Chapter 8 - Episode 1. Ten Billion Stabs (7)
Chapter 8: Episode 1. Ten Billion Stabs (7)
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Nine days later.
The demon Beastrein lay sprawled across the floor of the 100th floor, spewing curses unfit to be heard at a holographic panel. Needless to say, the panel showed Jaehwan.
“Ha ha, fuck...”
In the hologram, Jaehwan was still hammering away.
Clang-clang.
“...That damned bastard.”
Beside Beastrein was a heap of information on the 《Great Realm》 that Jaehwan had additionally requested. Of course, it was only half the picture, carefully stripped of any mention of cultivation, Products, or harvesters.
‘Please let that sharp-eyed bastard know nothing.’
The demon Beastrein.
An intermediate demon ranked 8,152nd among demonkind, a being known by the nickname “Gentleman of Mockery.”
And yet a demon with such a refined nickname was suffering this humiliation at the hands of a single insignificant human. If fellow demons saw this, Beastrein would be mocked for centuries.
If not for the message from the harvesters, things never would have become this tangled.
[Do not kill the product under any circumstances. Send the product into the Main Game. Clearing a first-generation tower of such brutal difficulty alone is a rare achievement even within the Great Realm. If cultivated properly, the product will undoubtedly become a top-grade product. But if even the slightest damage is done to the product's spiritual body through your negligence, we will never trade with you again, not only this time but ever.]
Beastrein only had to endure a little longer. It was almost over now.
Beastrein adjusted the holographic panel and called up a screen other than the Tower’s feed.
[Activating the communication network ‘Little Brother.’]
Beastrein grinned and muttered,
“Let’s see, what should I show them this time? Right. The last footage of that bastard killing the Ice Dragon should do nicely.”
The 《Tower of Nightmares》 installed in World 294 had been a major gamble even from Beastrein’s perspective. And that gamble was now giving off every sign of a massive payoff. If Beastrein handled this one well, the demon would be able to complete a fourth molt and rise to a stronger rank.
Holding out a little longer might even catch 「Big Brother」’s eye, secure Beastrein a position as an official cultivator, and allow a life of luxury without ever worrying about money again.
Beastrein was almost certain of it.
Because even now, message after message was pouring in through ‘Little Brother,’ the communication network under 「Big Brother」.
[The Lord of Ruin ‘Siegfried’ likes the video you uploaded.]
[The Lord of Gold ‘Aynix’ likes the video you uploaded.]
[The Immortal Lord ‘Abraxas’ has sent you a message.]
[The Lord of the Forest ‘Illiones’ has sent you a message.]
......
“Wahaha! Those Lords are eating it up!”
Of course, the Lords themselves had not personally hit like or sent messages.
After all, Lords were not such frivolous beings.
Their underlings, acting in their names, had surely sent those messages instead.
But even so, it meant something.
Those messages were effectively the Lords’ will.
In other words, every Lord in the Great Realm was watching Beastrein’s cultivation.
The kind of heavenly luck that might come only once in a demon’s life.
When Beastrein discovered Earth, World 294, the demon realized that fortune had finally chosen its beneficiary.
World 294 was safe from every danger that could threaten Beastrein’s cultivation. It was beyond the reach of the angels, who were fellow cultivators, and above all, it was a place where communication with 「Big Brother」 was possible, a golden location where Beastrein could begin work with formal approval and no complications.
Beastrein immediately obtained cultivation permission from 「Big Brother」 and then sought out the dream demons who created Towers.
“The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Those damned dream demons.”
Ordinarily, Beastrein never would have groveled that much before dream demons.
In normal cultivation, all a cultivator had to do was rent a Tower from them, use it, and return it.
But this time was a little different.
Beastrein had lived frugally up to the level of an intermediate demon, but now it was time to start preparing to become a high-ranking demon.
Even after becoming a high-ranking demon, one of the so-called “professional cultivators,” constantly going around to rent Towers would wound Beastrein’s pride.
To own a personal Tower.
That was every demon’s dream.
To buy a Tower with good value for money, Beastrein granted all sorts of petty requests from those damned dream demons and paid an excessive price.
A Tower Beastrein had barely managed to obtain after all that trouble.
That Tower was none other than ‘Tower No. 2,’ made by the master-class dream demon craftsman Mulack.
True, it was a Tower Mulack had made before reaching the ranks of the masters, and it was so old its age was unclear, but aside from its outdated control system, its performance was not bad.
More importantly, if a Product had been cultivated in a master’s Tower, even the Lords would be satisfied.
And Beastrein’s luck did not end there.
The humans of World 294 were Products far better than Beastrein had expected.
They showed astonishing adaptability, as if they had been preparing for this sort of game for ages. That “adaptability” was the key talent needed to advance to the stage of the 「Adapters」, the true powerhouses of the 《Great Realm》.
Beastrein had seen many Products belonging to the lineage of humanity before, but never humans who adapted to the game this quickly.
However, that good fortune lasted only until humanity reached the 77th floor.
Something Beastrein could not possibly make sense of happened on the 77th floor. Most of the Products fell into the trap there and were eliminated in droves.
Beastrein was appalled.
‘What the hell is this?’
Beastrein nearly despaired.
‘A Stone of Regression? That idiotic item wasn’t even in the Tower’s manual!’
In front of Jaehwan, Beastrein had spoken as if the Stone of Regression had all been part of the plan, but in truth, the Stone of Regression was never an intended component of the Tower.
