Chapter 130: The New Savior (2)

High Lich Grakin.

He was a demon who existed in my memories.

It had to be that way.

At one time, he had been a member of the Undead Legion and was the strongest candidate for the position of Undead Legion Commander.

However, he failed to achieve his dream of becoming a Legion Commander.

I had emerged victorious in our duel.

It was an outcome no one had expected.

‘Salmora’s help was significant.’

I suddenly thought back to the past.

Although I was human, I had displayed incredible prowess and suddenly became a candidate for the vacant position of Undead Legion Commander.

But it was considered a near certainty that Grakin, my fellow candidate, would ascend to the rank of Commander.

It was inevitable, given the universal rule of the Demon Clan: the strong occupy the high positions.

No matter how much Martial Power I possessed for a human, it was impossible to suppress Grakin—who had devoted ages to magic and research—through sheer force.

However, I judged that if I didn’t take this opportunity, I would never have another chance to become a Legion Commander, so I took a gamble.

That gamble was Salmora.

I sought help from the one who was the chief of staff for the Plague Legion Commander at the time.

I knew about his physical enhancement experiments and asked to participate.

Through his help, I was able to defeat Grakin.

If not for that experiment, which enhanced my body and unleashed my potential, I would never have become the Undead Legion Commander.

‘I probably would have died by Grakin’s hand right then and there.’

There is no such thing as a “spar” for the Demon Clan.

If a duel breaks out for any reason, one takes the opponent’s life.

Of course, I killed Grakin too.

However, he was a Lich and had secretly hidden his life within a Life Vessel.

His physical body vanished, and it must have taken quite a long time to reclaim it.

I couldn’t find any trace of him after that.

Driven by the humiliation of losing to a human and the frustration of failing to become a Legion Commander, he must have left the Demon King’s Legion to form his own independent force.

And now, such a creature—one of the memories of my past—had appeared in the city center of Seoul.

It wasn’t hard to guess his purpose.

Possessing immense pride, he likely intended to realize the conquest of South Korea, a feat even the Demon King failed to achieve.

To be reborn as a great being known as a Lich Lord, he needed achievements and military merit of that magnitude.

However, he chose the wrong target.

Of all times, he had to appear when Leon had completely absorbed the Rank of Creation.

Because of that…

-Slash!

Unable to withstand the sword that fell vertically, he was split apart.

-Shatter

The bones that crumbled onto the ground scattered into dust.

‘It’s over.’

There was no need to search for a Life Vessel.

Leon’s strike just now was a sword that cleaved existence itself.

His will had even cut through the Life Vessel that the creature had hidden away.

Unlike the past, this death was complete annihilation.

Grakin, who had dreamed of becoming a Lich Lord, vanished in an instant, his dreams lost.

“How was it, Master?”

Leon approached with a smug smile.

I didn’t know exactly when it started, but he had begun calling me Master.

Well, since it wasn’t a lie, I didn’t bother making him change the title.

“Clumsy.”

The sword strike from a moment ago might have seemed perfect to others, but to me, it was riddled with more than one or two flaws.

“If your will had been even slightly lacking, you wouldn’t have been able to cut the vessel, the source of his life force.”

I wasn’t exaggerating for the sake of education.

His will was a bit thin.

If that will had been even slightly weaker, he wouldn’t have been able to sever Grakin’s source of life.

“Yes! I will devote myself even further!”

The flaw in the boy speaking so brightly was clear.

It was what people called resolve or determination.

While he could harm enemies with his will by absorbing the Rank of Creation, the resolve and determination dwelling within it were weak.

Originally, will—the Sword of Will—is something born through such resolve, but his structure was entirely backward.

He was burdened with a structural problem where he was so overflowing with talent that he could even “learn” will.

Of course, that isn’t something that can be fixed with a single word or lesson.

He must have his own realization to identify the problem and correct it.

And that…

‘Doesn’t necessarily require teaching.’

Soon, he would be able to realize it through the reality he would have to face.

“Th-thank you!”

“We lived thanks to you.”

“You are truly a hero!”

The people nearby, who had narrowly escaped death from Grakin’s attacks, offered their thanks.

If they had been just a little later, the entire city of Seoul, not just this area, would have been turned into a wasteland.

To have noticed the anomaly so quickly and taken action—that was all Leon’s credit.

With incredibly sensitive and amazing senses, he had detected the anomaly felt in Seoul and rushed here immediately.

Thanks to that, he was able to dispose of Grakin before he could become a Lich Lord, reducing damage and sacrifice.

And it needed to be that way.

Now, in this world, not a monster like me, but a hero like Leon must stand at the forefront.

***

‘The time… is approaching.’

Gazing at the unusually clear sky, I felt the time drawing near.

“From now on, we will climb the Tower.”

After cleaning up after Grakin, I spoke to Leon.

“The Tower?”

Leon asked, sounding as if he had never considered it.

“Yes. There is much to be gained as a reward for conquering the Tower. And that will serve as good nourishment for your growth.”

The Tower.

A place that still held unknown mysteries, its true nature a secret.

I didn’t know why it had appeared on Earth.

However, one thing was certain: there was much to be gained through the Tower.

In fact, if not for the Tower, I wouldn’t have been able to stop the revenge I desired, the demon invasion, and the interference of the gods.

But through the rewards I obtained from the Tower, I was able to stand against such malice and reach where I am today.

Peace.

Of course, it might only be that way on the surface, but regardless, the world was spending its days in tranquility.

Even with the existence of Salmora, who could explode at any moment, the world was experiencing human time, quieter than when there were demon invasions or divine interference.

However, that peace would soon be broken.

‘Salmora.’

It was because a bomb named Salmora existed.

Even the word “bomb” was insufficient.

He was a nuclear bomb that could go off at any moment.

Therefore, the current silence could only be thought of as the calm before the storm.

Whatever he was plotting, it would be far greater than the interference of demons or gods.

That was why I had to prepare and I shouldn’t be the one leading those preparations.

Leon.

Although I wasn’t certain yet, I had no choice but to entrust it to the one who was qualified to inherit my will.

“The Tower will be a useful means to fill what you lack.”

Even I, who had no talent, was grown to my current state by the Tower.

If someone with amazing talent like Leon were to receive experience and rewards there, his growth rate would be astounding.

“Yes! I will do my best.”

It was always like this.

He would do his best.

He would work hard.

I could see into the inner mind of the boy who had never once said a word of complaint.

‘The desire to look good to someone. The desperation of not wanting to be abandoned.’

Though he looked like an adult, Leon was a baby who had just entered the world.

This wasn’t just about a simple lack of experience.

It meant he was a child of pure white, so innocent that his ego hadn’t even grown yet.

However, the ego of “growth” that Salmora had forcibly injected clashed with his natural ego, causing a disconnect.

He was an adult, but not an adult.

He was a child, but not a child.

That was why at times he seemed like a deep-thinking adult, yet at other times, he showed a childlike side like he was doing now.

“Then.”

I moved to climb the Tower.

It was an unavoidable move because I had to enter the Tower at least once.

-Flash!

I stared at that sight for a moment before turning my head.

“Thud!”

I slumped down onto the spot.

And then…

‘…’

I contemplated my inner self.

I delved deep, deep down.

And then I could see that the place was collapsing.

“Rumble!”

I was… slowly crumbling.

Was it because of the reckless things I had done until now?

Was it because of the disconnect between divinity and humanity?

No.

Of course, those things weren’t without influence, but what gave the direct impact was…

‘Dimensional travel.’

I lived for 1,000 years after traveling to the Gritia Continent.

At first, I thought that was just a type of authority granted for crossing dimensions.

Don’t so many novels talk as if it’s just given for free?

But the logic and structure of the world weren’t that simple.

There are no rewards or abilities without a price.

Yet, I had obtained the ability of eternal youth without paying any price.

That was… a sort of cash advance.

The life force I used on the Gritia Continent was taken as an advance on my own life.

And I had to pay that price.

My current life—that was the price.

Perhaps in the past, that life would have collapsed all at once.

The Karma I accumulated over 1,000 years and my trained body were barely preventing it from crumbling in a single moment.

However…

‘It won’t be much longer.’

That was why I was nurturing the existence known as Leon.

To complete him before I collapsed, so he could prepare for Salmora’s attack.

That was my duty as a human.

Perhaps it was the best I could do regarding this entire situation that arose because of me.

‘Now that I’ve found my personality, it’s inconvenient in many ways.’

I complained to myself.

As I regained the personality I had kept sealed for so long, I strangely became sentimental.

Those were the human emotions I had forgotten for a long time.

For revenge.

For survival.

For strength.

A personality I had to give up for many reasons.

But as I reclaimed it, my original nature returned.

An idiot who would give up everything for his wife even while knowing it was wrong.

Because of my past experiences, I wouldn’t become that foolish of a person, but at the very least, I couldn’t be a person who forgot morality.

This entire situation.

The Demon Clan.

The divinities.

And Salmora’s plan.

Perhaps all of it was a result of my dimensional travel.

No, it certainly was.

Just as one doesn’t know what kind of change a butterfly’s flapping wings will cause, my dimensional travel drew the Tower, the demons, the gods, and Salmora here.

If you’ve caused trouble, you must take responsibility.

That was why I felt I could calmly accept my disappearance only if I could somehow gift the safety measure known as Leon to Earth and humanity.

And the Tower conquest would be a very good means to accelerate his growth.

While my thoughts lingered on Leon and the Tower…

[Congratulations!]

The Tower’s message resonated throughout the entire world.

It was fast.

Then again, with Leon’s skill, clearing the First Floor wouldn’t even be a task.

[Altain, unaffiliated, has cleared the First Floor on Incomprehensible difficulty.]

[Altain becomes the Ruler of the Tower, replacing the previous Very Hard difficulty clearer, Kim Si-won.]

[Altain has been appointed as the Administrator of the Tower’s First Floor.]

[According to the Administrator’s authority, no one in the world can access the First Floor until entry conditions are applied.]

“…?”

However, the name of the one who cleared it wasn’t Leon.

Altain.

Someone I hadn’t expected at all had broken through the domain of Incomprehensible—which was beyond Very Hard—and snatched away the dominion over the First Floor that I had held.