The Great Sage's Call
The roar shook the heavens.
Khaaaaaaaaah—!!!!
The dinosaur clad in silver-gray metallic armor bellowed, its thunderous cry echoing across the battlefield. It was the essence of a primordial Tyrannosaurus, manifested through the Void Mirror.
I advanced on my thickened, powerful legs, each step sending tremors through the earth.
“Kirruk, kiruk!”
“Kiruk!”
House-sized ants swarmed over my feet, clinging desperately.
Giant ants.
Monsters measuring roughly five meters from head to tail and standing two meters tall. Their sheer size made the swarm feel like an avalanche. When they all latched on at once, my massive body actually staggered.
“W-whoa!”
“Player Jinho!!”
The players riding on my back panicked, but I cut them off with a low growl.
“Don’t make a fuss.”
I slammed my foot down hard. Baektaek Dominion Kick.
A massive surge of internal energy raced through the point of impact, shaking the ground like an earthquake. The raw power of a primordial beast, amplified by every buff I could stack, pushed my strength to its absolute limit. The result was devastating. A two-hundred-meter radius was obliterated in an instant.
Crunch! Crack!
The giant ants caught in the shockwave burst apart like overripe fruit. Their green bodily fluids painted the earth as I trudged forward, crushing more beneath my feet.
Babel Tower - Floor 34
Mount Hyas
Mission - Long live the Queen.
The ant kingdom lay at the base of Mount Hyas. The giant ants had only recently formed their colony here, but they were already devastating the local ecosystem and threatening other creatures. The forest elves had hired me to assassinate the queen.
▶ Objective: Kill the Queen Ant.
We had reached the thirty-fourth floor. The mission was to infiltrate the ant kingdom and slay the queen. Because their numbers were so overwhelming, the standard strategy was to find a secret path to the royal palace.
But I had never been one for standard strategies.
“They call him the hero of the Spice Islands, but this is just ridiculous.”
“First time I’ve ever seen a skill that lets you turn into a dinosaur.”
“And this is only Silver rank?”
The players on my back cheered wildly. They seemed to be enjoying the ride. I would farm all the contribution points while they got an easy clear. A win-win.
I charged straight toward the palace at full speed. More giant ants poured in from every direction. The ones with wings took to the sky, clicking their massive mandibles as they eyed my exposed belly.
“To lay a hand on my contractor, you must first obtain this one’s permission.”
Nyx, perched atop my head, manipulated the Polar Night. Dozens of black tendrils shot out like the arms of an octopus seizing prey. The divided strands of darkness wrapped around the flying ants and dragged them down.
“As expected of the goddess. So reliable.”
“Leave your back to me, partner.”
The ants kept coming in endless waves. I continued unleashing the Baektaek Dominion Kick, annihilating everything that approached.
Devour
Range expanded via tail movement to consume every available essence.
I couldn’t reach the distant ants, but I made sure to swing my tail side to side, widening the area of effect as much as possible. Normally, reaching the palace would have taken hours—days if unlucky. Thanks to the Void Mirror, I arrived in just three minutes.
“There are still so many of them.”
“Thousands… no, tens of thousands?”
“We actually have to fight all these ants?”
“Why worry when Jinho’s going to wipe them all out?”
The players on my back muttered with a mix of worry and excitement. Countless ants surrounded the palace. The queen herself remained hidden inside.
“Everyone off,” I rumbled in a deep, resonant voice.
“Huh?”
“I’m canceling the transformation, so get down. Unless you want to be crushed under me.”
The players looked startled. They must have assumed I would charge the palace in Tyrannosaurus form. Their faces paled as they scrambled off my back. The moment they were clear, I released the Void Mirror.
Nyx approached my side.
“Are you all right, partner?”
“Yeah. I still have some leeway.”
Because I had ended the skill with plenty of duration remaining, the backlash wasn’t severe. I sat on the ground and activated the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method to calm my roiling insides.
“Goddess.”
“How many seconds do you need?”
“Thirty.”
“Heh. That is no trouble at all.”
Ten seconds had passed. Thanks to the Earth Mother Goddess’s blessing, my internal injuries healed at an astonishing rate.
“Jinho, please do something!”
“You told us to trust only in you and not worry about returning, remember?”
These people were far too impatient. If I was giving them a free bus ride, they could at least stay quiet.
Demonic Power
All stats converted into magic power. All other stats reduced to 1.
I pulled the Ars Goetia from the Pocket of Desire. Flipping to the page bearing Barbatos’s true name, I converted my mana into dark mana. The spell I was about to cast possessed the greatest offensive power of any in the grimoire—surpassing even Solar Explosion.
Black mist swirled around me. The players instinctively stepped back.
Children. Scared so easily.
“Barbatos’s Iron Mace.”
The moment I spoke the name, the restructured dark mana materialized into a colossal mace. I swung my right hand downward.
BOOOOOOOM—!
The mace forged of pure darkness crushed the entire royal palace in a single strike.
◈ A horn used to announce the end of the world.
◈ Allows the user to designate and converse with any one constellation at will.
◈ The chosen constellation is under no obligation to obey. Use with caution.
The palace had been reduced to rubble. Even more bodily fluids than before flowed from the ruins that had become a tomb.
“He actually solo-cleared it.”
“The hero of the Spice Islands really is on another level.”
“Jackpot! This has to be a new record for the thirty-fourth floor, right?”
The players celebrated wildly. I calmly checked the clear reward.
▶ New highest record set on Floor 34.
▶ Gjallarhorn awarded as compensation.
The thirty-centimeter horn felt surprisingly light in my hand. Just as I remembered from the previous timeline, I had obtained Gjallarhorn.
All the extreme measures—the Void Mirror and Demonic Power—had been worth it.
“Hoh. A horn containing mysterious power indeed.”
“It’s an item that lets you call a constellation at will.”
“Then have you obtained everything there is to gain here?”
“Not yet.”
I pointed at the collapsed palace with my right hand. I had yet to devour the queen ant’s essence.
“You really are consistent,” Nyx said, shaking her head.
I chuckled lightly, then rummaged through the ruins until I found the queen’s essence and devoured it as well.
* * *
Burrow ★ Active
Dig holes with your hands. When activated, the ground softens at your touch.
Presence of the Ruler ★★★ Passive
Increases the stats of the user and all those in a master-servant relationship by 3%.
Both skills had come from the giant ants and their queen. Burrow seemed useless for now, but Presence of the Ruler provided an immediate benefit. It was a permanent, wide-area buff. Since I had yet to obtain any summoning-type skills from devoured essences, only Nyx and I benefited. Still, once I gained more summoning abilities, this passive would truly shine. A constant three-percent stat increase was nothing to scoff at.
You have used up all available attempts for today.
To challenge the Babel Tower again, you must wait until 00:00 Korean time.
I logged out of the Tower app and immediately went looking for Ping Lei.
“Guild Leader. You summoned me?”
“It seems the time has come.”
“Time… for what, exactly?”
“Preparation to contract with Sun Wukong.”
Ping Lei covered his mouth, eyes shining with overwhelming emotion as he stared at me.
“It’s gross, so stop looking at me like that.”
“Th-thank you, Guild Leader!”
“I’m giving you this chance because of all the hard work you’ve put in.”
“I will strive even harder!”
Nyx, standing behind me, tilted her head in confusion.
“You only just obtained the horn…”
I gave a short, sharp whistle. She immediately fell silent. This was exactly why I could never truly dislike the quick-witted goddess.
“One warning. During the contract process, you must not open your mouth under any circumstances.”
“Even if the constellation speaks to me?”
“You may answer then.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
I raised the Gjallarhorn to my lips.
Bwooooooooo—!!!
The majestic sound reverberated throughout the entire guild house.
Gjallarhorn has been used.
Please state the name of the constellation you wish to summon.
The target cannot be summoned using their true name.
“The Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain.”
The instant I spoke Sun Wukong’s constellation name, thick clouds billowed from the horn. An overwhelming presence radiated from within them. It felt as if the very sky were pressing down upon us.
“Khrrk.”
“Grit your teeth and endure. If you can’t handle even this, contracting with a constellation is impossible.”
Ping Lei bit down on his lip, struggling to stay upright. I crossed my arms and waited for Sun Wukong to answer.
After a moment—
The clouds pouring from the horn coalesced into the shape of a face. Not quite human—half monkey, half man.
“I called you, Sun Wukong.”
“Your legend is famous everywhere.”
“You still came, didn’t you?”
Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Buddha of Fighting. Monkey Pilgrim. The legendary being had gone by many titles. This was the one I had summoned with the Gjallarhorn.
Sun Wukong suddenly sniffed the air.
Impressive. Even though this was merely an avatar summoned through the horn, he could sense the blessings of the constellations.
“As expected of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.”
“I must decline.”
“The one forming a contract with you is someone else.”
I pointed at Ping Lei, who was barely managing to stay on his feet. The cloud-formed face twisted in fury.
The Gjallarhorn trembled violently. Though it was only a terminal for the summoned constellation, the sheer presence generated a powerful gust that scattered every piece of equipment in the room.
When Nyx moved to intervene, I stopped her with my right hand. This much was tolerable.
“Look at him. He has clone techniques and even uses a staff.”
“Because it wouldn’t be any fun if I took you as my sponsor.”
Three god-king level constellations were already watching me. Counting bad blood, four if you included Zeus. If I took Sun Wukong now—
“Instead, I have a proposal.”
“Make a Clairvoyance contract.”
It was a contract that would let him see what I saw even outside the Tower, on Earth itself. He would be unable to do anything but watch, but for Sun Wukong who loved novel entertainment, it would be an irresistible offer.
“Y-yes! This one is called Ping Lei!”
“How could this lowly one possibly dare—thank you! Oh great and mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven!”
Ping Lei prostrated himself and slammed his forehead against the floor.
Sun Wukong stared at me, displeasure still clear on his face.
Yes. Making Ping Lei Sun Wukong’s contractor had been one goal, but there was another true purpose.
I had waited so long to hear those words from the Great Sage’s mouth.
“I desire the foundational Seon Magic manual.”
Now that I could properly wield Seon power with the True Yeouiju, the opportunity to walk a path I had never taken in my previous life had finally arrived.