“What a masterpiece.” An eternity was so long that keeping track of time became meaningless. There was a temple where even time itself grew weary and everything had come to a standstill. In the temple, a beautiful dragon[1] lived. “Who are you?” the dragon asked. The word “lived” was not entirely appropriate. Her golden scales, which once shone brightly, no longer sparkled. The golden eyes that once took one’s breath away with one look had long since lost their focus. Her voice... How long had it been since she last spoke? The dragon found her own voice unfamiliar. The vibrations traveling from her lungs to her throat felt strange. The flesh surrounding her lungs also felt foreign, and so did the bones piercing through her flesh. When listened to closely, the sound of her heartbeat was also unfamiliar. It was clear; the dragon felt burdened by her own existence. “I asked who you are,” the dragon repeated. “Even if I answer, you won’t understand. A name is just a label used by people in the same place to ask about each other’s well-being, but I come from a different place than you.” “It’s called the Citadel Realm.” The human ran her hand over her blond hair. She’s no ordinary human. The dragon’s golden eyes narrowed. From the human’s slightest hand gesture to glance, there was no muscle moving out of her control. Every posture of hers had meaning, and her voice always carried a certain intention. She’s like a tempting devil. The dragon then realized that even though her scales were rusty and her heart was old, her instinct for evaluating opponents was still sharp as a sword. The realization made the dragon feel good for the first time in a long time. “What is supposed to be a masterpiece?” “This place. The temple where you dwell. You’re the dragon emperor who grants the wish of regression. Everyone who has served you has returned and become successful,” the human answered. The dragon’s good mood did not last long. “Those who didn’t serve you were treated like fools. Even those distant strangers who didn’t get to join your side, as well as those on the other side of the world who can’t call me. Everyone came to worship you, and this is the result.” The human looked around. “This is a world where all humans have become regressors. No, perhaps a more apt description would be that it’s a world where all humans desire to return. Everyone wanted time, so no one has it nor its advantages.” The world was frozen. Like statues in Medusa’s temple, the humans stood motionless. With nothing to age or wear out, the world simply held its breath in a frozen time, except for one dragon. “How tragic,” the human uttered. The dragon was the only one left in the world where everything had stopped, becoming the one and only god. She was the immovable force and the golden point in time. “You merely granted the wishes of humans. Yet, if the goddess who has the power of regression rules the world, it inevitably falls into stagnation. It’s a joke that only socialites would find amusing.” The dragon growled. “So, have you come to mock me, human? If you want to fight, just say so. I won’t refuse.” “No way. The landlord fighting the tenant would just lead people to gossip.” The human clasped her hands together. “I am building a tower. I would be honored if you would come live there. Of course, you’ll have to accept several restrictions. If a god should live, don’t you think they also deserve a second chance?” Upon seeing the human’s smile, the Ruin-Harvesting Cow thought that she heard a clock’s ticking sound somewhere in the distance. [The Ruin-Harvesting Cow’s existence has weakened.] Mutia’s horn was cut off. The apostles of the Constellation were appalled, their anger as grave as their horror. They seemed to have forgotten the pain they had suffered at my hands, even though that couldn’t possibly be the case. Grabbing their hammers again, they charged forward bravely, but fire cared little for the moths’ courage of flying toward it. “You have no right to talk to me about the original timeline, Mutia.” I kept my eyes on the goddess and swung my sword. The apostle whose shoulder I had slashed diagonally screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Many more apostles rushed forward. Endless screams followed one after another. “I believe my Returner’s Clockwork is also a Skill you created. It has a strict restriction, but it still has the power of regression.” “Hic! Aaah! Ah, ugh! Ugh.” “In other words, you’re the main reason behind the Fire Emperor’s success. If he had succeeded thanks to the Returner’s Clockwork and I lived an unfortunate life in his shadow, then you’re the main cause of it all. You ruined my life, and now you’re acting like you’re going to fix it? That’s wrong.” “Of course, I’m not going to beg you to give me my life back. I have no intention of going back, but how many lives besides mine have you twisted with your power?” I walked toward Mutia as I created screams in the artificial hell. After breaking through the apostles’ defense, I crossed a mountain of people and the river of souls to approach her. “I have the right to punish you. Are you ready to live as a human, Constellation of Gold?” “I... ” Mutia’s voice escaped through her teeth. “I did nothing wrong.” Her voice was precarious, like the wind blowing through an ancient canyon. “A human child came to my palace and knelt before me. His eyes were clear. His mother had been hit by a carriage and died, and he was so angry.” She covered her eyes. “He had no intention of blaming the noble in the carriage, nor did he seek revenge. He... He just wanted to tell his mother to be careful on the road before she left home that day. And for her to walk carefully in the rain since the road is slippery, and return safely.” Another scream