Chapter: 11
The Tower of God, 1st Floor.
It became as quiet as if cold water had been thrown over them.
Darakan asked in a trembling voice.
“I am the Dragon of the Abyss, I have captured thousands of spirits…!”
“Yes, you caught them.”
Gugu cut him off.
“But it didn’t help at all in eliminating the source of contamination. On the contrary, you only agitated the spirits and raised the difficulty.”
“B-But still, 1 point is too…!”
“It is the system’s judgment. If you feel wronged, why not blow up the entire sanctuary like Lord Ragnarok did?”
“……”
Darakan fell silent.
He couldn’t argue.
That overwhelming explosion.
And the angel who had become a Holy Sword.
The gap was already as vast as heaven and earth.
“Seria-nim, 1 point.”
“……”
“As for the rest of you… unfortunately, 0 points.”
“……”
Gugu spread his wings and declared.
“With this, all schedules for the 1st Floor Promotion Test are concluded.”
His eyes sparkled.
“The overall 1st place remains unchanged – Lord Ragnarok. Congratulations. From now on, Lord Ragnarok is the new master of the ‘Tower of God’s’ 1st Floor.”
* * *
The Gods’ Garden was submerged in silence.
Even the Muses who had been playing music, and the spirits who had been serving, all froze.
It was because of the red system message floating in the air.
[A new master of the 1st Floor has been born.]
[Name: Ragnarok]
[Overall Evaluation: Overwhelming]
[All-time Seed Evaluation Ranking: 1st]
[The name ‘Ragnarok’ has been recorded in the Gods’ Hall.]
Overwhelming.
This single word explained everything.
The 2nd place, Darakan’s score was a mere 2 points.
Ragnarok’s score was 300.
This was a massacre.
A result that trampled the pride of the competitors and even shattered the standards of the judges.
“……Heh.”
Someone let out a hollow laugh.
That sound became the signal.
“Is that… even possible?”
“300 points? Unless it’s a system error.”
“He blew up the entire sanctuary?”
The murmuring spread like waves.
Astonishment. And envy.
In particular, there was another reason that distorted the gods’ expressions.
It was because of the dazzling Holy Sword floating beside Ragnarok, as if guarding him, shown on the screen.
“Avriel……”
“That noble Archangel knelt to a mere Seed?”
Avriel was a coveted talent.
Many gods drooled over the desire to take her as their subordinate.
But she had a high nose.
She, who wouldn’t even glance at most gods, had now sworn allegiance to a rookie who had just arrived on the 1st Floor.
They felt a pang of jealousy.
Their insides twisted unbearably.
The flames of jealousy heated the garden hotly.
In the midst of it all.
“Keukkeukkeu……”
An unpleasant laugh flowed out.
It was the God of Storms, Heimdall.
He swirled his glass of nectar and looked around.
“How is it?”
An arrogant voice.
“Is it proven now?”
The gods’ gazes shot towards him.
Heimdall continued, unconcerned.
“You all made a fuss about special favors and parachute entries. But the result speaks for itself. My eyes weren’t wrong.”
At his words, some gods bit their lips.
They couldn’t refute him.
Because the result was too clear.
But they didn’t want to admit it either.
Especially, the group gathered in a corner of the garden felt that way even more strongly.
They exchanged glances with each other.
Those who exuded a damp and sticky aura.
They were gods from the ‘Biological System’ and ‘Material System’ factions.
The power structure of this tower is broadly divided into three.
The ‘Natural System’, which handles storms, earthquakes, and tidal waves.
The ‘Biological System’, which handles plagues, curses, and poisons.
And the ‘Material System’, which handles explosions, collapses, and manipulation.
Heimdall is a giant of the Natural System.
Naturally, the Natural System is the most powerful in terms of destructive force.
The other two factions have constantly checked and cooperated with each other to balance that power.
This 3rd gate, ‘Sanctuary Purification’, was likely their collaboration as well.
‘They must have been envious of Tulka-cha’s talent and made a deal with Gugu.’
It was obvious without even looking.