Beastrein had been worried because it was a Tower made by the eccentric master Mulack, but never imagined it would include such bizarre content.
Beastrein wanted to use the Tower’s control authority to erase the item on the spot, but if the harvester under contract happened to inspect the cultivation records and discovered the manipulation intended to improve the Products’ results, Beastrein’s credibility as a cultivator would hit rock bottom.
A species that easily betrays the present it lives in when tempted by a return to the past.
The Lords of the 《Great Realm》 do not like such cowards. To the beings who live amid the bloody winds of war in the 《Great Realm》, there is neither past nor future.
Their god is only the present.
Watching humans choose return to the past one after another, Beastrein thought:
Beastrein’s life, no, that demon life, was over now.
There was no way for Beastrein to repay the debt taken on to buy the Tower. Perhaps it would be better to give up on cultivation for a while and go dormant somewhere.
There were still Products left alive, but they were far too few to clear the Tower.
In despair, Beastrein set the Tower’s time ratio to the maximum in a fit of anger, left the control floor vacant, and drank Soul Liquor like a madman.
At first, Beastrein had only meant to be away for a day or two, but one thing led to another, and the drinking ended in weeks of sleep.
Only a few weeks had passed in the 《Great Realm》, but inside the Tower, decades had gone by. It was obvious there should not have been a single living Product left inside.
And yet, what was going on here?
The cultivation still had not ended.
With a body steeped in a hangover, Beastrein rapidly played through the recordings stored on the holographic panel.
One day... two days... one week... one year... ten years... thirty years.
And then, one human remained alive.
Beastrein was stunned.
Average Products cannot even last ten years in the Tower of Nightmares. Their minds collapse.
And yet the Product before Beastrein’s eyes had not only endured for a full thirty years inside the Tower, but had even made it to the verge of clearing the 99th floor. Its soul was spotless as well.
Shivering, Beastrein realized it.
This is it! This is the one! This one!
For a single person to clear the final floor of a first-generation tower of brutal difficulty alone.
Even if one searched the entire material realm, there had never been a precedent.
That was why Beastrein had overlooked all of the Product’s outrageous behavior.
It was a precious Product whose price Beastrein could not even begin to guess.
If it were damaged even a little, that would be a disaster.
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ has requested a one-on-one conversation. Would you like to accept?]
“Huh? Ignis?”
Beastrein snapped fully awake.
“My god, don’t tell me even the gods...”
Just as Lords demand Products to expand their forces, gods also need Products so they can carefully select their Incarnations, their agents.
However, the gods had already made exchange agreements with the cultivators who raise Products for them, those known as 「angels」 in the material realm.
Lords deal with 「demons」, and gods deal with 「angels」.
That was the industry’s unspoken rule.
And now that rule had just been broken.
[You have accepted a conversation with ‘Ignis.’]
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ scolds you for taking so long to accept.]
“What kind of agent are you, to be this rude?”
Beastrein was offended. Even if this was an agent borrowing a god’s ID, there were still basic rules of business courtesy.
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ says, “It's me.”]
“No. I mean, who exactly are you?”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ gets annoyed and asks if you cannot tell from the ID.]
‘Wait. Don’t tell me.’
“Could you really be Ignis in person?”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ expresses displeasure.]
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ asks whether you are disrespecting the god.]
“N-no, not at all. How would I dare!”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ says the god watched the video you uploaded.]
“You watched it!”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ advises you to be honest.]
“Yes. Of course. Honesty is a demon’s virtue.”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ asks why you manipulated the Tower.]
“Manipulated it?”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ is certain that no human could clear a first-generation tower alone.]
“I didn’t manipulate anything.”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ threatens to keep it quiet and tells you to be honest.]
“I’m telling you, I didn’t!”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ asks how much you intend to sell the product for.]
“I’m not selling it.”
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ asks, “fuck, how much are you selling it for? How much will it take...”]
[The conversation has ended.]
......
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ has sent you a message.]
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ has sent you a message.]
[The God of Flames ‘Ignis’ has sent you a message.]
......
[Shutting down the communication network 《Little Brother》.]
Beastrein’s heart pounded.
‘I’m screwed. I never thought even the gods would take an interest in him. And Ignis of all gods...’
Ignis was a god who ranked among the upper echelons even among the gods. Which meant this Product was that valuable.
A top-grade Product? No, a top-top-grade Product.
Once that pounding heartbeat settled a little, Beastrein started feeling good again, as if the fourth molt were already complete and the rank of a high-ranking demon attained.
At last, tomorrow was the promised day.
* * *
The next day, on the Tower’s 100th floor, Jaehwan carefully reviewed and memorized the information Beastrein had provided. Beastrein asked,
“Are you finished?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
Beastrein nearly let out a cheer.
Finally.
Forcing down the corners of a mouth that kept trying to rise, Beastrein said,
“Heh heh, if you’ve memorized it all, shall we begin?”
“Let’s.”
Beastrein entered something into the air. Then a familiar window, one Jaehwan had seen before, appeared.
[The Game Master intends to end the tutorial quest. You may return to your hometown, World 294, and participate in the Main Game without losing any memories. Would you like to accept the offer?]
[Yes / No]
Then Jaehwan drew the True Dragon Sword.
“...What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.”
[You have declined the offer.]
“I’m going to hunt you now.”
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion