[Another successor, Harmonia, is in great shock!]

[Another successor, Harmonia, is in a state of panic.]

[Another successor, Harmonia, is in a state of unrest.]

…

[Harmonia’s focus on her offering ceremony has been disturbed!]

[The burnt offering for the expansion ceremony has been disturbed!]

…

Perhaps because they were tied together as the ‘successors of the Black King’, Harmonia realized what Yeon-woo had said, and she seemed to be exhibiting great shock.

Even Yeon-woo could feel that the ritual to awaken the Black King had been greatly disturbed. Of course, the response was obvious, since nobody in the world would dare say such a thing to the Black King. There were many who did not know about the existence of the Black King, but those who knew his name could never even think to mutter such words. The Black King was that much of an influence on all great beings.

[All gods on the ninety-eighth floor explode with gasps as they look at player Cha Yeon-woo!]

Even the arrogant gods…

[All the demons on the ninety-eighth floor are taking precautions to steer clear of the fallout. They have gathered all their attention away from the player, Cha Yeon-woo!]

Even the selfish, self-serving demons…

[All gods of death are silent.]

[All demons of death are silent.]

Even those who believed and followed Yeon-woo as a ‘lord’ had similar reactions as the others. They all reacted violently.

[Vimalacitra salutes you!]

[Cernunnos scolds you greatly, saying that knowing the difference between courage and arrogance is the proper attitude one should exhibit as a ‘King’!]

Only Vimalacitra and Cernunnos, who wandered around the heavenly world without any affiliations, reacted differently.

However, even after seeing all the messages, Yeon-woo was calm. Even after receiving the countless gazes from all corners of the universe, and even after receiving the gaze of a great being who made people bow their heads simply from its majesty, Yeon-woo looked unperturbed.

However, the Black King’s reaction was even weirder.

[The Black King looks at his shadow with still eyes.]

[The Black King laughs aloud.]

[The Black King clicks his tongue.]

[The Black King thinks this ‘dream’ is very interesting.]

The Black King found the situation funny. No, he thoroughly enjoyed it.

If the gods were insulted by a human like this, most of them would become increasingly furious, saying that their prestige was trampled upon. However, if one was a far superior being, one might be able to enjoy such things as a fun game or enjoyable occurrence. After all, from the Black King’s point of view, all beings were nothing more than a swarm of worms. There was no difference between gods and humans.

Rather, the Black King might find it ridiculous and laughable to divide beings into ranks and discriminate his response amongst them. Moreover, for the Black King, the ‘successor’ and ‘clones’ were nothing more than pets that always listened and followed his instructions.

『…Son, I must say… Even though you’re my son…I feel at times…』 Kronos managed to state in between sighs and gulps.『You sure are reckless.』

Kronos did not recall Yeon-woo acting out to this extent on Earth. He could not shake the thought that, somehow, Yeon-woo’s personality seemed to get more convoluted after spending more time in the Tower.

However, Kronos understood his son. It must have been unavoidable for Yeon-woo, who always had to fiercely fight. Otherwise, Yeon-woo would have failed and become nothing long ago. In addition, currently, the huge cycling wheel that represented the Black King was gradually awakening from his ‘dream’ and forcibly binding onto Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo had to be alert and wary.

Clank. Clank. Yeon-woo again touched the black chains that bound his body to reconfirm his restrictions and his limitations. After confirming his restrictions, Yeon-woo stared into the air as he wet his lips.

It was not easy to send a curse to a being whose location was unknown, but it also was not too difficult as long as Yeon-woo succeeded once. Just by voicing his words into the air, all of Yeon-woo’s intentions would be conveyed and delivered to the Black King.

[Player Cha Yeon-woo has sent a message to the Black King’s true body.]

[Message: I have faithfully carried out the duties you have laid upon me. I painted the entire lower world of this Tower in your color, and as you ordered, I have removed the Heavenly Demon’s flesh and blood.]

