On my way out of the shower.
The smell of charcoal hits me from somewhere.
"Kancho, what are you doing! Hurry up and bring the charcoal!"
"I'm coming! The fire's ready to go, yessir?!"
"Of course! Hurry up and put the charcoal in here!"
I step out into the garden and see Momo and Kancho bustling around.
Next to them, a mountain of greasy-looking meat is piled up.
It's Teharam, caught from the Sea of Lamentation.
But wait — it's been less than two hours since we ordered chicken!?
"Master, over here! We're gonna grill the eel!"
"Chief, get over here quick, sir! The first bite is always the chief's, yessir!"
If a stranger heard that, they'd think, 'Oh, the little ones really take good care of their master.' But no.
They want me to be the taste tester.
It looks delicious, but whether it's actually safe is still unknown.
"Well, well, I'm looking forward to this?"
Elia, standing next to the meat, rubs her hands together.
Her taste buds are slightly wrecked from tasting all kinds of potions.
She's an excellent substitute resource who can perform the taste tester role in my absence.
Sizzle!
Momo lights the fire in one go with a magic engineering torch.
Ever since she brought it from the lab, she's been using it like crazy.
"Master! How should I grill the eel!?"
"There's salt-grilled and sauce-grilled. But salt is the foundation."
I glance at Veila, who's following behind me.
I could do it myself, but wouldn't it be better to leave it to a pro?
"Veila, do you know how to grill eel?"
"It's not eel, but I've grilled a similar-looking fish before. I'll do it."
Veila walks over demurely and opens the salt container.
Tap tap tap!
With elegant hand movements, she sprinkles salt and places the meat on the grill with tongs.
Sizzle!
As the fatty meat hits the grill, a mouthwatering sound rings out.
And the savory aroma tickling my nose.
It's not just similar in appearance — it's freshwater eel itself.
So, what about the taste?
"It's crackling!"
"I wanna eat it soon, sir!"
"You'll burn your eyebrows off again."
"Eep."
Looks like they remember the last time they burned it.
The Kan-Mo duo scurries backward.
"A good smell."
"Is it a health food?"
The smell of grilling eel can bring even someone who's left home back.
Seira, Dark, Renya, and Kamela also show up.
"I picked this up too."
I wondered what was dangling from Renya's hand — it's Nia, still fast asleep.
'She really sleeps well.'
Even though she's hanging limp by the back of her neck, there's no sign of her waking up.
I want to hurry up to the 90th floor and wake her.
I wonder what kind of friend she'll be.
"It's all grilled."
Veila cuts the meat evenly with skilled hands.
Ginger and sauce are set out — when did she even pack those?
As if on cue, all eyes turn to me.
I walk over with a solemn face, wrap the meat with ginger and sauce, and bring it to my mouth.
It's always nerve-wracking.
This moment of eating a new ingredient.
Boom!
My eyes fly open.
The moment I sink my teeth in, an insane amount of juices burst out.
The firm yet tender flesh melts, spreading luxurious oil through my mouth.
I compared this crazy meat to mere freshwater eel?
I offer a sincere apology to Teharam.
Just as I'm about to tell them to start the mukbang right away.
Ding!
[Teharam is a being born in the Sea of Lamentation that has lived for countless years!]
[Teharam, who has lived filled with sacred divine power!]
[You have consumed Teharam's meat! A new stat, 'Holy Resistance,' has been created!]
[Holy Resistance increases significantly!]
Jesus Christ.
I press a hand to my forehead.
This is a first for me.
A new stat being created just from eating a piece of meat.
No wonder it was revered as a remnant of judgment or a primordial sea lifeform.
Perk! Perk! Perk! Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle!
I give a thumbs-up to the Kan-Mo duo waiting for my signal.
As if they were waiting, Kancho and Momo grab their chopsticks and charge in.
Veila's hands move faster.
She grills the meat with zero error and distributes it to the friends.
"What is this grilled eel!! It's so good!"
"The oil is dripping, sir!"
Even the friends, after one bite each, are stunned.
"This is amazing. And Holy Resistance is going up like crazy too?"
"Master, is eel always this delicious?"
"It's tasty in general, but not to this degree."
I grab another piece of meat from the plate.
As if waiting, Holy Resistance goes up again.
I'm really glad I picked this up.
I was about to leave it behind because it looked so vicious and hideous.
That was a close call.
"Nia! It's a giant wrap!!"
Momo takes a wrap as big as her own face — how many pieces of meat did she stuff in there?
"Momo. Nia can't eat tha—"
I have to stop talking because the wrap has vanished.
Nia chews incredibly fast and swallows it whole.
Is she really asleep?!
"Chief! Your phone is blinking, sir!"
I pause my inhaling for a moment and walk to the table.
It's Team Leader Jin Yunho.
"Momo, can you give me some trimmed meat?"
"Got it!"
Probably because the freezer is packed with it.
She hands me a very generous package.
"I'm eating. I'll step out for a bit."
He's probably waiting, so I'll hurry over and share it.
The story I had with Carlo Moncini at the Vatican.
