Chapter 4.

 Becoming the Lord (3)

Can the most popular character in the game really be the mastermind?

Surprisingly…

Yes.

Because Jehar wasn’t an ordinary mastermind.

He was a tragic one.

His true identity was that of a Transcendent who had built the Tower alongside the First Lord.

He had been the First Lord’s partner.

His closest friend.

Perhaps even something more than that.

Then why had Jehar nailed the previous Lord to that bloodstained monument?

Because the previous Lord was a fake.

As the First Lord continued reincarnating into homunculus bodies over the centuries, their soul gradually began to break apart.

Eventually, it deteriorated to the point where it could no longer endure.

To recover, the First Lord temporarily sealed away their soul.

To conceal the truth and fill the vacant position, they created the previous Lord.

A homunculus who possessed neither the First Lord’s soul nor memories.

Merely an imitation with the same appearance.

A disposable replacement.

One rule of dark fantasy:

If someone keeps getting called a fake or a substitute… they’re guaranteed to want to become the real thing.

The previous Lord was no exception.

Longing to become the genuine article instead of a replacement, the homunculus shattered the First Lord’s sealed soul into countless fragments.

Even that wasn’t enough.

Using the fragments’ power, they attempted to seize control of the Tower itself.

Fortunately…

Jehar discovered the ritual just before it was completed.

Driven half mad with rage, he killed the previous Lord.

But he didn’t stop there.

He gathered every remaining source of power—

Even the energy maintaining the Tower’s seal—

And performed the greatest spell imaginable in an attempt to resurrect the First Lord.

That… was how the protagonist—the new Lord—came into existence.

Of course…

The new Lord wasn’t truly the First Lord either.

They merely contained the largest remaining fragment of the original soul.

Another fake.

A Transcendent who became responsible for unleashing the Tower’s seal—and nearly destroying the world—

Just to create that incomplete replacement.

A mad mastermind.

And simultaneously…

A victim.

The companion you could trust more than anyone else…

And the companion you should fear the most.

That was Jehar.

He was practically a collection of every trait guaranteed to make a character popular.

Which also meant…

He’s the biggest obstacle in the early game.

Early-game Jehar wasn’t in his right mind.

Choose a single wrong dialogue option…

And he’d shout,

“My Lord would never say such a thing!”

Before immediately triggering a Bad Ending.

So what would happen if he discovered the truth?

That she wasn’t carrying a fragment of the First Lord’s soul at all…

But was merely a Korean gaming addict who had spent half her life unemployed?

I’d die.

Obviously.

She steadied herself.

“I’m tired.”

Carefully, she withdrew the hand Jehar was holding before it began trembling.

“If there is no urgent matter, we shall discuss everything tomorrow.”

“I wish to rest.”

“…As you wish.”

“You’ve only just awakened.”

“You must still be exhausted and confused.”

Even though she had blatantly changed the subject, Jehar remained perfectly respectful.

He stepped back, explained how to summon a maid by pulling the bell cord if she needed anything…

Then quietly left.

Only after the heavy oak door had closed—and several long moments had passed—

Did she collapse backward onto the bed.

“Haaah…”

One Bad Ending avoided.

If she’d responded to Jehar’s emotional “Trust only me” with,

“I will! I’ll trust only you!”

…

She would’ve been sent straight into the Captivity and Isolation Ending, personally prepared by the mastermind himself.

Great character or not…

He was unbelievably difficult to deal with.

Damn dark fantasy.

Not a single easy person existed.

All right.

Let’s organize my situation.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she calmly reviewed everything.

First.

She had transmigrated into The Darkness Tower as its protagonist—the Lord.

Second.

The character she’d created was a terrible build.

Third.

Even with that terrible build, she still had to conquer the Tower.

Otherwise…

The world would end.

“…Yeah.”

“I’m completely screwed.”

Conquering the Tower on Hardcore difficulty as a—

No.

As a Mind Sorcerer?

Honestly…

It was nearly impossible.

To conquer the Tower, you needed to recruit as many companions as possible.

Only then could your expedition party remain stable and recover from unexpected disasters.

Mind Sorcerers couldn’t do that.

Because their signature ability…

Made companions leave.

That was the nature of mental magic.

Then why not simply avoid using mental magic?

Because Sorcerers were essentially psychics.

They couldn’t learn any other kind of magic.

Brainwashing was literally their entire toolkit.

Sure, I could do what I always did in the game…

Brainwash every companion.

Or fill my party with homunculi.

But those strategies were horribly unstable.

One dispel spell cast on a brainwashed companion…

And the party instantly collapsed.

As for relying solely on homunculi…

Her reputation would plummet, rebellions would erupt, outside forces would interfere—

The entire playthrough would spiral out of control.

This wasn’t a game anymore.

She couldn’t simply reload a save.

There was no way she could rely on such an unstable strategy.

Giving up on conquering the Tower isn’t an option either.

Fail the seal.

Die and descend into Hell.

Become a sacrifice for an evil god.

Spend eternity as a brain floating inside a jar.

Those counted as the game’s “milder” Bad Endings.

She had to try everything.

No—

She would try everything.

Companions?

She’d scrape together every usable one she could find.

Dark Tower had an enormous roster of recruitable companions.

A handful didn’t care much about mental magic.

Or barely reacted to it at all.

Granted…

They tended to be criminals.

Madmen.

Or people with backstories so horrifying they made the masterminds look normal.

Still…

They existed.

So she’d recruit everyone—

Except the ones who immediately triggered Bad Endings.

She’d grind for gold.

Exploit glitches she’d once avoided for the sake of fair play.

Loot every treasure chest.

She’d even test strategies she’d previously only theorized about because the game engine had made them impossible.

There wasn’t time to hesitate.

