Published at 20th of January 2024 9:25 am

Chapter 261: Idol Destruction (1)

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After my children completed their final evolution, soon after.

[The Dream Demon Tribe is evolving!]

[The Gill Fish Tribe is evolving!]

[The Mountain Calamity Tribe is evolving!]

Changes occurred in other races as well.

The ability to evolve wasn't exclusive to the Earth Spirit Tribe. The children of the earth simply opened the gate first. Several other races capable of evolution also began to emit their aura one after another.

Paaaah!

The world under the sky was momentarily dyed in a rainbow of colors.

-Oh!

-This is...

Millions of people had gathered around the [The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss]. They sat cross-legged on the limbs of the giant beast, even on its toenails, as they all ignited their colorful auras.

The area lit up as if wrapped in a rainbow.

[The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss’s existence becomes faint.]

This light was also like a candle, with the giant beast as its wick, burning brightly.

[The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss is unable to wake up from its sleep.]

[The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss’s existence becomes faint.]

'It's over.'

I opened my eyes slightly as I watched the hologram.

The colossal body of the dragon turtle shrank rapidly. This was a phenomenon I had witnessed before in person when I fought the Demon King of Autumn Rain. It was a fall from grace.

'But this is much more subdued than last time.'

The dragon turtle didn't resist.

Rather, it couldn't.

The Dream Demon Tribe was holding it in the dream world.

The giant turtle probably didn't feel any pain or despair.

[The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss’s existence becomes faint.]

[The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss can no longer maintain its authority.]

[Beginning the authority adjustment process.]

[Stripping the alias of the The Ki Dragon Dwelling in the Abyss.]

A good death.

Finally, the monster's body crumbled.

The Throne, who virtually created this continent itself, was devoured by its own offspring.

"......It's a fair ending."

The Black Dragon Witch spoke.

Anastasia was speechless for a while after watching our children evolve, but now she seemed to have regained some composure.

"Even if the dragon's contribution enriched the continent with aura... and all eight tribes owe it a debt, there's no room for pity."

Anastasia calmly assessed the death of the monster.

"A being that tried to kill its own children. How can it be a creator or a parent? Once it bares its teeth, it's a beast. Fighting and killing each other, with only the strong surviving."

"And our children were the strongest."

"Right. Our children did a great job."

Anastasia and I smiled at each other. Not just us, but the expressions of other colleagues were also bright. They seemed happier than when they directly conquered the stages themselves, perhaps even more so.

It was a warm atmosphere.

"Well, every tribe did well, of course."

I said with a smile.

"But if I had to pick the best performing children, wouldn't it be the Earth Spirit Tribe?"

"......Huh?"

Anastasia frowned.

"What do you mean? Without the Dream Demon Tribe putting the dragon to sleep, we couldn't have conquered the stage in the first place. The Vampire Clan, who brought them, should be credited the most. If you think about it, the Earth Spirit Tribe just stole the show."

"Hmm! A valid point, but without the Mountain Calamity Tribe's construction skills, millions couldn't have climbed onto the dragon's body each day!"

The Heretic Inquisitor laughed.

"The key to this operation was aura absorption. The more people clung to it at once, the more successful the operation, so the Mountain Calamity Tribe played a crucial role in realizing the strategy!"

"Huh. You all don't know anything. What's the use of having millions of people?"

The Countess licked her cat-like hand.

"They need ships to move quickly, food to eat while moving, and living space after moving. Needless to say, the continent's capital and logistics are managed by the Fairy Tribe. See? Objectively, the Fairy Tribe's hidden contribution is the greatest."

"By the way, all the ships transporting the logistics were led by the Gill Fish Tribe. Um. My point is, that is also an objective fact."

Huh?

Are these people seriously thinking their own children did the best?

"Aye. No way. It's obvious the Earth Spirit Tribe did the best. You guys are so biased toward your own children. It's clear as day, and yet you defend them."

"......"

"......"

Uh-oh.

The mood turned serious.

What was a warm atmosphere a moment ago, now grew chilly in the dropout's waiting room.

