administrator once, right after it arrives on Earth. And you can’t revoke my authority until your people actually get here, can you?”
[Stop right now! Before I kill you!]
Hinkel’s fury crossed dimensions and slammed into him, yet to Yoo Ji-sung it sounded like heavenly music. Nothing more than the pathetic threat of a dog curling its tail between its legs.
“Come if you can. The passage to Marknus is only just forming. Think you can squeeze through a gap the size of a grain of millet?”
[Roa! Stop him at once!]
[That is beyond my authority.]
[Khh! At this rate the Tower’s control will fall completely into his hands! Roa!]
[That is beyond my authority.]
Funny. When it was happening to me I nearly lost my mind, but watching it happen to someone else is pretty entertaining.
Hinkel’s roar echoed through the chamber while Yoo Ji-sung’s fingers kept tapping buttons. With every press, Hinkel’s expression grew more entertaining. Yoo Ji-sung savored it.
[I won’t ask how you know this information. Just tell me what you want.]
“Oh? You’ll actually listen?”
[Say what you want! Making you ruler of Earth can be arranged immediately……]
“That’s not what I want.”
[Then… what is it?]
“Crawl. Like a dog. Right in front of all your soldiers. Crawl on all fours, bark ‘woof woof,’ and do it so disgustingly that none of them will ever forget it.”
[……]
“If that’s too much, how about you destroy Marknus with your own hands?”
[You’ll regret this. The god will……]
“Ah, done.”
Yoo Ji-sung pulled his hand away from the panel, ignoring the threat. One wrong button could have burned his very soul away, yet his face remained perfectly calm. He had absolute confidence.
The Tower’s master is being reset.
“Of course it is.”
[You bastard……]
Please select the Tower’s master.
“Do you even need to ask? Obviously me. Yoo Ji-sung is the master of the Tower.”
The Tower’s master has been set.
[You bastard!]
Yoo Ji-sung ignored Hinkel’s scream and examined the panel. When it came to Earth’s Tower, he knew more than anyone—including Marknus. He had studied it obsessively, hoping to be useful to them. Operating the buttons was something he was certain of, yet it had still been a gamble with his life, so seeing Hinkel’s ugly face was only natural.
“Roa, erase every single one of these control buttons. I have no intention of handing the Tower over to anyone else, even after I die. This Tower is mine.”
[I will follow the master’s orders.]
[I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you! The god will never forgive you!]
Only after the buttons melted away like mud did Hinkel come back into focus. Less than an hour had passed, yet their positions had completely reversed.
The Tower’s tremors grew violent enough to make standing difficult. Yoo Ji-sung staggered once, then finally looked at Hinkel.
“Tell whatever god you serve to come whenever they want. I won’t even blink.”
[You dare deceive a god!]
“Of course. I’m an Earthling. Why would I care about the god you people worship?”
[You bastard! We gave you a chance!]
“A chance in name only. The moment you crossed over to Earth, you planned to kill me first.”
[How did you……]
Unable to maintain rational thought any longer, Hinkel admitted the truth outright. Seeing that expression, Yoo Ji-sung let out a savage laugh.
“Wait for it. I’ll make sure to kill you with my own hands. Roa, cut the connection to Marknus.”
[Complying with orders.]
[W-wait……]
The blue window illuminating the ceiling vanished in an instant. Only the core’s light remained, and silence fell.
Rumble!
“That god’s got a real temper.”
Yoo Ji-sung frowned at the violent shaking. Ornaments on the ceiling broke loose and crashed down. A massive statue plummeted straight toward his head—large enough to have turned him into paste if he hadn’t moved. He stepped aside.
Crash!
They’re seriously pissed.
Unlike when he had faced Hinkel, tension now clouded Yoo Ji-sung’s face. After becoming administrator, he had learned many things while pursuing his goal. Among them, the god Marknus served had left the strongest impression.
Markrun. The war-crazed god of Marknus. He plants these Towers on other planets to create passages. A hot-blooded deity who causes endless incidents because he can’t control his temper.
And now that god had lost the Tower.