Survival came first.

Having strengthened her resolve, she raised her head.

Across from the bed stood a large window.

Outside, the night was so dark that the glass reflected her own image like a mirror.

An impossibly beautiful woman stared back at her.

She still wasn’t used to seeing that face.

Yet…

It belonged to her now.

From now on…

I am Camellia.

Camellia Lord.

The ruler of the cursed city of Needstar.

I will survive.

And I will reach the proper ending.

The next morning arrived.

After only halfheartedly making herself presentable, Camellia headed straight for the study.

As expected…

Lohengrin, the Commander of the Knights,

and Jehar, the Steward,

were already waiting.

A silver-haired knight who looked like the very embodiment of integrity.

A black-haired mage who seemed temptation itself given human form.

Their appearances were enough to brighten the gloomy office.

Yet Camellia didn’t spare either of them a glance.

Both were indispensable.

She couldn’t afford to lose either one.

If I accidentally raise one of their affection levels too high and they start stabbing each other…

The Tower run is over.

Loyalty only.

Only loyalty.

Repeating that firmly to herself, she walked to the enormous window overlooking the city.

The first thing she saw…

Was the Tower standing at its center.

It was surrounded by a blood-red hemispherical barrier.

Lightning constantly struck its surface.

Even at a glance…

It was obvious something had gone terribly wrong.

She’d seen the sight countless times in the game.

But witnessing it with her own eyes was overwhelming.

Mistaking her silence for concern over the Tower, Jehar cautiously began his report.

“I couldn’t tell you yesterday because your condition wasn’t stable…”

“But the Tower’s state is even worse than we anticipated.”

He continued.

The seal on the first floor had been damaged.

Monsters were continuously pouring out.

They had deployed a defensive barrier.

Even under ideal circumstances…

It would only hold for two days.

Before then, they needed a solution.

“You needn’t worry.”

“Just as you returned…”

“The Tower will soon return to normal as well.”

“We only need to reactivate the sealing array inside.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Reactivate the seal…

And the monsters would stop.

The ancient evil would remain imprisoned.

The problem was…

Only the Lord could operate the seal.

Which meant she had to do it herself.

Ninety-nine times.

What a miserable game…

The mere thought made her dizzy.

Still…

It had to be done.

Maintaining a composed expression, she asked,

“What about the citizens?”

Jehar answered immediately.

The moment monsters began appearing, they’d activated the city’s barrier.

Fortunately, casualties had been minimal.

“As a precaution, everyone has already been evacuated to the shelters.”

“We’ve also stationed guards near the barrier in case of emergencies.”

“And the adventurers?”

The Tower wasn’t merely the prison of an ancient evil.

It was also a dungeon.

An unconquered dungeon that had stood there for over a thousand years.

Countless adventurers flocked to the city seeking wealth and fame.

The city’s economy depended on them almost as much as its own citizens.

This time…

Jehar’s voice grew noticeably darker.

“…The situation isn’t favorable.”

“The barrier was deployed too quickly.”

“Most of the adventurers inside the Tower were unable to escape.”

She already knew that.

It wasn’t surprising.

“What about those who remain outside?”

“Many refuse to understand the situation.”

“The Guild Master and several famous adventurers have been especially vocal in their protests…”

Apparently dissatisfied with Jehar’s explanation,

Lohengrin suddenly cut in.

“It’s not that they don’t understand.”

“They’re frustrated.”

“Hiding behind the barrier won’t solve anything.”

“Sir Eschen.”

Jehar spoke his name sharply, clearly telling him to stop.

Lohengrin ignored him.

“My Lord.”

“Monsters are literally flooding out of the Tower.”

“The seal must be repaired immediately.”

“If possible…”

“Today.”

Jehar glared at him.

“My Lord hasn’t even recovered yet.”

“What if something happens to them?”

“So waiting another two days will improve the situation?”

“Monsters are appearing even as we speak.”

“Which is precisely why we must proceed carefully.”

“We have no idea what’s waiting inside the Tower.”

“I oppose sending my Lord.”

Well… they’re getting along exactly as expected.

This level of arguing wasn’t unusual.

Dark Tower was filled with companions so opinionated they’d drain even the most outgoing person’s energy.

They argued constantly.

And every other day they’d ask the protagonist,

“Choose. Them—or me?”

If things escalated…

One companion murdered another.

Or abandoned the party.

Sometimes…

They stabbed the protagonist instead.

“This is all your fault, my Lord!”

Preventing those insane scenarios was surprisingly simple.

Strike first.

Become the craziest person in the room.

You dare raise your voices without my permission?

Do you want to see your Lord lose their mind?

“Enough.”

Camellia cast Dominate without hesitation.

Needless to say…

It was a Critical Success.

Jehar and Lohengrin immediately fell silent, as though neither had raised their voices in the first place.

Without taking her eyes off the Tower, she continued.

I don’t take advice from people worse at this game than I am.

No one knows how to conquer this Tower better than me.

“I do not recall granting either of you permission to voice your opinions.”

“The audacity.”

Highest number of Hardcore clears in the country.

World-record Hardcore speedrunner.

First player in the world to solo Hardcore.

That… is me.

“The Tower falls under my authority.”

“I alone shall decide how it is is dealt with.”

Once again, Immortal Charm helpfully translated her gamer arrogance into dignified ruler-speak.

Thanks for that.

Finally turning toward the two men, Camellia declared,

I’ll carry you through this.

Just trust me and follow.

“There is nothing to fear.”

“There is nothing to worry about.”

“You need only follow me.”

Or you don’t get invited to the party.

“Do you understand?”

[Lohengrin Eschen’s Loyalty has increased.]

[Jehar al-Rashid’s Loyalty has increased.]

Good.

That’s exactly how it should be.