The Divine Bargain
Kairas, who had been about to depart, answered Yoo Ji-sung's summons.
What's the matter?
"You still have work to do, don't you?"
I kept my promise to you.
"Not yet. Protecting the Tower starts now. Markrun's mana will keep flowing in through the passage. The more it grows, the more it will. We can't stop it from growing, but we have to stop the mana from flowing in, right? Ah! A little bit is fine, of course. I can use it right away."
Your words have changed. You underestimate the gods far too much. Do you think I cannot punish you?
Yoo Ji-sung let out a hollow laugh at Kairas's words.
"If you want to, go ahead. But without me, the Tower won't function properly."
Human……!
"What are you going to do this time? Throw quests at the Conquerors to kill me like before? But I survived even then. You couldn't stop me, and in the end, Markrun crossed over using the Tower and Earth was destroyed. Isn't that right?"
There was a fact he had learned while studying about gods. There were restrictions on gods intervening on the surface.
'To kill me, they can't act directly. That's why they issued quests to the Conquerors to kill me. Even that required using divine power. If they wanted to kill me directly, Kairas would have to risk his life.'
Knowing that, Yoo Ji-sung set the stage. He thought Markrun might kill him even at the risk. But if Kairas protected him, his safety was as good as guaranteed. For Earth's safety, Kairas had to protect him no matter what. Knowing that, Yoo Ji-sung could act boldly.
Is there anything else I need to do?
"As a partner, that's the right attitude. First, we need to extract Markrun's divine power from that core. Because that core is an artifact created with his divine power. If mana accumulates there again, he could interfere at any time."
I understand. But something feels lacking. Tell me everything you're thinking.
"Being picky, aren't you?"
Yoo Ji-sung frowned at Kairas's demand. But Kairas had already accepted more than half of what he said. Yoo Ji-sung revealed his inner thoughts as if doing him a favor.
"If we don't remove his divine power, we can't store mana from other planets in the core. I want to store Earth's mana in that core as well. By balancing and storing both Markrun faction's mana and Earth's mana, I can use the mana from the planet I want whenever I desire."
In the end, you want me to expend my divine power on the core created by Markrun's power.
"It's divine power you'd have to use anyway. If you, an upper god, can't do it, then no god can block the passage. But the core is different. Markrun won't be able to act immediately, so I think you can handle it sufficiently, right? Or are you going to keep struggling with Markrun like this?"
Cunning human.
"Kick! Think whatever you want. Anyway, you must have joined hands with me knowing that. Warning you, you must remove only Markrun's with your divine power. Only then can I fully possess the Tower's authority. If your divine power replaces Markrun's, our contract is void. And you need to swear that you won't covet the Tower."
Yoo Ji-sung pressed as if he would extract everything from Kairas.
'You chose me as Earth's savior, right? You can't turn back now. It's too late to regret.'
Yoo Ji-sung waited for Kairas's answer with a sly expression. After a brief moment, the core's color began to change. The dull, damp dark-red light disappeared, turning almost colorless. It looked like a giant sphere made of transparent glass.
"Oh! It looks much better now."
You. You must keep your promise.
"Of course. Now the Tower belongs to no one but me. The future has completely changed. Leave protecting Earth and giving Markrun a taste of his own medicine to me. Ah! There will be times when I look for you occasionally. There seem to be moments when I need the power of a capable partner."
Let's depart now.
Yoo Ji-sung continued speaking, but there was no reply. Now alone, Yoo Ji-sung admired the blue light filling the core. It seemed it would take a long time for that light to become radiant. But just the fact that the dark-red light was removed made Yoo Ji-sung feel good.
Even after becoming the Tower's master, there had been an anxiety tickling his chest. Now that it was completely resolved, he couldn't help but laugh.
"You bastards. How dare you touch me?"
Yoo Ji-sung glared at the ornament fallen at his feet. A statue engraved with Markrun's symbol. It had shattered when it fell to the floor, but the symbol remained intact, which annoyed him. It felt as if Markrun and Marknus were still watching him, making his teeth grind. Yoo Ji-sung roughly stepped on it and crushed it.
I will remember you……
"What?"
As the statue's fragments turned to dust, an eerie voice echoed. It was filled with anger and hatred, but somehow lacked power. His loosely relaxed mind tightened, and a chill ran down his spine. But no more voice came after that.
"A lingering thought…?"
Kairas had clearly said he drove him out. No matter how powerful Markrun was, he couldn't escape the eyes of Kairas, a god of equal standing. That thought calmed him down a bit more. Yoo Ji-sung bared his fangs at the fragments.
"Yeah, remember it well this time. All the worms who were loyal to you will die. It's unfair to die without knowing who did it, right?"
Yoo Ji-sung sneered at Markrun, who could no longer hear him, and turned his body. He had taken the Tower and eliminated the future threat of it being taken away. Even Markrun could no longer interfere with the Tower, so he had completely seized it. As long as the core wasn't in danger, Yoo Ji-sung wouldn't need to visit this place.
"Phew……."
Yoo Ji-sung returned to his office. He sank back into the chair he had been sitting in when he returned to the past. Then, physical and mental fatigue rushed over him. Before the regression, he had been betrayed by Hinkel. After the regression, he had seized the Tower and driven out Markrun. Markrun's lingering thought bothered him, but since Kairas was there, there was no need to worry. The fatigue accumulated from the situation that had swept by in an instant was immense. But the sense of accomplishment was just as great. A smile naturally spread across his face.
