Studying languages.
That was something completely foreign and undoubtedly difficult for the residents of the Gritia Continent.
But for me, who had lived a modern life—who had fought hard to earn various English certificates and qualifications—learning a different language wasn’t impossible.
Especially when it was a foreign language with a very simple structure.
Of course, no matter how simple the language, learning it required a significant amount of time.
But I had to grasp at any straw I could.
Living forever?
What use was that?
Everywhere I went, people were trying to kill me, and I constantly faced death.
To survive, I needed strength above all else.
At first, I dreamed of becoming a Knight, but that was just foolish talk, not knowing my place.
For someone like me, just an ordinary soldier, there was no chance a teacher or opportunity to learn the path to becoming a Knight would come my way.
Once I realized that, I focused on hunting Goblins and Gnolls to build my skills.
In truth, it wasn’t effort—it was a desperate struggle.
And struggles have limits.
I realized that clearly when I encountered the Subjugation Squad.
A Subjugation Squad dispatched by the Asran Kingdom to exterminate the suddenly increasing numbers of Goblins and Gnolls.
Though calling it a squad was an exaggeration—there was only one.
A kid who called himself the retainer of a Knight (barely fifteen years old).
But later, I learned that this wasn’t a single person but a one-man army.
He wiped out a scale of Goblins and Gnolls that would have taken even me, a Slayer, at least half a month, all in a single day.
Strategy?
It was unnecessary.
Overwhelming power.
The retainer, clad in armor and wielding a sword adorned with a shining emblem, slaughtered every Goblin and Gnoll in sight, completing his mission and returning within a day.
That’s when I felt it.
Those fallen Goblins and Gnolls—they were no different from me.
So far, I had just been lucky to survive, but I was nothing more than a trivial existence who could lose his life at any moment without meaning.
The retainer I met then brought despair to me in many ways.
I needed to step up.
But there was no one to teach me.
Even if I wanted to become a Knight retainer, I needed a family background or something similar.
It was the same for other powerful individuals who weren’t Knights.
Famous swordsmen, magicians—they never revealed their visions to anyone.
Alone, dropped into the Gritia Continent, the chance to learn simply never seemed to come.
If I had given up then, I would never have become the pinnacle of Knights, nor would I have returned to the modern era like this.
So I decided to be relentless.
If I couldn’t bite with my teeth, I would bite with my gums.
If I couldn’t be human, then I’d become a monster.
This shift in mindset wasn’t simply wishful thinking.
Recalling that Lizardmen who had lived for centuries were said to possess the swordsmanship of skilled swordsmen, I began researching the Lizardmen.
After all, time was the only thing I had.
Over the course of more than 15 years, I studied and finally became fluent in the Lizardmen language.
That’s why—
“Gasp!”
“How can a human speak our language?”
“Sc-scary.”
I could understand all their panicked words.
“Thick tail and black spots.”
I took advantage of a moment to examine their appearance.
As I suspected, they were one of the tribes found on the Gritia Continent—the Tail-Spot Tribe.
Among the generally aggressive Lizardmen, they were considered relatively tame.
That was probably why they helped the fallen human regain consciousness.
Recalling that information, I took a step forward.
Eyes watching me closely.
Though I spoke the Lizardmen language, they remained highly cautious.
All of them were ready to swing their weapons at a moment’s notice.
In such a tense situation, conversation was impossible.
I needed a way to soften the atmosphere.
“Slurp.”
I scooped up some water pooled on the ground into my mouth.
‘This one will do.’
I chose the largest Lizardman—one who seemed to hold some influence among them.
“Peww!”
I shot the water like a squirt gun.
[……..]
The Lizardman took a direct hit to the face.
Normally, that would provoke confusion and anger.
But—
“Friend!”
The one with the characteristic long tongue flicked it out.
“Peww!”
He too scooped water into his mouth and spat it out.
“Friend’s mark!”
“A human who knows our greeting!”
