Resonance with the Sun-Devouring Serpent

The essence of the Goddess of Night resonated with the essence of the serpent that devours the sun.

“Holy shit.”

I nearly swore out loud from the shock. It wasn’t even Apophis’s own essence, yet it was reacting to Nyx’s power. A grin stretched across my face so wide it felt like my lips might reach my ears from this unexpected windfall.

“Take a look at this, Goddess.”

Shhhhhh!

The moment I manifested the power of Polar Night, Nyx’s eyes widened into perfect circles.

“What have you mixed into Yeo’s darkness?”

“The snake brat’s power reacted to it.”

“This is unbelievable. No matter where one searches across all the worlds, nothing is darker than Polar Night.”

“It must be because they share the same attribute.”

Apophis and Nyx existed on completely different levels. Both were constellations who had reached the realm of conceptual gods, but Apophis had ultimately been defeated by Ra. Nyx was the opposite. She was a mighty constellation so powerful that even Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, had to watch his step around her.

The night that even light could not reclaim. She stood at the absolute pinnacle of every power and concept related to ‘night.’

“Thanks to that snake brat, I’ve learned something useful.”

If I played my cards right, I might even be able to strengthen the power of Polar Night. I had already done something similar once before—reversing the timeline through regression. By gathering the essences of various constellations connected to the concept of ‘time,’ I had returned to the past several decades ago. It was something even Chronos, the most famous god associated with time, had failed to accomplish.

Subjugating every concept of ‘night’ to Nyx’s power would be far easier than regression. If the chance arose, I would need to seek out the essence—or perhaps a holy relic—of their father, Apophis.

Even after devouring the essence of the serpent that devours the sun, I didn’t stop hunting. My purpose in coming to this desert wasn’t simply to devour essences. It was to complete the mission Daphne had given me. This was an opportunity to claim my reward while also depleting the Old Gods’ forces even a little.

“Contractor, I sense someone’s gaze upon us.”

“The ruler of this land. It must be Apophis. He’s been watching me for a while now.”

“He does not seem like an opponent you can handle yet. Will you be all right?”

“Well, if it comes to that, I’ll just die. What else is there?”

“How truly reckless.”

“Inside the Tower, death only sends you back outside anyway.”

That was what I said, but I was certain Apophis wouldn’t impose any direct restrictions on me.

The Old Gods were not a single race. They were the Fomorians pushed out by the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Titans defeated by the Olympian gods, the Jotunn massacred and driven away by the Aesir gods, and many others from various mythologies who had their starlight stolen by the current generation of gods. Beings with different hierarchies, rules, and values. Conflict between them was inevitable.

That was precisely why the Old Gods strictly forbade direct clashes with one another. The most Apophis could do was guide the direction of the sun-devouring serpent horde.

“Hiss! Hsssssh!”

“Ssssssssh!”

Because of that, every battle became a fight where I had to risk my life.

Even after using every ability I had devoured so far, the battles remained brutally difficult.

“Ssssssh!”

Crack.

I snapped the neck of the thrashing serpent and let out a ragged breath. My lungs burned.

Every time this happened, I found myself missing the blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess. I used Devour to recover from the rapid stamina drain and left the desert behind. The skin-chilling cold and unbearable thirst made me unwilling to stay even a single gram longer.

When I returned to the Plains of Despair, Daphne was gathering her leaves.

“I have my own set of tricks.”

Thud.

A single fruit fell from Daphne’s hand. Or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I thought. It was the size of a basketball, but it turned out to be an enormous seed.

“It feels like an entire world has been sealed inside a tiny frame,” Nyx murmured, having transformed into her spirit form and perched on my shoulder.

The World Tree Seed, huh. That Daphne. She acted like she was doing me a favor while handing over a defective product.

Yggdrasil—the massive tree that supported Asgard, the Nine Realms, and the entire world. Its fruits weren’t something one could easily obtain. It was certainly a great reward, but as the item description stated, neither the method of consumption nor germination was known.

