New Year's Breakthrough
The great bell tolled—! The great bell tolled—!
The bell of the old year rang out, and the morning of 2026 dawned.
It was the first New Year I had welcomed since regressing.
In the age of destruction, I had always wondered whether I would live to see the next day every time I closed my eyes.
“Are you thinking of a lost lover?”
Nyx suddenly tossed out a completely random question.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your eyes grew moist.”
“Shouldn’t you ask whether I even had someone to break up with first? That would be polite.”
Having lost my parents early and lived on my own until now, the thought of meeting someone had never crossed my mind.
Thanks to growing up at my grandfather’s house, I had received plenty of love in my own way.
But because there had never been any room in my life for leisure, romance had been out of the question.
“I am sorry. This one spoke without knowing your circumstances……”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past anyway.”
Nyx lowered her head deeply.
I had no idea why she was acting like this when the person involved said it was fine.
Come to think of it, the fact that I had never dated was also a story from before the regression.
After discovering the true value of the Devour ability, I had operated as a top-tier player and obtained both wealth and fame.
“Still, this one is by your side now, so you may rest easy.”
Nyx’s hand overlapped mine.
It was warm.
I had not expected a homunculus to possess body heat.
Then again, watching how Nyx lived her daily life, she was no different from a human.
“Of course. We made a contract, after all.”
“Heh, that is true.”
A bitter smile lingered on Nyx’s lips.
What was that?
She had not figured out that I had written the contract terms in my favor, had she?
While we were listening to the sound of the bell coming from the television for a while—
“What are you two doing alone like that?!”
Jiyoung came up after us.
The team building, whose remodeling had been completely finished.
She had packed her things and was now living and eating inside the team building.
“Don’t just barge into someone else’s house.”
“This is the lobby.”
“If we’re being precise, it’s my building, you know?”
“Then tell me to move out.”
She stuck out her tongue and plopped down beside us.
I was starting to regret choosing this remodeling concept.
We were watching television in the lobby located on each floor.
The team building’s concept was an old-style dormitory.
A lobby had been installed at the central staircase on every floor so that anyone heading to their room had to pass through it.
It had been designed so that team members could see each other’s faces and grow closer.
“So why did you remove the television from your room?”
“Why else? Because of this goddess.”
I glared at Nyx, whose hands were still overlapped with mine.
Nyx was adapting to the modern era faster than expected.
When she had been a spiritual body, all she could do was fiddle with a tablet.
But after possessing the homunculus, she never let go of the remote.
Her main interest was dramas.
Every time I returned from training, she was lying down watching dramas. Did that make me angry or not?
In the end, I had removed the television that had been installed in my room.
“Then why did you come out?”
“It’s nicer to listen to the bell together if we’re going to do it anyway.”
“I feel the same way.”
A voice rang out from behind us.
This time, Kim Youngsoo had come out into the lobby.
“Why didn’t you go home, Youngsoo hyung-nim?”
“My children are all grown, so they do not need me.”
“How is the weekend-couple life?”
“My wife takes good care of me, so it is fine.”
Kim Youngsoo let out a hearty laugh.
“I heard that being a weekend couple is a blessing from the gods.”
“You should make a lover first before saying things like that.”
“I don’t want to hear that from Master.”
She was single herself, yet she was saying that to a married man.
Even so—
I could feel a smile naturally forming whenever I was with these people.
Small changes I had made after regressing.
Jiyoung, who had wandered because she did not know how to use her ability, was now pulling her own weight.
Kim Youngsoo was also awakening his ability faster than in the original timeline.
Right now it was just a small flap of wings, but before long it would become a storm that would shake the entire world—and even the order of the Tower.
So for today, I decided to set my mind at ease and rest.
Already—
The world was changing.
As soon as the new year began, good news arrived.
“M-Master! I did it! I succeeded!!”
A Vibration Barrier fixed in midair.
At first glance it looked like a single sheet.
But when I read the flow of mana, four layers of barriers were stacked on top of each other.
Jiyoung had perfectly completed the homework I had given her.
I had thought it would take at least a month no matter how fast she was, yet she had finished it in just two weeks.
