The Gods' Gambit

[Devour the Essence of the Rock-Made Sun.]

With mana rearranged, a mana sun took form.

The blazing flames stabilized atop my palm.

“The power of the sun rests in my hand.”

“That mana feels repulsive.”

Nyx frowned as she stared at the Solar Sphere.

Light stood in direct opposition to night.

Though manifested through mana, the sphere pulsed with the same energy as the true sun hanging in the sky.

It could be spread wide or concentrated into a single point.

Its versatility made it exceptionally useful.

A smile tugged at my lips.

The Sunstone was an incredibly rare and potent catalyst, difficult to obtain even across the entire Tower of Babel.

This had its own special use.

‘The essence of the Rock-Made Sun and the Iron Slug too.’

This mission had yielded quite the haul.

I tucked the Sunstone into the Pocket of Desire and pressed the button to challenge the next floor.

At that moment—

Oh?

Ares had made an unexpected proposal.

* * *

While Yu Jinho tackled the 25th floor mission, thunderous roars echoed repeatedly through the celestial domain where the constellations of Olympus resided.

BOOM!

“Is Ares at it again?”

“He’s been doing this a lot lately.”

“He can’t cause trouble in the Tower like he does in the mortal world.”

“As expected, he lacks the dignity befitting the eldest son of the God King.”

“Even the God King… ahem.”

The Olympian gods glanced toward the temple where Gladius stood before going on their way.

Regardless of the others’ disapproval, Ares continued stomping the ground in fury.

“I should have formed the contract sooner!”

Only one thing had been grating on Ares’s nerves lately.

Yu Jinho.

The first constellation to recognize his potential had been Ares himself, back during the tutorial.

But now—

“How dare they scheme to steal my contractor!”

Countless constellations had begun eyeing Yu Jinho after he started climbing the Tower.

The Heavenly Demon.

Baal, Lord of the Polluted Throne.

Odin, King of the Aesir.

Three God King-class constellations alone.

Four S-rank constellations on Ares’s level had also attached themselves, and lower-ranked ones weren’t even worth mentioning.

“Big brother, you brought this on yourself by hesitating too long.”

Hermes appeared out of nowhere in an empty chair.

Irritation flickered across Ares’s face.

“Are you saying the legitimate heir of the Olympian God King was merely testing the waters?”

“Exactly. If you wanted to bring that mortal under your wing, you should have granted him blessings and items.”

“And what guarantee is there that Yu Jinho would accept a guardian constellation contract even if I did?”

“This is precisely why things turned out this way—because you were so stingy, brother.”

Hermes chuckled smoothly.

“If you don’t want to die, stop wagging that tongue.”

Killing intent laced Ares’s voice.

“Oh dear, but this little brother of yours has come bearing a brilliant plan. It would be a shame if I died before sharing it.”

“A plan, you say?”

“There’s a saying that the dead tell no tales.”

Grind.

Ares’s teeth scraped together audibly.

Hermes stole a quick glance at his expression.

‘Whoa, if I pushed any harder he really would’ve exploded.’

Ares, the God of War.

Few constellations in Olympus could match him in combat.

If Ares lost his temper, Hermes’s life would be in danger.

Hermes relished that thrill.

For a constellation who valued “amusement” above all else, provoking Ares was simply another form of entertainment.

“Take back what you just said.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“Now speak. What is this so-called secret plan of yours?”

Ares suppressed his anger and spoke in a low, measured tone.

If the proposal didn’t satisfy him, Hermes would pay dearly for his provocation.

‘……Or so brother thinks.’

Hermes smirked and opened his mouth.

“Wouldn’t that mortal change his mind once he experiences your greatness?”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Heh, I’ve already thought of a way.”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

“Your temper really is short.”

Hermes cleared his throat.

“Do you know what the theme of the 26th floor mission is?”

“Why should I concern myself with the Tower’s structure?”

“That’s why this little brother intended to explain everything.”

The 26th floor mission was [Path of Ordeals].

It tested whether one could traverse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a partial recreation of the “hells” that existed in various divine societies.

“If the constellations negotiate with the Tower system, they can raise the difficulty.”

“And what do you plan to achieve by increasing the mission difficulty?”

“We’ll make Yu Jinho an offer he can’t refuse.”

