Chapter 549: Eternal Spire[R-18] (68)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 549: Eternal Spire[R-18] (68)
Meanwhile, the gods of Zeus's faction all wore grim expressions.
“...Who is it?”
Zeus’s voice boomed like thunder. His eyes slowly shifted, glaring at Cheonwol and Tiamat.
“Don’t tell me this was your doing.”
Tiamat met his gaze head-on and scoffed.
“Why are you glaring at me, Zeus? We don’t have the power to help him right now either.”
Cheonwol smiled gently beside her and added, “That’s right~ And unlike you all, we don’t. Break. The rules~”
Zeus’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Then… if not you, who could it be?”
“Hmph.”
Tiamat lifted her chin, a cold smile playing on her lips.
“To think you’d exclude myself and Cheonwol to secretly plot something, only to blame us when things go wrong. Your way of thinking is truly vulgar.”
“...Tiamat.”
Zeus’s voice grew lower, and the air around them became oppressively heavy.
“Watch your mouth.”
At that, Tiamat’s smile widened.
“And what if I don’t? Are you saying you want to have a go at me, Zeus?”
At Tiamat’s provocation, the gazes of the supreme gods instantly locked onto one another. Like low-growling beasts ready to tear each other apart at any moment, an unseen force clashed and surged above the divine thrones.
Zzzzzing…!
The space itself trembled with a tension so thick it felt like cracks were forming in the gods’ domain. But then, a deep, low voice cut through the turmoil.
“That’s enough, Zeus.”
“...Odin!”
Zeus’s eyes flashed. The supreme god of Norse mythology stepped forward, leaning on his staff.
“Don’t think you’re the only ones here.”
Odin’s single eye glinted sharply. His gaze held an insight that pierced through all things and an authority that none dared to defy.
“And this time… I will not let it pass either.”
“What…?”
Zeus’s brow furrowed. But Odin’s voice sank even lower, exuding a pressure heavier than thunder.
“I mean that I will no longer stand by and watch you continuously break the rules and do as you please.”
Zeus’s eyes glinted.
“What is that supposed to mean…”
Odin sneered and struck the floor with his staff.
“It seems your head is so full of useless desires that your comprehension has dulled. It’s exactly as I said, Zeus. I will no longer tolerate your tyranny and arrogance.”
“Odin…!”
“Silence! To keep breaking the rules and meddling with the Tower goes against the promise we all made!”
“I intervened after paying a just price!”
“A just price… you mean the divine power you extorted from your own children? Do you truly think it makes sense for one called a supreme god to pay a price in such a filthy manner?!”
“You also receive divine power from your children! Do you think you have the right to criticize me?!”
Odin let out a cold laugh and slammed his staff down again.
“The one who thinks offering divine power willingly is the same as extorting it by force… dares to call himself a supreme god. All you have left is arrogance, Zeus.”
Odin’s voice was as cold as ice.
“And above all… you crossed the line this time. Ignoring the established causality to bring an additional human into the Tower. Do you truly believe you can handle the changes that are to come?”
“Everything is under my control!”
“Under your control? Hahaha—”
Odin’s laughter echoed through the hall. The sound was so eerie it sent a chill down the spines of even the gods seated on their thrones.
“If you have so much control… then why did Ares kneel to Jin Seo-yun? Why do all the schemes you so meticulously crafted fail time and time again?”
Zeus’s face twisted. His lips trembled, and he was at a loss for words.
“That’s…”
“Even your attempt at an excuse is pathetic.”
Odin looked around the hall. As his single eye shone, the gazes of the assembled gods turned to him in unison.
“I can no longer watch one god obsessively interfere with the Tower in such a meaningless way. If this continues, we will never obtain the fruits of our labor.”
Amidst the breathless silence, Odin’s voice rang out.
“Therefore… I propose this. We exclude Zeus from this round.”
“O—! DIN—!”
Zeus’s rage erupted as if to tear the hall apart. Golden lightning shot out in all directions, shattering the ceiling as thunder vibrated through the air. But Odin didn’t back down an inch.
“You’ve grown weak, Zeus. After interfering with the Tower so much… it seems the restrictions placed upon you are greater than I thought.”
Zeus’s fury blazed like a wildfire, but the other gods’ gazes had now changed. They no longer looked at him with absolute fear and reverence.
Odin raised a hand. His voice boomed like thunder.
“Now! I will hold a vote to exclude Zeus from this round. Those in favor, raise your hands!”
