The ascent through the Tower of Wish was less of an adventure and more of a high-speed logistical operation. With Kim Hajin guiding them, Klein Moretti and Kim Dokja bypassed puzzles, located hidden passageways, and secured the "First Discovery" rewards for Floors 3, 4, and 5 in record time.
[Welcome to the 6th floor, 'Splendor'.]
[The 6th floor is a neutral floor.]
[You have received the ticket to the 7F.]
[Restrictions on stats have been lifted by an additional 15%.]
[You have obtained 'Lv.3 Skill Level-Up Coupons' x2.]
If there as heaven, this would the most accurate of it.
They stood in a vast, open field of the 6th Floor. In the distance, steam rose from natural hot springs, the intended "rest area" for this stage.
Hajin stopped and turned to his companions. He dug into his inventory, pulling out two bags and a stack of parchment-like coupons.
"Before you hit the springs, we need to do a status check," Hajin said. "How many Traits do you guys have registered?"
Klein tapped his glabella. "Three."
Hajin nodded, expecting more... That was manageable. He turned to Dokja. "And you?"
Kim Dokja scratched his cheek, looking slightly embarrassed. "Uh... fifty-one? Maybe fifty-two?"
Hajin froze. "Fifty... two?"
His jaw almost hit he floor.
"The System counted my 'Stories' and 'Skills' from the Star Stream as Traits," Dokja explained with a shrug. " [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], [King of a Kingless World]... the list goes on."
Hajin let out a long, suffering sigh. "Of course it did. Here." He shoved a thick stack of coupons into Dokja's hands. "That's 39 'Trait Recovery Coupons'. It's all I have right now. Prioritize the essentials. I'll buy more later..."
'Somehow… Those were all I and Tomer hadfound.'
Dokja took them, his eyes widening at the sheer value Hajin was casually handing over.
"And take these," Hajin said, handing them each a bag with glowing white crystals.
===
[Lv.2 Pure 'Origin' Mana Crystal]
○ Lv.2 Permanent Strength Increase Upon Consumption
○ Lv.2 Permanent Speed Increase Upon Consumption
===
"Eat one every twelve hours," Hajin instructed. "It increases your base stats permanently. Since you don't have a Magic Power stat, Klein, the System will likely convert the energy into Spirituality."
[Consuming an Origin Mana Crystal increases your strength by 0.05 points.]
[Consuming an Origin Mana Crystal increases your speed by 0.05 points.]
…
"Understood," Klein said, pocketing the bag into Tower's inventory.
Dokja nodded placing his bag with a handful of white clasters inside his coat.
"How much time do you have left on this floor?" Hajin asked.
"160:00:00," Klein replied promptly.
"110:00:00," Dokja said, frowning at the discrepancy.
Hajin smirked internally. 'The Tower favors the righteous. Klein, despite his terrifying background, acts like a gentleman. Dokja... he's similar to me. Neither good nor bad. The System knows.'
"Ping." A notification from the [Auction House] appeared in front of Hajin. [Your bid for 'Blood of Dark Demonic Wolf' has been successful.] [Your bid for 'A Worm of Time' has been successful.] [Your bid for 'Worm of Star' has been successful.]
He spent more than 100,000 TP on biding there and now. Klein and Dokja couldn't be more shocked at how rich Hajin is.
'I wonder how they will react when I tell them that I own 3F and 15F. Ha-ha,' Hajin laughed inwardly.
"It's here," Hajin muttered. He looked at Klein. "Klein. You said you needed specific ingredients for your next... 'advancement', right?"
Klein nodded slowly.
Hajin pulled out a portable alchemy set—or rather, a high-grade cooking pot he used for potion making. He combined the materials he'd just bought, his [Young Dwarf's Dexterity] guiding his hands with supernatural precision. Then he taken out the translucent humming curtain.
Hajin rubbed his chin for a second thinking how to break-up the curtain that had Beyonder Characteristics of the Sequence 2, Klein needed.
He thought about using [Extraction and Permanent Materialization], but suddenly something inside his mind snapped. Shoving his mind into the Tower's Inventory, he found [Mystic Key].
"It should work!"
He inserted the Key into the curtain and twisted it.
Visible cracks, which were bleeding with the Gray Fog appeared, on its surface.
Klein decided to help.
He remembered what Emperor Roselle once wrote in his diary:
"Whatever separates will definitely converge, and whatever converges will definitely separate."
Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence.
Worms of Spirits appeared on his skin.
The Curtain trembeled, Mystic Key trying to 'open' it.