“Then I will allow you to challenge the Tower.”
“Yahoo!!”
“On the 11th floor, you will take the mana trial.”
Once you chose a field, you could not enter another room.
“Not defense?”
“That side suits you better.”
It was not my judgment, but words that Lee Jiyoung—the future Wall of Lamentation—had once said.
-You can raise a barrier’s defensive power as much as you want by layering it. I should have gotten a mana boost to amplify attack power instead.
-If I had a mana boost, I could have become stronger much faster.
Everyone makes a mistake or two in their life.
Perhaps because the Wall of Lamentation regretted her choice on the 11th floor, she had often said those words.
In this life, she would never have such regrets.
I would make sure of it with my own hands.
“If you clear it, receive a mana boost as a reward.”
“Yes, Master!”
“And if you succeed on your first attempt, you may choose one more reward.”
“Is it possible to clear the Training Hall in one go?”
“That is why you trained.”
I lightly patted Jiyoung’s shoulder.
“I guarantee it. You can pass.”
“I will live up to the trust you have placed in me.”
Of course, even I could not be 100% certain of success.
If she failed even after operating four layers, then success in a short period would be impossible.
I had made her repeat training instead of letting her challenge the Tower in order to aim for two rewards.
There was also the possibility that this attempt would end in failure.
However—
Because I knew the future Jiyoung, the Wall of Lamentation, I believed in her without doubt.
Therefore—
“The second reward is Gravity Bind.”
Jiyoung’s unique ability only prevented her from learning emission-type skills.
Magic that directly interfered with principles such as gravity could be learned as much as she wanted.
“Hmm, it is a magic I have never heard of.”
“It is not very famous.”
Gravity Bind was a 3-star skill, yet it was not well known.
Among gravity-type magic, its recognition was low.
It was a wide-area debuff that sealed the opponent’s movements.
Although its range was wide, it did not greatly strengthen gravity like Weight Gravity, so complete incapacitation was impossible.
Then why make her learn it?
Because in the previous timeline, the Wall of Lamentation had frequently used it in combination with the Vibration Barrier.
“If Master says I should learn it, there must be a reason. Understood!”
“You trust me too much.”
“You are the one who drew out my potential, Master.”
Jiyoung grinned brightly.
“Then about the guarantee……”
“I am going to challenge the 11th floor.”
Before I could even finish speaking, she pressed her phone and entered the Tower of Babel.
Nyx, who had been watching television beside me, turned her gaze.
“What is this ‘guarantee’?”
“It is something you must unconditionally refuse whenever someone asks for it.”
“I see. Learning new knowledge every day—how could this not be delightful?”
If I left her like this, she would start writing poetry soon.
Some time later—
Jiyoung returned.
“Master, I…… um……”
Why was she tearing up like this?
Even if she failed, it was something that could be bought with money or CP.
A mana boost was difficult to obtain even if you offered billions, but Gravity Bind was relatively easy.
Although it was a 4-star skill and the minimum price was in the tens of billions—
There were plenty of wealthy patrons, or rather, guild members, so if I asked them to invest……
“I did it!”
“Huh?”
“It is all thanks to your support, Master!”
Jiyoung grabbed my hand with a cheer and started jumping around.
“It is because you worked hard.”
“No. If it were not for you, Master, I definitely would not have succeeded on the first try.”
From the perspective of someone who knew the future, I could not easily agree, but for this moment alone I nodded along with Jiyoung’s words.
“Oh, you succeeded.”
“Nyx prayed for my success too, right?”
“This one is the great Goddess of Night. Praying is the role of believers.”
“Save the delusions for later.”
Jiyoung dismissed Nyx’s words as nonsense.
I called her a goddess, and Nyx herself proudly referred to herself as a god, yet none of the team members believed that Nyx was actually a goddess.
Of course not.
After the Tower appeared, an era had begun in which people could witness and experience the miracles of the constellations with their own eyes.
Indigenous faiths from all over the world had revived.
Even the major religions that had originally held strong influence saw their power over the financial world grow even greater.
“This one really is a goddess……”
Nyx sniffled.
Well, even from my standpoint, it was more convenient to treat her as a summon with delusions of grandeur.