The idea was to grant blessings and propose a guardian constellation contract to a cornered Yu Jinho.

Ares finally nodded in satisfaction.

“As expected of my brother.”

Ares seized the crystal orb and immediately requested mission intervention from the Tower administrator.

The corner of Hermes’s mouth curled upward.

‘As expected of big brother. He never disappoints.’

Hermes had only one goal in egging Ares on—pure amusement.

Yu Jinho had drawn the attention of many constellations with his unprecedented actions.

The fact that someone had intervened in his mission would surely reach the other constellations one way or another.

Even if the Tower system remained silent.

Because—

‘I’ll be the one spreading the word.’

Dozens of dimensions were connected to the Tower of Babel.

Among all the players he had observed across countless realms, few had caused as much upheaval as Yu Jinho.

How would the Heavenly Demon or Baal react once they found out?

Hermes laughed under his breath.

* * *

I briefly postponed challenging the 26th floor.

“Trials are essential to becoming a hero. It seems Ares holds you in high regard.”

“I’m not so sure……”

I gave an ambiguous smile and let the words trail off.

Ares was a constellation I had encountered occasionally even before my regression.

Unlike Athena, who shared similar attributes, he was remarkably weak when it came to strategy or clever thinking.

This proposal didn’t seem like something that would come from Ares’s muscle-for-brains head.

Three God King-class ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠constellations had sent messages in succession.

Oh-ho.

Now I was starting to understand the situation.

“You’re wearing that sinister smile again.”

“What did I do?”

“So many constellations are trying to impose trials upon you. Your eye for spotting contractors is truly exceptional.”

Nyx raised her nose proudly.

Buddy, this is exactly when you should be suspicious.

There’s no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way Ares could have mobilized all those constellations on his own.

He was desperate to form a guardian contract with me—why would he do something that benefited others?

This mess was most likely caused by someone provoking Ares.

Hermes.

It had to be that guy.

My mouth itched to speak, but I held back.

With so many constellations watching me, every word had to be chosen carefully.

……

The God King-class constellations completely ignored Ares.

Multiple God King-class constellations were intervening in the mission.

The War God of Olympus was a formidable constellation, but he was no match for those three.

Wow. Even counting my previous life, I’d been in and out of the Tower for decades, and this was a first.

Four constellations—not one—had intervened to raise the mission difficulty. An unprecedented event.

“How could I possibly resist trying this?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I pressed the challenge button.

My vision turned white.

When I opened my eyes, a plain covered in pure white snow stretched before me.

Whoosh—! A wind heavy with cold slammed into my skin.

My body instinctively curled inward.

Come to think of it, I had regressed right after being discharged from the military, hadn’t I?

My memories of service were hazy, but my body still remembered the cold.

“Damn, it’s freezing.”

“Th-this level of c-cold is n-nothing……”

“Turn into spirit form. That body can’t withstand Hel’s cold.”

Nyx obediently reverted to spirit form.

The cold was one thing, but the stamina consumption penalty on top of it?

They’d made this mission downright vicious.

—What a harsh place.

“It’s not normally like this. It’s all because of the constellations’ whims.”

Niflheim.

The hell of the “Nine Kingdoms” ruled by the goddess Hel.

Odin must have designed this course.

Damn old man.

I glared at the sky before stepping forward.

My legs sank up to the knees.

Snow poured down from above, and to make matters worse, the wind howled relentlessly.

The blizzard was so fierce that I couldn’t even tell which way to go.

—Are you all right, partner?

“This much is nothing.”

I wrapped my entire body in Stone Skin and Thorn Armor to prevent heat loss.

Using the Metal Reflection Gauntlets here would only make it colder.

“They’re coming at me hard from the start.”

—Do you have a way to push through this blizzard?

“I didn’t before, but now I do.”

I grinned.

Mana rearranged itself atop my palm.

I hurled the blazing flames into the air and released the condensed thermal energy all at once.

Fwoooosh!

A small sun rose into the sky.

All the snow drifting near the Solar Sphere melted away.

Rain suddenly poured down.

Getting hit by that would drain all my body heat in the cold, wouldn’t it?

I formed a barrier with Polar Night to block the downpour.

“So this is how you use this magic.”

As expected.

There really was no such thing as a useless essence.