The Altars of the Demon Worshippers

A week later.

With Jiyoung having finally cleared the 18th floor mission, our team of four now stood ready to challenge the 19th floor.

“Master.”

“What.”

“You waited around like we were going to conquer the tower together, so why did you go alone?”

“I only matched your pace. I never said we’d conquer it together.”

Filling every highest record in the Tower of Babel with my name.

That was the goal I had set after regressing.

The first attempt came with additional bonuses, too.

But forming a team would split the contribution points, so going solo was the best choice.

“If you stick with me, you’ll only lose out.”

These weren’t empty words.

To set the highest record in a mission, I had to do whatever it took.

Unless it was a mission that forced team play or converted contribution into joint scores, moving together with Jiyoung and the others would actually put me at a disadvantage.

“Tch. Then why form a team at all?”

Jiyoung pretended to be angry.

This team leader has a bigger picture in mind.

I was preparing for the massive storm that would soon hit the world, but I could hardly tell her about it in advance.

Even if I did, she probably wouldn’t believe me.

Organizing the gains I had earned from conquering the tower over the past fifteen days…

On the 14th floor, I obtained corpse poison from the zombie essence.

On the 15th floor mission, I gained crude handiwork and the healing skill Heal.

On the 16th floor, while wandering a maze-like cave, I hunted the bizarre creatures known as cave dwellers and even obtained the Detection skill.

The greatest profit among them was acquiring the cave dweller’s essence.

The synergy from Detection turned the information received through ultrasound into automatic visual conversion instead of auditory.

It had become far more intuitive.

Repeating the mission several times just to obtain the cave dweller’s essence had been worth it.

The 17th and 18th floors were player-versus-player competitions, so I didn’t obtain any special essences, but I did receive decent items as first-clear rewards.

“Mr. Jinho, it would be best if you sold the Yaksha’s Obsidian Sword to our Guryong-bang guild…”

Gold Moon and Guryong-bang.

Representatives from the world’s top two guilds were clearly interested.

After all, Legend-grade items commanded prices over a hundred billion.

“I’d rather receive something other than money.”

“The dinosaur fossil, I presume? The boss has already approved it.”

For once, Zhu Yixian had moved faster than Ellen.

The Yaksha’s Obsidian Sword, like the Focus Stone, only appeared when breaking highest records.

Fewer than a hundred had ever been distributed worldwide.

It took a long time to upgrade and had clear limits, but it was a weapon worth the steep price.

Ellen, arriving a step late, quickly wiped the disappointment from her eyes and spoke.

“Mr. Yu, Gold Moon would like to purchase the bloodstone under the same conditions.”

The incomplete bloodstone was a powerful catalyst capable of advancing alchemical research by leaps and bounds.

The United States was using various substances from the tower to revive and develop alchemy, magic engineering, and metallurgy dealing with rare metals.

A few years from now it might be different, but at the current point in time, even an incomplete bloodstone held enormous value.

“I truly cannot understand why you would buy such defective goods at such high prices.”

Nyx muttered as she watched the two of them lament.

“Hey, Goddess. Don’t butt into other people’s deals.”

“Mortals truly are pitiful creatures.”

“Cotton candy confiscated for three days.”

“That is a sacred contract between you and this one!”

“Do you think cotton candy just falls from the sky?”

“Until this one falls asleep, it is only natural to receive offerings.”

“Then why don’t you go back to that time.”

Even after obtaining a physical body, Nyx still preferred cotton candy above all else.

It was a relief she hadn’t developed a taste for things like caviar or foie gras.

That aside.

While climbing the tower, one unexpected side effect had appeared.

Essences with overlapping properties did not always produce synergy.

Paralysis poison, acid, and corpse poison.

While the zombie’s corpse poison and the goblin’s blood both fell under the ‘poison’ category, their methods of manifestation differed.

The deep slime’s acidic blood refused to mix with either of them.

“Ugh, my stomach hurts.”

I rubbed my belly.

Whenever the devoured essences caused a backlash, the first symptom was always a stomachache.

It wasn’t irritable bowel syndrome.

Well, if the heartburn was only at this level, it was still tolerable.

Nyx pursed her lips.

“Are you truly alright?”

“What’s the point of saying I’m not?”

“The words you always spout as a habit are wrong this time.”

“That every essence is helpful? That still holds true.”

“Yet the result looks like this.”

“There’s a method to handle it.”

Yes. In the past, I had been cautious with my body because of Devour’s side effects.

If only I had recalled the method to control the essences sooner…

Both Gold Moon and Guryong-bang had offered to help.

Soon I would be able to take the time to readjust the essences I had absorbed.

I rose from my seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To conquer the 19th floor, of course.”

It was a recommended team mission.

The time had finally come for the newly formed Yeokcheon team to undertake their first group activity.

* * *

Karla and Ping Lei had halted their progress at the 18th floor and were completing repeat missions.

I could climb quickly if I focused, but Jiyoung needed time to clear up to the 18th floor.

“If it is the team leader’s order.”

Karla, whose level was nearing 100.

She had nearly met the conditions to challenge her promotion match, so she could have raised at least one objection, yet she accepted my words without complaint.

Ping Lei, however, who had been promoted around the same time as me, grumbled with his lips protruding.

“Why exactly must I wait for this bread—no, that woman… sir?”

“Yeah. Let’s have a little sparring session.”

“No. I understand, so just say it with words!”

“Little? Your tone is short.”

“Please spar with me, Master.”

“We’re already conversing. With our bodies.”

After that, Ping Lei was beaten into a complete mess.

Zhu Yixian, the man Guryong-bang had attached as a monitor, watched the scene without a single protest.

“Mr. Jinho is truly remarkable. To think you could teach Ping Lei better than I could.”

Ironically, Ping Lei’s skills had risen sharply while getting pummeled by me.

As he moved desperately to avoid even a single hit, his movement patterns grew far more efficient.

Of course, it still wasn’t enough to touch me.

“Wow, you’ve improved a lot.”

“Why is there a new form I’ve never seen before?!”

The Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts and the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method.

With the addition of peak martial arts and mental techniques, my combat level had risen far beyond what I could achieve with the Blood Claw Technique alone.

The only flaw was the heavy internal energy consumption.

After many twists and turns, the team members now stood before the 19th floor.

Excluding Kim Youngsoo, who had already cleared it, I declared that the remaining four of us would challenge it.

“Wait a moment, Mr. Yu.”

“Go ahead.”

“May I ask one question?”

“As many as you like. After all, I did receive your investment.”

“You are aware that the 19th floor is a five-person team mission, correct?”

“Yes. Although Brother Youngsoo is part of the team, he has already cleared it.”

When entering as a formed squad rather than random matching, the presence of a multi-clear player meant the first-attempt rewards could not be fully obtained.

“The 19th floor mission is extremely difficult. We strongly recommend filling all five slots.”

“If you are short on personnel, Guryong-bang can provide one person, Mr. Jinho.”

Zhu Yixian added his voice as well.

Hmm.

“I believe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠four people will be sufficient?”

Ellen and Zhu Yixian.

Both of them looked like they had plenty to say after hearing my answer.

But they did not cross the line.

I had been ready to warn them if they tried to interfere with team operations.

Or perhaps they were staying quiet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I would learn the hard way.

Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Hehe. Since this one is present, it is no different from five people—or even six.”

Nyx’s combat ability was at the Iron-rank level.

Her level was still low, so she could not match Karla or Ping Lei, but she could certainly pull more than her own weight.

Still, they probably could not understand why we would insist on clearing it with only four.

I had my reasons.

The first erosion—in other words, the day the synchronization between the tower and the world reached 20%—was not far off.

At the latest, it would happen within a month.

Before gates began appearing everywhere, the 19th floor was the perfect place for the team members to practice coordinating with one another.

Practicing the linkage between the four of us took priority over awkwardly adding one more person.

“Let me say one thing upfront.”

With the Tower of Babel app activated, I spoke to Ellen and Zhu Yixian.

“My goal is a full clear of the 19th floor.”

A full clear of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠19th floor.

Before the regression, the American team ‘Magnitude’ had been the first to achieve it in 2028.

Even Ellen and Zhang Wufei, the guild master of Guryong-bang, had failed.

I intended to pull that history forward by two years.

“Then let’s begin.”

All team members activated their Tower of Babel apps.

“Everyone ready?”

“Master, I’m so nervous my stomach…”

“Yeah. Go use the bathroom then.”

I ignored Jiyoung’s grumbling and pressed the mission challenge button.

* * *

The mission starting point was the base camp.

A space encircled by sparsely placed logs contained tents and a bonfire.

“Goddess, please endure this shabby place for a little while.”

“You know nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Wherever this one stays becomes radiant with light.”

So she was saying the base camp wasn’t shabby because she was in it?

What narcissistic consideration. It was a very Nyx-like way of speaking.

“Team leader, what will we do now?”

Ping Lei watched my expression carefully.

“Check the status board.”

I activated the mission progress screen.

A map marked the locations of the altars.

One hour and two hours.

“We’ll split into three teams.”

I pointed at Karla and Ping Lei.

“You two form one team. Nyx and I will be another. Jiyoung, you stay here.”

“But there are only two altars to attack?”

When Jiyoung asked, I shifted my gaze to the ground.

“You’ll defend this place.”

With Jiyoung’s abilities specialized in defense, she should be able to hold off the demon followers if they attacked.

“I have one suggestion.”

Ping Lei’s eyes sparkled.

It looked suspicious at a glance.

“Speak.”

“How about a bet on who clears an altar first?”

Oh. It seemed Ping Lei had gained some confidence after improving his skills.

“Fine. It’ll be good for raising motivation.”

“If I win, please exempt me from sparring for one week.”

“If I win, I’ll double your training. Sound fair?”

“Yes.”

Ping Lei’s eyes burned with determination.