“Saying that while you have not even washed your hair does not exactly inspire credibility.”
“Even if everyone else denies it, you at least must take this one’s side!”
“Of course. That is why I call you Goddess.”
“Hmph. Very well.”
She was sulking again.
Jiyoung rapidly cleared up to the 12th floor in succession.
Because she was not aiming to break the highest record like I was, she survived in first place without difficulty.
She finished preparing to climb the 13th floor.
The next day—
I registered a squad with Jiyoung and set foot on the 13th floor for the first time.
The theme of the 13th floor mission was faction defense.
Forty participants were divided into two factions of twenty, and the side that defeated the incoming golems first would win.
“I cannot yield the essence.”
I stood at the front line and slaughtered the golems.
When I had obtained Scavenger, I had only moved enough to clear the mission, but now that it had become essence predation, there was no reason to hesitate.
“You always take the lead.”
“Why did you come here instead of staying beside Jiyoung, Goddess?”
“Have you forgotten? This one must also obtain experience points.”
Late-blooming enthusiasm was frightening. Nyx was obsessed with gaining experience points.
Whether she thought it would take a long time to regain the power sealed inside the Tower or whether she had other thoughts, her desire to grow stronger was overflowing.
Dark Dominion
The power of Polar Night, spread thin like a curtain, enveloped three golems.
It did not seem to deal any damage to the golems’ sturdy bodies.
“There are also ways to utilize Polar Night like this.”
Shhhk— The Polar Night clung to the golems’ bodies like a layer of wrapping.
The Polar Night that seeped into every small gap destroyed the mana circuits designed inside them.
Thud. The golems collapsed.
Even I would have needed to repeatedly use Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts or superhuman strength to bring them down, yet she had defeated them so easily.
“Master! There are more behind you!”
Clang.
Jiyoung’s barrier caught a fist the size of a house.
She did not even need to do that.
Vibration Barrier x 4
Barriers wrapped around the golem from both front and back.
The amplified vibrations shook not only its sturdy body but also its interior.
-Operation. Anomaly detected.
The golem struggled, but it could not last long and collapsed with a crash.
The remaining eighteen people could only watch with blank expressions.
There was no room for them to intervene anywhere.
You have devoured the essence of a Stone Golem.
Essence devoured: 100%
Essence grade: Normal
Strength + 2
Endurance + 4
Skill – Harden has been added.
Harden
Grade: 1
Type: Active
The longer you remain in one place, the higher your defense becomes.
Consumes a small amount of mana.
A skill advantageous in prolonged battles.
The essence of a Combat Golem resonates with the essence of a Stone Golem.
You may fuse the two essences to create a new skill.
Rock Skin
Grade: 2
Type: Active
Grants rock-like durability to your skin.
The longer you remain in one place, the higher your skin’s defense becomes.
A skill that combined Stone Skin and Harden.
Because these were essences I had never obtained before the regression, it was also the first time I had seen this synergy effect.
Hmm. The effect is a little disappointing.
Until now, I had used Spiked Carapace as my main defensive skill.
It did not hinder movement and even dealt damage to approaching enemies.
On the other hand, Stone Skin had the penalty of dulling the body when used.
Rock Skin had no agility reduction, but to properly utilize its effect, one had to stand still like a tanker.
“It is not bad for team play, is it not?”
“That is true.”
“You truly are greedy. You are such a person.”
“I was wondering if there might be a way to have both mobility and defense.”
“Excessive greed invites calamity.”
Well, fine.
I would just be satisfied with obtaining one tanking skill.
For now, at least.
Thanks to the party’s performance, the 13th floor mission quickly pushed back the enemy formation.
Because it was a team mission, we could not break the highest record.
However, we had overwhelmingly accumulated contribution points on our first attempt and received a generous amount of CP.
“Are you all right, Goddess?”
“Heh, you underestimate this one too much.”
Nyx snorted.
“I can go much higher too.”
Jiyoung was just as enthusiastic.
“Wait. Jiyoung, you pass.”
“H-Huh?”
“From now on, we will clear floors separately.”
Jiyoung’s eyes filled with bewilderment.