'Really?'

Do they really believe their own children played the most significant role? Isn't that almost a level of cognitive dissonance?

As much as our Earth Spirit Tribe stands out, this seems like ugly jealousy and envy, too sticky and excessive.

[Ding! The King of Death harbors negative feelings towards his colleagues. At this moment, he didn't know yet. The camaraderie and friendship that seemed eternal would be twisted by their children.]

"What are you doing, Princess?"

"Playing with messages."

The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages intervened among us.

"You know? All those messages and descriptions, statuses you receive, are all manually typed by someone."

"Really? ……Yes?"

"Anyway, you've conquered the 38th floor! Congratulations!"

The Princess mimicked a celebratory sound with her mouth.

"The stages you've been conquering are different in each world. From floors 1 to 10, they're similar because they're tutorials, but from 11 to 31, they're entirely different. There are more worlds than stars in the night sky, and countless stages await you, the ascenders!"

"Heh."

Anastasia and other colleagues turned their attention to the Princess's words.

"Different stages appearing in each world... does it mean there are other worlds with towers besides ours?"

"Yep! Until the 49th floor, ascenders from other worlds hardly meet."

"Is it a beginner's consideration?"

"Something like that. From the 50th floor, you'll have to compete with ascenders from all sorts of worlds."

My colleagues looked fascinated. I already knew or guessed this information a long time ago, but they seemed to be hearing it for the first time.

'Ah. Right.'

I suddenly realized.

'They really are hearing it for the first time.'

My colleagues are different from me.

I already knew about the existence of [Hunters from Other Worlds], thanks to the Guardian Spirit. After all, the Guardian Spirit itself was a legendary figure who had reached the 99th floor in another world.

'But... apart from the Sword Saint, the others wouldn't have known.'

I, who met with the Tower Master and delved into the truth of the tower, was a special case.

Most wouldn't seek nor have a way to know such things.

While I was feeling the disparity in information, the [Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages] continued to chatter.

"But from the 31st to the 49th floors, it's generally the same. Universal, or should I say, multiversal?"

'Hmm.'

This was new information for me.

"In the end, it's about how you handle the stages. Some choose the easy path, while others deliberately seek a more difficult one. Consider it a prior experience to prepare for when you'll mingle with people from other worlds on the 50th floor!"

The Princess smiled brightly.

"And now, it's time to face the consequences."

The consequences.

"When a child grows up, they eventually see their parents' true faces."

Just as my colleagues were about to question what that meant, the next moment came.

[Sequential layer progression in process.]

[Challengers will be forcibly transferred to the 39th floor.]

[The 39th-floor quest is displayed.]

Words appeared before our eyes.

+

[Idol Destruction]

Difficulty: Undecided

Objective: You have aided your chosen race.

Your chosen race has overcome numerous obstacles. Sometimes fierce nature, sometimes different races inhabiting the same world, sometimes mysterious plagues from new worlds, and sometimes the very being that created this continent posed challenges.

Now, it's time for you to be the final test!

You have reigned above your race as a 'god'. But you are not a god. You are a human who needs to earn a living each day, eat, laugh, or get angry. Just like those races, you are nothing but a human.

Make your choice.

Will you reveal to your race that you are human?

Or will you hide the truth forever and rule your race as servants?

*However, if you choose to hide the truth, you will no longer be able to ascend the tower.

+

"......"

Yes.

I nodded slowly.

'This quest.'

The reason our tower faltered before my regression.

Why the Flame Emperor struggled when reaching the 40th floor.

The trigger for one's own written history to become the enemy, not monsters or thrones.

'We are not gods.'

Just the same people as those races.

It's time for the children to know that too.

_______________________________________________________________

For a long time.

I had been preparing for this 39th floor.

"Strictly speaking, Kekerkker is our bad friend."

I constantly emphasized to the children that I was not a god, but merely their parent, or more accurately, a friend.

"Apostle Gorke insisted until his death that Kekerkker was not a benevolent transcendental being, but merely a friend who tried to look after us."