Suddenly, it split into 9 balls of light.
[Sequence 9 - Seer], [Sequence 8 - Clown], [Sequence 7 - Magician]...
The key perfectly separated the characteristics by Sequences.
Hajin, using his dexterity, quickly caught all of them.
He examined 9 balls(;3) for another minute and threw one of them into the pot. The others just disappeared in his Tower Inventory.
The liquid in the pot bubbled, turning a chaotic, shifting from black to reddish color that seemed to contain stars and worms simultaneously.
"Here you are," Hajin said, pouring it into a vial.
Klein took the potion.
"Player Encyclopedia."
===
[Beyonder Potion]
[Pathway: Fool]
[Sequence 2: Miracle Invoker]
Note: Be careful, increases the madness, may cause unusual state - 'Loosing control'
===
He didn't hesitate. He uncorked it and downed the contents.
Crack. The sound didn't come from the bottle. It came from Klein's existence.
The moment the Miracle Invoker potion entered Klein's stomach, it dissolved into cold, writhing "worms" that shot to every corner of his body. Klein's vision shattered. His mind tore apart, scattering into countless pieces of consciousness, each inhabiting a different Worm of Spirit.
He was no longer Klein Moretti. He was a swarm. In the gray fog of his mind—or was it the Sefirah Castle?—his physical form disintegrated. His new armor, his top hat, his shoes... they fell empty to the floor. From the clothes crawled thousands of translucent, twisted maggots with complex patterns.
"I..."
"Who am I..."
"Where is the main body..."
The worms scattered, diving into the Fog of History, but they were quickly spat out, since the Fog of History was in a state of 'maintenance'(chaos), the worms were trying to escape the madness of convergence. A connection to the history he had anchored could no longer be found. The Second Epoch. The Third Epoch. The history was in a state of chaos.
But then, a ripple spread through the fog.
[Historical Cognizance is activated!]
The Worms froze.
['Star Stream' is doubting the Probability of 'Klein Moretti'!]
The ripples of his skill pulled them back. Reluctantly, aggressively, the worms converged. A vortex of transparent tentacles spiraled out, grabbing the fleeing pieces of his soul from the unknown locations of history of this New World.
They collided. They fused. A terrifying figure formed of twisted maggots stood up, tentacles extending to pull the windbreaker and top hat back onto its form. Flesh knitted over the horror. Short black hair sprouted. Brown eyes opened, deep and filled with a terrifying, cold indifference.
'Do I look that disgusting when using 'Demon King Transformation'?' Dokja chuckled.
Klein gasped, falling to his knees as he regained his human form.
[The 'Fragment of a Censored World' has been recorded in your 'Story'.]
[Your Trait 'Scholar of Yore' has evolved.]
===
「Miracle Invoker」
[Angel rank] [Spirit attribute] [Grade 2 – Proficiency EXP: 0%]
===
[Your Giant Story is beginning to sprout...]
Klein stood up. He felt... expanded.
"Impressive," Hajin said, watching the aura settle.
Suddenly, Hajin's eyes narrowed. His Spiritual Perception pinged violently.
'I'm still not used to this. Someone has noticed me.'
An Administrator. High in the sky, peering down at the anomaly of the Sequence 2 advancement.
"You two," Hajin said, his voice low and urgent. "Go to the hot springs. Stay there. Train. Master your new abilities. Don't come out until the time limit is up. If anything happens... Go up as soon as possible, don't miss the chances to uprage on the 7F!"
"Where are you going?" Dokja asked, sensing the shift in Hajin's mood.
[Administrator of the 6F has noticed you!]
[You have already spent up your time on this floor!]
"I have some errands to run," Hajin said. "Outside. Tell Tomer that you are my companions when you reach Crevon!"
[Administrator of 'The Hot Spring of Peace' using her authority…]
'Spartan!'
Before Hajin disappeared two messages appeared before Klein's and Dokja's eyes.
[Player 'Extra7' has sent you friendship request.]
***
(The Demon Realm – One Hour Later)
Hajin stood on a cliff overlooking a desolate landscape. He had teleported out, using Spartan to ferry Sannuri, his magical super-bike... no, super-horse... from the waiting room.
'I hope my motorbike and machine are safe…'
As he knew from the Book of Truth - Demon Realm is a vast piece of Corrupted Land that is basically the edge of the Universe, the last point dividing the Worlds from the Void. Hajin assumed that Orden and all the Devils came from Void.
He had neither mentioned it even in his notes nor thought about it.
His smartwatch were showing no sign of connection to his transport, it only meant one thing. Or two.
They were either destroyed or the connection was blocked. Hajin hoped it was the latter.
He mounted Sannuri.
"Let's go!"
Neigh!
Sannuri, excited to be out of the stable, shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
As the wind whipped past his face, Hajin reviewed his preparations.
He hadn't been idle for these fourteen days. He had visited the 3rd Floor's Administrator, Medea, and gave her the promised [Lv.14 Ceremonial Robe of Medea]. It had an astonishing +2.5 to the Invariable Stat 'Charm'.(Hajin even tried it on himself, it didn't really help, he still looked… average (:3))
Next, decided to try his luck with the other Administrator he knew – the 23rd Floor's Administrator, Athena.
Using the 'Covenant Dagger' left by Heynckes, he had activated [Miracle – Spirit Power Copier]. It was an imperfect copy, but it was enough to forge a binding vow: The Administrators would not harm humanity upon their descent.
In exchange, he would craft equipment for her to descend into the Phenomenon Realm.
His [Young Dwarf's Dexterity] was screaming at the edge of a level-up, stuck at Grade 2, needing just one masterpiece to reach Grade 1. He had saved some of the leftovers of the best Light-attribute materials provided by Athena for later—perhaps to upgrade Dokja's [Unbroken Faith].
"Ugh..." Hajin rubbed his temples. His head throbbed. The sleepless nights, the constant crafting, the psychological strain of the 'Original Creator's Will' trying to erode his ego... He popped an [Orb of Regeneration] into his mouth like a candy. His [Psychological Filter Physique] hummed, pushing the exhaustion back behind a mental wall.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting Sannuri's auto-pilot handle the terrain. A brief nap. Just ten minutes. Riding Sannuri was like sitting in a Lv.10 limousine.
When Sannuri finally reached the desert, Hajin woke up.
"We're here." Hajin dismounted. He patted Sannuri's flank. "Go back to the waiting room. Spartan, take her." Spartan appeared, chirped, and teleported the horse away, then returned to Hajin's shoulder.
Out of nowhere Arianna emerged.
"Faster, we are late," she placed her hand on his shoulder and they entered the Spirit World.
Hajin materialized on the deck of a ship. It wasn't a normal vessel. It was a ghost ship of immense proportions, its hull crafted from black, petrified wood that seemed to absorb the ambient light of the crimson cosmos. The sails were tattered yet full, catching a wind that didn't exist.
The legendary flagship of the King of the Five Seas.
"Lotus, don't you think that it's a little over the top?"
Hajin turned his head in direction of the familiar voice.
He met this towering figure a week ago.
Standing at the helm was a tall man who radiated an aura of chaotic authority. He wore a captain's coat that looked more like a royal robe, and his face was a rugged map of the seas he had conquered. Nast Solomon. Sequence 3: Frenzied Mage (Black Emperor Pathway).
"I understand that you have your reasons but…" Nast rumbled, his voice sounding like the creaking of a ship's hull. He didn't turn around, his gaze fixed on the distant, burning horizon.
"Nast, nothing is over the top when dealing with Baal. I'll use concealment now."
A veil of blackness covered the whole ship drifting through the Spirit World.
Captain sighed.
"The Apocrypha is waiting," Nast said. "Plotter has positioned his Kkomas on the perimeter. No movements from the 'Corruption Alliance' were detected."
He pointed a gloved hand toward the horizon.
Hajin activated his [Thousand-Mile Eyes], piercing through the Spirit World of Demon Realm.
Miles away, a colossal fortress pierced the sky. It was a monstrosity of black iron and demon bone, surrounded by a swirling vortex of demonic energy and 'Narrative Corruption'.
[Lv.??? Fortress of Devils Alliance / Baal's Residence]
Nast smirked. It was a terrifying expression that twisted the 'rules' of his face.
Nast muttered something. He looked at the Spirit World while Hajin zoomed on the enormous castle. Hajin couldn't reach the deepest parts of the fortress, was it because they were now in the Spirit or there was something blocking his vision. But he noticed high-ranking devils, their perception sharp enough to spot a gnat.
The entire ship creaked as it showed itself kilometers away from the Baal's Castle.
Nast clenched his fist. "Exploit."
He exploited the 'Law of Observation'. Everything has a blind spot. Nast didn't make them invisible. He simply extended the concept of a 'blind spot' to encompass the entire ship. To the sentries, the massive, black galleon sitting in the middle of the plain simply... wasn't worth noticing. Their eyes slid over it as if it were a natural part of the landscape, a rock or a shadow.