Just by talking into the emptiness, Yeon-woo was sending a message to the Black King, who was unbelievably large and powerful.

[Player Cha Yeon-woo sent a message to the Black King’s true body.]

[Message: I will soon have complete ownership over the divine domain of Allforone, so there will be no being that will be able to stop me from climbing the Tower.]

[Player Cha Yeon-woo sent a message to the Black King.]

[Message: No matter what Harmonia does in the meantime, she will not be able to play a more important role than me in eventually waking you up from your ‘dream’.]

Yeon-woo knew his worth to the Black King more than anyone else. Yeon-woo ruled over giants and dragons and was also the King of Olympus. Furthermore, he symbolized death and fight, and now, he reigned as the strongest being in the Tower capable of manipulating the ‘wheel’ of time.

Moreover, the Black King designated the Tower as his holy territory and absorbed everything within to fully awaken himself from his ‘dream’. For the Black King, Yeon-woo was a necessary existence.

[Player Cha Yeon-woo has sent a message to the Black King.]

[Message: So, I think I am qualified to negotiate a trade.]

Yeon-woo gulped down hard. From now, what he would be asking for would become the most important thing that dictated his future. It was the reason why he had climbed the Tower, through thick and thin.

There was no reply from the Black King.

[Player Cha Yeon-woo has sent a message to the Black King’s true body.]

[Message: Return Jeong-woo’s soul, which you’ve dangled in front of me up to now to do your bidding. Then, if you tell me to bark, I’ll bark like a dog.]

A reply from the Black King, who Yeon-woo was expecting a response from, whether it be yes, no, or some other response, did not come.

『… Son.』 Kronos looked at his son with pity. He had no idea how he was supposed to care for this little child who, despite having so many brothers and sisters, was set up to live a difficult life under someone else’s bidding. As a father, Kronos could not watch idly and let things continue. Moreover, the situation made Kronos miss Rhea even more.

However, even though his father looked at him with such pity, Yeon-woo remained unshaken and vigilantly waited for the Black King’s reply.

[Your exuviation is progressing very slowly: 39, 40… 42%...]

[The level of your soul, which was in a state of excess, has been upgraded. Current Status: Divine Spirit.]

While Yeon-woo’s exuviation was progressing slowly, the long and heavy silence was finally broken.

[The Black King is looking at his shadow, who has brought up the topic of ‘negotiation’, with interest.]

[The Black King had taken time to consider for a moment.]

[The Black King tells his shadow that he never listens to such requests.]

[The Black King asks his shadow to show him that the shadow deserves ‘negotiation’.]

“…!” Yeon-woo clenched his fist. In fact, he knew all too well that negotiation was absurd nonsense for the Black King.

It was just a plain bluff. Yeon-woo was nothing more than a puppet that would be cast off and left behind if the Black King made up his mind to forsake him. From time immemorial, there were numerous people who followed the Black King, and the Black King had the luxury to choose the one he liked from among these numerous candidates.

To give back or toss aside Jeong-woo’s soul was ultimately up to the Black King’s magnanimity. If the Black King ultimately refused…

‘No. Let’s not think about it.’ Yeon-woo clenched his jaw. He had no other place to retreat to. There was no other opportunity or option to counterattack.

So… Thump! Yeon-woo fell to his knees without any regrets. He then shook his head. “Please, I beg of you.”

[All the gods on the ninety-eighth floor are looking at you with bated breaths.]

[All demons on the ninety-eighth floor are letting out deep sighs.]

This was an oath of allegiance and submission. If the Black King returned his brother… If the Black King brought Jeong-woo back to life, Yeon-woo was saying that he would do anything in return.

Clank! Yeon-woo could feel the chains that bound him tightening. Originally, the chains were like a restraint that restrained ‘Allforone’, the incarnation of the Tower’s system. Now, it was turning into a link between Yeon-woo and the Black King.

