Chapter 266
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: Goddess Yul
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"Lord Azel!"
"Huh? What'd you say, Zagal?"
"This isn't like you at all today, Lord Azel. What's going on?"
"Haha. It's nothing."
Azel waved her hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal, and told him to continue with what he'd been saying.
But nothing could be further from the truth...
Azel, the Knight in White.
She'd recently cleared the 70th floor, earning her a spot among the tower's undisputed top rankers.
Unlike the masters of other guilds, she was also famous for cherishing her guildmates.
In the midst of bloody battles, she shone purely white—a single ray of light protecting her comrades—which had earned her the nickname Knight in White.
And yet, this same Azel couldn't focus while talking about her own guild?
Something was definitely up.
"Sigh... There's nothing major today anyway, so let's call it. It's late."
"Uh... But I'm fine."
"I'm not. Get some rest."
With a clatter, Zagal gathered up the scattered documents and left the room.
Once she confirmed he was gone, Azel let out a deep breath and collapsed onto the sofa beside her.
"Haaah... Sorry about that, Zagal."
She'd brought all these guild reports, and the guild master couldn't even pay attention...
She'd told Zagal it was nothing.
But in truth, Azel's mind was completely filled with thoughts of the man she'd met at the exam site today: Song In-hyeok.
He was handsome enough, but it wasn't love or anything like that.
It was more like... curiosity. Something she couldn't quite put into words.
She'd met countless people climbing the tower, but this was a first.
A total newbie who wasn't even a climber yet.
And yet, he didn't feel like a newbie at all. There was something off about him.
Maybe that's why.
She'd stepped in to stop the Bulrak brothers' antics—something she'd normally ignore.
She'd even initiated a greeting with a stranger.
And definitely...
'He was definitely staring at my ass...'
Azel turned her head slightly to glance at her own backside.
She touched it lightly—firm from training, yet soft in that feminine way.
She might act tough and carefree, but of course she knew.
Her ass was pretty damn big.
'Was it worth staring at that hard...?'
No one in her guild—or anyone who admired Azel, the Knight in White—could even imagine such a thing.
Who could've dreamed that she'd be fiddling with her own butt, worrying about it?
Just then, as Azel was fixated on her rear...
"Ooooh...!!!"
"Isn't that the guy who was with Lord Azel earlier...?"
"The Bulrak brothers didn't even know him—he seems like a total newbie. Did he become a climber in one go?"
In-hyeok had passed the exam and was now drawing envious looks from those around him.
"...This is the exam?"
It was so straightforward, so ridiculously easy, that he wasn't even sure if you could call it an exam.
He'd passed so effortlessly that seeing the heartbroken failures actually made him feel a little guilty.
The moment light enveloped his body, he stepped out through the black pillar.
He wandered the dark space for a bit, and suddenly light appeared ahead.
"Hm...?"
The light brought him to what looked like a colosseum.
The stands were packed with people.
So that pillar led here.
"Please take a seat wherever you like."
Following the angel who approached to guide him, In-hyeok found an empty spot and sat down.
Not even ten people seemed to have passed before him.
But with this crowd, there must be a ton of exam sites.
A few more people trickled in behind him, filling the stands, and then no one else came. The exam must be over.
The angels who'd been stationed around the edges began gathering in the center.
Is some kind of event about to start?
What if the angels suddenly turn demonic and say, "Everyone here, kill each other!" like a death game...?
As he entertained such silly thoughts, one of the angels in the center spoke up.
"Climbers, congratulations."
Whether it was genuine or not, the angel smiled brightly, scanning everyone in the stands.
"Now, the Goddess herself will bestow her blessing upon you new climbers."
The Goddess herself?
There was only one goddess in this world, so it had to be...
"Kuh?"
"Gaaah... My eyes!"
The moment the angel finished speaking, an immense light burst from among them.
On a whole other level from when they'd emerged from the black pillar.
A few people groaned from the sudden brightness.
But the intense light that had filled the entire colosseum gradually faded.
And eventually...
'That's...!'
He hadn't expected to see her this soon...
Emerging from the angels amid the blinding light was none other than his goal in this world.
The Goddess Yul.
"I-Is that really the Goddess...?"
"So holy..."
"That Goddess will grant any wish... right?"