To eliminate Avriel by using the Seeds as bait, and secure the sealed fanatic Tulka-cha.
That must have been their goal.
The authority held by Tulka-cha, ‘Rampaging Volcano’.
The power to shake the ley lines and forcibly twist the flow of nature.
It was one of the best authorities for suppressing the powers of lower-tier Natural System gods.
If combined with another powerful authority, its destructive power would be beyond imagination.
But.
‘…He obliterated Tulka-cha. Ragnarok did.’
The plan was shattered into pieces.
Perhaps that’s why.
An underlying murderous intent began to rise.
The eyes of the Biological System god, the ‘Plague Lord’, narrowed.
‘That bastard is dangerous.’
It’s not just because he’s strong.
He knows how to overturn the board.
Above all, he is under Heimdall’s protection.
They couldn’t just stand by and watch the Natural System’s power grow even larger.
“Heimdall.”
The Plague Lord stepped forward.
“He’s certainly an impressive Seed. I’ll acknowledge that.”
He smiled greasily.
“But a nail that sticks out too much is bound to be hammered down. The 1st Floor is only the beginning, isn’t it?”
A veiled threat.
A warning that his path ahead wouldn’t be smooth.
Anything could happen during the process of climbing the tower.
Assassinations disguised as accidents.
Unreasonable trials.
There was plenty of room for the gods to intervene.
Heimdall’s expression turned icy cold at those words.
Clang!
He threw the wine glass he was holding to the floor.
The sound of shattering glass cut through the silence.
Wooooosh!
The wind blew.
It wasn’t just a simple breeze.
It was the precursor of a sharp storm, as if it would tear space itself apart.
“……Are you threatening me now?”
Heimdall rose from his seat.
The divine majesty emanating from his body covered the garden.
The Plague Lord flinched and took a step back.
“Listen carefully.”
Heimdall’s eyes flashed.
He glared at the gods of the Biological and Material Systems one by one and growled.
“I’ve got my eye on that guy.”
It was a declaration.
“If any of you so much as touches a single hair on him without my permission.”
BOOOOOOM!
A massive tornado erupted in the middle of the garden.
The sky turned black, and lightning struck down.
The wrath of the top predator of the Natural System.
“It’s war.”
Heimdall twisted the corner of his mouth into a grin.
* * *
My head felt like it was splitting.
A throbbing pain.
It was similar to a hangover, as if my brain had been put in a blender and ground up.
But.
‘…What is this?’
It’s strangely cozy.
My back doesn’t feel sore.
It’s as comfortable as lying on a cloud, and a faint scent of flowers lingers.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw wasn’t a blue sky.
It was empty space.
My body was floating in the air.
To be precise, I was cradled in someone’s arms.
And not just any way, but in a so-called ‘princess carry’, as if I were a precious treasure.
“……”
I slowly raised my gaze.
A dazzlingly white jawline.
Golden shining eyes.
I met the eyes of Avriel, the woman who had transformed into the Holy Sword.
She smiled benevolently and asked.
[Did you sleep well, my master?]
“……”
I needed to assess the situation.
So, I had passed out.
The test was over.
And this woman was carrying me, ascending into the sky.
…But why is she still carrying me?
“Put me down.”
[Your body is still not fully recovered. It would be better to rest a little more…]
“I said put me down because it’s embarrassing.”
I said firmly.
With a look of regret, Avriel very carefully lowered me to the ground.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I looked around.
It was still the sanctuary.
But the scenery had changed.
The rotten trees and dark red mist were gone, replaced only by clear, pristine air.
Complete purification.
“Congratulations! Lord Ragnarok!”
A familiar voice.
The administrator Gugu waddled over.
“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming the master of the 1st Floor! It was an overwhelming performance unprecedented in history!”
Gugu’s wing-flapping was noisy.
I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck.
I remember.
The fanatic Tulka-cha.
I devoured that massive disaster with my own hands.
I felt a hot heat deep in my stomach.
It seemed to have digested well.
“So, do we go up now?”
“Ah, before that, there is one procedure left.”
Gugu raised his wing and pointed to where the Seeds were gathered.