His pride must be shattered; he was surely raging in madness right now.
Yoo Ji-sung had incurred a god’s wrath. He had prepared himself, yet his mouth still felt bone-dry.
I knew what I was doing when I started this……
He looked up at the ceiling.
“You were watching, weren’t you? Kairas.”
I knew, but you’re quite the extremist. How do you plan to handle the consequences?
“Oh, a quest window!”
Yoo Ji-sung marveled at the blue panel floating before his eyes. It was the first time he had received one directly since becoming the Tower’s master. The sight eased some of his tension.
So it really was Kairas who sent me back.
The only being capable of regressing him and allowing him to pull something like this against the god Markrun was Earth’s own god, Kairas. It was only natural that Kairas had been watching him closely. And just like Markrun, Kairas had regressed him to use him.
Since Yoo Ji-sung was willing to do anything for revenge, and because he knew the Tower’s secrets better than anyone, their goals aligned. In that case, he would exploit Kairas thoroughly—rather than the other way around.
Yoo Ji-sung cast the bait at Kairas’s silence.
“You know as well as I do that Earth is in crisis right now. A very dangerous situation.”
[Why? The Tower’s collapse would benefit Earth.]
“Don’t play dumb. You can’t possibly not know what will happen to Earth’s god if the Tower collapses. Monsters released from the Tower will tear the entire planet apart. The Conquerors haven’t grown enough to stop them all. And most importantly—what are you going to do about the Marknus-type mana?”
[State your demand, traitor of Earth.]
Though the words appeared as text rather than voice, hostility bled through. Yoo Ji-sung merely shrugged.
He had already committed the crime of bringing Marknus forces to Earth once. Being called a traitor didn’t bother him.
“So you knew too? Then stop the Tower’s collapse right now. And help me.”
[I will prevent the collapse for Earth’s sake, but I have no reason to help you.]
“We both have grudges against them, don’t we? I was betrayed, and you watched the Earth you cherished get destroyed. For our revenge, we need the Tower. Since our enemy has a god on their side, I need one too. Otherwise there’s no chance of winning.”
[A vulgar statement. Tell me your method.]
“I’ll use the Tower to raise the Conquerors. Right now it’s just a cradle where Marknus forces grow their toys. Since things have turned out this way, let’s flip the script and use it ourselves. Let’s see how the toys like being played with for once.”
Yoo Ji-sung smiled crookedly. The Tower was a farm meant to raise resistance forces. Any race he led would win without fail. Markrun and the Marknus faction had always believed that. It was an arrogant thought, but Marknus had never suffered a single defeat—until now. Yoo Ji-sung intended to break that arrogance.
[Was this your plan from the beginning? It feels too natural. You’re acting with far too much certainty.]
“Not at all. I was Marknus’s dog. I was desperate to look good. Learning how to completely steal the Tower’s authority was just one of the things I picked up while trying to please them.”
Yoo Ji-sung curled his lips upward and continued speaking to the silent Kairas.
“By chance I saw one of Marknus’s dark histories. They didn’t just lose the Tower to me—they lost it to someone else in the past as well. The damage was severe. So they developed countermeasures. Isn’t it ironic? All the things I did to help Marknus ended up giving me the means to take revenge.”
His voice grew rough with rising anger. He had done everything he could to assist Marknus, only to be treated like a hunting dog destined for the pot. If that was the case, biting his master’s throat to survive was only natural.
Even after his words, no quest window appeared. Kairas was deliberating. Knowing this, Yoo Ji-sung merely frowned at the intensifying tremors and stayed silent.
[I can’t trust you.]
“Why don’t we stop beating around the bush? You’re the one who regressed me. You already knew I was the only one who could stop Markrun and Marknus, didn’t you?”
[……I’ll trust your words this one time. Remember that.]
Rumble!
The Tower’s shaking grew even more violent. It was fortunate that the core chamber was the sturdiest and safest place. Chaos must be erupting throughout the rest of the Tower right now.
Kairas had intervened, yet the tremors showed no sign of stopping—they only grew stronger. Still, Yoo Ji-sung trusted Kairas.