followed. “That’s all he wanted to say, so I found that endearing...” The master of all the ruins wailed. “What in the world did I do wrong? I just knew how to do a little more than you! I was born this way, and I got better as I grew up. That’s all! I did what I could. Was my birth a mistake? Is my life wrong? You... You bastard. What right do you have to say that to me? How dare you!” “You could have talked to me about it first.” I didn’t stop walking. Despite the apostles’ screams, the countless obstacles and attacks, and the Constellation’s fiery gaze, I kept walking. “I have no complaints about you granting Goldencup’s wish. Sylvia wished for it, and you answered. That’s all there is to it,” I said calmly. “Though it ruined Raviel’s life, I still have no complaints since it got me to meet her. I did everything as the agent of Hamustra, Pond of Memories and Indoor Librarian. ” “You appointed Goldencup to represent you, and I did what I had to do for Hamustra. I then defeated Goldencup. That is what happened. Two divine beings fought a fair duel, and the winner was decided.” “Why are you objecting to that? Why do you hold a grudge against me for it? If something unfair happened during the duel, you should have told Hamustra at the time, so why? You accepted your defeat silently back then, but now you request a rematch from me? I was just a representative, not Hamustra. No, this isn’t even a rematch. You just ambushed me on your own.” Right. There was no way it was normal for a Constellation to attack a Hunter. It would be different if the Hunter had challenged the Constellation, but it was extremely rare for a Constellation of Mutia’s level to pick a fight with a Hunter. It wasn’t because the Constellations were noble. The Tower master would have imposed restrictions one way or another. As a considerate gesture for the Hunters, killing them would be prohibited, and only actions that were necessary for the stages would have been allowed. Besides, Mutia herself had mentioned something peculiar not too long ago. “You’ve been climbing the Tower. Is the Tower such a heartless place?” There had to be restrictions applied to the Constellation that I didn’t know about. The Tower strictly managed their difficulty level, designating the first to tenth floors as a tutorial area and the eleventh to forty-ninth floors as a beginner area. In a way, it seemed more disadvantageous to the Constellations than to the Hunters. “I’ll ask you a question, Mutia,” I said. Why was Mutia able to attack me in the Tower? The incident involving Goldencup, the agent war between Hamustra and Mutia, had ended long ago. Why did she go out of her way to challenge me to a duel? “Have I become a Constellation?” Silence hung in the air. It was created artificially since the two hundred apostles had all been incapacitated under my sword, not because my reasoning caught them off guard and caused everyone who had fallen into the amphitheater hell to fall silent. The timing was perfect, though, and it seemed as though the entire sixty-second floor had fallen silent in response to my question. Since no one answered, I carried on with my reasoning. “If I’m not an ordinary Hunter, but have become the Constellation, then everything you did makes sense. While it may be forbidden for a Constellation to attack an ordinary Hunter at will, a duel between Constellations would likely have much looser rules. They are equals, so the Tower wouldn’t be so strict about it, too.” When did this happen? When did I come to be recognized as having a status equal to that of a Constellation? “Perhaps it was right after I cleared the sixty-first floor.” When I reached the floor, something strange happened. I hadn’t noticed it at the time, but looking back now, it seemed suspicious. All of the Constellations had declared war on me—or rather, on my forces. [The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye swears to kill you!] [The Incarnation of Love and Lust swears to tear you to death.] [The Eternal Plains Warhorse is preparing for war.] [The Ruin-Harvesting Cow swears to annihilate you.] Of course, my fox god had provoked the Constellations. Still, they had been watching me like hawks and waiting for a chance to make me one of their own. Also, they had witnessed the madness I had started on the fiftieth floor in real time, so they wouldn’t have turned their backs on me just because they had been provoked. I thought they were pranking me. However, after my recent clash with Mutia, my suspicions deepened. For some unknown reason, the Constellations now had no issue attacking me. I, Kim Gong-Ja, was no longer a beginner nor an ordinary Hunter. The Guardian had never wanted to become a Constellation, yet he held the title of the Sword Constellation. If becoming a Constellation was something that happened naturally at some point, regardless of one’s will, then... “How do the Constellations send their messages?” The Guardian chuckled. —I don’t know because I’ve never done it, but just thinking about sending a message should make it happen, shouldn’t it? Even though your sword isn’t human, she can send messages freely. I don’t think there’s a complicated system behind it.” “That’s true. I’ll try it.” I closed my eyes and envisioned the person I would be able to remember without a single blur until the moment I died. Suddenly, an image appeared in my mind. There was about a cup of water in front of me. Maybe it wasn’t water, more like white detergent powder. The contents of the cup decreased by one spoonful. Then... [The Scream-Gathering Sky has sent his regards to Duke Silver Lily.] I opened my eyes. Mutia glared at me, clenching her teeth. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩 “Yeah. It worked,” I announced with a bright smile.