The Trickster's Gift
"Hold on."
"Why are you coming out of there?"
I blinked several times, but the sword's appearance didn't change.
A long wooden blade wrapped in a sinister aura.
It was identical in form to the Mistilteinn I remembered.
"That's no ordinary sword."
"You have a discerning eye, mortal."
"I doubt you came all this way just to show off a sword."
"Hahaha! You're an amusing one. Worth the trip."
The sword slipped from Utgarda-Loki's fingers.
Its edge was so keen that it buried itself deep into the ground from the fall alone.
"A gift."
"Out of the blue?"
"It's been a long time since a mortal appeared in the Tower's depths. Consider it a commemoration."
Handing over a weapon that could be Transcendent-grade, or even Relic-grade, for free?
Ridiculous.
Now that I thought about it, a question had been nagging at me while wandering the Tower's basement.
How had Cho Seung-cheol obtained Mistilteinn in this hellish place?
He hadn't obtained it.
The Old Gods had given it to him.
"Works for me."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"I said it works. I just got a weapon like this for free."
"Heh heh. That weapon is too precious to simply give to a mortal."
I approached the spot where Mistilteinn was embedded.
-Contractor, I sense an ominous aura from that sword.
Nyx's voice echoed in my mind.
I know.
Mistilteinn was far more sinister than even the goddess could vaguely sense.
I gave a slight nod, visible only to Nyx, and stood before the sword.
"Pick it up."
Utgarda-Loki's massive pupil reflected my image.
He was dying to see the sword's performance in action.
Pretending not to notice his expectant gaze, I calmly placed my hand on Mistilteinn's hilt.
Godsblood stirs the fury within your heart.
The will of ruin clouds your vision.
Blood Rage is now permanently active.
"Nngh—"
I groaned and staggered.
"My lord, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Don't come closer."
I swung Mistilteinn in a wide arc.
Crackle!
A crimson aura blade erupted from the sword and raked across the ground.
The earth split open.
The surrounding terrain shifted as if an earthquake had struck.
"Eek!"
Coni collapsed on the spot.
If he'd been a step closer, the aura blade would have swept him away.
I pointed the blade at Utgarda-Loki.
"This sword is incredible."
"Its name is Mistilteinn."
"I'll put it to good use."
"Kekeke. The weapon seems to have found its master."
With those words, Utgarda-Loki departed.
Once he vanished from sight, I finally let out the ragged breaths I'd been holding back.
"Haaah… hngh."
Damn it.
My head felt foggy and throbbed as if I were drunk.
The malevolent will steeped in Mistilteinn.
Thirst.
A far deeper craving than when I'd wandered Apep's domain.
This wasn't something water could quench.
Blood.
Slaughter.
A madness that could only be sated by stealing someone's life force whispered ceaselessly, trying to dominate my mind.
But—
"Not yet."
A powerful mental assault that even Cold Blood couldn't resist.
Even gripping the sword while consciously resisting its mental interference, the madness embedded in the blade tried to consume me.
Still, I couldn't let go of the hilt.
Not until Utgarda-Loki's gaze had fully departed.
Some time later, when I no longer felt the watchful eyes, I immediately flung the sword to the ground.
-Are you all right, my partner?
Nyx's voice rang in my ears.
It felt as if her words had taken physical form and were spinning around my eardrums.
As I staggered, unable to keep my balance, something grabbed my arm.
A soft sensation.
"Leave your body to me."
Ah, Nyx.
I hadn't noticed when she'd returned to her homunculus body.
Supporting me, Nyx carefully lowered herself.
"What are you—"
"Stay still. Did I not tell you to entrust your body to me?"
At the goddess's forceful words, I shut my mouth.
She lowered herself further and placed my head on her lap.
A veil of night rose from the ground.
Nyx's Polar Night completely blocked out the faint remaining light.
The maximized Blessing of the Goddess of Night.
My breathing gradually calmed.
The headache stabbing at my crown subsided.
"Thank you, Goddess."
When I tried to rise, Nyx's slender hand held my arm.
"Rest a little longer."
"No, I'm fine now."
"If only there were a mirror. You wouldn't speak so calmly if you could see your own face."
"Is it that bad?"
"Bloodshot eyes. Drool running from your mouth. It is truly a sight unfit for eyes."
"You're being harsh."
"Huhu. I am your contractor, so I shall accept even your shortcomings."
"I am grateful for your ocean-like mercy."
I pouted.
"Did I not warn you? I said it was no ordinary sword."
"I knew. I tried to prepare myself, but I almost got swept away by the blade anyway."
No.
More accurately, openly resisting the sword's mental interference had triggered a stronger reaction.
I brought up Mistilteinn's information.
◈ A wooden sword forged from a freshly cut branch of mistletoe.
◈ A demonic blade created to slay the god of light, Baldur. It nearly claimed his life.
◈ The god's blood that seeped into it elevated its power to the threshold of myth.
◈ The Sword of the End grants immense strength but steals the wielder's sanity.
◈ Strength +30%
◈ Agility +30%
◈ Aura Blade usable.
