Chapter 721: Eternal Spire (99)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 721: Eternal Spire (99)
Getting jumped like this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but something felt off.
Specifically, the way she was looking at me—like I was a piece of prey—triggered an instinctive sense of danger.
"Luna."
"…Yes?"
"Now that I think about it… I think we’re moving a bit too fast."
"……?"
Luna stared at me as if I were talking nonsense.
"…From the moment you entered the Tower until now… I’ve seen everything you’ve done… and you think this is moving too fast?"
The light in her eyes died out even more than before. I’d definitely said the wrong thing.
"I was joking, obviously… More importantly, could you maybe loosen your grip on my hands?"
"No. Seo-yun, you have to do it with me now. We have to mate and make a baby."
"Uh, wait—"
Luna shoved me down onto the bed and climbed on top of me.
The light in her pupils vanished completely, leaving them looking hollow.
"My purity…!"
"Seo-yun, you aren't pure!"
"Ouch, I’m actually a little hurt by that."
"Hmph! Stop joking around and just get me pregnant already!"
Luna barked at me, shredding my clothes in an instant as she began to drool.
"Haah… haah… I’m tired of just watching you and masturbating every day… I want to do it with Seo-yun and have babies… You’re going to live here with me forever…"
A chill ran down my spine, but at the same time, I felt a reaction down below.
Having sex with Luna right now felt dangerous… but honestly, it was also incredibly arousing.
A beauty who had spent thousands of years alone was this obsessed with me. As a man, there was no way that could feel bad.
What should I do? Should I just let her take me?
Just as Luna grabbed my pants to pull them off—
"My, it looks like you’re in need of some assistance."
"Who’s there?"
The moment I asked, Luna’s expression twisted in rage.
"Loki! Don't interfere!"
"Now that you have a name, you’ve completely lost your mind. For now, why don't you get some sleep?"
As Loki touched the crystal in his hand, the strength drained out of Luna’s body, and she drifted off.
"Ugh…"
Luna slumped over on top of me. I could hear her steady breathing; she was fast asleep.
I carefully laid her down beside me and sat up on the bed.
Then, I looked at the man standing in the corner of the room.
Red hair, sharp features, and a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
Loki.
"Nice to meet you, Jin Seo-yun. I am Loki."
Loki bowed politely.
"I appreciate the help, but Loki, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? The System—no, is it Luna now? She is the most dangerous existence here. Naturally, I’ve been monitoring her in real-time. I just happened to be watching a very entertaining scene unfold and decided to step in."
"Watching?"
"Yes. The Tower’s System trying to pounce on a human participant? That’s a rare sight I haven't seen in thousands of years."
Loki chuckled.
I glanced at Luna lying on the bed and asked, "What’s that in your hand? How did you put her to sleep?"
"Oh, this?"
Loki held up the object. It was a small crystal orb.
"It’s one of the few items created by the collective power of several gods to directly interfere with the Tower’s System, just in case it ever went on a rampage."
The idea that I could control Luna with that made me want it.
"Could you give that to me?"
"Unfortunately, I don't think I can do that."
"That’s a shame."
"More importantly, Jin Seo-yun."
"What."
"Why don't we have a little chat?"
Loki’s eyes gleamed.
"I’d like to make a proposal that would be mutually beneficial."
"A proposal? Like what?"
Loki snapped his fingers. Two chairs appeared out of thin air.
"Sit, for now. This isn't a short story to tell while standing."
I hesitated for a moment before sitting down. Loki took the seat opposite me.
"I’ll get straight to the point," Loki said, crossing his legs. "I want to destroy this Tower."
"I know."
"Oh, you do?"
"Because your children are sealed here. Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel."
Loki’s eyes widened slightly.
"…You know more than I expected."
"A little."
I shrugged.
Loki stroked his chin and continued.
"Then this will be quick. I have trapped the gods in a barrier. Even at this very moment, they are unable to move."
As expected, it seemed Loki had indeed imprisoned the gods.
The barrier will break on its own eventually, though.
