I thought it was strange. At first, I thought I was just lucky. There was an expert who had reached the ninety-ninth floor by my side! The more floors I climbed, the more I realized how incredible the Guardian’s achievements were. The ninety-ninth floor could only be reached by legends among legends. Although the Guardian often took the stance of an observer, I was undoubtedly lucky. But— —Huh, that’s strange. This shouldn’t be possible. Where is Gramps Marcus, boy?Take me back to Gramps right now! That was why it was so strange. How could the Guardian so easily accept the fact that he was now split in two? —You copy Skills, not steal them. In other words, Gramps Marcus has another me as his Guardian. The unrivaled legend who was considered the greatest of all time boasted about being the strongest in the world, and was so arrogant that he couldn’t tolerate anyone else being stronger than him. Therefore, how could he casually accept the fact that he had been split into two? —I’m curious to see who will become a better Hunter: you or Gramps. Was it just pure curiosity, like the Guardian had said? Was helping others in his nature? —Let me help you become as strong as—no, a lot stronger than Gramps Marcus! Let’s conquer the Tower! With that in mind, I said, “It doesn’t matter if only one of us reaches the ninety-ninth floor, right? As long as one of us makes it, your goal is achieved. You just have to reach the ninety-ninth floor by any means necessary. That’s why you stuck to the Sword Star and weren’t flustered when you multiplied into two and became stuck with me.” I was mistaken. I wasn’t the lucky one; the Guardian was. “Because your chances doubled. Mr. Sword Star and I have different personalities. He was the heir to a wealthy family. I’m an orphan. After having achieved everything in his old age, he threw himself into this Tower for one more challenge. I, who achieved nothing in my youth, walked into the Tower. He’s skilled at life, and I’m used to death. We’re as different as we could be.” The Guardian had probably thought that this was perfect. “You ended up possessing two completely different people. As you already know, I’ve been desperately trying to clear the Tower and prove myself. On the other hand, Mr. Sword Star is now in seclusion, training. Two people. Two methods. You can experiment with both possibilities.” Why? Why would he conduct such an experiment? “Your goal isn’t to bring me to the ninety-ninth floor. Well, that’s true in a way, but your final goal is to get either Mr. Sword Star or me to the ninety-ninth floor. That is your goal.” The Guardian crossed his arms. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. His hair, redder than the sun, cascaded down his shoulders. —He, hehe, haha! Hahahaha! Yes, that’s right! This is why I can’t hate you! Kim Gong-Ja, you know how to measure someone else’s goodwill. No, you have no choice but to measure and make calculations about it. Deep down, you’re convinced that no one would ever do anything for you without a reason. I shrugged. “I developed this trait when I was young.” —But you make up all kinds of reasons for helping others! Hahaha, it’s fine. I don’t care. It’s actually a little surprising that you managed not to think of my goodwill as free. I couldn’t even imagine how boring that would have been. The Guardian didn’t have his own body, so he couldn’t walk around freely or talk to other people. He only followed around where I went and floated around where I was. If a person decided to endure such a life, there could only be one reason. There was a purpose that person wanted to achieve at any cost. —Well done, Gong-Ja. Bringing someone to the ninety-ninth floor; that is my quest. But there is one misunderstanding that I feel like I need to clear. —Just reaching the ninety-ninth floor isn’t enough. If that were the case, I would have persuaded you to accept the Demon King of Autumn Rain’s offer when she tempted you. There’s a very nasty condition... “You,” the elder muttered. “What are you saying?” She was still gripping my neck, but not as tightly as before, like when she was trying to kill me. Something a little more important than killing me or eliminating the Guardian had come up. “Who are you talking to right now? Is... the Sword Emperor there?” “Yes, he’s here. I’m not the Sword Emperor’s reincarnation. He’s definitely here, and so am I. He’s standing behind you with his arms crossed. He destroyed your spire, reached the ninety-ninth floor, and came back. Throughout the time, the Sword Emperor has never disappeared and has always been around, carrying out his challenge.” The elder turned around, expressionlessly. —Oh, hi. I’m the Sword Emperor with forty percent opacity. If you want to adjust the opacity, please contact the Tower and purchase the DLC. What? You think it’s a scam? Oh, Customer, I can’t help you with that. That’s the trend these days. “I can’t see him,” she said. —That sounds about right. The elder bit her lower lip. “I can’t see or hear him. Then what’s the point?” She tightened the grip on my neck. A storm of mana raged. While her right hand grabbed my neck, she cast a spell with her left. The spell created an attraction force similar to summoning magic. Buildings shattered. A straight path like a highway suddenly appeared from where the elder stood, leading to the northwest part of the city. Every building in its path was reduced to dust. A Hunter was dragged through the newly created path as if caught in an invisible hand. The Hunter was dragged through the air at an abnormal speed. His neck landed