Nast raised his hand. The air around them shivered. "Disorder."
The concept of 'distance' collapsed. The massive stretch of barren land between the Black Emperor and the Fortress didn't disappear; it folded. Space warped, disobeying the laws of physics. The fortress, which was kilometers away, suddenly loomed large, as if seen through a telescope, yet they were physically floating outside its perimeter wall.
"We are effectively non-existent to their perception," Nast said, leaning back against the wheel. "You have ten minutes before the distortion snaps back to reality."
Hajin nodded, impressed. The power of a Demigod of the Black Emperor pathway was a cheat code in its own right. "Ten minutes is plenty."
Hajin appeared at the top of the ship's mast using the abilites of his boots made from Kurukuru. He took out a silver dagger and drew a circle in the air.
[Spiritual Barrier activated.]
'I hope he won't notice it.'
He pulled out a bow from his Stigma inventory. [Temujin's Bow Blessed by Horus] The intricate bow hummed with power. Aether, in the form of a slime, jumped onto the bow, reshaping it, adding intricate white patterns to the black frame. The weapon became hauntingly beautiful.
"Status check," Hajin whispered.
[Random Consolidation System]
He saw 40% number appear.
"Good."
He activated [Four-colored Enchant]. [Attribute: Light] The bow glowed with a blinding holy light.
[You've reached the maximum amount of enchantments for this item!]
He activated his Authority: [Devil Hunter].
[Abyssal Monster]: Hajin's eyes turned slit-like. Dark, demonic energy swirled around him, paradoxically fueling his holy attacks.
He activated his Physique's medicinal effects. [Instant Amplification]: +2 to all stats. [Physical Body Reinforcement]: +0.02 to all stats (Luck proc). [External Magic Amplification]: Magic power output +50%. [Memory of the Sage's Potion]: Perception +3.
For the past days he also consumed some more interesting medicine.
Hajin's body felt like it was burning up, overflowing with power.
He reached into his quiver.
He pulled out the arrow.
===
[Lv.11 Athena's Moonlight Arrow]
○Lv.11 Luminous-attribute Destructive Power
○Lv.11 Refraction of Moonlight
—When the arrow is reflected under the moonlight, it multiplies.
○Lv.11 Armor Penetration
○Lv.11 From Dark Moon to Crescent Moon
—The amount of magic power condensed in the arrow is amplified.
===
[Random Consolidation System]
A satisfying number of 44% appeared.
He began to infuse it.
[Stigma: Light Attribute (6 Streaks)]
[Overclocking: Antimagic Attribute (6 Streaks)]
The arrow vibrated, threatening to crack under the pressure.
"Not yet," Hajin hissed.
He took out a bullet. The [God-Killing Bullet (Misteltein)].
"Extraction and Permanent Materialization."
He tried to pull the powder of Mistlestein out of the bullet. Crack. The bullet fractured.
"Shit."
Panic washed over him.
'Should I try on one more bullet? No, that's a waste!'
[Clockhand of Fate]
Time reversed.
Three minutes.
The bullet was whole again.
"Again."
This time it was successful!
A shimmering, green silver powder drifted from the bullet. The essence of Misteltein.
Hajin used the [Random Consolidation System] again and rubbed the powder into the arrow's shaft.
Then he took out a glowing card.
===
[Last Moonlight of the World] [Active Card] [8-star] ＊Effective Good
○A fragment of moonlight from the end of the World cut off by the final knight. It vests a special effect in sword-type weapons.
Light-attribute Infusion (or Enhancement)Technique Infusion, Moonlight Slash
===
Hajin wasn't sure if it would work, but still chose the light arrow as the target of the card.
[Are you sure you want to use it on 'Athena's Moonlight Arrow'?]
"Yes."
[Your immense luck has brought unexpected results!]
The arrow vibrated and glowed even more.
[The 'Most Ancient Good', gazes at the arrow with a trembling gaze.]
'Hm? We should be isolated from the real world, what is that?'
Hajin glanced at the glowing arrow that transformed into… Something different.
====
[Lv.1 Arrow that Witnessed the Primordial Light]
[Rank: Myth (Genesis)]
[Attribute: Light / God-Slaying]
○ Lv.1 Primordial Luminosity —The light contained within this arrow is not a reflection, but a source.
—It ignores all resistances to the 'Light' attribute and burns away 'Corruption' and 'Chaos' upon contact.
○ Lv.1 Omnipresent Refraction
—"Where there is light, there is the arrow."