The surviving survivors.
They were staring blankly at me, or rather at Avriel standing behind me, with awe-filled eyes.
“Before ascending to the 1st Floor, you may select one Seed to take with you.”
“You mean I can take anyone I want?”
“Yes. It’s a kind of ‘middle manager’ role.”
Middle manager.
Simply put, it means to pick the middle boss of the 1st Floor.
The master of a floor is its top predator.
But one person cannot manage the entire floor alone.
The logic is that they need subordinates who will act as their limbs.
“Of course, it’s not free labor. The chosen Seed also receives enormous privileges.”
Gugu added an explanation.
“Depending on the Floor Height, a lower divine rank is granted. The benefits that go back to their entire race are also immense. Above all……”
Gugu lowered his voice.
“If the results are good, they may even be promoted to a true ‘God’. If the master ascends to a higher floor, or passes on the position, that is.”
The moment those words fell.
Whoosh!
The Seeds’ eyes changed.
The looks they had been giving me, as if I were a monster, were gone.
Desperation.
Aspiration.
Pitiful gazes poured in, as if begging me to please look at them.
It was a lifeline to become a god.
Although it started as a subordinate, it was a hundred, a thousand times better than failing without even reaching the 1st Floor.
“M-Me! Please take me!”
“I’ll carry your luggage! Just give me any order!”
They raised their hands from everywhere and clamored.
There was no pride or anything like that left.
I chuckled and looked at Gugu.
“Who do you think would be good to take?”
“Hmm, statistically speaking……”
Gugu scanned the chart.
“It’s common to take the 2nd place. Since their skills are proven.”
Gugu’s gaze turned to one spot.
There stood Darakan.
He pretended to be dignified and cleared his throat, but his shoulders were raised with anticipation.
“Darakan-nim possesses the ‘Dragon of the Abyss’, and his disaster aptitude isn’t bad either. He’s the optimal talent to supplement Lord Ragnarok’s shortcomings… no, practical tasks.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The Dragon of the Abyss is powerful.
In terms of sheer firepower, it’s more than worthy of being the middle boss of the 1st Floor.
Darakan subtly glanced around and took a step forward.
“Ahem. Well, if you really want my help, I could consider it……”
His tone was still arrogant.
But his eyes were screaming, ‘Please pick me.’
I stroked my chin.
It’s certainly an efficient choice.
However.
‘There’s a true gem right here.’
Why would I choose Darakan when there’s a Seed with more talent than him right here?
Above all, I don’t like that guy.
The way he acts tough relying on his summon, and how he doesn’t know his place and acts haughty.
“Not needed.”
“…Excuse me?”
Darakan’s expression stiffened.
Gugu also blinked in confusion.
“Then who will you…?”
I stretched out my finger.
Not towards Darakan, but to the woman standing alone in the corner behind him.
“Come with me.”
A cold impression.
White hair.
And eyes that glared at me as if she would kill me.
The Elf of the Frost Tribe, Seria.
“…Me?”
Seria frowned.
A look of incomprehension.
Of course.
A Seed who scored only 1 point, even lower than Darakan.
“L-Lord Ragnarok? Are you serious?”
Gugu tried to stop me.
“Even if we add up her scores from the 1st and 2nd gates, she’s not a top-tier Seed. Besides, her personality seems to… lack some social skills.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I was firm.
Contribution points? That’s just a number assigned by the system.
My eyes see differently.
‘She will grow into the strongest sniper.’
The sniper who drove our assassination squad into terror on the 50th Floor’s snowy field.
That potential is incomparable to something like a Dragon of the Abyss.
I walked towards Seria.
She revealed her wariness and gripped her bow tightly.
“Why me?”
“Don’t you want to reclaim your lost territory?”
“……!”
Seria looked at me with startled eyes.
As if wondering how I knew that fact.
The reason she remained as a mid-boss on the 50th Floor, despite being able to become a god, was solely for her family.
‘She definitely said she had to reclaim her territory right before she died.’
She sacrificed herself to reclaim the Frost Tribe’s lost territory.
