Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Old Comrade
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The apostle guarding the 10th floor of the tower.
Goblin Champion, Gregory.
He widened his eyes and abruptly stood up from his seat.
Thud.
"Strange?! N-No way, you're that Roys's son?"
"That's right."
He let out a hollow laugh.
Hahaha...
"I see... So that's why you're so strong."
"Do you know my father?"
"Of course! That guy challenged me just like you did."
"Really?"
"I was wondering who he reminded me of with that fierce spirit. Now that I think about it, he looks just like you—your old man."
Well, Father was chasing ultimate power himself, so he must have wanted to test himself against an apostle.
I didn't like hearing that I resembled my father, but I was still glad to learn something about his past that I hadn't known in my previous life.
'Even Father challenged an apostle.'
I drained the full glass of potion and asked.
Gulp.
"So, who won the match?"
"I did."
It was the expected result.
"Of course, Roys wasn't weak. Unlike you, he didn't come alone."
"You remember him pretty well, though?"
"He was the strongest knight I'd met before you showed up. Well, if you use that weird purple light, that's a different story."
True, without Lightning, I wouldn't have been able to slice through Gregory's body.
"If we're talking pure swordsmanship, who do you think is superior—Father or me in the future?"
"Right now, your old man. He was already stronger than you when he came to me."
Gregory chuckled as he continued.
"Who knows what'll happen down the line, though."
What realm had Father's swordsmanship reached? In my previous life, I'd heard he had hit a wall.
He passed away without ever crossing swords with me, so I had no way to know his true limits.
'I'm curious.'
Just how strong was Father?
I nodded slightly.
"Got it. I understand."
"You leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm short on time."
"What's a human like you in such a rush for?"
"That's exactly why—because I'm human. Our lifespans aren't as long as yours."
The goblin champion burst into laughter and began packing his things to see me off.
"I'll walk you to the entrance."
"No need. I know the way up."
"Huh? How?"
"I've been here before."
I picked up a torch and pointed it toward the graveyard in the corner of the village. As I approached the large tombstone there and released my aura,
Shiiiik—
letters engraved in the tower's language appeared. A language no one could decipher anymore.
It was a mechanism that only the apostles, chosen by the gods, could understand.
"You really do know it."
Gregory clapped in admiration.
Clap!
"Told you. I've been here."
You just don't remember me from my previous life.
Rumble...
The tombstone began to move.
At the same time, the path to the 11th floor beyond the ordeal started forming.
Thud, thud, thud.
The tombstones embedded in the graveyard piled up, forming stairs toward the ceiling of the 10th floor.
Thud!
Once the stone stairs reached right up to the ceiling, Gregory handed me a wooden box.
"If you ever need my help, come back anytime."
I took the box from him and replied.
"Sure."
"The guy guarding the next ordeal isn't your average foe, so watch yourself."
"Got it."
That was the end of our conversation.
I led Rox and Cynthia's group to the next floor.
Once everyone who had challenged this ordeal was gone,
Slash!
Amon suddenly burst through space, giving Gregory a meaningful look as he spoke softly.
"Impressive."
Gregory, who had been grinning brightly, hardened his expression instantly.
"Impressive, right? That human kid just now."
"No, I meant you, Gregory."
"...Me?"
"Yes. What are you doing right now, Gregory?"
"What do you mean?"
"I told you not to hand over that box. Don't you know how dangerous it is if he takes it?"
The two glared at each other.
Crackle, crackle.
Amon's mana and Gregory's aura clashed, vying for dominance.
"Whether I hand it over is my call. And aren't the rewards for adventurers decided by the gods?"
"......"
"You saw it too—that box was picked by Berddin himself. Once someone passes the ordeal and chooses it themselves, no one can stop them."
"Does that mean you just give it away? You should've recommended another box or at least pretended to block him."
"You think that would've stopped him?"
"Well—"
Gregory stomped the ground with his foot, showing his displeasure.
Thud, thud, thud.
"We're moving within the causality set by the gods. The fact that Din took that box was something the gods already knew about, wasn't it?"
"No. You know it too, Gregory—Berddin has already escaped causality."
"So? What, you think Berddin’s gonna come kill us?"
"It's not impossible. Just like he had the chance to cut your throat when you foolishly lost earlier."
"Oh, like the day your sister followed you to her death without even knowing she was the sacrifice?"
Whoosh—
Amon channeled mana into his wooden staff, aiming for Gregory's throat.
Thwack!
Gregory casually grabbed the staff and released his aura.