It was a secret known only to the Aesir gods or the quarrelsome elves who shared a close connection with the World Tree. In other words, it was all flash and no substance.

But.

“Thank you for giving me something so wonderful.”

I flashed a bright, beaming smile.

I already knew how to handle the World Tree Seed. With just a few ingredients, I could devour the powerful essence contained within it. To think I would obtain something this valuable in the Tower’s underground.

“I’m lucky.”

Daphne smiled brightly as well.

Yes, keep laughing like that for now. The day when that laughter turns into wailing isn’t far off. Just wait for the day that defective product you handed me is forged into a razor-sharp blade.

“Until the effect of the item wears off.”

The leaves she had collected to verify the mission results were once again attached to my chest. With Daphne’s power-infused leaf, I could avoid situations where the Old Gods would interfere—unless I succumbed to the harsh environment of the Tower’s underground.

After that, I continued wandering through various areas of the Tower’s underground, devouring essences. In the Cage of Oblivion, I devoured the essence of Sloth, a monster lost in laziness. In the Thorn Forest, I hunted a Bicon, a spiritual creature that stood at the opposite end of the unicorn spectrum.

Sloth sounded ridiculous, but it granted an excellent passive skill that reduced stamina consumption without any conditions.

Unlike unicorns that followed pure maidens, Bicons were drawn to corrupted individuals. The skill shared a similar nature to the creature itself.

The skills extracted from the two monsters’ essences weren’t bad, but my true ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠purpose in targeting them was something else.

Why was my magic power the only stat abnormally high? It was thanks to the synergistic effect the Dragon Soldier’s essence had on my Devour ability. Now that every time I used Devour I would gain additional bonus stats, the imbalance in my abilities would finally be resolved.

Thanks to the Key of the Netherworld, I had shortened the time needed to regain my past realm by more than ten years.

Thud! Thud!

The ground suddenly began to shake violently.

“Th-this is bad!”

The dwarf Coni threw himself flat on the ground.

“Is this originally an area prone to earthquakes?”

“No, it ain’t.”

“Then why are you lying down?”

“It ain’t the Frost Giant’s territory, but if the ground’s shakin’ like this, it’s gotta be an Old God, I tell ya.”

He really ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a scaredy-cat. With Daphne’s mark on me, there was no need to grovel. I crossed my arms and waited for the being causing the tremors to approach.

A massive shadow fell over the Thorn Forest. The source of the earthquake was a giant with blue skin. A giant roughly two hundred meters tall—twice Daphne’s size—looked down at our group.

“Who are you?”

Unlike Daphne, the Frost Giant did not reveal his name.

This guy… he was a Tower Administrator.

Not all Old Gods participated in managing the Tower. Only those like Hyperion or Lurain, who had mastered the principles of the world and possessed enough wisdom to construct laws, could become Tower Administrators. In the society of various gods, Administrators were bound by several restrictions. One of them was the inability to reveal their ‘name.’ It was a restriction to prevent them from contacting players, winning their hearts, and gaining the qualifications to become constellations.

A Tower Administrator from the Frost Giants…

“I have a guess.”

“It was nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Utgard-Loki. He was the Old God who had turned the African continent into an ice age. After eradicating all living creatures in Africa, he had vanished without a trace. I had only heard stories about him in my previous life without ever seeing him. To think I would meet him like this.

“Why have you come looking for me?”

“If your curiosity is satisfied, then be on your way.”

Utgard-Loki threw his head back and roared with laughter. The massive sound shook the entire Thorn Forest. The echoing boom made my ears ring.

“No. What I trust is my own power.”

Utgard-Loki bent forward. The already dark space felt even gloomier. The overwhelming presence of a giant who had lost his divine name pressed down on me. It was suffocating, but I endured it.

He reached out his hand. A long sword hung from his fingernail.

Wait… that sword… could it be Mistilteinn?!

The legendary demonic sword that Jo Seung-cheol had obtained in my previous life had appeared in a completely unexpected place.