At once, every Lizardman nearby rushed forward, shooting water at me like a barrage.
While mine was just a squirt gun, theirs was practically a water cannon.
“Splash! Splash!”
The blows stung my skin slightly, but I didn’t mind.
I knew that the strength of the water jets represented a welcome.
If this was the level of their welcome, it meant a fair amount of goodwill.
“Stand back!”
A sharp voice rang out.
A figure appeared, pushing away the surrounding Lizardmen.
‘An Elder?!’
Thicker tail than the others, and grayish spots instead of black.
A Lizardman who had lived long enough to earn the title of Elder.
“Greetings, Elder.”
I showed respect.
Though they were relatively tame, Lizardmen fought battles and wars daily.
Surviving long enough to grow such a thick tail meant he was a respected warrior and a wise survivor.
“You human, your coming is guided by Jarakhs.”
He spoke a name out of nowhere.
That was a familiar name.
Jarakhs.
The one and only god worshiped by the Lizardmen.
A serpent and god of vengeance, it explained the Lizardmen’s deep devotion to avenging their tribe.
“We saved you when you lost consciousness. So you must help us.”
There was a hint of coercion in his tone.
“If it is within my power, I will help you however I can.”
Since this help was likely tied to the Trial, I had no reason to refuse.
“The tribe is in danger.”
Danger.
It sounded like a fairly large tribe.
“What kind of danger?”
“A Subjugation Squad will soon storm the tribe.”
I had written it off as just another territorial battle among monsters or other species.
Even in the swamps, many monsters overlapped territories.
But a Subjugation Squad?
Completely unexpected.
“A Subjugation Squad… you say?”
“I’m talking about humans like you. A squad sent by the Kingdom.”
I couldn’t help but feel confused.
‘Were there humans in the Tower?’
Of course, I didn’t know the details since I wasn’t an Awakener.
But what I had heard was that the Tower was filled with monsters, and Awakeners’ main duty was to defeat them.
But another species of humans?
And a Subjugation Squad at that?
This was—
‘The Gritia Continent?’
Regardless of kingdoms, duchies, or legal states, periodic Subjugation Squads were dispatched to suppress the increasing monster population.
Though intelligent, the Lizardmen were also classified as monsters targeted by these squads.
Their numbers clearly seemed to have grown enough to justify organizing a Subjugation Squad.
But that was common knowledge on the Gritia Continent.
“Is the kingdom organizing this Subjugation Squad…?”
“Of course, it’s the Asran Kingdom.”
The Elder looked at me disdainfully, as if I were ignorant.
I was momentarily speechless.
In truth, I had suspected it to some degree.
Perhaps the Tower had somehow recreated part of the Gritia Continent.
And now it was confirmed.
The Lizardman Elder had verified that this place was indeed the Gritia Continent.
So what about the time?
Before the war with the Empire?
During the Empire’s full-scale conquest?
Or after the final war ended?
There were many questions I wanted to ask.
But none of them left my lips.
No matter how wise he was, his wisdom was limited to the Lizardman tribe.
He couldn’t possibly know the broader state of the continent.
“If they are humans like you, they can be persuaded. Tell them there is no reason to exterminate the tribe. We regulate our population. There will be no sudden increase you humans worry about. If you explain this well, the Subjugation Squad might be turned away.”
They regulated their numbers and had no intention to fight humans—that meant this conflict didn’t align with the Subjugation Squad’s true purpose.
‘Stopping the Subjugation Squad. Is that the Three-Star Objective?’
Still, something felt off.
The One-Star goal was to escape, so that made sense.
The Two-Star was to eliminate ten Elite Lizardman Warriors.
‘There’s something more to this.’
It seemed the Trial had some hidden elements.
…Understood.
To uncover that, I had to proceed with the flow as it was.
“That way.”
The long, sharp claws pointed.
“Go beyond the village border. You will be able to spot the approaching Subjugation Squad quickly.”