—When fired, the arrow does not merely multiply; it exists simultaneously in all spaces illuminated by its light. The user can choose which instance becomes 'real'.
○ Lv.1 God-Slaying Mist
—Infused with the powder of Misteltein, the branch that killed a god.
—Deals fatal, unhealable 'True Damage' to entities possessing 'Invulnerability', 'Indestructability' and 'Demonic Energy'.
—The wound inflicted by this arrow cannot be reversed by 'Time', 'Miracles' or 'Authorities'.
○ Lv.1 Eclipse of the Beginning
—The arrow absorbs all surrounding light and magic power, condensing it into a singular point of absolute explosion before releasing the 'First Light'.
===
"Well, that's not what I've expected…" Hajin checked one of the bonus skills he received in Tower.
===
「Bomber」
[Low-intermediate rank] [Special attribute] [Static]
*Explosive Reinforcement
—Increases the power of explosives by 30%.
*Explosion
—'Explosion attribute' can be added to certain objects. The power of the explosion is dependent on the value of the object or its rank. The object will disappear on explosion.
===
"I guess that also works, but…"
He wasn't done. He poured a [Lv.10 Banshee Curse] liquid over the arrowhead.
[The 'Most Ancient Evil', sneers with a hint of genuine wariness.]
'Huh? 'Most Ancient Evil'? 'Most Ancient Good'? Who are these guys?'
"Hurry up, Lotus!" Nast yelled.
Hajin glanced at the deck of the ship. There were more than 10 people now.
"One last thing." Hajin opened his [Setting Intervention].
[Deleting 'Miracle: Bloodsucking Cleaner'...]
[Cost: 100 SP]
"Delete," he clicked the button on his smartwatch.
[Exuberant Spirit Power Utilization Technique]
[Creating New Miracle...]
===
[Miracle: Universal Fusion]
—Allows the user to fuse Spirituality, Spirit Power, and Magic Power into a single attack without conflict.
===
He spent half of his Spirit Power to create it.
"Fuse." Using Overclocking, he poured two more streaks of his Stigma pushing his body to the limit, his Spirit Power, and the large Spirituality of the Sequence 8 of the Monster Pathway.
The [Lv.1 Arrow that Witnessed the Primordial Light] stopped vibrating. It turned a color that didn't exist—a void of light and dark, holy and cursed, explosive and piercing.
He also spent 10 more SP to create an auxiliary characteristic of the arrow.
[Upon hit creates a symbol of 'Black Lotus'.]
"Goodbye," Hajin whispered to the arrow.
He felt his heart throbbing.
Blood rushed out of his ears and nose. He cuffed out a bloody clot.
Side effects of [Overclocking] and [Clockhand of Fate] started to kick in.
He looked at Spartan. "The moment I shoot this, teleport me to the Tower. Instantly. Do not hesitate." Spartan bobbed his head, sensing the gravity.
This was his fate of an archer to deal the critical strike first. He was already used to it by now.
Hajin opened the [Community] interface.
Chat with: [Secretive Plotter]
Hajin: [I'm Ready.]
Secretive Plotter: [We are on positions. Are you sure you can do what you've promised?]
'This fucking… I'm gonna ask Dokja who this annoying guy is. Am I sure? There are like 20 Devils, including the last villain of my story, Baal. And a couple of hundreds of their servants. How can I be sure?'
Memory of Morax appearing in Akatrina flashed through his mind.
Hajin took a deep breath. He raised the bow. He didn't need a scope.
[Thousand-Mile Eyes] , [Algorithm] and [Master Sharpshooter] will do all the job even if he shoots in the air.
His vision zoomed in.
Past the forests, past the walls of the fortress, through the windows of the central keep.
He saw the throne clearly now. He saw the gathering of Devils.
[Lv.??? Fortress of Devils Alliance / Baal's Residence]
There he saw him.
Baal.
The Collector of the Worlds.
At last, it was time to use his newest and most dangerous Gift.
[Constraints and Amplifications]
His constraints were 'all of the body'.
The target for amplification was 'Temujin's Bow Blessed by Horus'.
Hajin put himself under a week's worth of constraints. With this, he wouldn't be able to use himself for a week.
By constraining everything about himself, he gave an explosive amplification to the bow. The boost it gained was nothing short of shocking.
He felt his vision shrieking, his body went numb, his sense of space started to disappear.
The string of Temujin's Bow was taut, humming with the scream of a thousand banshees and the blessing of the Yggdrasil Leaf. Hajin's fingers relaxed.
Twang.