The 9th Floor Test, Part 6

The Phoenix's nest.

In this place brimming with life, there were numerous divine beasts other than the one Lee Jinhyuk had saved.

"Koo!"

"Kyu-kyu!"

Within the vast nest, the haetae ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the bulgasari tugged at Jinhyuk, as if eager to introduce him to their friends.

"Ah. So these are your friends."

"Nice to meet you."

"You all look very gentle."

Prrr...

With the exception of a unicorn, most of the divine beasts did not reject Jinhyuk's touch.

The Sacred Fire he possessed was, at its core, the exact same power as their own.

-They take to you well, as expected.

Watching this, the Phoenix smiled benevolently.

After spending tens of minutes greeting and observing the divine beasts, Jinhyuk finally arrived where Kaelion was.

Kaelion was floating in midair, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.

A vermilion flame harboring immense life force enveloped her body, while mana resembling boiling lava churned around her.

"Is this...?"

What surprised Jinhyuk more than anything was the black brazier resting on her lap.

A holy relic?

It was the Hestia's Brazier.

As a holy relic of Hestia, it possessed tremendous power.

Even though she can't draw out its full power since she isn't Hestia's apostle or believer...

But Hestia's Brazier was different.

An apostle or believer of Hestia would find the item useful when trying to 'attack' someone.

However, its basic function—calming and stabilizing the surrounding mana—had no issues working for anyone.

Since the energy was related to 'fire,' the effect was amplified significantly, making it an absolute blessing for the current Kaelion.

Well, Kaelion did work herself to the bone trying to save the divine beasts.

Even before his regression, the Phoenix was known to return enmity twofold and kindness tenfold.

Given her personality, sharing her energy was only natural.

In fact, she seemed to think even this was insufficient repayment for saving the divine beasts she had protected and cared for.

-What on earth happened out there?

The Phoenix's nest on the 9th floor was surrounded by a special barrier of life.

Thanks to this, even though a trial was underway, not even the Constellations could peer inside.

The silence of the usually noisy system message window was proof of that.

I don't even know where to begin.

After looking at the Phoenix, Jinhyuk silently walked toward Kaelion.

Stopping before the warm, yet scorching energy, he spoke.

"He descended."

-...Descended?

"Yes. Baal. He descended and tried to devour all the divine beasts."

-...Baal!

Rumbleeee...

-How dare he! A mere deposed demon king dares...

The Phoenix might be weakened, but she's still formidable.

The Phoenix was one of the three 'absolute races,' alongside the Holy Fire Dragon.

Because her race possessed endless cycles of rebirth and immense power, she could openly display such wrath toward a myth-grade Constellation like Baal.

An ordinary race or a player like me would have their body burned to ashes the moment they uttered his true name.

Accidentally saying the syllables "Ba" and "al" together was fine, but the moment one spoke the word "Baal" while thinking of the entity, they would be cursed.

He hadn't become a myth-grade entity beyond legend for nothing.

It's a mystery to me as well.

Standing before the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raging Phoenix and Kaelion, who was continuously circulating her mana as if she had realized something, Jinhyuk fell into deep thought.

First Jormungandr, and now Baal. The Constellations are being far more active than I anticipated. And it's too early.

He pondered the situation.

Leaving a Stigma or having a portion of their starlight descend incurred penalties anywhere in the tower, but the penalty was far more severe below the 15th floor.

This was because the lower the floor, the more restricted the Constellations' intervention became.

Jormungandr targeted the imugi. Baal targeted the divine beasts.

Jinhyuk stroked his chin.

But did they really target the imugi and the divine beasts?

Jormungandr had flaunted his power by leaving a Stigma in the form of his scale.

Baal had openly devoured the divine beasts and even descended, offering to share his power with Jinhyuk.

No, at this point, it was more accurate to say he had descended with the intention of devouring Jinhyuk himself.

They want to claim me while I'm still weak, even if it means bearing the penalties.

The higher their grade, the greedier the Constellations were.