Even a mutt is at least fifty percent stronger on its home turf. From what I know, Kairas is on the same level as Markrun. He won’t lose.
Yoo Ji-sung clenched his teeth and waited for Kairas to seize the initiative from Markrun. The Tower shook like a mad thing; countless statues and ornaments rained down.
Are they seriously going all out?!
Even this strongest chamber had been reduced to such a state that worry for the Tower’s overall condition began to creep in. What if it collapsed? What if Kairas proved weaker than expected and failed to push Markrun back?
Cold sweat ran down his back.
“Put some effort in! This is your territory! Are you just going to let the Tower collapse?!”
[I’m trying!]
Even after Kairas’s reply, the tremors continued. A little more time passed, and gradually the shaking began to subside. Still, standing was difficult, so Yoo Ji-sung leaned against the wall, tense.
“At this rate I really might die……”
He didn’t believe the miracle of regression would find him a second time. Fragments of unknown power filled the air, forming small mounds. This was a battle between gods he wasn’t even directly facing, yet it was enough to reduce the supposedly indestructible Tower to ruins. In the midst of this mere contest of strength, Yoo Ji-sung felt painfully insignificant.
Yeah… you can’t judge gods so easily. They’re transcendent beings beyond comprehension.
The tremors had lessened enough that he could now stand steadily on both feet. Though cold sweat still poured down his face, his tension was slowly easing.
I can’t just sit back. I can’t leave everything to Kairas.
Regaining his composure, Yoo Ji-sung began thinking about what he could do. If Kairas drove Markrun away alone, he would have nothing left to contribute. That would mean relying on Kairas every time they faced Markrun in the future.
I don’t want that.
Yoo Ji-sung turned his gaze to the core while racking his brain. It was the Tower’s power source, filled with Marknus-type mana. Looking at it, he realized what he had to do.
“Roa. Use all the mana to restore the Tower immediately. Don’t leave even a speck of damage. Prioritize the urgent parts first—the rest can wait.”
[Understood.]
At his command, the core let out a cry. To minimize Markrun’s influence, it consumed every last drop of Marknus-type mana stored within the Tower. That was Yoo Ji-sung’s judgment.
As the core’s light dimmed, the tremors visibly weakened. Yoo Ji-sung clenched his fists. Only after the shaking completely stopped did he let out a sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat running down to his chin with the back of his hand.
“Damn it. Now I can finally breathe.”
[The real crisis starts now. The passage has already been created. What will you do from here?]
“Crisis? Didn’t you completely drive Markrun out?”
[I expelled Markrun, but even I can’t erase a passage created by my own power. From now on, Markrun and Marknus will keep trying to use that passage. However, they won’t be able to peer into this side for a while.]
“So the passage really can’t be erased? That’s unfortunate, but not bad either. Let’s get to the main point.”
Yoo Ji-sung looked disappointed, yet the fact that Markrun couldn’t exert influence here for the time being was already a huge gain. Kairas sent another message.
[You want to ask why I sent you back to the past, don’t you?]
Yoo Ji-sung nodded silently. Kairas continued.
[I chose you as the savior because you are the only one who can operate the Tower.]
“That’s true. Once I take full control, Marknus won’t be able to do anything until the passage opens. We can even use the Tower as a weapon. But… calling me a savior feels a bit funny, doesn’t it?”
Yoo Ji-sung let out a dry laugh. He was the traitor who had sold Earth out. The irony of becoming its savior was almost laughable.
[Consuming all the mana in the core was a great help.]
“Ah… you’re changing the subject? You don’t like calling me a savior either, huh? Well, whatever. The fact that the core’s mana amplifies Markrun’s influence is knowledge I gained while managing the Tower. It’s not something you’d like to hear, but we’re in the same boat now, aren’t we?”
[Your phrasing is repulsive. Yes. Everything you said is correct. And… since we’ve overcome this brief crisis as you said, I’ll be taking my leave.]
“Wait. Where do you think you’re going?”
Yoo Ji-sung reached out to stop Kairas from ending the conversation.