No escort, it seemed.
Well, it was probably better not to show humans and Lizardmen together unnecessarily.
“Very well.”
After a nod, “Splash.”
I crossed the village border and ventured into the swamp.
‘A monster’s request. Interesting.’
I had thought the Trial only involved defeating monsters.
Many Awakeners had said the same.
But apparently, this Trial required accepting the request of monsters (intelligent, other-species monsters, at least) and solving their problems.
Fifty years had passed since the Tower’s appearance, yet mysteries still remained.
And here I was, just starting to climb the Tower, uncovering them.
Perhaps—
‘I’ll gain even greater rewards.’
There’s a reason behind everything.
I could sense that beyond the unsolved, highly difficult challenges still inside the Tower, many secrets lay hidden.
And it was up to me to uncover them.
Through this, I could gain the strength to take revenge on the Shinhwa Guild and Ha Yeon Lee.
Lost in such thoughts for a moment, I caught a keen sense of something.
“Shhhik!”
‘They’re coming!’
I spotted something moving fast.
Approaching the Lizardman village at a furious speed, as if walking across flat ground.
And then—
“Who goes there!”
The continent’s common tongue pierced my ears.
I didn’t know how or why I spoke and understood it.
Thanks to dimensional travel, I could use it like my native language—and that remained true now.
The distance between me and the one confirming we were both human narrowed.
At that moment, emotions stirred within me.
“You, you…?”
It had been a long time since I felt such strong emotion.
But it made sense.
The one before me, though armored and armed, was a young blond youth with a hint of immaturity.
‘Krenkel?’
Malice Krenkel.
A name I could never forget, even after centuries.
Back when I was active as a Goblin and Gnoll Slayer, he was the Knight’s retainer who guided the Subjugation Squad.
He was the one who showed me the vast gap in power and brought me despair.
“You lowly whelp! How dare you look me straight in the eye!”
The words that spilled from his mouth were not directed at a human.
They carried contempt and disgust, as if he were looking at a loathsome insect.
‘…That’s right.’
A nightmare from the past resurfaced.
‘You’re a worm. Isn’t it natural for a worm to crawl?’
‘Hahaha! Is that how you want to live? A truly hideous worm!’
As the Subjugation Squad’s guide, he showered me with all manner of insults and scorn.
If I had resisted even slightly, I would probably have died then and there.
“But you, are you a monster hunter? Well then, perfect. I need a dog to guide me through this filthy place.”
And that hadn’t changed.
He openly regarded me not as a human, but as a dog—at best, a guide dog.
“Now, lead the way. And remember, dogs must walk on all fours.”
With arrogant, disdainful eyes, he ordered me to guide him.
At that moment, a message showed up:
[Special Event Triggered!]
[You have reached the branching point of the Trial.]
[Choice 1. To select the existing reward, exterminate the Lizardman tribe together with Retainer Malice Krenkel. Exterminating the tribe will fulfill the Three-Star objective.]
[Choice 2. Persuade Retainer Malice Krenkel according to the Lizardman Elder’s request. Use any means necessary. Preventing the extermination of the Lizardman tribe will yield even greater rewards.]
[Choice 3. Provoke and defeat Retainer Malice Krenkel in combat. You will receive a tremendous reward, additional stars, and cumulative rewards, but this difficulty is recommended only for those at an incomprehensible level.]
A branching point.
Thanks to understanding the Lizardmen language, I had probably reached a realm no one else had touched before.
“What are you waiting for? Lead the way.”
I calmly stared at the impatient retainer.
‘…Good.’
The crushing helplessness and despair I had felt so desperately long ago were right in front of me.
Extra rewards?
I didn’t care.
What burned fiercely inside me now was the thrill of battle—the one chance to break free from the nightmare of my past.
“Bring it on, rookie.”
A single taunt was enough.
“I’ll make you fully understand what it means to be the pinnacle of Knights.”