They seemed quiet because they could only intervene in limited ways, but possessing a certain level of power and authority meant they absolutely refused to let go of what they wanted.

Are they drawn to me because I'm an unprecedented player? Or is it because I possess a body that can serve as a vessel for a Constellation...?

Jinhyuk clenched his fist.

Are they instinctively coveting me? If so, should I try to monopolize less as I climb?

He shook his head.

I hate to admit it... but that bastard Baal was right. I don't have the luxury to worry about things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that.

-Don't make me laugh! Do you truly believe a mere human can destroy the stars while clinging to morality and heroism?

Just as Baal had said, the entities holding the power of the stars—the Constellations—were not to be underestimated.

If he started hesitating over every little thing, he would never become strong enough to destroy them.

The Constellations also know that my goal is to destroy the stars. Well, of course they do.

He smirked.

Is that why they covet me even more?

The more dangerous, the stronger—the more they desired it.

Such twisted desires were not exclusive to humans.

-In any case... thank you. For protecting and saving these young divine beasts.

The Phoenix bowed her head, expressing her gratitude to Jinhyuk.

"Koo!"

"Kyu-kyu!"

The bulgasari and the haetae approached, climbing onto Jinhyuk's shoulders and ruthlessly licking his cheeks.

Though they were incredibly cute, Jinhyuk had something far more important than these divine beasts to worry about.

"What happened to my egg?"

-It is currently digesting.

Jinhyuk picked up the egg.

Witch? Ah. Did some of Dang Sowol's and the 9th-floor witches' power seep in?

Looking at the list of powers contained within the egg, Jinhyuk nodded.

Given the absorbed powers and the experiences it had while still in its egg state, there was no telling what would hatch from it.

"Phoenix. Speaking of which..."

-Fufu. Those eyes. They hold a special power. Yes, that is why you can see it.

Through Jinhyuk's Eyes of Observation, it was glaringly obvious.

The Phoenix's remaining lifespan had reached its absolute limit.

She's already gone. It sounds harsh, but...

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

At this point, she's no different from a walking corpse.

Her life force had already plummeted past rock bottom.

The only reason she hadn't died yet was likely because she was a Phoenix, a creature of eternal life.

-I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had a goal.

"A goal?"

-Yes, child. My one and only daughter, the last remaining of the Phoenix clan.

The expression on her face looked sadder than anything else in the world.

-To save and keep my daughter alive. That is why I rescued these divine beasts.

The Phoenix had lost her daughter due to a single moment of carelessness.

Players from the Heavenly Demon Cult inside the tower had kidnapped her.

Normally, she wouldn't have lost her daughter so easily, but she had been distracted by the chaotic flow of the stars at the time.

-So, I descended.

The Phoenix was usually gentle, but she was different when enraged.

Flames.

A massive inferno had erupted right in the middle of the Central Plains.

"The Descent of the Scorching Heaven."

-Yes. It seems the Murim people of today call it that and fear it. *Sigh*...

The Phoenix's wrath had ultimately shattered the balance between the three major factions: the Murim Alliance, the Alliance of Evil, and the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Since the Murim people who kidnapped her daughter were members of the Demonic Cult, her flames had rained down directly upon the Heavenly Demon Cult.

I heard the Heavenly Demon Cult boasted immense power back then. They gradually lost their strength after the Descent of the Scorching Heaven.

-Since then, I discovered that the Heavenly Demon Cult bastards had kidnapped other divine beasts as well.

After that day, the Phoenix raided the Heavenly Demon Cult and rescued numerous divine beasts.

Although the vast majority of them died gruesome deaths, unable to withstand the shock of the experiments, she could not stop.

Because her daughter had still not been saved.

-Knowing my daughter was on the 9th floor, I descended straight into the Nihility Ghost Realm.

Even for a Phoenix, moving between the tower's floors at will was a forbidden act.

Forcing her way through the blocked floors had consumed a massive amount of her life force.

And that wasn't all.

Even with her life force depleted, the Phoenix had rescued countless divine beasts.

Since her body was too massive to sneak around, she couldn't handle the Heavenly Demon Cult—which was filled with numerous High Rankers and Rankers—all by herself.

Furthermore, the moment the Heavenly Demon Cult joined forces with Majuron's Black Mage Guild, she was completely rendered helpless.

The witches bound the Phoenix with countless magic circles and spells.

Although the Phoenix was technically stronger, she couldn't break through the combined front of the Demonic Cultists and witches, who constantly adapted their resistances to counter her elements.

Even so, the fact that she had managed to rescue several divine beasts was a testament to how powerful she was.

In the previous timeline, the Phoenix eventually found her daughter, taught her various things for about ten years, and then entered her eternal rest.

Jinhyuk swallowed hard as he observed the Phoenix, who was in a much worse state than before his regression.

But to think she has so little life force left. At this rate, she won't even last a month, let alone ten years.

"Did you use your power recently?"

-Yes. I sensed my daughter's presence, so I came here, but...

Hmm.

Jinhyuk's original plan was to rescue the Phoenix's chick much faster than in the previous timeline.

In exchange, he would receive a few feathers to secure the energy needed to sustain the egg.

As for the remaining energy, he had planned to slowly gather it by raiding the nearby witches' divine beast ranches to hatch the egg.

Did things actually turn out for the better?

In truth, the Phoenix hadn't been of much help to Jinhyuk or the tower before his regression.

She had simply raised her daughter and then let her flame of life extinguish.

She hadn't influenced anything else.

I recall the daughter Phoenix was also captured by the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Looking at the situation, the egg seemed ready to hatch soon.

Seeing Jinhyuk's questioning gaze, the Phoenix chuckled softly.

-I poured the remainder of my life force into it.

"...!"

-Since you protected my precious children, I must protect your precious child as well.

Her emotions...

It was clear that the Phoenix's actions weren't just about repaying a debt.

Peering into her heart with Eyes of Observation, he could feel an incredibly powerful maternal love.

She is equating this egg with her own lost daughter.

Jinhyuk had personally expected a snake or a dragon to hatch from it.

However, because the Phoenix's power it had just absorbed was so immense, there was no telling what would emerge now.

"Thank you."

Regardless, the Phoenix had saved his precious egg and was taking responsibility for its hatching.

-No need for thanks. I am merely returning the favor.

Sssss...

Watching the egg continuously absorb energy and Kaelion's body twitching, Jinhyuk turned around.

-Do you not need to watch over her further?

"Kaelion is someone who can do perfectly well without my help."

Jinhyuk clenched his fists.

"The problem is me."

-Hmmm...

Looking at Jinhyuk, the Phoenix fell into thought for a moment.

-You have wings as well.

"Yes."

-...

"..."

"Koo-koo!"

"Kooooo!"

The heavy silence between the one facing death and the one who had unintentionally accelerated it was broken by the divine beasts playing freely.

And then...

Boom!

"...!"

-What is this?

The Phoenix frowned.

Thud!

It was a vibration that was clearly out of the ordinary.

A powerful impact reverberated, as if something was battering the barrier from the outside.

"Attack!"

"The Black Mage Guild is providing aerial support! Everyone, get in!"

"Even if it's a divine beast, it's practically dead! There's nothing to fear!"

"The Heavenly Demon descends, and ten thousand demons submit!"

"The Heavenly Demon descends, and ten thousand demons submit!"

Crash! Boom!

"These bastards, seriously."

Bringing the sphere close to his chest, Jinhyuk frowned.

Clack-clack-clack!

Soon, the Dragon Scale Armor rapidly covered Jinhyuk's body like dragon scales.

Seeing this, the Phoenix let out a self-deprecating smile, feeling somewhat shameless.

-...I must ask of you once more.

"Don't worry. For now..."

Jinhyuk looked at the surrounding divine beasts.

"I'll call someone reliable."

-Someone reliable?

Immediately drawing the Sword of Grief, he activated another skill.