-Mom… Dad… I’m sorry. For our tribe… I need to… find the stolen territory again…
That poignant voice still lingered in my ears.
“I’m giving you a chance.”
I extended my hand.
“Follow me.”
Seria’s eyes wavered.
A moment of silence.
She stared at my hand, then, as if deciding, raised her head.
“……Don’t regret it.”
Clap.
She grabbed my hand.
It was a cold hand, but the passion within it was hot.
Ding!
[The middle manager of the 1st Floor has been decided.]
[The Frost Tribe, ‘Seria’, becomes your subordinate.]
[Moving to the 1st Floor of the Tower.]
Darakan’s screams could be heard from behind.
“Th-This is nonsense! I’m in 2nd place! I’m the master of the Dragon of the Abyss!!”
* * *
Whoosh!
My vision brightened.
Even before the aftereffects of the spatial movement faded.
I blinked.
“……”
Silence.
Seria, standing beside me, and Angragon, perched on my shoulder, were both quiet.
Only Avriel, transformed into the Holy Sword, emitted a faint glow.
We blankly stared ahead.
“This is the 1st Floor?”
Seria muttered incredulously.
She was right.
It was truly an absurd situation.
The Tower is a dwelling place for gods and a place that gives trials to those who enter.
It should have been properly prepared accordingly.
But the scene unfolding before our eyes was, literally, ‘nothing’.
An endlessly vast white land.
The sky is white, the ground is white.
Not a single tree or blade of grass.
There were no buildings, and not even a common pebble rolling around.
It was just a huge empty lot.
As I furrowed my brow, I heard a clearing of the throat beside me.
“Ahem. I see you’re surprised.”
It was the administrator Gugu.
The guy flapped his wings and smiled apologetically.
“I’ll explain. The person who was originally the master of the 1st Floor was promoted to the 2nd Floor… and they took all their luggage with them.”
“Luggage?”
“Yes. The ecosystem, buildings, monsters, traps, etc. that they had built. All of it.”
Gugu pointed to the empty air with his wing.
“He was a thrifty person. Thanks to that, the 1st Floor has been cleaned out nicely. Literally a blank slate.”
I was dumbfounded.
That’s not thrifty, that’s a clean sweep.
“So what am I supposed to do here?”
“You just fill it up from scratch!”
Gugu exclaimed brightly.
“If you go to the center of the floor, there will be a giant crystal. You can purchase whatever you want there.”
Utterly irresponsible words.
“Well then, good luck!”
Pop!
Gugu disappeared as if fleeing.
All that was left was the empty white space and us.
“……Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped.
Start from zero.
They called it the Tower of God, but it felt like I’d been scammed in real estate.
“……Master. What do we do now?”
Seria adjusted her bow and asked.
Her tone had changed too.
At least she seemed to acknowledge me as her master now.
More importantly, her gaze was unwavering.
Just as expected from a budding talent.
“First, let’s assess the situation.”
I calmed my mind.
There’s no rush.
Being impatient won’t make buildings sprout out of nowhere.
First, let’s check the cards I hold.
Buuuum.
The Holy Sword floating in the air, Archangel Avriel.
-Kyaang.
The baby dragon licking my cheek, Angragon.
And.
The sniper of the Frost Tribe, Seria.
‘Not bad at all.’
Rather, it’s more than enough.
‘…Wait a minute.’
Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind.
There was something I had forgotten.
When I devoured the fanatic Tulka-cha in the sanctuary.
The last system window that appeared along with the level-up message.
[Rolling the die (1~66).]
[66! A catastrophic reward is given!]
Catastrophic reward.
A different, extremely difficult probability from the jackpot (100) when I summoned Angragon.
I hadn’t checked that reward yet.
I had completely forgotten about it while frantically ascending to the 1st Floor.
‘Inventory.’
I reached out into the air.
A translucent space opened.
The existing Spirit Wings and pieces of the Golden Rule.
Next to them, I saw a newly created item slot.
And the moment I confirmed its identity.
“…Crazy.”
My eyes widened like mad.
‘A Authority Combiner?’