* * *
At Cheon Seyeon's house in Hannam-dong, after a long time.
After a full-on feast, Jin Yunho, Yun Miri, and Cheon Seyeon lean back in their chairs.
Their faces are somehow dazed.
"Jinhyeok-ssi."
Seyeon, a little spaced out, shakes her head.
"This is the best eel I've ever had."
"Me too. I'm moved again after the meat you gave us last time."
Jin Yunho, wiping his oil-smeared mouth, also lets out a deep breath.
Then he gives a thumbs-up.
"That was seriously the best. I think I can work even harder starting tomorrow. And on top of that, Holy Resistance goes up?"
"Players who have to go through the 81st floor section would go crazy if they knew."
I raise a finger to my lips.
"It's a secret."
"Of course. We can't share something this delicious with everyone."
"Good things should be monopolized."
"Right."
The three nod while saying scary things.
Seyeon leans in and asks seriously.
"No, seriously, where do you keep getting meat like this? Do you have a hidden magical butcher shop?"
"Or do you run a secret fish farm? The eel farmers in Korea should be worried. But wait, is this really eel? It's ridiculously delicious."
A bead of sweat runs down my back.
Let's not mention that it's monster meat from the sea that lived a long time — and that it looks extremely hideous and bizarre.
Some truths are better left unknown.
"Of, of course it's eel."
A slightly oversized and oddly shaped eel.
"Anyway, about what I heard at the Vatican."
"Yes."
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri straighten up.
The two immediately switch to work mode.
I've smoothly changed the subject too.
Nice.
"You mentioned before, Team Leader, about the Vatican's singularity."
Even though it's within Italian territory, Vatican City is an independent nation.
Yet for some reason, there's no Tower of Despair in the Vatican.
Instead, Vatican-affiliated players have one special privilege.
The ability to enter and exit any tower in the world without naturalization procedures.
"Yes. In a way, it's a privilege that fits the characteristics of the Vatican institution."
In fact, the Vatican used this privilege to send players to towers in countries that needed help.
To climb on their behalf so that Transitions wouldn't occur.
"There's an island nation in the Pacific called Nauru, with a population of less than 10,000. The Vatican provides dedicated support there."
"I've heard of it. I recall Vatican players are stationed there to climb."
"Right. Two weeks ago, a player there used a privilege-granted item without reporting to the Vatican and opened a new floor. It was in the 61st floor section, a floor surrounded by black ice with a named monster called the Frost Lord. That named monster was absurdly strong, so the player who opened the floor immediately gave up on clearing it and fled."
Jin Yunho nods.
It's a common occurrence.
Recklessly opening a strong floor and barely escaping.
Seyeon, listening, tilts her head.
"So that's the end of it, right? That floor only affects the player who opened it anyway. And even they gave up, so next time they can just choose a normal floor."
"Right. That's how it should have been. But not long after, that named monster, the Frost Lord, appeared in the tower of a neighboring country called the Marshall Islands."
"Did someone in the Marshall Islands open a floor with the same item?"
"No. The Frost Lord appeared on the 68th floor. A normal floor."
The three's eyes widen.
"It's not unheard of for named monsters to randomly appear on normal floors. But the reason the Vatican panicked was that the named monster talked about the player who fled from Nauru. And later, when they asked that player, they said that when they got the privilege item to open the floor, the system told them: 'This is a unique item across all towers.'"
"So you're saying... the named monster moved between towers? To another country's tower?"
"Yes. And a few days later, a Transition occurred on the Marshall Islands' 68th floor. Fortunately, since the named monster had been defeated, there were no monsters, but the entire area was covered in black ice. Meanwhile, the Transition on Nauru's 68th floor — the one that was actually opened — was no different from other countries'."
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri look at each other.
Now they understand a bit.
Why the Vatican was so adamant about not strengthening the towers.
"Luckily, the Marshall Islands is under Vatican support, so no major issues arose. But what if that named monster had drifted into the tower of some diplomatically isolated small nation? And if they couldn't clear it and failed to stop the Transition? The Frost Lord would have descended into reality. Because of a player from a completely unrelated country."
"I can see why the Vatican hid the information. The moment this stops being a possibility and becomes confirmed truth, the major powers would have a justification to interfere in other countries."
"Exactly. That's why they were so troubled."
The three nod in unison, then all look at Jinhyeok.
"So did you agree to give up on waking the monster you originally intended to?"
"No. At first, they strongly insisted on that."
I smile.
"I convinced them. Given the nature of that divine being, if I don't wake it, it'll stir up someone else's greed and resurrect somehow. So I said I'd kill it now instead. I'm not sure, but that thing is likely a unique entity across all towers."
Carlo Moncini understood immediately.
Because he too had vaguely realized it through evidence from the Bible and the Tower.
The divine being of the holy system, Azriel.
It was only a matter of time — that thing was a calamity that would appear one way or another.
So if possible, killing it now was the best option.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I drum my fingers, recalling Azriel, who was cosmic-horror-level massive.
Even to wake Nia, the option of not catching it doesn't exist.
Divine being or whatever — I'll catch it no matter what.
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T/N:
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