The other climbers who'd laid eyes on Yul standing among the angels after the light dimmed looked utterly thrilled.
And who could blame them?
They'd met the being at the tower's peak—the god of this world. Only a weirdo wouldn't be excited.
If he dashed to the center right now and fucked her, mission complete...
But no chance in hell.
She was a goddess.
You couldn't just sneak up and ravage her in a wide-open place like this.
So, the real chance would be one-on-one at the top of the tower, right?
Regrettable, but he'd have to play nice this time.
"Blessings..."
The goddess Yul's soft murmur echoed to everyone.
Her beautiful voice moved some to tears.
Then, one by one, they suddenly shot to their feet.
"Don't I feel lighter?"
"You too...?"
"Yeah... Suddenly everything feels refreshed."
They started moving around, commenting on feeling lighter or refreshed.
But In-hyeok didn't feel any different.
He stood and stretched a few times—nothing.
It was like they'd all stared at their goddess and gotten a placebo effect.
"Enough. Quiet down. This is before the Goddess."
To silence the sudden uproar, the angel snapped at them with a slightly annoyed expression.
Overwhelmed by the angel's presence, everyone shut up like they'd swallowed honey and meekly stared at the goddess.
"The lightness you feel is thanks to the Goddess's grace. So, all of you, be grateful to her..."
"That's enough, Gabriel."
Yul herself cut off the overzealous angel and stepped forward slightly.
She clasped her hands as if in prayer and gently closed her eyes.
"I, Goddess Yul, will always bless you challengers of the tower. May you never lose your way and always walk the righteous path."
She opened her softly closed eyes...
"And I pray that one among you here will reach the place where I reside."
She finished with a faint, gentle smile.
Her expressionless face was already beautiful, but that small smile... it took your breath away.
In-hyeok wasn't the only one; most were completely entranced by her smile.
"......?"
Did her eyes just meet mine?
For a split second, as she smiled and scanned the climbers in the stands, their gazes seemed to lock.
Just his imagination?
Probably some random coincidence.
Dismissing it as a trick of the mind, he looked back to where Yul had been.
The goddess was gone...?
She'd vanished right after her final words.
Only angels remained in the colosseum's center.
As Yul disappeared, the angels began handing out pouches one by one and sending people to the tower's second floor.
In-hyeok got his too and was sent to the second floor.
Unlike the first floor, the second felt ridiculously high-tech...
Well, not really.
It wasn't much different from the first.
Clink clink.
Once on the second floor, he shook the pouch. Hearing coins jingle, he opened it to find several gold coins stamped with strange seals.
Starter cash for climbing the tower, huh.
Now he had money, and he was officially a climber...
Time to head up.
To climb fast, he needed info on the tower.
And the best place for that kind of intel had always been...
"A bar."
The tavern.
"Hup..."
"Ah...! Lady Yul!!"
The moment she returned to her domain, Yul staggered, vomiting blood from her mouth.
Gabriel, who practically served as her secretary angel, rushed to support her.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Gabriel. Sorry to worry you."
"Still... maybe it's time to stop. Even for you, Lady Yul, bestowing grace on every single person entering the tower..."
"Gabriel."
Yul looked at him sadly.
Seeing her face, Gabriel realized he'd overstepped.
Comforting him, Yul gave a small smile.
"I'm okay."
"But..."
"I have to take responsibility for this tower world born of my selfishness. More importantly..."
Yul used magic to conjure In-hyeok's face.
Gabriel was flustered by the goddess suddenly manifesting a human face.
"Isn't that the new climber from today...? Why this guy's face all of a sudden?"
"Tell the administrators to keep an eye on him."
"He's just an ordinary human climber. Why on earth...?"
As Gabriel asked in confusion, Yul gazed at In-hyeok's conjured face.
"Who knows... Call it a goddess's intuition? Something tells me this guy might actually conquer the tower."
"That intuition again...?"
At the word "intuition," Gabriel finally relaxed with a sigh.
The goddess's intuition...
To outsiders, it might sound like prophecy from a goddess.
But this great and beautiful goddess was omnipotent in everything except this intuition—she'd never been right about it once.
"Your intuition's always wrong, Lady Goddess."
"Has it?"
"It has."
Yul tilted her head at Gabriel's words, then covered her mouth and let out a soft "fufu" laugh.
"Maybe this time it'll be right?"