In an instant, the hall was in an uproar. The gods’ eyes darted back and forth, conflict and hesitation spreading among them. But then one, and then another… hands slowly began to rise.
And then, an unexpected sight. Even gods who were considered part of Zeus’s powerful faction raised their hands.
At that moment, Athena’s hand, surrounded by a soft glow, was carefully raised. The murmuring in the hall died down in an instant.
“...Athena. You dare… betray me?”
“I apologize, Father. But what Odin said is not wrong. How long do you intend to exploit the lesser gods and break the rules for your own desires?”
“Shut your mouth!”
Zeus’s roar echoed through the hall as golden lightning flashed everywhere.
“As long as you were born of my blood, you have no right to defy me!”
But Athena did not back down. Her eyes were cold and firm.
“As one of the supreme gods, I am simply following the right decision.”
The air in the hall froze. The moment Zeus’s fury and Athena’s resolve clashed head-on, other gods’ hands began to rise in succession.
And so, the vote to exclude Zeus was decided by a majority.
Odin’s voice echoed heavily.
“The majority is in favor.”
The hall was instantly plunged into silence.
“Zeus. For this round, you are forbidden from interfering with the Tower.”
“How dare… you…!”
An explosive power surged from Zeus’s body. But the gods beside him immediately stepped forward to restrain him.
“Stop it, Zeus!”
“It’s time to back down.”
Hera sighed and walked forward. With a cold, hard expression, she roughly grabbed the back of Zeus’s neck.
“Zeus, don’t embarrass yourself any further.”
Restrained, Zeus was dragged away. As the doors to the corridor slowly closed, his final shout echoed through the hall.
“Don’t think this is the end! I will… repay the humiliation of this day!”
When the doors slammed shut, the hall fell silent once more. And in that silence, Loki slowly approached Odin and spoke.
“Thank you for granting my request.”
“...I merely helped because I, too, have long been displeased with Zeus’s behavior. So you should also stop plotting any more strange schemes.”
“Strange schemes? I simply think~ a change is needed.”
Loki smiled playfully, twirling his finger. But his eyes were not smiling at all.
“When the word ‘change’ comes from your mouth, it usually leads to chaos and ruin.”
“Huhu, isn’t chaos an opportunity? And ruin… I’ve always preferred the term ‘re-creation’.”
Odin’s single eye glinted coldly.
“Loki. If you cross the line again… I will not forgive you just because you are my son.”
“Ooh, scary. But I’m just an interested observer of the Tower’s fate.”
With those words, Loki quietly retreated. As he slowly exited the hall, he looked up at the image of Jin Seo-yun on the large screen. Then, so quietly that no one could hear, Loki muttered.
“The beginning of change always stems from ruin… and I suspect the beginning of that ruin is probably that man.”
*
After helping Seo Eun-ha and Han So-young collect themselves, we finally stood before the boss room.
The iron door opened slowly with a heavy, metallic groan. A foul, fishy smell seeped through the opening and immediately pierced my lungs.
“Ugh…”
The inside was, in a word, gruesome. The corpses of dozens, no, hundreds of goblins were piled up haphazardly, and the blood had dried on the floor, hardening into a black film.
Atop the highest point of that corpse pile, a man sat leisurely, as if on a throne of blood.
“...In-Instructor? You were alive?”
Han So-young’s eyes widened as she cried out in a trembling voice.
At that moment, the man on the pile of corpses slowly lifted his head. The corners of his mouth twisted and split into a grotesque grin. Then, a long tongue, glistening with saliva, licked his lips.
“Finally… the last guests have arrived.”
“Instructor…?”
Seo Eun-ha quickly stepped forward, shielding Han So-young behind her. Her hand gripped her rapier, ready to attack at any moment.
“...That’s not the instructor.”
“Then what is it…”
I stepped forward to fill the gap.
“Be careful. That’s the monster that’s been toying with us all this time.”
“No way…”
I stared straight at the doppelganger before me. The creature was still wary of me.
The reason it hadn’t directly touched Seo Eun-ha and Han So-young until now was because I had been by their side.
The creature slowly rose from its seat. The pile of corpses collapsed, and the stench of blood grew thicker.
“You were the most annoying one. My instincts kept sending me warnings.”
The creature grinned and continued.
“But… in this man’s memories, he certainly judged you to be weak. Hehehehe…”
Suddenly, the creature’s arm twisted and elongated grotesquely. Blood and flesh burst out, bones jutted forth, and it soon transformed into the shape of a massive, ominously glowing scythe.
Its gaze swept past us, then fixed on Seo Eun-ha and Han So-young.
