Chapter 71

Chapter 71.

Wow.

Earth had a divine being too?

‘I thought things like that did not exist.’

I had thought divinity was something that existed only in fantasy games like Lost Honor.

I had never imagined it would also exist on Earth, in the modern world, in reality.

‘Well, now that the Tower has appeared, reality is basically fantasy too.’

Earth’s divine being, called the “Host of the Nameless Ones,” had a bizarre appearance, like a flying clump of clouds with masks packed tightly all over it.

‘The octopus was like that, and this one is like this too. Why do divine beings all look as if someone failed while making them?’

Even with blurred eyes, it was not exactly lovable.

They said even angels, when they appeared, began by saying, “Be not afraid.”

It seemed beings that transcended humanity all looked that arbitrary.

[How dare you…!]

Firmament glared at the “Host” while spouting a line like a third-rate villain.

The octopus’s eyes turned bloodred, and the entire space went RUMBLE! as it shook and spewed black Inverse Divinity.

BOOOOOOM!

The power that burst forth with a thunderclap that seemed capable of destroying the world struck the Host directly.

However, the Host blurred its own body and let the blow slide past.

“Wow….”

It did not seem to have taken no damage at all, since the clouds that made up its body trembled and scattered, but it was still an astonishing exchange.

Though it looked like a cute octopus to my eyes, Firmament was a being called the king among Evil Gods.

It was a divine being that would not fall behind even against Gaia herself.

To let an attack from such a giant figure slide past without much damage was impressive.

‘It is stronger than I expected.’

It was quite unexpected.

After that, Firmament kept firing its tentacles and spewing Inverse Divinity as it drove the Host back.

The Host blurred its body and, at times, sacrificed its masks as it silently endured Firmament’s attacks.

‘Why is it not counterattacking?’

I had wanted to watch a grand battle of power between divine beings, but this rather took the wind out of my sails.

However, I soon realized the reason and felt a jolt of emotion.

While the Servants caught up in the battle between the two divine beings were vanishing like dust, Cheol-su’s body was being protected by solid Divine Power.

The Host had not been using its Divine Power to wrestle against the octopus.

It had been using it entirely to protect Cheol-su.

“You bastard… you pass.”

At that moment.

I scrapped the plan to make Cheol-su fall.

Given the situation, the divine being lending Cheol-su power was almost certainly that Host.

Until now, I had thought it was a pathetic, stingy fellow that only granted him measly B-rank Divine Power…

But it was a true god who knew how to cherish its believer.

Then I checked the Codex.

[Awakening Ability: Inverted Divinity (B)]

‘Inverted Divinity?’

I confirmed that Cheol-su’s measly B-rank “Recovery” had changed into an Awakening Ability I was seeing for the first time.

‘This is Firmament’s power.’

The power Firmament had gained when it fell was “inversion.”

Flipping front and back.

It was a power perfectly suited to Firmament, who had once been a god of brilliant starlight.

That meant Cheol-su had succeeded in siphoning Firmament’s power…

But it was strange that the grade was B.

‘Even if I estimate it low, it should be more than enough for S-rank.’

At this rate, the title of the strongest Fallen God would become far too unimpressive.

I had one guess.

Cheol-su’s Unique Trait.

[Unique Trait: The Most Ordinary Being (B)]

I did not know exactly what kind of ability this was, but…

The important thing was that it had the potential to turn even the blessing of the strongest Evil God into B-rank.

‘Were you a much bigger deal than I thought, Kim Cheol-su…?’

A special bloodline.

A monster sealed inside his body.

His pupils suddenly splitting apart.

He was not supposed to have any protagonist-like settings like those, was he?

In any case.

The masks of the Host, which had been one-sidedly beaten by the octopus, were gradually decreasing in number.

If it was the divine being that protected Cheol-su.

Moreover, if it was a likable divine being that had even shown itself trying to protect Cheol-su.

Then it deserved my goodwill.

CLICK.

I targeted the octopus.

[W-Wait. Nebula?]

“You are bullying our dear Host? You insolent octopus.”

The Ultimate Skill…

[Stop! Please stop. I will go. I will leave right now!]

As soon as I prepared it, the quick-witted octopus hurriedly vanished beyond space.

“Watch yourself.”

It was Grand Magic capable of making even that goddess shed tears.

There was no way a fallen divine being could withstand it.

The situation was over.

I canceled the Ultimate Skill and…

CLICK.

This time, I targeted the “Host of the Nameless Ones.”

The Host’s broken masks wriggled.

“Can you not speak?”

The Ultimate Skill…

[I greet you, Great One.]

It had a pleasant, beautiful voice.

“So you can speak.”

[I sincerely apologize for visiting the world you rule without permission.]

Its manners also passed.

For now, I kept the Ultimate Skill casting and continued listening.

[This child is an Apostle I cherish especially… Since such a child’s source was in danger of being damaged, I had no choice but to intervene.]

Cheol-su was an Apostle? His source was being damaged?

These were still words I did not understand.

I quietly listened further.

[My divinity suffered a tremendous blow from fighting the Evil God. Moreover, because of your influence pressing down on this Other World, it consumes a great deal of my divinity just to remain here if you permit it I would like to bestow a fragment of my Authority upon my Apostle and withdraw!]

The Host began speaking faster and faster.

I could deeply feel the emotion of, ‘I am seriously in a hurry.’

“It seems I will not get an explanation right away.”

Instead of answering, I moved Nebula back one square.

“Let us see just how much you give him.”

The Ultimate Skill was still being cast.

If it did not meet my expectations, I would press the button immediately. That was all.

“You had better watch yourself too.”

The Host hastily began pouring out brilliant golden light.

***

Cheol-su felt countless warm hands stroking his shoulders, his back, and his cheeks.

The people who lived each day covered in dust in a world where the Tower had collapsed.

The nameless Hunters who gripped their weapons while bleeding to protect their families.

The vast will formed by hundreds, thousands, and tens of millions of ordinary humans was embracing Cheol-su.

He looked to the side.

There was a pitch-black void there.

Nothing existed inside it, but at its source lurked an enormous force swirling like a waterspout.

A power he could reach if he simply stretched out his hand at any moment.

It was a moment of choice.

Cheol-su instinctively felt it.

Would he move to the side and choose the void?

Or would he remain where he was and accept his current self?

Cheol-su had already experienced, however briefly, the omnipotent feeling granted by overwhelming power.

There was no way he would not covet the power surging within that void.

‘With that power… could I not clear the Tower?’

It felt so tremendous that even such a thought crossed his mind.

While Cheol-su was hesitating…

[Do you want to become stronger?]

Someone asked.

“…Of course.”

[Because you are weak now?]

“I am only B-rank.”

[That is not weakness.]

Cheol-su frowned at the rising displeasure.

A-rank, S-rank…

If his ability had been just a little stronger, Cheol-su’s circumstances could have been very different from now.

[You still do not know your ability very well.]

“Recovery? This is just….”

It was nothing more than an ability that healed a few injuries.

[Average and ordinary. That means left and right, above and below. It means not leaning toward either side.]

“What are you talking about…?”

[Conveniently, this world has something good.]

WHOOSH!

Heat washed over Cheol-su’s face as if someone had blown hot air directly in front of him.

He seemed to hear the sound of a fanfare going TA-DAA! somewhere far away.

At the same time.

DING!

[You have obtained ‘Holy Kingdom Combat Arts (F)’]

BEEP!

[Unique Trait: The Most Ordinary Being (B) resists]

[All external factors will be forcibly readjusted to match the owner’s grade]

[The capacity of F-rank ‘Holy Kingdom Combat Arts’ will be forcibly upgraded and compressed to ‘B-rank’]

DING!

[You have obtained ‘Holy Kingdom Combat Arts (B)’]

“…?”

The combat arts used by priests in a fantasy-world nation called the “Holy Kingdom” appeared in Cheol-su’s mind, and he understood and internalized them in an instant.

Just as when he had first “Awakened.”

Just as he had “automatically” learned how to use Recovery and how to operate Divine Power.

This was not the end.

[You have obtained ‘Holy Kingdom Divine Spellcraft (F)’]

(…)

[You have obtained ‘Holy Kingdom Divine Spellcraft (B)’]

[You have obtained ‘Apostate’s Inverse Divine Spellcraft (F)’]

(…)

[You have obtained ‘Apostate’s Inverse Divine Spellcraft (B)’]

“This is….”

Next, he learned how to use Divine Power.

He also learned how to use Inverse Divine Power.

Two kinds of knowledge that were absolute opposites and could never mix were driven into his mind at the same time.

Then…

DING! DING! DING!

A great many system messages covered Cheol-su’s vision at incredible speed, RAT-A-TAT!

Feeling himself become “B-rank familiar” with all kinds of chores in real time, Cheol-su shouted in confusion.

“Wait! What in the world is this…?”

[You are the most ordinary being, capable of making anything ordinary.]

A voice that now sounded noticeably exhausted murmured with difficulty.

[Remember this. You are special because you are ordinary. I was not the one who chose you. You were the one who summoned me…]

With those final words, the voice vanished.

Then Cheol-su felt as if his body were floating, and he lost consciousness.

***

“Wow, what is this?”

I could not hide my surprise as I checked Cheol-su’s Codex.

[Unique Ability: The Most Ordinary Being (B)]

└B-rank(-)

└Holy Kingdom Combat Arts (B)

└Holy Kingdom Divine Spellcraft (B)

└Apostate’s Inverse Divine Spellcraft (B)

(…)

Abilities that directly helped in combat had appeared in droves with the “B-rank” label attached.

└Beginner! Earth Magic (B)

└Field Commander’s Judgment (B)

└Barricade Creation (B)

After special abilities that only Mage, Tanker, or commander classes could obtain…

└Artier’s Medicinal Cuisine (B)

└Rif’s Tidying and Organizing (B)

└Billy’s Guarding Secrets (B)

(…)

…there were abilities that seemed full of life skills like these.

└Introduction to Alchemy (B)

└Artifact Maintenance (B)

(…)

Crafting abilities.

└Eloquence for Earning Trust ~Beginner Edition~ (B)

And even strange abilities whose purpose I could not understand.

A tremendous number of B-rank abilities had appeared under his Unique Ability.

There were so many that reading and memorizing them all was difficult.

“Snowy.”

[To summarize, you may think of it as having gained an all-purpose worker who can handle almost anything.]

“Oh….”

So this meant he had become capable of doing most odd jobs to a decent degree.

That was very convenient.

‘…I only meant to use him to clear the 94th Floor gimmick, but he suddenly became an extremely useful party member.’

Those kinds of “odd jobs” were inconspicuous and took a lot of work, but they were absolutely necessary.

It was the sort of role you did not notice when it was present, but noticed tremendously when it was gone.

There was a reason why hero parties regretted kicking out the person in charge of chores.

‘Clearing the 94th Floor itself will probably not take that long, but….’

There was no telling how long the 95th Floor would take.

There were some floors that took an entire month to clear.

[Then, may I return?]

The Host, having poured out all its strength, offered its farewell in a voice drained of energy.

Judging by how it had shrunk to almost one-tenth its original size, it seemed to have gone through a great deal.

I had to acknowledge the determination it showed by squeezing itself dry for its believer.

“I will let you live.”

So I canceled the Ultimate Skill to let it leave comfortably.

[Whew.]

The Host disappeared, enveloped in radiance.

The Authority the Host left behind wrapped around Cheol-su, and Cheol-su, too, was enveloped in golden radiance as if being returned to his original world. Then he disappeared with a POP! like he had logged out.

Before going to meet Cheol-su, who should have returned next door, I checked his Codex one last time.

[Kim Cheol-su]

[Awakening Ability: Inverted Divinity (B)]

[Current Ability: B]

[Potential Ability: B]

Even after receiving all kinds of abilities, he was still B-rank.

“I truly acknowledge you, Kim Cheol-su.”

You were living a true B-rank life.

…Wait.

Was that an insult?

***

“You were living a true B-rank life.”

“Do you want to die?”

It was an insult.

When I went next door and threw the same line at Cheol-su, who was sitting there in a daze, he snapped at me in irritation.

“It was a compliment.”

Cheol-su rubbed his face dry and let out a heavy sigh.

“Hey, what kind of ability turns everything you acquire into B-rank?”

“It is like the hand of Midas. No, because it is B-rank, is it the hand of B-nus? Oh. Kim Cheol-su, are you the goddess of love?”

“Shut your mouth.”

THWACK!

While receiving a massage from his sweet fist, I made Cheol-su understand the situation.

“…So Earth has something called a divine being, and that thing protected me and granted me abilities?”

Perhaps because he had experienced it directly, Cheol-su understood quickly.

Cheol-su muttered some suspicious remarks like, ‘I see… so that was why,’ then soon looked at me with serious eyes.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Next is….”

There could be no such thing as perfect preparation.

That was because predicting and preparing for every variable was impossible.

All I, who was merely human, could do was struggle to avoid the worst.

I had prevented the worst-case scenario of “the 94th Floor cannot be cleared alone” by forming a party.

I had prevented the worst-case scenario of “someone must be sacrificed” with the card known as Kim Cheol-su, the finest B-rank man.

Now, the next step.

It was time to prevent the worst-case scenario of “the Defense Team collapses.”

However…

DING.

[Alert: The difficulty of the Tower Break will increase sharply]

Time was not on my side.

“Fucking hell.”

Cheol-su reflexively cursed.

[Alert: The clear count of the 94th Floor Tower Break has ‘once again’ exceeded the standard value]

[Alert: It has been confirmed that the difficulty of the Tower Break ‘Boss’ is inappropriate]

It was mentioning the difficulty of the “Boss,” not the Tower Break?

This was another pattern I was seeing for the first time.

[Alert: The intensity of the Tower Break will become extremely powerful, and its interval will decrease sharply]

‘…So what?’

What kind of boss was coming?

The truly important part had not appeared yet.

[2 hours until the start]

“2 hours!”

Cheol-su shrieked.

At the same time, a loud emergency alarm burst from Cheol-su’s Hunter Watch.

It was an emergency summons.

I sharpened my focus and waited for the next system message.

‘So what kind of boss is it?’

Depending on what appeared…

My response would change by 180 degrees.

[Alert: From now on, Region: Republic of Korea will proceed with an ‘Unlimited Monster Wave’]

“?”

What did that mean now?

[Alert: The end point will be the moment the 94th Floor is cleared]

“…Fucking hell.”

At last, a curse slipped out of my own mouth too.

BEEP.

[Climb the Tower]