Chapter 269. Gathering (1)When he opened his eyes, his first thought was that the sky was blue. This thought was instinctual and not instinctual at the same time. It was the product of both perception and intelligence.
The monster stared at the sky in a daze. The blue sky was beautiful, but his first thought didn"t seem like much of a revelation. The monster couldn"t tell whether the idea of a blue sky was a legacy of the past or a fact first explored today.
And so, the monster struggled within the swamp of his own mind.
His intelligence overturned his instinct and dominated his body.
The question of his own existence could not be easily resolved.
—Grrr….
Amidst the confusion, the monster heard a low growl of another monster. It was clearly a sign of hostility.
The second thought arose in his mind at the moment of their first encounter.
Who is the monster facing the monster? Is the monster agonizing over his existence a monster or not?
To the monster, his intelligence was nothing more than a burden. He felt confused and hollow at the same time. The monster had gained a sense of hollowness along with intelligence.
In the end, Orden was an existence of hollowness.
No one could understand Orden, the first monster born with intelligence. He wasn"t a human, so he couldn"t become a part of the human society; but his intelligence deterred him from adopting a monster-like lifestyle. To be born with intelligence in the land of monsters inevitably led to pain.
But Orden never ceased to think even in the midst of hollowness. He broadened his range of perception and trained his intelligence. He never stopped questioning his sense of self.
His existence, his life, his ident.i.ty, his emotions, his values….
However, the more he tried to understand his origin, the more hollow he felt. He realized his hollowness couldn"t be destroyed.
So he naturally turned to humans.
Orden searched for the answer to his existence in humans. He studied humans and their behaviors. Just as humans lived freely and naturally, Orden too wanted to feel comfortable with his own existence.
…Then, did Orden understand humans now?
Orden could ingest humans and give birth to "monsters with intelligence" like himself. He could have conversations with the monsters he created. And even though that was fun, it was not perpetual, and in the end he always realized his curiosity couldn"t be satisfied.
Orden wanted an answer. As "intelligence" originally belonged to humans, he a.s.sumed humans were the key to the answer he"d been looking for. Orden wanted to destroy humanity for that exact reason. The answer would reveal itself most dramatically at the moment of humanity"s extinction.
In the end, Orden"s goal was neither to conquest nor rule over humans. His desire was not of a physical kind.
He only wished to understand himself.
Orden, as the king of monsters, sought to understand humans, and naturally, himself.
…Thoughts of the past continued to linger.
Tok, tok.
Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps interrupted Orden"s train of thought. Orden opened his eyes to discover a small child in front of him.
A girl who had already died once.
Orden had ingested the body of the dead girl, reconstructed her within himself and let her out of his mouth. That was how this child came to live again. Of course, she was not the same as before.
“What are you doing here?”
Orden asked, and the frightened child answered, “Daddy told me to hide…. He said this place is the safest….”
By "Daddy", she meant Park Hanho— the most useful human out of all humans he had convinced to swear loyalty to him.
Orden announced coldly, “Go back to your father.”
But the child didn"t budge. He couldn"t tell whether she was scared or not. Orden looked down at the child with slight discontent.
“Um…. Umm…. Ummm….”
The child opened her mouth as if she had something to say, only to hesitate.
Impatience got the better of the King.
“If you have something you"d like to say, say it.”
“Ah… it"s just that… Daddy is fighting right now… can you help him…? I don"t like it when Daddy"s hurt….”
She made a bold request. A small laughter escaped Orden"s mouth, and he immediately wondered why he had laughed.
“….”
Orden lightly rubbed the tip of his mouth. His lips curved into a twisted smile.
The child smiled back at him. Her smile left Orden even more confused.
“Hey, you little rascal!”
Suddenly, one of Orden"s servants showed up. He hurried towards the girl, s.n.a.t.c.hed her wrist, and bowed down to the King.
“I apologize! Come here, stupid human!”
By then, Orden was already standing.
“…No.”
Still confused about the reason for his smile, Orden continued.
“She"s right. It"s time for me to step up.”
The Monster King"s voice descended gravely.
“I shall personally punish those who defile my land.”
**
A mysterious beam of light from the battlecruiser lifted us up to the vessel. We were now inside the ship, with the whole view of the interior before our eyes.
“This is Genkelope"s most powerful battleship. It can sustain weight of up to 9000 pa.s.sengers and carries about 400 fighter jets.”
Horner, the captain of the ship, explained to us. The interior seemed pretty complicated, as though it came straight out of a science fiction movie, but some parts of it were straightforward since the ship was the combined product of science and magic.
“Wow… but I don"t remember seeing something like this the last time I was here. Is this new?”
Horner nodded at me.
“Yes. It"s called "Genkelion". It"s an ultimate weapon created by Genkelope"s AI "GenphaGo" and Ship Commander"s TP.”
“…Ultimate weapon?”
“Yes.”
Horner smiled.
“We plan to take back our homeland someday using this ship.”
“…Ah~”
I quickly understood.
The Tower Arc had ended, but so long as the Tower of Wish persisted, the world inside the Tower would persist as well. The 15th floor, through indefinite development, was now the most profitable floor in the Tower of the Wish. With further advancement of technology, it wouldn"t be long before they recapture their homeland, the fallen Genkelope.
“More importantly, how are things looking down below?”
I asked Horner about the situation on the battlefield. Before answering my question, Horner pulled up a video in the air.
“Well, there are a lot of monsters. They are not only on the ground but below and above it as well. But you don"t have to worry. Genkelion will not be defeated by those monsters.”
“Mm.”
His confidence a.s.sured me that my decision to create Buster Call was the right one.
“…Kim Hajin.”
Suddenly, Shin Jonghak intervened.
Dazed, he looked at me and Horner in turn with a confused look on his face.
“What is this place?”
I answered immediately, “A battlecruiser built by the people of the 15th floor, just as Horner said.”
Shin Jonghak frowned. His eyes seemed to say, "Of course I know that much."
I smiled. Now seemed like a good time to reveal my secret.
“I own the entire 15th floor. It"s my possession.”
I had rescued its NPCs one by one using the [Mystic Key]. I was the one who acquired "GenphaGo", the AI that oversaw the development of the 15th floor, through my negotiation with the 7th floor Administrator. I also invested a lavish amount of TP.
That was all to become the owner of the 15th floor.
“…Y-You own the 15th floor?”
Not only Shin Jonghak, but also Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Seo Youngji, and Yi Yongha dropped their jaws in shock.
To be fair, the 15th floor must have been a fantasy world laced with magical technologies to them. They apparently had never even considered the possibility that it belonged to someone.
“Yeah, but let"s talk about that some other time…. Hmm?”
I turned my gaze to the video again and saw a group of fighter jets moving frantically.
“What"s that?”
Dozens of fighter jets were chasing someone. This person flying in the sky looked awfully familiar. Right, it was Jin Sahyuk.
—This is the last straw! Get lost, or I"ll kill you all!
Jin Sahyuk shouted as she continued to run away from the fighter jets.
Horner called somewhere to check and returned with an explanation.
“Oh, I think she"s the criminal you talked about the other day.”
—Get lost before I kill you!
Jin Sahyuk aimed her spears at the fighter jets, but the jets, with 50% spec boosts, moved like the wind and easily evaded her attacks. The pilots scoffed and fired their lasers.
—You crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds… that stings! f.u.c.k, that stings!
I made a small smile as I watched Jin Sahyuk swear.
“Just let her go.”
“…Pardon?”
“She"s alright now. You don"t have to be so hard on her.”
“Ah, yes, understood.”
Horner ordered the fighter jets to halt, which they promptly did.
“Next…”
As I was about to give out the next order, Orden suddenly appeared on the roof of his palace,
standing firmly in the center of the spire. He looked like a slightly big human on the outside, one that resembled a lion.
Kwaaaaaa…
Orden started to gather magic power around his hands. The flow of magic power was clearly unordinary. At the point of congregation, a magnificent beam of light stretched out, sucking in the nearby air currents along with magic power.
"That looks dangerous," I thought, when suddenly I received a notification about a change in the story"s setting.
[Problem — The main boss of the Third Arc dies too easily.]
[Solution — Increased Orden"s strength. 「9.9/9.9」]
I was lost for words.
Potential 9.9.
This meant he was equally as powerful as a "G.o.d".
“…Horner, is it possible to bring in all allies on the ground?”
Horner answered gravely to my serious question.
“Yes, of course. Portals are always ready to be used.”
“Then please bring them in right now. We need to get out of here. We"re no match for him.”
I wasn"t sure what Orden was planning to do, but I knew we"d all die if we stayed here.
Co-author, you son of a b.i.t.c.h.
“Yes, sir.”
Horner nodded and dispatched [emergency portals].
Jiiinng…
Beams of light stretched out from the battlecruiser and pulled the Heroes and Genkelope crew members on the ground into the vessel. The fighter jets also returned to the hangar.
I ordered Spartan to take care of the Chameleon Troupe. At Spartan"s current level of growth, using the Authority of Teleportation was a piece of cake.
“Activate Interstellar Migration Device.”
We escaped before Orden"s magic power exploded through the Interstellar Migration Device— a magical device that possessed the ability to fold dimensions, enabling its users to move through a vast amount of s.p.a.ce in one instant.
Kwaaaa….
Just as the explosion which started at the hands of Orden was about to turn the world upside down, the battlecruiser disappeared from Africa and reappeared in Korea.
**
[The next day at Yoo Yeonha"s mansion]
The a.s.sociation and Djinn a.s.sociation failed to defeat Orden and retreated. Orden had become much more powerful than in the original, and his strength shocked the public. The a.s.sociation learned the hard way that "a large-scale head-on attack was not a good way to deal with Orden".
“…Huu.”
As a result, the media had begun to discuss the possibility of the "fall of mankind".
Meanwhile, I came to visit Yoo Yeonha with Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho by my side. The two looked pale, still shocked by whatever it was that they saw.
“You can tell me now. What did you see?”
It seemed that Yoo Yeonha was just as irritated as I was; she pressed the duo to speak. Yun Seung-Ah slowly raised her head. With a deep sigh, she proceeded to speak.
“…She came back to life.”
“Came back to life? Who did?”
Yun Seung-Ah hesitated to answer. Yoo Yeonha and I folded our arms and waited for her to speak again. The words that came out of her mouth the next moment were shocking.
“Senior Hanho"s daughter.”
“…Huh? Who?”
This time, I asked back in shock. Park Hanho"s daughter should have died. And even in this world, reviving the dead was impossible.
“What does that mean?”
“…It means exactly what it means. Senior Hanho"s daughter is alive. In human form. I remember visiting her when she was in the hospital and I also went to her funeral, yet….”
Yun Seung-Ah continued to explain. When they went to rescue the hostages, they discovered Park Hanho had betrayed humans. As she fought Park Hanho alongside Genkelope"s soldiers, she saw Park Hanho"s daughter curled up on a bed in the corner of the room, trembling. Before long, however, the girl ran away, and Yun Seung-Ah, while still dazed by what she saw, was. .h.i.t by Park Hanho"s shield in the head and fainted.
“I… have no idea what"s going on. But… Yeonhee"s face….”
Yun Seung-Ah buried her head in her hands. Kim Suho wasn"t any better.
I watched them for a while before getting up. I signed Yoo Yeonha to follow me, and she did.
“…What is it?”
Yoo Yeonha asked.
I took a deep breath. It seemed now was the right time to gather the Nine Stars.
“I have a favor to ask you.”
“A favor? So suddenly?”
Yoo Yeonha tilted her head questioningly.
“Yeah. We can"t deal with this situation on our own. We need help from the old generation.”
“Huh? By old generation, you mean…?”
The old generation saved the world in the past, and the new generation led the present.
But I couldn"t say that the old generation was replaced. They were simply too powerful. In the present era, only Kim Suho, Jin Sahyuk, and perhaps Aileen and Chae Nayun would be a match against the old generation, and even that was only after they complete their future training.
Yoo Yeonha muttered in a daze.
“…Are you talking about the Nine Stars?”
“Right, the Nine Stars.”
Orden"s strength was well beyond my imagination. Orden wasn"t our only concern. There wasn"t much time left. It would be too late if we contacted the Nine Stars after the devils" descent.
“…You"re joking, right?”
Yoo Yeonha was dumbfounded.
“Even for me, something like that"s….”
“Just fetch me their locations and I"ll do the talking. Oh, I already know where Heynckes is, so don"t bother about him.”
I replied as I prepared to leave. But Yoo Yeonha blocked my way.
“Where are you going? You haven"t told me about the 15th floor and also about that battlecruiser in the sky. Just what is dat, I mean, that—”
Her tongue got twisted trying to speak quickly.
Yoo Yeonha let out a dry cough and glared at me.
“The a.s.sociation is calling you about that. You do know that I"m holding them back, right?”
“Ah, I"ll tell you about the ship later. I have a lot of things to do right now.”
“G.o.d.”
Yoo Yeonha frowned.
“What things?”
“Mm….”
I put on a solemn expression as if I"d been hiding something all along.
“I think… I"ll need to be serious from here on out.”
The so-called "spirit power" that I had not been able to figure out.
Now that the situation had escalated to this, I simply couldn"t leave everything to Kim Suho. I needed to train and educate myself to prepare for the upcoming battle.
“…Serious?”
Yoo Yeonha looked at me with a surprised face.
**
[April, 1980]
Chae Joochul was feeling nature in the midst of a destroyed civilization. The beat of the beginning, which had originated from the destruction, was palpable. The Immortal released his will into nature, the two forces resonated, and nature released its essence in return. The essence rose slowly and formed a certain figure that soon merged with Chae Joochul.
He had become one with nature.
Chae Joochul opened his eyes as the incarnation of nature. Though he started at sunset, the sun was now above his head. His whole body was wet from blood and sweat.
He had noticed neither the pa.s.sage of time nor the toll on his body. Now one with the surrounding greens, Chae Joochul absorbed his magic power back inside.
Kwaaang—!
The magic power exploded violently from within, penetrating his blood vessels. Chae Joochul raised himself. His body was tinged with a turquoise color.
Swish—!
Chae Joochul spread his folding fan. The essence of nature blazed up from the fan, swirling up into the air. Suddenly it turned into a huge typhoon that engulfed the surroundings. A huge fire flared up within the typhoon.
The harmony of wind and fire was breathtaking. It was a natural phenomenon beyond human grasp.
Such disasters occurred in succession. Red, green, and grey gathered together to form a scene of destruction. All was a grand display of his Gift, [Multi-colored Immortality].
—It hasn"t withered.
At that moment, a gentle voice flowed through the storm into the ears of Chae Joochul. Chae Joochul turned around.
Just as he guessed from the voice, Shin Myungchul, the owner of Seoul and the strongest man of the present era, was standing there.
Chae Joochul stared at him in silence.
—I meant this flower, not you.
Shin Myungchul smiled and fiddled with the flower that had fallen on the side of the road. Chae Joochul blocked the flow of magic power. His body that was a.s.similated with nature was reduced to that of a man once more.
—Your power is amazing, but don"t overwork yourself.
Shin Myungchul spoke, but Chae Joochul did not answer. He didn"t think Shin Myungchul was here to meddle with his training. He wasn"t crafty like that, only easygoing and lazy.
With a smile, Shin Myungchul plunked himself down on the ground.
—It"s funny. Usually people who love nature are described as sentimental. But the one person most in touch with nature is completely insensitive.
"The one person most in touch with nature."
Chae Joochul knew that Shin Myungchul was referring to him. Naturally, he answered with indifference.
—It"s because nature doesn"t have feelings. Nature only comes and goes, without demanding empathy or rejecting destruction.
That was a very Chae Joochul-like answer.
Shin Myungchul gave a small smile.
—You will become a pillar one day.
Chae Joochul also smiled but only awkwardly, as he tried to imitate Shin Myungchul.
Shin Myungchul"s expression turned solemn again, and he asked Chae Joochul.
—By the way… when are you coming back? Seoul needs you now.
Chae Joochul shook his head.
Now was not the right time. He planned to return only after he learned to control his powers more naturally.
—I see.
Shin Myungchul nodded and rose from his seat.
—I won"t bother you. Send me a letter after you get back.
Chae Joochul watched Shin Myungchul leave.
Shin Myungchul was always so leisurely and elegant. Everytime Chae Joochul looked at him, a corner of his heart throbbed.
But Chae Joochul couldn"t put a label on his emotion. Was it envy, or jealousy, or maybe even hatred?… He couldn"t tell.
Chae Joochul chose to turn his mind to training.
He closed his eyes again and became one with nature, a little better in sync this time.
One day, two days, four days…… at last, two years had pa.s.sed.
Chae Joochul now understood his Gift perfectly. On the other hand, his ability to feel emotions had deteriorated even more.
He climbed down the mountain and back onto the battlefield full of monsters. But the monsters were simply no match for him.
With a wave of his hand, a typhoon appeared; with a shake of his fan, storms and lightning poured down; with a footstep, an earthquake swept through the monsters.
Just as humans treated ants, Chae Joochul conquered half of Seoul with his overwhelming strength….
Whiiish—
“….”
Chae Joochul slowly opened his eyes by the pa.s.sing wind.
Before his eyes was not a distant scenery of the past but a luxurious ceiling. Faced with reality, Chae Joochul realized he"d been having a dream.
It was the first dream he had in a long time.
Nevertheless, when Chae Joochul got up from his bed, he was as calm as usual, unaffected by his dream.
He cleared his throat, straightened up his clothes, took a quick shower, and checked his smart.w.a.tch.
There were many messages today.
[Kim Suho wants to speak with you regarding the kidnapping of the "Girl of Authority".]
[There"s something strange about Lady Nayun. It appears she has already met Kim Joongho.]
[The a.s.sociation has called for a meeting regarding Orden.]
[Yoo Yeonha from Essence of the Strait wants to meet with you.]
[Various newspapers have asked for an interview….]
Chae Joochul"s deep, dark gaze ran over the sentences one by one.
The name "Yoo Yeonha" stood out the most.