Crunch.
"You wanna go?"
"It's not impossible. You've already broken the pact with the other apostles guarding the tower, so you deserve to be executed."
"I never made any pact with you lot. I'm just carrying out the gods' will."
"Didn't the gods say it? Spare those worthy of becoming apostles. Kill the rest."
"That's why I spared Berddin. He's more than qualified to become one of us apostles."
Amon smirked.
"And who are you to decide that, Gregory?"
"Because it's my role as guardian of the 10th floor ordeal."
"...Demonium opens soon. Even if I let it slide today, the other apostles will hold you accountable."
"Do whatever. I've never sinned against the gods."
Gregory gripped Amon's staff with his left hand and slammed his right fist, infused with aura, into the ground.
Boom!
Stone shards scattered like bullets in all directions. Amon released the staff, leaped back, and vanished through space with a 'Pew!'.
"...You'll regret this, Gregory."
Gregory flipped off the direction Amon had fled.
"The one regretting'll be you."
I returned to the mansion right after descending the tower. Rox, for whom it was his first climb, was so amazed by the trip that he chattered nonstop through dinner.
"No way! So we were only inside for less than half a day? It felt like at least a week!"
The flow of time inside and outside the tower is different.
No one could say exactly how different, but according to the renowned Alchemist Guild on the continent, the difference was about tenfold.
While a day passes outside, ten days pass inside. That's why those aiming for the pinnacle in their fields use the tower to extend their training time.
Cynthia elegantly sliced her steak, speared a piece with her fork, and pointed it at me as she joined the conversation.
"So, adventurers have an advantage staying outside the tower?"
"No, you have to exit once you hit your goal."
"Why?"
"Or you become a resident of the tower the moment your mind breaks."
"A resident of the tower?"
Those who haven't experienced it can't easily grasp what that means. And there are too many examples to explain them all.
I tapped my glass with my finger so everyone could hear.
"The higher you go, the wider each floor gets. Past the 30th floor, a single floor is bigger than the territory of this entire legion."
"......"
"So, what happens to those without a map or who don't know the way?"
"They get lost."
"Right, like being trapped in a labyrinth—they'll wander forever. If they can't find the way down or up?"
They end up trapped on that floor, becoming tower residents.
"Think you get it now."
"There are other cases too. Remember those human-shaped statues when we reached the 10th floor?"
"The human-shaped statues... N-No way?!"
"Yeah, some of them were adventurers who challenged the tower. They kept failing ordeals without leaving and eventually forgot if they were insiders or outsiders."
Alfredo, Cynthia's bald wrestler party member, gulped.
"Th-Then those guys are stuck in the tower forever until they die?"
I smiled and drew a circle in the air with my fork.
"Bingo."
"Ah..."
"What I just told you is just a fraction. Plenty get trapped for other reasons, so be careful."
"Y-Yeah."
"Anyway. Cynthia, aren't you curious why I chose you?"
Cynthia nodded slightly.
"I am."
"Should I say it here? Or privately?"
"I don't get the intent. Is there a reason to say it privately?"
"Consideration."
"Consideration?"
"Yeah. I know who you are."
For a fleeting moment, her eyes wavered.
"You know my identity?"
"Like our family, you've borne the weight of the cross."
"The Strange information network is no joke, as expected. How long have you known?"
"A very long time. Longer than you could imagine."
"Is that why you smiled when you heard my name in the tower?"
"Exactly."
The conversation didn't last long.
Cynthia stood up abruptly and spoke to her ponytail and bald companion.
"You two stay here."
She then fixed me with a cold gaze.
"Where do we go to talk alone?"
The largest inn in Legion Castle, a rowdy tavern where adventurers of all classes, races, and genders gathered: the first floor of 'Adventurer's Rest'.
Berddin and Cynthia entered quietly and took a seat in the corner.
-Kahahahaha! Back in my day, I made it to the 50th floor of the tower!
A drunkard's tale of valor.
-Bullshit, no one's cleared the current 50th floor—not even Strange or Glazer—and you did?
A young adventurer countering him.
-Hey, hey, the old man's got dementia. Ignore him and leave it.
A veteran used to this life.
The din of stories blending together sounded like music.
"Fun crowd."
Cynthia spoke first.
I quickly scanned the familiar faces before replying to her.
"We both hate long talks, so straight to the point."
"Sure."
"There's one reason I want to climb the tower with you."
Thud.
I placed the wooden box from the tower on the table and continued.
"I need a holy spell that only your paladin order members can use."