◈ Blood Rage permanently active.
◈ Rage Lv.80 permanently active.
◈ Can strike Constellations.
Blood Rage (★★★) — Active
Awakens the body's latent potential through rage.
Strength and Agility increase by 20%, but rational judgment becomes difficult.
A demonic sword that could unleash an aura blade with just a trickle of mana.
The penalties were severe, but the options were tempting enough to make anyone covet it.
However—
The penalties plastered all over it were the real problem.
"See? Enough to give you a headache, right?"
"It doesn't have an effect that causes headaches, does it?"
"That's because I resisted its tricks. If I'd surrendered to the sword's whispers, it wouldn't have been this bad."
A demonic blade that sought to dye the wielder's soul with hatred.
It fundamentally induced a rage state and kept Blood Rage permanently active.
If I kept swinging Mistilteinn, I'd become a madman without realizing it.
"But why did you hold the sword for so long?"
"That giant was watching from a distance."
Utgarda-Loki.
He seemed boisterous at first glance, but he was a deeply calculating being.
He'd kept his distance to observe whether Mistilteinn's effects were taking hold.
Damn bastard.
Thanks to him, my head felt like it was splitting.
"Strange. If what you say is true, this sword is an incredibly valuable artifact."
"Why hand over a Relic-grade item so easily?"
Nyx nodded.
Instead of answering, I placed my hand on Mistilteinn's blade.
"It's dangerous."
"Ah, I won't touch it now."
A dark-red glow shimmered on my hand.
Using the internal energy of the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method made manifest, I touched the point where hilt and blade met.
Flash!
A bright light burst from Mistilteinn.
The source was a small rune hidden within the blade.
"I can feel powerful energy from those letters."
"Runes. The magical system created by Odin, leader of the Aesir."
"Why hide those letters?"
"The reason they gave me the sword."
The Rune of Subjugation.
A spell that forced obedience to the Old Gods, concealed within Mistilteinn's rampaging aura.
The more one swung the blade, the more one's sanity would be paralyzed.
A hidden move that activated when the wielder surrendered to rage.
Once Mistilteinn's madness clouded the mind, the Rune of Subjugation Utgarda-Loki had engraved would activate.
A shadow fell over Nyx's expression.
"A truly vile scheme."
"That giant intended to turn me into a puppet."
"Yet you resisted."
"If I hadn't kept my wits about me, I would've been consumed by the sword's madness."
I had already seen through Utgarda-Loki's intentions.
Because Cho Seung-cheol had experienced it before my regression.
Even gripping the sword while on guard had led to this.
I quietly pulled my head away.
"Are you trying to rise?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you, Goddess, I've recovered. Thank you."
"Huhu. It is only natural between friends."
Nyx wore a peculiar smile.
A smile so dazzlingly beautiful that the gloomy atmosphere seemed to brighten.
I glanced at that smile, then picked up Mistilteinn.
Now that there was no need to deceive Utgarda-Loki, I simply stored the sword in the Pocket of Desire.
* * *
The essences of the monsters dwelling in the Tower's depths.
The World Tree Seed.
And now Mistilteinn as well.
Thanks to the Key of the Netherworld, I had gained much.
Especially Mistilteinn—I had only had a vague idea since Cho Seung-cheol never explained how he'd obtained it.
It had come to me on its own. Lucky.
"Time to head back."
"Is your stay not yet over?"
"Being noticed isn't good."
Attracting the Tower Administrators' attention wasn't entirely positive.
Their goal was dimensional erosion.
High Gods like Hyperion or Lurein were wary of players who stood out.
Utgarda-Loki was one thing, but lingering in the Tower's depths and drawing the eyes of other Administrators wasn't wise.
At my current level, there wasn't much left to gain anyway.
"Thanks to you, it was easy to operate down here."
"Hehe, I'm the one who had fun thanks to you, my lord."
Coni grinned, baring his teeth.
"If I need to come again, I'll ask then."
"Come for sure. It was the best week of my life."
Cho Seung-cheol wasn't the only one who had obtained the Key of the Netherworld.
Gates opening worldwide.
Before my regression, eight Keys of the Netherworld had appeared at auction.
If I secured capital, I could return to the Tower's depths.
Relics of the Old Gods hidden throughout Tartarus.
Essences of monsters rarely encountered in gates or Tower missions.
Since I didn't remember when they would appear at auction, securing capital in advance was the only way.
I touched Ymir's Spine.
This time, instead of a number, I pictured the surface.
Just like when moving between floors, the spine sucked me in.
Ymir's Spine propelled me straight to the ceiling.
The opposite sensation from when I'd used the Key of the Netherworld.
The feeling of soaring upward lasted for dozens of minutes.
Flash!
Intense light struck my retinas, and moments later, my vision returned to normal.
Tower of Babel — 33rd Floor
You have entered the Aslan Cliffs.
You have already cleared this mission. Would you like to attempt it again?
A steep cliff spread before my eyes.
After days of adventure, I had returned to my original floor.