precisely in the elder’s left hand, as if that had been the intended destination all along. In a quiet voice, the elder asked, “You are the apostle of the Tear-Bringing Bell of the Dead. Do it.” “Ugh, huh... Do what?” “Use necromancy in front of me right now. There should be a ghost nearby. It doesn’t matter if you use Dead Soul or Red Bridge Between Life and the Afterlife. It doesn’t matter if you beg your fucking Constellation to lend you the necessary authority. Make me able to talk to that damn ghost if you don’t want your head to explode.” “I-I’m activating the Skill...” Dark energy enveloped the area, which undoubtedly included the Guardian. The apostle, who had used the Skill under the elder’s threat, trembled. “No one... There’s no one here. There are no dead here...” —It’s useless. I’m not a ghost. To be precise, I’m a Skill, so I’m restricted from physically interfering in this world in any way. I can only interfere with the minds of those who have me as a Skill. The elder doesn’t have me now. Though she never did, to be honest. “Use other Skills or your Constellation’s divine authority,” the elder pressed the apostle. The apostle murmured, “Activating the skill...” A burst of light spread out. Another burst of light spread out. “Next,” she repeated. Another burst of light spread out. No miracle occurred. The Hunter groaned. “There’s no one here, Elder. No spirit is by your side. Bad blood against you runs deep, but didn’t you use exorcism magic to prevent the dead’s curses in the first place? Who would want to stay by your side, even after death?” “Get lost, you fucker.” The elder waved her left hand, throwing the Hunter into the outer wall of a building. Without even having the chance to scream, the Hunter collapsed. The elder gritted her teeth, glaring at me with fierce eyes. “I’ll kill you. Make me see that bastard right now.” “Or are you lying? Acting? Are you pretending to talk to someone who isn’t even here to deceive me? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll kill you.” “Do you want to see how many times a human body can be carved out? I’ll start with the surface of your brain, then your muscles, bones, intestines, and nerves. I’ll cut you hundreds of thousands of times.” —You’ll be the one who loses in the end. The source of thɪs content is Nove1Fire.net “You seem calm. Or maybe you’re just pretending to be calm. You’re perhaps thinking I’m joking. Fine. You said your title is Death King, yes? I’ll ask you a question. I can inflict the worst pain you can imagine on you, so answer me wisely. Are you really not afraid of death? Are you?” she asked. Her eyes had been rotting for a thousand years. I looked down at her. “I’m sorry. Threatening me like that won’t work. I won’t change. The Sword Emperor already told me.” —You’re talented. It’s actually remarkable.Yes, you're gifted in martial arts. Your movements are clumsy, and your physique is mediocre at best. From the looks of it, it’ll take you a very long time to learn how to use aura through ordinary methods. Regardless, you have a very rare gift. “I have no fear of death.” To be precise, I had overcome it until now. I would continue to do so. Because he knew that I would. “The Sword Emperor chose me.” I could feel that the grip on my neck was weakening little by little. “The Sword Emperor has never betrayed you, Lady Gray Spider. He has never broken his promise to you, not even once.” “You waited six years for the Sword Emperor to clear the ninety-ninth floor. You would have thought that was enough—that it was more than enough—to give up.” “But it took a little longer than that,” I said. Her voice broke. “I thought you were dead. Of course... Of course, I thought you were dead. No, you were as good as dead. What? What is this? Don’t lie to me. It took you less than several years to reach the ninety-ninth floor. You’re the Sword Emperor! You said you were invincible and would conquer the Tower alone. So, why did it take you so long? Don’t lie to me. Why?” I reached toward the elder’s face. “Unlock the Skill Card.” Right in front of her eyes, a faint glimmer of light engraved words. Effect: He is from another world and managed to clear the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower in his world. However, he was brought to his knees right on the verge of reaching the Tower’s hundredth floor. Due to his regret, he failed to find eternal peace and became a Guardian instead. He can’t physically influence the world, but he is able to talk to you. He has abundant experience and is incredibly skilled, so ask him for advice! ※No one can perceive your Guardian except for you. ※The Skill has been copied from Hunter Marcus Carlenbery. The words were an undeniable fact. Finally, the grip on my neck loosened completely. “No, this is your failure. Your defeat. Constellation? What’s the point of becoming a Constellation and conquering the tower? That’s a god. You’ve become a god,” she murmured. Her expression was the next to crumble. —I have never used the power of Constellation. I’ll never use it in the future either. Each time I relayed the Guardian’s words, the pillars that had been supporting the Gray Spider for a thousand years collapsed a little. —I never used Constellation messages. Even when Faith gathered, I discarded it. You can call this an excuse if you want, but I did my best to keep going forward. I wanted to remain human, even if it meant becoming a ghost. It’s a funny story. The emptiness in her eyes was gone. —Gray, I’m sorry I returned too late. Finally, the mocking smile on her face disappeared.