"You never know about life."
The entire Tower had become completely his. After being a figurehead for 10 years, he had become the true owner. Yoo Ji-sung tapped the armrest with his index finger and fell into thought. He wanted to savor this feeling and rest right away. But while he had solved a big problem, there were still many small matters scattered about.
"Kairas. You haven't left yet, have you? Huh? No answer? I know you haven't left. Are you going to keep making me wait?"
Cunning human. I thought I said I wouldn't talk to you.
"It's not something a god who said he left but was watching would say."
Yoo Ji-sung shrugged. Somehow, he felt like Kairas was grinding his teeth, but it was probably all an illusion.
"There's something I haven't asked yet. About me coming to the past. Besides you and me, who knows about this?"
No one. This is something only you and I know.
"Then you must have consumed quite a bit of divine power? Shouldn't you have been struggling and unable to stop Markrun either?"
Vulgar human.
"Am I wrong?"
One more title had been added for him. Yoo Ji-sung waited for Kairas's answer as if he didn't care.
There was cooperation from other gods. I can't tell you more than that.
"Cooperation from other gods……."
Yoo Ji-sung fell into thought. Even with the cooperation of other gods, only two people know about the return to the past. That alone allowed him to infer several things.
'They must be gods whose territories ruled by Markrun were taken away, making their extinction certain. Or gods who were about to have them taken. If only Kairas and I hold the memories of the future, did they erase their memories through a contract? Or perhaps they created enormous divine power by sacrificing themselves, denying their own existence.'
Yoo Ji-sung's gaze grew heavy. It didn't matter whether other gods had sent enormous power through a ritual only they could perform. But one thing made Yoo Ji-sung's chest feel a bit stuffy. He had tried to take revenge on Markrun, but somehow he had become deeply involved in the affairs of the gods. Markrun's voice saying he would remember seemed to tickle his ears. The back of his neck felt stiff from the tension. At the same time, an equal amount of exhilaration came.
"Yeah. Revenge is most valuable when achieved by overcoming hardships and adversity."
Crazy human.
"Enough. I think I know everything I need to know now. If Markrun doesn't know about the future, we've bought some time. He's just pissed off right now, so he won't know much about me. If he knew I came from the past, I can't even imagine what he would do. Let's do well from now on. Partner."
For the time being, I hope you don't look for me.
"Sure. You'll be busy taking care of the Conquerors, giving quests, and blocking the mana leaking from the passage. I understand."
Even after Yoo Ji-sung's words, there was no answer from Kairas. Kairas had completely left. Realizing that, he leaned back against the backrest.
"Roa."
You called?
Roa's reaction was even more respectful than before. It must be the influence of becoming the Tower's master, but even so, Yoo Ji-sung still felt bad hearing Roa's voice. After all, she was the one who faithfully followed Hinkel's orders before he was betrayed. Yoo Ji-sung knew that she was the Tower's will and a created ego. He understood her change of heart, whom he had thought was an eternal companion, but he couldn't help feeling angry.
'No, let's not be petty. Now Roa's master is me. There's no secretary as competent as her in the Tower, so I have to use her.'
"Tell me the current status of the Tower. How much mana is left in the core?"
Most floors have fallen into chaos due to the aftermath. Monsters that were separated by floor are mixed together and fighting each other. The core's mana has been completely depleted.
"Monsters can be revived as long as there's mana. What about the Conquerors' casualties?"
None. The aftermath barely reached the floors where the Conquerors are located. But problems will arise soon.
It was a statement that naturally made his nose wrinkle. A fight between gods. It seemed it wasn't something to be taken lightly after all.
"In terms of timing, the Conquerors probably haven't climbed up to the 30th floor yet. Right?"
Correct. The highest floor the Conquerors have reached is the 27th floor.
"Then problems have occurred up to the 27th floor and below."
The Tower consists of floors 1 to 100. It was as if approximately 80% of the Tower had been damaged. He had planned to overhaul the entire thing anyway. But it had far exceeded the level of remodeling Yoo Ji-sung had in mind.
"Damn, this is a bit of a headache. Roa, herd all the Conquerors to the 1st floor. I need to fix at least up to the 10th floor first."
It will only be a matter of time before they climb beyond the 10th floor.
Yoo Ji-sung, who had been pondering Roa's words, gave a wicked smile.
"It's fine. If I block the gates, they won't be able to climb up. Kairas will handle the aftermath."
Understood.
Somehow, it felt like Kairas was cursing at him. But what did that matter? Wasn't it better than being swept away by the monsters on the upper floors? From the position of having to raise the Conquerors, it was right to prevent even one death. Yoo Ji-sung scratched the back of his head vigorously and focused his mind. A full view of the 1st floor unfolded before Yoo Ji-sung.
'The number of Conquerors is approximately 3000. It's less than I thought? There must be some who died, but is it this hard to find talent who can withstand Markrun's mana? No... Before I died, the number of Conquerors was 100,000. Since Kairas also knows the future, the number of Conquerors will increase in an instant.'
Suddenly, the Conquerors gathered in one place began to clamor. They soon quieted down, so it seemed Kairas had intervened, but their dissatisfaction was still evident.
'Those who are too scared to even think of moving are just talking a lot.'
With Yoo Ji-sung's gesture, the structure of the 1st floor began to change.