The Community Ablaze Over Silver Hair
Inside Luddera.
Labyrinth Tower, 6th Floor.
Albus floated high in the sky, waving both hands like an orchestra conductor.
Swoosh, swoosh.
To the casual observer, it might look like pointless flailing in midair, but...
Hummm.
Rumble rumble.
No one who witnessed the earth rising and the waters parting at his gestures—scenes straight out of the world's creation—would think that.
“I never imagined they'd reach this far so soon.”
Albus muttered as he shaped a colossal colosseum the size of dozens of soccer fields stitched together.
The very day before, right after quelling the community uproar, a world announcement had rung out across Luddera.
-Labyrinth Tower Floor 5, the Unbelievers' Citadel, cleared by player 'Kanion' and 12 others.
-Ownership of the Unbelievers' Citadel granted to player 'Kanion,' top contributor to the main quest.
It was an alert announcing the clear of the Labyrinth Tower's 5th floor.
The Labyrinth Tower Albus had prepared only had floors up to 5 and the topmost level fully built. The floors in between were just planned out, not yet constructed.
He'd set floors 2 through 5 to high difficulty to gauge how quickly players burned through content before adding more above. But the continent's players had exceeded his expectations.
In less than a month, they'd toppled even the 5th floor boss.
“Floor 5's difficulty is way higher than the ones below, and they clear it already? Come on.”
The 5th floor centered on a level 200 Vampire Lord commanding thousands of undead.
The boss itself was just strong, but the real threat came from its undead servant ability. Albus had programmed it to turn fallen players into undead minions.
Imagine raiding the boss, losing comrades, then having those comrades rise and stab you in the back. Players had to fight not just the boss but watch their fallen allies too—an extreme challenge.
Floors 2-4 had hidden mechanics aiding players, keeping actual difficulty moderate. But Floor 5 had none, so even with the continent's powerhouses, Albus figured it wouldn't fall easily.
Yet from opening to clear took less than three days.
The 6th floor was still unfinished.
Seeing the clear alert, Albus hastily sealed the gate between 5 and 6, then started construction on 6.
Thankfully, the players who'd cleared 5 didn't head up; they hunkered down there instead. A stroke of luck for Albus.
“Phew! This should do it.”
After waving his arms in the air for ages to finish the arena, Albus looked down at his creation.
The 6th floor's theme: a dueling tournament.
A concept for one-on-one PvP duels among players, with special prizes. If it succeeded, he'd expand it into new duel content.
With construction done, Albus caught his breath, opened the 6th floor gate, and pulled up the status window of the player who'd cleared 5.
'Harðhugaðr, huh...'
'Defeat 10+ non-living enemies level 100+ with a hammer in 10 seconds.' A hidden class from clearing that hidden achievement.
Albus could guess how Kanion cleared the 5th floor so fast.
'Lost comrades to the Vampire Lord, then smashed them as undead—triggered the achievement mid-fight, unlocked the class.'
Hidden class Harðhugaðr: one of Thor's epithets from Norse myth. Granted temporary access to Thor's powers and treasures.
'Even a human wielding a god's power would crush the Vampire Lord easily.'
The second player after the First Emperor to claim a hidden class.
'I added that dramatic achievement and class for fun, but it sped up content consumption.'
He regretted his past self a bit.
Bang.
After working through the night on the tower, Albus rubbed his hollow eyes and opened his dorm room door.
“Yo, buddy. Sleep well? ...Nah, doesn't look like it.”
Valtburg greeted him with a bright smile, raising one hand.
“Pulled an all-nighter?”
“Spot on...”
“Yeah, Luddera sucks you in—time flies. I get wanting to skip lectures and play all day sometimes.”
Valtburg nodded with eyes closed. “But can't, obviously. Get caught by Dad? Ugh, nightmare fuel.” He shuddered.
'Dad's a Republic senator or something?'
Valtburg scared? Made Albus curious about his family.
“Or maybe fooling around with the Saintess in there! Bad idea, buddy. God's wrath incoming. She's divine property.”
Valtburg grinned mischievously.
“I'd die for real...”
“Haha, kidding. Hurry to class—we're gonna be late.”
Valtburg dashed off.
On the way to the lecture hall.
“Ughhh...”
Passersby stared at Albus staggering beside Valtburg.
But not at his state.
“Buddy, ask the Saintess for a heal? You two are tight, right?”
The academy restaurant incident: her sudden appearance, calling him “hubby” and dragging him off.
After that, Albus was infamous as the Saintess's lover.
The guy who snagged God's woman. Attention was inevitable.
His sister Adelina had tried blocking the spotlight, but it'd overflowed.
“I told you, no...”
The Saintess appeared like a whirlwind, spilled tales of past-life romance and fighting GM together, then vanished to “check something.”
Days passed, no contact. Close? Hardly.
“I said before—she must've mistaken me for someone. First time I met her.”
Of course, a Saintess wouldn't lie. Her regression and their history were true.
But ghosting after? Too much.
Some emergency?'
Holy Kingdom.
Papal Office.
Pope's Study.
Knock knock.
“Enter.”
Creeak.
The door opened, and Saintess Eclessia stepped in as the Pope looked up from his papers.
“It's been a while, Your Holiness.”
Recognizing her, the Pope's eyes widened.
“...Eclessia? Didn't you go to the academy? Why are you here?”
“Had to check something urgent. Phew! Looks safe here.”
Eclessia replied while rummaging through the Pope's study.
“...Care to explain, Eclessia? I'm confused.”
The Pope asked blankly as she scoured with holy detection magic, like hunting bugs.
“So much has happened. Really, a lot.”
Eclessia approached the desk.
“I'll explain everything. What happens in the future. The sacrifices you made to protect me and my husband.”
“Future...?”
“Believe me, Your Holiness. I returned from the future.”
“Eclessia, what are you...”
“No time. We must stop the disaster god GM before he topples the continent's order.”
Her sunken eyes pierced deep.
The Pope could only stare, speechless.
Lichten Academy, Research Lecture Building.
In front of the Large Lecture Hall.
“Ehehe!”
A silver-haired girl rubbed her face against Albus's chest.
'...Who the hell is this kid?'
A girl he'd never seen.
Her delicate features and porcelain skin promised a beauty who'd shake the continent grown up.
“Hi! I'm a god!”
'Delusional kid?'
Claiming godhood out of nowhere.
Probably a staff kid wandering the academy.
Lost child? Take her to the student council?'
As Albus pondered...
“Daddy!”
Duamutef cried out loudly.