According to the original story, Loki’s barrier wasn't permanent. Over time, it would naturally weaken, and the gods would eventually break free.
"I want to destroy the Tower and rescue my children. I need a little bit of your help."
"Help? What kind of help are we talking about?"
"Can you save my daughters?"
It was the proposal I had more or less anticipated.
"You mean Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel, right?"
"Correct. My precious children."
"And what do I get for saving them?"
"I will exert a certain amount of control over the threats generated by the System for you."
Not a bad deal.
I had no reason to be hostile toward Loki.
In fact, while our ultimate goals differed, our interests overlapped naturally as long as we didn't get in each other's way.
His goal was to liberate his daughters; my goal was to take Vortel’s heart and make Luna mine.
However, one thing bothered me.
"Why are you making this proposal to me? Someone like you should be able to find a way to save your daughters yourself."
"I could… but I am under far too many restrictions."
That one sentence immediately brought several possibilities to mind.
"Is it because of the taboos placed on you by the gods?"
Loki’s eyes went wide again.
"…You even know about that?"
"Roughly."
In the original story, Loki was subjected to various taboos by the other gods. One of them was that he suffered much greater power restrictions within the Tower compared to the other gods.
"That is correct. I cannot fight directly. To be precise, if I approach the places where my children are sealed, the taboos activate and seal my power."
"So you need someone to fight in your place."
"Yes. And there is no one more suitable than you."
Loki spoke with a serious expression.
"You already possess the power of a god, and more importantly, you are an existence not bound by the gods' restrictions. Because you are a participant."
However, Loki was lying.
He’s the guy who broke the taboos himself in the original story.
He was hiding something.
"You’re hiding something. Spit it out."
"You’re quick on the uptake. Sometimes I really can't tell if you’re just a horny monkey obsessed with sex, but then you show such sharp insight that I can't help but be impressed."
"Pretty sure you just insulted me."
"You misunderstand."
Loki waved his hand with a sly grin.
"I’ll be honest with you."
His expression turned serious again.
"I don't have the confidence to face the monsters trapped in this Tower."
"In other words, you’re scared?"
"Yes… honestly, I’m not much of a fighter. And as you may or may not know, with the exception of a few gods, we cannot enter the boss rooms as we please. Even I can't do anything about that restriction."
That part is true.
Loki shrugged.
"I’m confident in schemes and deception, but a head-on confrontation? Not my style."
It made sense to a degree.
Loki was a trickster. He wasn't the type to push through with brute force; he was the type to toy with his opponents using his brain. For someone like him, fighting a monster directly was practically suicide.
Teaming up with Loki didn't seem like a bad idea. He was being favorable toward me, and he realized he needed me to save his daughters. Therefore, he wouldn't be able to betray me until his daughters were safe.
However, there was one thing I was curious about.
"What exactly is Luna?"
"Hmm, I’m not particularly fond of talking about her, but as the one who has received her favor, I suppose it’s information you definitely need."
Loki glanced at Luna and sighed.
"She is a bit special. A sort of residue."
"Residue?"
"I have to explain things from before this Tower was even built. It might be a long story; is that alright?"
"I’ve got nothing but time, so I don't mind… but isn't it dangerous if Luna wakes up?"
"As long as I have this, we’re safe."
Loki lightly shook the crystal orb in his hand.
I nodded and leaned back in my chair.
"Fine. Let’s hear it."
Loki fell silent for a moment as if organizing his thoughts, then slowly began to speak.
"This is a story from a very long time ago, before this world was even created."
His voice dropped an octave.
"In the beginning, there was chaos. And from that chaos, the first beings were born. Beings we call the 'Primordial Gods'."
"Primordial Gods?"
"Yes. Beings far more powerful and far older than the current gods."
Loki continued.
"Just as there cannot be multiple suns under the sky, the Primordial Gods kept each other in check and fought for the throne. In the process, they created numerous gods to expand their influence, and the war continued for tens of thousands of years."
"And then?"
"Well, in the end, they all self-destructed. Most of the Primordial Gods were either killed or sealed."
"So?"
