Chapter 269.

When he opened his eyes, his first thought was that the sky was blue . This thought was instinctual and not instinctual at the same time . It was the product of both perception and intelligence .

The monster stared at the sky in a daze . The blue sky was beautiful, but his first thought didn’t seem like much of a revelation . The monster couldn’t tell whether the idea of a blue sky was a legacy of the past or a fact first explored today .

And so, the monster struggled within the swamp of his own mind .

His intelligence overturned his instinct and dominated his body .

The question of his own existence could not be easily resolved .

—Grrr… .

Amidst the confusion, the monster heard a low growl of another monster . It was clearly a sign of hostility .

The second thought arose in his mind at the moment of their first encounter .

Who is the monster facing the monster? Is the monster agonizing over his existence a monster or not?

To the monster, his intelligence was nothing more than a burden . He felt confused and hollow at the same time . The monster had gained a sense of hollowness along with intelligence .

In the end, Orden was an existence of hollowness .

No one could understand Orden, the first monster born with intelligence . He wasn’t a human, so he couldn’t become a part of the human society; but his intelligence deterred him from adopting a monster-like lifestyle . To be born with intelligence in the land of monsters inevitably led to pain .

But Orden never ceased to think even in the midst of hollowness . He broadened his range of perception and trained his intelligence . He never stopped questioning his sense of self .

His existence, his life, his identity, his emotions, his values… .

However, the more he tried to understand his origin, the more hollow he felt . He realized his hollowness couldn’t be destroyed .

So he naturally turned to humans .

Orden searched for the answer to his existence in humans . He studied humans and their behaviors . Just as humans lived freely and naturally, Orden too wanted to feel comfortable with his own existence .

…Then, did Orden understand humans now?

Orden could ingest humans and give birth to ‘monsters with intelligence’ like himself . He could have conversations with the monsters he created . And even though that was fun, it was not perpetual, and in the end he always realized his curiosity couldn’t be satisfied .

Orden wanted an answer . As ‘intelligence’ originally belonged to humans, he assumed humans were the key to the answer he’d been looking for . Orden wanted to destroy humanity for that exact reason . The answer would reveal itself most dramatically at the moment of humanity’s extinction .

In the end, Orden’s goal was neither to conquest nor rule over humans . His desire was not of a physical kind .

He only wished to understand himself .

Orden, as the king of monsters, sought to understand humans, and naturally, himself .

…Thoughts of the past continued to linger .

Tok, tok .

Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps interrupted Orden’s train of thought . Orden opened his eyes to discover a small child in front of him .

A girl who had already died once .

Orden had ingested the body of the dead girl, reconstructed her within himself and let her out of his mouth . That was how this child came to live again . Of course, she was not the same as before .

“What are you doing here?”

Orden asked, and the frightened child answered, “Daddy told me to hide… . He said this place is the safest… . ”

By ‘Daddy’, she meant Park Hanho— the most useful human out of all humans he had convinced to swear loyalty to him .

Orden announced coldly, “Go back to your father . ”

But the child didn’t budge . He couldn’t tell whether she was scared or not . Orden looked down at the child with slight discontent .

“Um… . Umm… . Ummm… . ”

The child opened her mouth as if she had something to say, only to hesitate .

Impatience got the better of the King .

“If you have something you’d like to say, say it . ”

“Ah… it’s just that… Daddy is fighting right now… can you help him…? I don’t like it when Daddy’s hurt… . ”

She made a bold request . A small laughter escaped Orden’s mouth, and he immediately wondered why he had laughed .

“… . ”

Orden lightly rubbed the tip of his mouth . His lips curved into a twisted smile .

The child smiled back at him . Her smile left Orden even more confused .

“Hey, you little rascal!”

Suddenly, one of Orden’s servants showed up . He hurried towards the girl, snatched her wrist, and bowed down to the King .

“I apologize! Come here, stupid human!”

By then, Orden was already standing .

“…No . ”

Still confused about the reason for his smile, Orden continued .

“She’s right . It’s time for me to step up . ”

The Monster King’s voice descended gravely .

“I shall personally punish those who defile my land . ”

**

A mysterious beam of light from the battlecruiser lifted us up to the vessel . We were now inside the ship, with the whole view of the interior before our eyes .

“This is Genkelope’s most powerful battleship . It can sustain weight of up to 9000 passengers and carries about 400 fighter jets . ”

Horner, the captain of the ship, explained to us . The interior seemed pretty complicated, as though it came straight out of a science fiction movie, but some parts of it were straightforward since the ship was the combined product of science and magic .

“Wow… but I don’t remember seeing something like this the last time I was here . Is this new?”