“First… the two women.”
CRACK!
Its foot kicked off the ground, and the massive scythe swung like lightning, flying toward Eun-ha and So-young.
“Dodge!”
Seo Eun-ha shouted sharply, drawing her Ray Pier and swinging it.
CLANG!
The tip of her blade tried to deflect the scythe’s trajectory, but the difference in power was too great.
“Kyah!”
The shock traveled up her arm, sending Seo Eun-ha flying backward.
“Eun-ha!”
Just then, Han So-young raised her hand and cast a spell.
“Go— [Thorn Vines]!”
In an instant, green thorn vines shot up from the floor. Writhing like snakes, the vines wrapped around the scythe’s path, blocking it.
“Hehehe…”
A chilling laugh escaped the doppelganger’s lips. But in that brief moment, an opening was created.
I grinned and stepped forward.
“Hey, hey~ You’re going to touch my woman? You think I’m just gonna stand by and let that happen?”
The creature’s gaze locked onto me. Its glistening red eyes contorted like a beast’s.
“You’re last. So stand there and watch your companions die!”
“And you think I’ll just watch that happen?!”
BOOM!
The floor exploded as my body shot forward in an instant. I had sealed my own power and was currently using only the strength of a level 10. But even that was on a completely different level from what an ordinary human could wield.
‘Heh, no matter how much I seal my power, you can’t fake pure physical stats.’
My fist shot out like lightning, followed by a sonic boom as it split the air.
CRACK!!
The doppelganger raised its scythe to block, but its arm was pushed back, and the stone floor cracked under the force.
“Ghk… This power… for a mere human!”
The creature shrieked, grinding its teeth.
But I just grinned wider, ducking to avoid an attack.
“Hey, hey~ This is a total punching bag, isn't it? A living punching bag that can’t even land a proper counterattack!”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
My fists relentlessly struck its abdomen, jaw, and temple in succession. Saliva mixed with goblin blood and a foul stench splattered everywhere.
Then, I deliberately slowed down, letting the tip of its scythe graze my arm.
Red blood trickled down my forearm.
‘They’d get suspicious if I didn’t have a single scratch.’
I muttered inwardly with a smile.
“Hey, hey… you’re pretty good for a monster.”
“You bastard… Raaaargh!”
The doppelganger roared, then lowered its body and charged again. Just as I was about to take a defensive stance, it suddenly changed its trajectory and leaped up.
“What?”
Its scythe drew an arc, heading straight for Seo Eun-ha.
“Ah…!”
Seo Eun-ha’s eyes widened, and her body froze. The instant the gleaming scythe was about to touch her neck—
STAB!!
I threw my body in front of her. The scythe’s blade dug deep into my arm.
“Keuk…!”
“Geum Tae-yang!”
“Ooh… Woo-hyo… Eun-ha-chan, are you okay…? I blocked it before it could reach your neck…”
“You idiot…! Why would you do something so reckless…”
Seo Eun-ha’s eyes grew moist.
From behind, Han So-young threw her hands up and shouted in a trembling voice.
“Oppa! [Earth Barrier]!”
RUMBLE!
A massive rock wall rose up, separating me and the doppelganger. But it only lasted for a moment.
“Heh… Meaningless.”
With a swing of the scythe, the wall shattered like paper.
I clutched my arm, pretending to slowly collapse.
“Ghk… That’s… pretty painful.”
Seo Eun-ha grabbed my shoulder, her voice choked with tears.
“You idiot… why did you do that for me…!”
“Eun-ha-chan, before I die… can you grant me one wish?”
“What is it…”
“A kiss… think you could give me one?”
“You moron… what are you saying in a situation like this…!”
“Ah… I guess not, huh…?”
Seo Eun-ha’s eyes trembled, and then she cupped my cheeks. Her trembling lips drew near and gently pressed against mine.
Mwah.
A short, heart-wrenching kiss.
“Eun-ha-chan… this is just a peck, like what kids do.”
“...If we survive.”
Her voice trembled faintly.
“...Then… I’ll give you a real one.”
At that moment, the doppelganger’s chilling laughter echoed.
“Hehehe… Die, human! This time, I’ll tear you to shreds for real!”
The massive scythe descended in a sinister arc.
But—
CLANK!
My hand caught the scythe perfectly. My fingers, which should have been sliced to pieces, were unharmed. Instead, cracks appeared on the scythe, which creaked under the pressure.
I looked at Seo Eun-ha, who was staring blankly at the scene, and smiled.
“You promised, okay?”