Jin Yunho rubbed his forehead.
The Record of Honor had just been updated.
As everyone expected, floors 81 through 85 were marked SSS+.
Even so, the Vatican's anxiety hadn't subsided.
Yoon Miri, standing beside him, shrugged.
"This is a first, isn't it? The Holy See being this proactive."
"Yeah. I hear they've sent requests to the Blue House too, not just us. They want a meeting with our side."
"They must know something more, right? The information they've shared so far doesn't justify going this far."
He slowly nodded.
Even if a Runner's climb caused problems, it would ultimately happen in Korea's Tower.
The Vatican City State had nothing to do with Italy's Tower, which was being climbed simultaneously.
Yet this level of interest and effort.
No matter how much the Holy See claimed to work for world peace, it was unnatural.
"I'd like to go, though. To see what they know that's making them act like this."
Jin Yunho felt the same.
In his heart, he wanted to accept the meeting and hear their honest story.
But there was a problem neither side could concede.
They demand the unconditional participation of the Tower Climber, Runner.
The Vatican had promised strict confidentiality, but Jinhyuk himself wouldn't like it.
Knowing that full well, even asking him was a heavy burden on their end.
Ding.
"!?"
Jin Yunho's eyes widened as he checked the message.
For some reason, Jinhyuk was asking if he could meet with the Vatican.
He had already briefed Jinhyuk on the Vatican's approach after the section reinforcement.
As he updated him on the current situation, a call came in.
Hello, Team Leader.
"Yes, Mr. Jinhyuk. You've worked hard on your climb."
Ah, not at all. Sorry for asking so suddenly.
"Don't apologize. The Vatican will probably be thrilled. We've been taking a negative stance this whole time."
But that meeting... going through official channels will take a while, right?
"Hmm... Yes. I'll try to shorten it as much as possible, but it's a meeting between state institutions. If we accept, the nearby Italian government and the Blue House will likely want to join too. Sorting all that out and deciding on personnel and location will take considerable time."
You said the person actively contacting us from the Vatican is a cardinal, right?
"Yes. Cardinal Carlo Moncini."
Could you ask him for me? If I can visit him privately.
He was momentarily speechless.
It wasn't because the request was unreasonable.
It was because he couldn't imagine it.
How was he planning to visit a Vatican cardinal privately?
Well, he was the Runner. He'd figure it out.
"I'll relay that right away. He'll almost certainly say yes."
Good to hear.
At the sound of commotion in the background, Jin Yunho asked cautiously.
"But Mr. Jinhyuk? Where are you?"
Ah, it's a bit noisy, right? I'm at the airport.
"The airport?"
Yeah. The airport name is... Leonardo da Vinci. I enjoyed reading The Da Vinci Code.
Jin Yunho swallowed dryly.
Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Rome, Italy.
What the hell.
This insane执行力.
"I-I'll contact the Cardinal right now."
Thank you. I'll tell you how it went when I get back.
After finishing the greeting, Jin Yunho hung up.
He gathered his thoughts and took action.
"Miri. Send a reply to the Blue House and the Vatican. Tell them a meeting will be difficult."
"Understood."
The same request would come again soon, but that didn't matter.
By then, the Cardinal and Jinhyuk would have already met.
"And look up Cardinal Carlo Moncini's personal contact information."
"Okay."
He leaned against his desk and tapped his fingers.
An inexplicable smile crept onto his lips.
He was already looking forward to it.
Jinhyuk's story about his meeting with the Cardinal when he returned.
* * *
A medieval residence inside the Vatican.
Cardinal Carlo Moncini, who had sent the reply, narrowed his eyes.
He had agreed for now, since his side was the one in need, but he had no idea how this would work.
How exactly was he supposed to come find him?
He stood up and walked to the window.
This place was far from a standard security zone.
The Vatican was classified as top-tier security in Italy.
State-of-the-art security systems, plus elite personnel in detection and security deployed both inside and out.
Even an invisible man couldn't reach here undetected.
'I suppose I'll have to contact them again...'
Swoooosh!!
At the sudden sensation, he turned his head toward the window.
A specific range of divine power had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Naturally, the security team was in chaos.
Rear gate. All divine-related instruments have lost function.
The detectors nearby have also been deactivated. Something's wrong.
Leave minimal personnel at each gate and send support to the rear gate.
Knock, knock.
About three seconds after the knock.
With a click, the locked door opened.
Through it, someone entered, draped in a cloak.
The situation was so surreal that his mind felt frozen.
Then, the message he had exchanged earlier came to mind.
"You're not...?"
The man took off his cloak and flashed a bright smile.
"Hello. I'm Yoo Jinhyuk, the Runner."
Jinhyuk pointed to the door he had just opened.
"Sorry. I was going to wait for you to open it, but people were swarming in."
He couldn't wait, so he had asked Kancho, the infiltration expert, for help.
Cardinal Carlo Moncini was still staring with his mouth open.
A natural reaction.
Regardless of the method, he had arrived much earlier than expected.
Knock, knock.
"Your Eminence? There was a commotion outside. Is everything alright?"
Carlo finally snapped out of it and spoke.
"Yes. There's no problem, so don't worry."
"Understood."
After dismissing the people, Carlo pointed to a sofa.
"Did you also... erase the divine power just now?"
"Yes. There was no gap to slip through, so I removed some of it unintentionally. It'll fill back up soon."
He swallowed dryly again.
Unintentionally removed it.
What kind of class did you have to awaken to do something like this?
'They said he always breaks expectations.'
Now he understood firsthand.
Why such rumors spread about him.
Carlo brought two cups of coffee and sat down.
The surprise ended here.
There was much to discuss.
"I heard you reinforced the 81st-floor section. And climbed up to the 85th floor."
"Yes. That's right."
"Would you tell me about it?"
He took a sip of coffee.
Then a smile played on his lips.
He would tell the story.
That was why he came.
But first, he needed a firm answer.
"I know it's rude to say this right after arriving, but the real reason I came is to make you an offer."
"An offer?"
He pulled out a sheet of A4 paper from his pocket.
It was a drawing Darc had made in Momo's sketchbook, torn out.
Carlo's eyes widened as he examined the drawing.
He could tell immediately where it depicted.
The Pauline Chapel, located inside the Vatican.
"How...?"
It was a place only the Pope and cardinals could enter, and the chapel had never been opened to the public.
Jinhyuk smiled with satisfaction at Carlo's reaction.
The locations repeatedly drawn by the Yodel Compass and Dandelion Fluff.
The chapel in the drawing he had just handed over, and the Apostolic Palace in Rome.
And one more thing.
He carefully pulled out a folded drawing.
"There's a statue like this in the chapel, right?"
Carlo slowly nodded.
There was no point in hiding anything when he had even described the innermost statue.
"Michelangelo's sculpture, the Cross of Saint Peter."
Michelangelo, the great sculptor and artist of the Renaissance.
He had personally sculpted it when the chapel was built.
After a moment of thought, Carlo continued.
"Does the offer you mentioned have anything to do with the Pauline Chapel and Michelangelo's sculpture?"
"Yes. It's closely related. Before I tell you what it is, the story I can share if you accept my offer is about the divine being of the Divine System, Azrael. More precisely, his resurrection and the heretics who desire it."
"!!!!"
Carlo's calm body jolted.
This was the story he had most wanted to hear from Korea and the Runner.
"State your offer."
The moment he heard the keywords Azrael and resurrection, Carlo had made up his mind.
He would accept whatever offer the Runner made.
"Give me that statue."
Except for something this absurd.
How long had it been?
Since he almost shouted at someone.
At least, not since becoming a priest.
Cold sweat ran down Jinhyuk's back.
Carlo's face was changing dramatically in real time.
So this was what it meant to be cursed out by someone's expression.
"To give you additional information, even if an Italian player reinforced that section, a completely different floor would appear. I'm the only one in the world who received the request from the divine Azrael."
Sweat also trickled down Carlo's temple.
He already knew this, even though it hadn't been made public.
While the Runner was inside the Tower, a player affiliated with the Vatican had quietly tried to reinforce the 81st floor.
They had searched thoroughly but found no desired information.
In other words, the information Carlo wanted was known only to the Runner, Yoo Jinhyuk, standing before him.
After taking a dozen deep breaths, Carlo barely managed to speak.
"Even if I wanted to give you the statue, conceding a thousand times over, the Vatican would never allow it. Unless Michelangelo were alive to create an identical one... Ah?"
Carlo's mouth fell open again.
Jinhyuk rummaged around and pulled out a statue nearly identical to the Cross of Saint Peter.
It was made by the Great Momo Teacher, whose craftsmanship was extraordinary.
"Any lacking details can be perfected once I see the real thing."
After a long silence, Carlo finally spoke.
"What exactly do you plan to do with that statue?"
It was the question he had been waiting for.
"After resurrecting the divine Azrael."
He answered with a bright smile.
"I'm going to kill him completely. So he can never come back."
Cardinal Carlo Moncini's pupils shook violently.
It was a story that far exceeded what Carlo had hoped for—the ultimate solution, if only it were possible.
An absurd request, yet one he couldn't ignore.
A temptation far too sweet.
* * *
Several hours after Runner Yoo Jinhyuk's visit.
Cardinal Carlo Moncini entered the Pauline Chapel and clasped his hands together.
And toward Michelangelo's sculpture, the Cross of Saint Peter... more precisely.
'God, please forgive me.'
He offered a prayer of apology to the fake statue Yoo Jinhyuk had swapped.
* * *
Ding!
[Conditions for entering the Mythical Tower have been met!]
[Entering the Mythical Tower, 23rd Floor: 'Altar of Sloth and Gluttony, the Seven Deadly Sins.']
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