Horner nodded at me .

“Yes . It’s called ‘Genkelion’ . It’s an ultimate weapon created by Genkelope’s AI ‘GenphaGo’ and Ship Commander’s TP . ”

“…Ultimate weapon?”

“Yes . ”

Horner smiled .

“We plan to take back our homeland someday using this ship . ”

“…Ah~”

I quickly understood .

The Tower Arc had ended, but so long as the Tower of Wish persisted, the world inside the Tower would persist as well . The 15th floor, through indefinite development, was now the most profitable floor in the Tower of the Wish . With further advancement of technology, it wouldn’t be long before they recapture their homeland, the fallen Genkelope .

“More importantly, how are things looking down below?”

I asked Horner about the situation on the battlefield . Before answering my question, Horner pulled up a video in the air .

“Well, there are a lot of monsters . They are not only on the ground but below and above it as well . But you don’t have to worry . Genkelion will not be defeated by those monsters . ”

“Mm . ”

His confidence assured me that my decision to create Buster Call was the right one .

“…Kim Hajin . ”

Suddenly, Shin Jonghak intervened .

Dazed, he looked at me and Horner in turn with a confused look on his face .

“What is this place?”

I answered immediately, “A battlecruiser built by the people of the 15th floor, just as Horner said . ”

Shin Jonghak frowned . His eyes seemed to say, ‘Of course I know that much . ’

I smiled . Now seemed like a good time to reveal my secret .

“I own the entire 15th floor . It’s my possession . ”

I had rescued its NPCs one by one using the [Mystic Key] . I was the one who acquired ‘GenphaGo’, the AI that oversaw the development of the 15th floor, through my negotiation with the 7th floor Administrator . I also invested a lavish amount of TP .

That was all to become the owner of the 15th floor .

“…Y-You own the 15th floor?”

Not only Shin Jonghak, but also Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Seo Youngji, and Yi Yongha dropped their jaws in shock .

To be fair, the 15th floor must have been a fantasy world laced with magical technologies to them . They apparently had never even considered the possibility that it belonged to someone .

“Yeah, but let’s talk about that some other time… . Hmm?”

I turned my gaze to the video again and saw a group of fighter jets moving frantically .

“What’s that?”

Dozens of fighter jets were chasing someone . This person flying in the sky looked awfully familiar . Right, it was Jin Sahyuk .

—This is the last straw! Get lost, or I’ll kill you all!

Jin Sahyuk shouted as she continued to run away from the fighter jets .

Horner called somewhere to check and returned with an explanation .

“Oh, I think she’s the criminal you talked about the other day . ”

—Get lost before I kill you!

Jin Sahyuk aimed her spears at the fighter jets, but the jets, with 50% spec boosts, moved like the wind and easily evaded her attacks . The pilots scoffed and fired their lasers .

—You crazy bastards… that stings! Fuck, that stings!

I made a small smile as I watched Jin Sahyuk swear .

“Just let her go . ”

“…Pardon?”

“She’s alright now . You don’t have to be so hard on her . ”

“Ah, yes, understood . ”

Horner ordered the fighter jets to halt, which they promptly did .

“Next…”

As I was about to give out the next order, Orden suddenly appeared on the roof of his palace,

standing firmly in the center of the spire . He looked like a slightly big human on the outside, one that resembled a lion .

Kwaaaaaa…

Orden started to gather magic power around his hands . The flow of magic power was clearly unordinary . At the point of congregation, a magnificent beam of light stretched out, sucking in the nearby air currents along with magic power .

‘That looks dangerous,’ I thought, when suddenly I received a notification about a change in the story’s setting .

[Problem — The main boss of the Third Arc dies too easily . ]

[Solution — Increased Orden’s strength . 「9 . 9/9 . 9」]

I was lost for words .

Potential 9 . 9 .

This meant he was equally as powerful as a ‘god’ .

“…Horner, is it possible to bring in all allies on the ground?”

Horner answered gravely to my serious question .

“Yes, of course . Portals are always ready to be used . ”

“Then please bring them in right now . We need to get out of here . We’re no match for him . ”

I wasn’t sure what Orden was planning to do, but I knew we’d all die if we stayed here .

Co-author, you son of a bitch .

“Yes, sir . ”

Horner nodded and dispatched [emergency portals] .

Jiiinng…

Beams of light stretched out from the battlecruiser and pulled the Heroes and Genkelope crew members on the ground into the vessel . The fighter jets also returned to the hangar .

I ordered Spartan to take care of the Chameleon Troupe . At Spartan’s current level of growth, using the Authority of Teleportation was a piece of cake .