"The debris of that war… the power, emotions, and memories of the dead Primordial Gods… those things gathered to become a single entity. And that residue was far more powerful than anyone expected. Fortunately, because it had only just been born, sealing it wasn't too difficult."
Loki looked at Luna lying on the bed.
"That is the woman you see there."
I looked at Luna as well.
She looked so peaceful sleeping there with her silver-white hair scattered about. To think that was the residue of the Primordial Gods.
"So that’s why you called her residue."
"Yes. She is not a complete being. She is an incomplete existence created by the jumbled fragments of various Primordial Gods. That’s why her emotions are unstable and her power is uncontrollable."
Loki sighed.
"The gods tried to kill her, but they couldn't. Even as residue, the power she possessed was too immense. At the time, she was weaker than she is now, so they were able to turn her into the Tower’s System. It was a way to utilize her power while keeping her sealed at the same time."
"So the Tower itself was Luna’s prison."
Loki nodded.
"And when you gave her a name… cracks began to appear in the seal."
I stroked my chin.
So the trouble started the moment I named her Luna.
Names have power. Especially giving a name to a nameless existence is the same as giving that existence an identity.
For thousands of years, Luna existed only as a function called the 'Tower’s System.' But when I gave her a name, she began to be recognized as an individual entity named 'Luna.'
"Is Luna really that dangerous?"
"Yes."
Loki spoke with a grim expression.
"To be honest, I don't know what will happen if she is completely released. She is a being made of the mixed powers of the Primordial Gods. Personally, I recommend putting her to sleep forever."
I fell into thought for a moment.
I knew from the start that Luna was dangerous. But I didn't realize it was to this extent.
The residue of the Primordial Gods, huh…
Perhaps in the original story, Loki had put Luna to sleep forever at the end. That would explain why she didn't appear in the final chapter.
"I know you like beautiful women, but that thing is only a beauty on the outside; she’s an uncontrollable monster. You should give up on her."
I looked at Luna on the bed.
Her silver-white hair was spread out as she slept peacefully. Her skin was pale but beautiful. Her features were perfect.
Give up on a beauty like this?
An existence that had been alone for thousands of years had opened her heart to someone for the first time.
Giving up on a beauty isn't in my dictionary.
I looked at Loki and said, "I’ll handle Luna myself."
Loki sighed.
"Did you not hear a word I just said? She is the residue of the Primordial Gods. Her emotions are unstable, and her power is uncontrollable. You never know when she might go on a rampage."
"I know."
Loki stared at me intently.
"…Are you actually confident? Confident that you can control her?"
"Control?"
I smirked.
"It’s not control. It’s conditioning."
"…What?"
Loki looked at me with an expression of pure disbelief.
"…Are you saying you’re going to perform conditioning on the residue of the Primordial Gods right now?"
"Why? You think I can't?"
"No, it’s just…"
Loki was at a loss for words.
"Don't worry. I’m pretty confident when it comes to handling women."
"Ha…"
Loki pressed a hand to his forehead.
"You really are… an incredible person in many ways. I didn't realize you were a human this obsessed with sex."
"I’ve always been a bit extraordinary."
"That wasn't a compliment. Haaa, I suppose it can't be helped. It seems our interests don't align on this point."
"You want to fight me?"
"Good heavens, are you crazy? Fighting you would only be a loss for me."
Loki waved his hands dismissively.
"What, you’re backing down that easily?"
"Honestly, I’m afraid of that woman being released, but well, if things go wrong, you’re the one who’s in trouble, not me or my daughters. If it gets bad enough, we can just run away and live somewhere else."
Then, Loki looked at me seriously and added, "Since things are working out better than expected thanks to you, I’ll give you one piece of advice."
"Advice?"
"Yes. First of all, you must not have sexual relations with that woman immediately. Among the powers she possesses is an absorption ability."
"Absorption ability?"
Loki explained with a grave expression.
"Yes. Having a relationship itself isn't the problem, but the System right now is like a young child. There is a high possibility she won't be able to control her own desires, go on a rampage, and end up consuming you."