"His mouth is foul, his temper petty, not exactly a friend one would want to keep close."

Maybe pretending to be a real god would have been easier.

I protected the Earth Spirit Tribe from the lava flowing from volcanoes. I helped the children escape from the salt caves of the empire. I taught the Earth Spirit Tribe tattoos, created letters for them, and showed them the path to becoming the conquerors of the continent.

There were many opportunities for me to become a god to the Earth Spirit Tribe.

If I had wished, I could have created followers more fanatical than any religion.

"Names referring to Kekerkker are 'Lion with a Foul Mouth', 'One who Enjoys Beating', 'Believer in Violent Education'."

But I didn't.

"Kekerkker."

"Come, daddy."

I couldn't.

Because eventually, I had to tell the children that I was nothing like a god.

-What?

-Oh God of Fire, what do you mean by that?

The Flame Emperor had reigned as an absolute god over the elves.

When the elves slaughtered other races, set the world on fire, and caused all sorts of chaos, the Flame Emperor always used excuses like [God's Command] or [Heaven's Will]. The elves, having witnessed miracles from the very beginning, had no choice but to fall for the Flame Emperor's tricks.

-I'm not a god.

Thus, the betrayal felt even more excruciating.

-What do you mean by that...

-Ah, damn it. What kind of quest is this? I knew it was going to be trouble when they said 'sequential progression.' Tch.

The Flame Emperor revealed the truth to progress the stage.

-Can't you understand? I'm not a god.

-Why those faces? Does it taste bad that I'm not a god?

-You're kidding me. Without me, you would have been destroyed long ago. Thanks to me, you became the most powerful race on the continent. So what if I'm not a god? Does that change the fact that I helped you?

-What about the massacre? Orders?

-That's your fault for being deceived.

-Wow, these bastards are funny. You enjoyed everything and now you make a fuss? I didn't use you; you used me. You also enjoyed killing other races, right? It was so convenient to use 'God's name' as an excuse.

-You should be grateful.

-Ungrateful bastards.

The outcome was, of course, catastrophic.

The elves realized there was no god among them. There was no [God of Fire]. There was no reason for other races to be destroyed.

The history they had built over thousands of years, the massacres, the wars. Everything was just a scam, a deceitful play by [a human just like them] pretending to be a creator.

-Are you glaring at me? Think I'll be scared if you glare?

Thus, the elves fell apart.

-Come at me if you dare.

The priestly class, which had reigned at the top of their race, was the first to be killed, by the very people they had led.

The warrior class split, starting civil wars among themselves. As expected, most warlords turned against the false god, Yoo Soo-Ha.

The enemies we faced from the 40th floor were none other than the elves.

The very race that had revered and worshipped the Flame Emperor as a god suddenly became 'enemies' and 'monsters', obstructing our tower's path.

The few survivors of the races doomed by the Flame Emperor also became enemies. They had resisted even when he claimed to be a god. After it was revealed he was human, their resistance only intensified, never weakening.

A clear case of self-inflicted retribution.

"How can a being that shows its fangs to its children be a creator or a parent? Once it shows its fangs, it's just a beast. They fight each other, kill, and only the strong survive."

The world before my regression flowed just as Anastasia had described.

Our tower plunged into endless strife with the elves.

"Now."

That was the past I knew.

"What will you do?"

And now, the story that will change.

"If you choose not to reveal the truth here, you can continue to reign as gods, just as you have been. Ah. Even if you fail the quest, the stages you've cleared so far will be preserved. The entire continent from the 31st to the 39th floor will be incorporated into your tower! The races that worship you as gods will come along as a bonus."

The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages grinned widely.

"But if you choose to reveal the secret... everything you've done will be exposed. Yep. All your conversations, actions, everything will become videos directly [broadcast] in the minds of all races."

"It's going to be a huge mess. The Muscle Pig knows what you are, but that's just him. The others don't know anything!"

The Princess looked at each of our faces one by one.

"I'll ask one more time. What will you choose?"

Of course.

My answer is already decided.

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