[The Black King looks at his shadow with interest.]

[The Black King says he would have accepted any other wish.]

In an instant, Yeon-woo lifted his head upward with eyes filled with disbelief.

『What?』 Kronos was also shocked.

Messages from the Black King popped up in Yeon-woo’s mind one after another.

[The Black King understands there is no one more loyal to him during this ‘dream’ period than Yeon-woo.]

[The Black King is also aware of the fact that there is no one who has made his ‘dream’ more interesting than Yeon-woo.]

[The Black King considers it appropriate that his shadow is granted a wish, and he thinks it is appropriate to offer his shadow the left side of the throne once he wakes up from his dream.]

[However, the Black King states he cannot grant his shadow’s current wish.]

“Why?!” With a distorted expression, Yeon-woo screamed. Perhaps due to his anger, the whole lower world, including the seventy-seventh floor, trembled. Even the darkness that formed the ‘egg’ shook.

[The Black King reveals that Jeong-woo’s soul is his most precious jewel.]

‘What? Jewel? What the hell is this?’

[The Black King says he cannot elaborate further.]

[The Black King urges his shadow to state another wish.]

Crack! Yeon-woo got up from his knees and ground his teeth, wondering what use the Black King had for his brother’s soul. The soul of his younger brother, which could not be called even by Summon of the Dead and could not be found even after going all the way to the front gate of where the Black King was said to be, must be playing some important role.

Still, Yeon-woo tried to win the Black King’s favor by faithfully fulfilling what the Black King requested. He did everything he could to get his brother’s soul back. However, in the end, the Black King refused.

“If you don’t give it.” Yeon-woo had no choice but to oppose and fight against the Black King. “I have no choice but to fight you.”

Whoosh! Yeon-woo tightened his grip around Scythe. The darkness that engulfed the lower world roared loudly. Even if the darkness originated from the Black King, it came out from and was utilized by Yeon-woo, so the darkness had no choice but to follow Yeon-woo’s command.

[The Black King is delighted with the resistance that his shadow is showing.]

[The Black King wants to recover the Darkness Jade that he gifted to his shadow.]

At that moment, Scythe trembled wildly. The Black King was intending to take away the core of the completed Scythe and gradually reduce Yeon-woo’s power. However…

[The fundamental properties of the ‘Darkness Jade’ have been changed due to an unknown force!]

[Ownership of the ‘Darkness Jade’ is registered in the system as completely vested in the player, Cha Yeon-woo!]

At that moment, Yeon-woo activated his Yin Sword, and changed the fundamental ownership of the Darkness Jade to himself.

[The newly installed operating system is now operational!]

[The infected comparison functions have been normalized.]

[The weakened arithmetic and calculation functions have been normalized.]

[The stopped judgment functions have been normalized.]

…

[The normalization of central information processing units introduces new elements to information collection and interpretation.]

[The network is now active between the server and the client. The system has fully restarted.]

[Allforone’s domain is revealed!]

Yeon-woo tried to exclude all interference from the Black King, who was gradually trying to imprison him, by resuming the Tower’s system through his authority as Allforone, the divine domain that he extorted from Vivasvat.

[The darkness’ attempts to encroach on the seventy-ninth floor has forcibly stopped!]

[The Black King mildly exclaims at the small talent that his shadow is exhibiting.]

[The Black King looks at his shadow with eyes full of greed.]

[The Black King wants to enjoy this ‘dream’ more.]

***

While Yeon-woo and the Black King were clashing…

Step. Step.

“…” The Heavenly Demon stopped at a certain spot while silently walking through the Changgong Library. Like any other place in the library, the spot was a place full of numerous books, but there was a section that held the Heavenly Demon’s interest.

-- Son Jae-won (Vivasvat) --

The Heavenly Demon took out the very front booklet and slowly started reading. Inside the library, amidst the deep silence, only the sound of pages turning could be heard.

My father was a hero.