Where No Starlight Reaches
The purple key melted away like snow under the sun.
The path to ??? has opened.
The Key of the Netherworld has been destroyed.
Shaaaaa—!
Black mist surged upward through the cracks in the ground, painting the surroundings in darkness.
This was the Tower’s basement. The path to the prison of the Old Gods had opened.
“Grab my shoulder tight.”
Nyx used Polar Night to anchor her body to my shoulder.
Good.
“Jumping!”
Thud—! Thuuuuud—!
The moment we leapt into the abyss, my voice echoed back and slammed against my eardrums.
Absolute darkness without a single speck of light. Beside us stood a massive white pillar that reminded me of the Tower of Babel itself, radiating an overwhelming presence.
I reached out, but the instant my fingers touched it, they passed straight through as if it were a mirage.
Just as the players who had visited the Tower’s basement before my regression had described.
After falling for a long time, something brownish flickered into view beneath my feet through the black mist.
Finally, the ground.
Wind Path
You ride the flow of the wind. Maintaining balance is difficult where the current is weak.
I stepped onto the howling gale. It felt like surfing on a towering wave. Instead of fighting the wind’s current, I ran along the path it carved.
My falling speed gradually decreased. The moment the ground came into clear view, I released the skill.
With a heavy thud, my feet met solid earth, and the faint light that had lingered on the ceiling faded away.
Your current location is ???.
This is a place beyond the reach of the constellations’ starlight.
The blessing of the Thunder God has been nullified.
The blessing of the Seven Deadly Sins – Greed has been nullified.
The blessing of the Goddess of Night has been applied.
Recovery rate increased by 50%. Efficiency of darkness-related skills increased.
…….
One by one, the blessings were nullified. Even though I had gained most of them through Devour—except for Baal’s—they held no power here.
The Tower’s basement. A prison where fallen constellations who had lost their light were confined. No starlight whatsoever was permitted in this place.
This was exactly why I had said you needed to be at least Gold rank to come here.
If not for the string of miraculous opportunities I’d seized, I never would have even considered using the Key of the Netherworld.
“This shouldn’t be possible.”
I tested it by drawing on the power of Polar Night. Thanks to the blessing, it felt even sharper than usual.
-What do you mean by that?
“The basement is supposed to be beyond the reach of any constellation’s power, yet your blessing works just fine, Goddess.”
This was my first time entering this place in either life. After Cho Seung-cheol retrieved Mistilteinn from the basement, the value of the key had skyrocketed. It was an item so rare that even billions of won couldn’t guarantee you’d obtain one.
After the second Great Erosion, it no longer appeared as a Gate clear reward either, so I had never been able to return.
-Heh heh heh. Now this one understands why you opened it.
“Really?”
-Do you know where this one’s dwelling lies?
“Tartarus.”
-This place is similar to this one’s dwelling. Therefore, the blessing does not lose its light.
“Ah—”
A short exclamation escaped me.
“So that’s why.”
The Tower’s basement was formed from the hells of various mythologies—the prisons where the fallen constellations known as the Old Gods were sealed. It was essentially the same concept as Tartarus in Greek myth, or Avīci in Buddhism.
The Old Gods had used the spine of Ymir—the first frost giant slain by the Aesir gods—to erect a massive pillar in Tartarus. From Ymir’s Spine extended the worlds of countless Old Gods.
Just like the twenty-sixth floor mission where past constellations had intervened, the basement contained layered hells from different mythologies, each serving as a dwelling for its respective gods.
Yet Nyx had chosen to reside in Tartarus despite not having fallen, thanks to the nature of “Night.” It was the reason the Old Gods could make use of her power while she slept.
In this moment, that fact worked in our favor.
-Heh heh heh. Praise this one’s greatness.
“O great Goddess of Night, I offer my gratitude for the blessing you have bestowed.”
-That is still insufficient. If you do not satisfy this one, the blessing shall be withdrawn.
“Then I present this cake as an offering. May it please you.”
I pulled out a slice of cake I had stored in the Pocket of Desire beforehand. Nyx’s eyes sparkled instantly.
-Your sincerity is acceptable to this one’s heart.
Nyx manifested and immediately snatched the cake. Her movement was so swift that anyone watching might think I had been starving her.
“Show me the mission status.”
Restricted Zone: ???
📍 Location: Tower Basement (??? Floor, ??? Sector)
🚫 Warning: Player entry is not permitted.
⏳ Automatic expulsion upon expiration of ??? effect.
👁 Detection by ?? ??? will result in immediate expulsion regardless of remaining time.
⏰ Remaining Time: 239:58:52
Ten days, huh.
Since the key was so difficult to obtain, I needed to squeeze every possible benefit out of this opportunity.
“Time to move.”
“Bero (already)?”
Nyx mumbled around a mouthful of cake. Her cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel preparing for hibernation. Her appetite really was something else.
If my prediction was correct, there was no benefit to staying here any longer than necessary.
That was when it happened.
Aaaaa—!
A sound wave powerful enough to shatter the silence of the basement roared through the area.
What emerged from the darkness was a peacock five meters tall.
Peacock Observer.
Hera’s pet and the watcher of the Tower’s basement. The monster that players who had entered this place before my regression had warned me about had finally shown itself.
You have been exposed to the gaze of ?? ???.
If monitored for more than 10 seconds, all observers within a 1-kilometer radius will be summoned.
If monitored for more than 1 minute, your presence will be reported to the Pantheon.
The Pantheon prohibits players from making contact with the Tower’s administrators.
Upon detection, you will be automatically expelled.
Countless eyes embedded in its feathers glowed with crimson light. The title “Observer” was clearly well-earned.
The information matched what I had learned before my regression.
“This is all because you were busy eating cake, Goddess.”
“Hera’s child is being a nuisance.”
Nyx, who had already finished the cake in the blink of an eye, grumbled softly. The peacock was Hera’s symbol. Those “watching” eyes were a fragment of the power of Argus, her loyal servant.
“Since it is said one must resolve what one has caused, this one shall step forward this time.”
“No, you stay back, Goddess.”
“Is that wise? It may not look it, but that is still Hera’s pet.”
“I need to gauge its combat strength.”
I had heard that the basement was crawling with Peacock Observers. This was the first time I had faced one directly in either life.
So I had to test it—how strong this peacock bastard really was.
I kicked off the ground and advanced.
Dozens of eyes on its tail swiftly tracked my movement.
Hundred Chase Shot
It fired feathers shaped like magical bullets all at once.
From every direction—front, back, left, right. The only way to avoid the wide-area barrage was to retreat.
“Your aim is obvious.”
Therefore, the answer was a frontal breakthrough.
Clad in silver-gray armor from head to toe, I charged straight into the rain of magical bullets.
Clang! Clang-clang!
The impact transmitted through my Metal Reflection Gauntlets was surprisingly heavy.
“Ugh.”
A short groan escaped me. The force was so great that I would lose my balance if I didn’t clench every muscle in my legs.
The feather barrage possessed destructive power comparable to the lightning of a fallen Imugi.
Damn it. Since when were random mobs this strong?
Observer feathers have embedded in your body.
Agility decreased by 3.
Additional feathers continue to embed…
Duration: Until removal
“Wow, shit.”
They really were playing dirty.
I already knew the Tower’s basement had insane difficulty, but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad right from the start.
No—actually, this was perfect.
Peacock Observers were monsters I would run into constantly while exploring the basement. Experiencing it firsthand like this would let me learn the strategy quickly.
While enduring the downpour of feathers, I closed in and thrust my fingers forward.
Black energy erupted from my fingertips. The Fifth Form of Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts—Radiant West Finger.
The Peacock Observer swung its fully fanned tail like a cloak.
Riiiiip!
The instant part of its tail touched the Radiant West Finger, it tore apart with a deafening sound.
“Did you finish it?”
“If you say that, even a dead guy might get back up.”
Well, even if Nyx hadn’t said that, I probably wouldn’t have been able to cut off the Peacock Observer’s breath.
The moment Radiant West Finger touched its tail, the energy flowing from its hundred eyes had deflected the force extending from my fingers.
It wasn’t even a Tai Chi master, yet it could redirect the direction of materialized energy with its tail.
I clicked my tongue and threw a punch. Responding Dragon Emperor Fist, infused with the fury of the Demon Dragon.
Energy shaped like an ascending dragon crushed the Peacock Observer’s body.
“Aaaah……”
Booom—!
The Peacock Observer’s body exploded into pieces. Struck as if by a cannon, its corpse was unrecognizable from its original form.
“Goddess, from now on, stop saying things like ‘Did you finish it?’”
“Doesn’t Jiyoung say it often?”
“That’s exactly why she gets scolded.”
“Hmmmm. Understood.”
Nyx nodded with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
The moment I tried to devour the Peacock Observer’s core—
Aaaaa—!!
Aaa—!!
The cries of other observers rang out like sirens.
“This is troublesome. To think we would be pinned down here.”
Eleven seconds.
That was how long it had taken to defeat the Peacock Observer. The observers within a one-kilometer radius must have sensed the disturbance.
Actually, it would have been more problematic if they hadn’t.
“I gathered them on purpose.”
“Hooh, so you had a plan after all.”
“This time, I’m going to assassinate them.”
I had roughly confirmed the Peacock Observer’s combat strength. Next, I needed to test its detection ability.
Since they were the main enemies of the Tower’s basement, I needed solid information.
“Turn into spirit form too, Goddess.”
After confirming Nyx had become incorporeal, I immediately hid my presence.
Dark Body
Veil of Night – Internal Skill: Night’s Step has been activated.
A short while later, four Peacock Observers appeared. They looked at each other and made confused “Kurruk?” sounds.
They hadn’t detected my position. The stealth effect had been verified.
I moved behind them while minimizing my footsteps as much as possible.
Swish!
I poured internal energy into the sword created from Polar Night and swung it downward. This was the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword, the only martial technique I could use while maintaining Dark Body.
Blood sprayed upward. The Peacock Observer’s body split in half.
I swung the blade again in quick succession, felling two more observers.
Aaaaaaaa—!!
The observers’ eyes once again turned red as they detected the anomaly.
Stealth will automatically deactivate in 3 seconds.
There was no need to wait three seconds.
I released Dark Body. Before it could react, I unleashed Responding Dragon Emperor Fist.
The Peacock Observer was swallowed by the dragon’s maw without even managing to deflect it with its tail.
“Can this truly be called assassination?”
“It’s assassination as long as there are no witnesses.”
I devoured the corpses of all four observers as well.
If I struck first, up to five seemed to be within acceptable limits.
I let out a short breath, expelling the heated air from my lungs.
“This is filthy hard.”
It was even more vicious than what I had heard before my regression. Those magical bullets shaped like feathers packed serious power, and getting hit inflicted debuffs on top of the damage.
If several Peacock Observers fired their feather bullets at once, even getting close would be nearly impossible.
If I squeezed out every ounce of my ability, I could probably handle it. The real problem was that prolonged exposure to their gaze would result in expulsion from the basement.
With all my other blessings nullified, stamina consumption was severe. It was a relief that the Goddess of Night’s blessing was still active.
“Facing multiple opponents at once would be dangerous even for you.”
“With assassination tactics, up to seven. In direct combat, three. Anything more and I’ll have to avoid them.”
“Heh heh, even for you this place won’t be easy.”
“I expected difficulties of this level.”
“As expected of this one’s contractor.”
“You said it yourself, Goddess. I have a plan for everything.”
Though it was something Nyx said like a verbal tic, I had staked a great deal on this trip to the Tower’s basement.
The Key of the Netherworld was a one-time consumable. Since I didn’t know if I could obtain a second one, I had to devour everything worth devouring.
The reason I had deliberately gathered all the nearby Peacock Observers in one place wasn’t just to test their detection abilities. There was another, more important reason.
With bold strides, I walked through the Tower’s basement. Since I had already taken down all the observers within a one-kilometer radius, there was nothing left to fear.
While heading toward the massive pillar that resembled the Tower itself, sharp metallic clanging sounds reached my ears.
“Found him.”
At the source of the metallic sound, an orange-skinned dwarf was striking the pillar with a pickaxe.
A Kenaz Dvergr. Cousins to the dwarves, born from Ymir’s corpse, and residents of this cursed land. He was also the guide for this expedition into the Tower’s basement.