“Activate Interstellar Migration Device . ”

We escaped before Orden’s magic power exploded through the Interstellar Migration Device— a magical device that possessed the ability to fold dimensions, enabling its users to move through a vast amount of space in one instant .

Kwaaaa… .

Just as the explosion which started at the hands of Orden was about to turn the world upside down, the battlecruiser disappeared from Africa and reappeared in Korea .

**

[The next day at Yoo Yeonha’s mansion]

The Association and Djinn Association failed to defeat Orden and retreated . Orden had become much more powerful than in the original, and his strength shocked the public . The Association learned the hard way that ‘a large-scale head-on attack was not a good way to deal with Orden’ .

“…Huu . ”

As a result, the media had begun to discuss the possibility of the ‘fall of mankind’ .

Meanwhile, I came to visit Yoo Yeonha with Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho by my side . The two looked pale, still shocked by whatever it was that they saw .

“You can tell me now . What did you see?”

It seemed that Yoo Yeonha was just as irritated as I was; she pressed the duo to speak . Yun Seung-Ah slowly raised her head . With a deep sigh, she proceeded to speak .

“…She came back to life . ”

“Came back to life? Who did?”

Yun Seung-Ah hesitated to answer . Yoo Yeonha and I folded our arms and waited for her to speak again . The words that came out of her mouth the next moment were shocking .

“Senior Hanho’s daughter . ”

“…Huh? Who?”

This time, I asked back in shock . Park Hanho’s daughter should have died . And even in this world, reviving the dead was impossible .

“What does that mean?”

“…It means exactly what it means . Senior Hanho’s daughter is alive . In human form . I remember visiting her when she was in the hospital and I also went to her funeral, yet… . ”

Yun Seung-Ah continued to explain . When they went to rescue the hostages, they discovered Park Hanho had betrayed humans . As she fought Park Hanho alongside Genkelope’s soldiers, she saw Park Hanho’s daughter curled up on a bed in the corner of the room, trembling . Before long, however, the girl ran away, and Yun Seung-Ah, while still dazed by what she saw, was hit by Park Hanho’s shield in the head and fainted .

“I… have no idea what’s going on . But… Yeonhee’s face… . ”

Yun Seung-Ah buried her head in her hands . Kim Suho wasn’t any better .

I watched them for a while before getting up . I signed Yoo Yeonha to follow me, and she did .

“…What is it?”

Yoo Yeonha asked .

I took a deep breath . It seemed now was the right time to gather the Nine Stars .

“I have a favor to ask you . ”

“A favor? So suddenly?”

Yoo Yeonha tilted her head questioningly .

“Yeah . We can’t deal with this situation on our own . We need help from the old generation . ”

“Huh? By old generation, you mean…?”

The old generation saved the world in the past, and the new generation led the present .

But I couldn’t say that the old generation was replaced . They were simply too powerful . In the present era, only Kim Suho, Jin Sahyuk, and perhaps Aileen and Chae Nayun would be a match against the old generation, and even that was only after they complete their future training .

Yoo Yeonha muttered in a daze .

“…Are you talking about the Nine Stars?”

“Right, the Nine Stars . ”

Orden’s strength was well beyond my imagination . Orden wasn’t our only concern . There wasn’t much time left . It would be too late if we contacted the Nine Stars after the devils’ descent .

“…You’re joking, right?”

Yoo Yeonha was dumbfounded .

“Even for me, something like that’s… . ”

“Just fetch me their locations and I’ll do the talking . Oh, I already know where Heynckes is, so don’t bother about him . ”

I replied as I prepared to leave . But Yoo Yeonha blocked my way .

“Where are you going? You haven’t told me about the 15th floor and also about that battlecruiser in the sky . Just what is dat, I mean, that—”

Her tongue got twisted trying to speak quickly .

Yoo Yeonha let out a dry cough and glared at me .

“The Association is calling you about that . You do know that I’m holding them back, right?”

“Ah, I’ll tell you about the ship later . I have a lot of things to do right now . ”

“God . ”

Yoo Yeonha frowned .

“What things?”

“Mm… . ”

I put on a solemn expression as if I’d been hiding something all along .

“I think… I’ll need to be serious from here on out . ”

The so-called ‘spirit power’ that I had not been able to figure out .

Now that the situation had escalated to this, I simply couldn’t leave everything to Kim Suho . I needed to train and educate myself to prepare for the upcoming battle .

“…Serious?”

Yoo Yeonha looked at me with a surprised face .

**

[April, 1980]

Chae Joochul was feeling nature in the midst of a destroyed civilization . The beat of the beginning, which had originated from the destruction, was palpable . The Immortal released his will into nature, the two forces resonated, and nature released its essence in return . The essence rose slowly and formed a certain figure that soon merged with Chae Joochul .

He had become one with nature .

Chae Joochul opened his eyes as the incarnation of nature . Though he started at sunset, the sun was now above his head . His whole body was wet from blood and sweat .

He had noticed neither the passage of time nor the toll on his body . Now one with the surrounding greens, Chae Joochul absorbed his magic power back inside .

Kwaaang—!

The magic power exploded violently from within, penetrating his blood vessels . Chae Joochul raised himself . His body was tinged with a turquoise color .

Swish—!

Chae Joochul spread his folding fan . The essence of nature blazed up from the fan, swirling up into the air . Suddenly it turned into a huge typhoon that engulfed the surroundings . A huge fire flared up within the typhoon .

The harmony of wind and fire was breathtaking . It was a natural phenomenon beyond human grasp .

Such disasters occurred in succession . Red, green, and grey gathered together to form a scene of destruction . All was a grand display of his Gift, [Multi-colored Immortality] .

—It hasn’t withered .

At that moment, a gentle voice flowed through the storm into the ears of Chae Joochul . Chae Joochul turned around .

Just as he guessed from the voice, Shin Myungchul, the owner of Seoul and the strongest man of the present era, was standing there .

Chae Joochul stared at him in silence .

—I meant this flower, not you .

Shin Myungchul smiled and fiddled with the flower that had fallen on the side of the road . Chae Joochul blocked the flow of magic power . His body that was assimilated with nature was reduced to that of a man once more .

—Your power is amazing, but don’t overwork yourself .

Shin Myungchul spoke, but Chae Joochul did not answer . He didn’t think Shin Myungchul was here to meddle with his training . He wasn’t crafty like that, only easygoing and lazy .

With a smile, Shin Myungchul plunked himself down on the ground .

—It’s funny . Usually people who love nature are described as sentimental . But the one person most in touch with nature is completely insensitive .

‘The one person most in touch with nature . ’

Chae Joochul knew that Shin Myungchul was referring to him . Naturally, he answered with indifference .

—It’s because nature doesn’t have feelings . Nature only comes and goes, without demanding empathy or rejecting destruction .

That was a very Chae Joochul-like answer .

Shin Myungchul gave a small smile .

—You will become a pillar one day .

Chae Joochul also smiled but only awkwardly, as he tried to imitate Shin Myungchul .

Shin Myungchul’s expression turned solemn again, and he asked Chae Joochul .

—By the way… when are you coming back? Seoul needs you now .

Chae Joochul shook his head .

Now was not the right time . He planned to return only after he learned to control his powers more naturally .

—I see .

Shin Myungchul nodded and rose from his seat .

—I won’t bother you . Send me a letter after you get back .

Chae Joochul watched Shin Myungchul leave .

Shin Myungchul was always so leisurely and elegant . Everytime Chae Joochul looked at him, a corner of his heart throbbed .

But Chae Joochul couldn’t put a label on his emotion . Was it envy, or jealousy, or maybe even hatred?… He couldn’t tell .

Chae Joochul chose to turn his mind to training .

He closed his eyes again and became one with nature, a little better in sync this time .

One day, two days, four days…… at last, two years had passed .

Chae Joochul now understood his Gift perfectly . On the other hand, his ability to feel emotions had deteriorated even more .

He climbed down the mountain and back onto the battlefield full of monsters . But the monsters were simply no match for him .

With a wave of his hand, a typhoon appeared; with a shake of his fan, storms and lightning poured down; with a footstep, an earthquake swept through the monsters .

Just as humans treated ants, Chae Joochul conquered half of Seoul with his overwhelming strength… .

Whiiish—

“… . ”

Chae Joochul slowly opened his eyes by the passing wind .

Before his eyes was not a distant scenery of the past but a luxurious ceiling . Faced with reality, Chae Joochul realized he’d been having a dream .

It was the first dream he had in a long time .

Nevertheless, when Chae Joochul got up from his bed, he was as calm as usual, unaffected by his dream .

He cleared his throat, straightened up his clothes, took a quick shower, and checked his smartwatch .

There were many messages today .

[Kim Suho wants to speak with you regarding the kidnapping of the ‘Girl of Authority’ . ]

[There’s something strange about Lady Nayun . It appears she has already met Kim Joongho . ]

[The Association has called for a meeting regarding Orden . ]

[Yoo Yeonha from Essence of the Strait wants to meet with you . ]

[Various newspapers have asked for an interview… . ]

Chae Joochul’s deep, dark gaze ran over the sentences one by one .

The name ‘Yoo Yeonha’ stood out the most .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .