"Ah, who am I?" the figure chuckled softly, his voice echoing strangely in the frozen space. "We must have already known each other—at least indirectly."
Jun narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Remember the challenges from floor 31 to 40?"
In an instant, Jun's memories were dragged back to a series of absurd traps, layered illusions, and irritating scenarios that drained not only stamina, but mental endurance. Trials that felt as if they were specifically designed to make climbers lose their sanity.
Jun's eyes widened.
"Ah… you."
"Yes," the man replied casually. "I am Karaleon. On the upper floors, they call me the Monarch of Trapper… or if you prefer, Trickster Master."
Jun didn't wait for further explanation. His battle instincts exploded—he immediately channeled Demonic Qi, ready to strike.
However—
There was no response.
His Qi… wouldn't flow.
"What—?" Jun was startled, instinctively lowering his stance.
Karaleon glanced at him with a faint smile. "Calm down. I don't intend to fight. If I wanted to, you wouldn't even have time to think."
He walked past Jun just like that, as if this battlefield were nothing more than a small stage to him. His hand lifted, then touched the surface of the stone monument casually.
"This thing," he said lightly, "needs to be destroyed first."
"Ah—!" Jun moved, but too late.
With a simple touch—no explosion, no dazzling light—the monument cracked from within, then collapsed into fine ash carried away by the wind. The strange energy that had been pressing down on the air vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.
"Objects that should not exist in this world," Karaleon continued while brushing off his hands, "are only fitting to be erased."
Jun stood frozen. "Then… Cthulhu—"
"Oh, about that," Karaleon turned with a relaxed smile. "Don't worry. What you fear will not happen."
Jun frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Before I came here," Karaleon said, his tone shifting—colder, more authoritative, "I already imposed a direct sanction from the Tower on Chu."
"Chu…?"
"Cthulhu," he corrected lightly.
Jun fell silent. "Hah…?"
"Oh right," Karaleon continued as if recalling something trivial, "you know about the neutral floor, don't you?"
"Safe Zone," Jun replied softly. "I've heard of it."
"Correct," Karaleon nodded. "Floor 50 is a Safe Zone. A gathering place for players from various dimensions… and also for the floor rulers. A place where major conflicts are not allowed to occur."
Bit by bit, the pieces began to fall into place in Jun's mind. The Tower was not merely a trial structure—it was a surveillance system, a selection arena, and… a prison for certain entities.
Yet one question continued to linger.
"In that case," Jun finally said, "what is the Tower's real purpose in giving me this system?"
Karaleon chuckled softly. "Hah? You still don't understand?"
He turned, looking at Jun with a gaze that was now far more serious.
"You were chosen," he said. "Out of countless possibilities, countless worlds, countless candidates… the Tower chose you."
He shrugged. "Just enjoy it. The Tower's challenges, rewards, power—you've gained plenty of benefits from this too, haven't you?"
Jun couldn't deny it.
But Karaleon wasn't finished.
"Oh yeah," he added with a crooked smile, "you absorbed that core quite well."
Jun stiffened. "Core…?"
"Have you already met him?"
"Hah?" Jun stared sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Of course," Karaleon replied lightly, as if mentioning an old name. "I'm talking about the real Cheon Ma."
The world suddenly felt heavier.
"So it's true…" Jun's voice lowered. "That core… really came from him?"
Karaleon smiled broadly—but behind that smile, there was no warmth.
"Who knows?" he said as he stepped backward, his body beginning to distort along with the surrounding space. "That answer… is better for you to discover yourself."
Karaleon stopped at the edge of the dimensional rift he had created.
The tear in space pulsed softly, like a wound in the world waiting to heal shut. Pale gray light flowed along its edges, reflecting Karaleon's face that still carried a faint smile—the smile of someone who knew far too many secrets.
He looked once more toward Jun.
"Remember this well," he said, his voice echoing softly yet clearly, as if etched directly into consciousness. "This Tower has many worlds as its floors."
Jun stared without blinking.
"And each floor," Karaleon continued, "is merely a copy of a world you may know. Even if there are familiar figures from your world within it—they are not the same individuals."
He raised a finger, as if emphasizing an important point.
"If one day you meet someone you know in the Tower… then meet another version of them in your original world," Karaleon smiled faintly, "remember one thing."
"They are not the same."
The words fell heavily.
Jun didn't reply, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He understood. The Tower was not only a test of strength—it was a test of perception and attachment.
Karaleon then chuckled softly, the mood lightening a little.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said casually. "Congratulations."
Jun raised an eyebrow.
"You managed to clear this floor," Karaleon continued. "Even though, by normal power standards, the threat here had already reached Demigod level."
He looked Jun up and down, as if reassessing him.
"Yet you conquered it at Hero level."
His smile widened, this time almost sincere—or at least close to it.
"That… deserves appreciation."
After saying that, Karaleon stepped backward.
His body slowly dissolved into the dim light of the dimensional rift, like a shadow swallowed by dusk. The tear in space pulsed softly, consuming his figure bit by bit. But just before his form vanished completely, Karaleon turned once more.
His eyes met Jun's.
And for the first time since his arrival—there was no playful tone in his expression.
"See you again," he said softly. "On floor 50…"
He paused for a moment, then spoke a single name.
"Seong Ga-u."
The air seemed to freeze even deeper.
Jun's eyes widened.
"W-wait!" Jun shouted reflexively, stepping forward.
But it was already too late.
The dimensional rift sealed shut, like a wound forcibly healed. The light faded, and Karaleon's presence disappeared completely, as if he had never existed at all.
The air trembled faintly.
Then returned to normal.
And at that moment—
A system window appeared before Jun, shining clearly in a world still trapped in shades of gray.
[Quest Completed]
Stop Cthulhu from manifesting in Midgard
[Achievement Unlocked]
In recognition of the player's efforts, a special commendation is granted by
Monarch of Trapper
[Rank Promotion Confirmed]
Hero → Sovereign
[Reward Quest]
Book of Primadional Rune — A book containing knowledge of the Primadional Rune.
A new pressure enveloped Jun's body. And before he could fully process it—
[Floor Clearance Confirmed]
[Preparing to eject player from Floor 41]
Light began to gather around his body.
Jun fell silent.
His gaze shifted, sweeping across his surroundings—Ragnar still standing with his axe in hand, Ingrid's wings of light slowly fading, the Vikings and Einherjar beginning to move again as time prepared to flow once more.
Temporary comrades.
A temporary world.
Yet their struggle… was real.
Jun exhaled softly.
In a world that was still frozen, his voice echoed clearly.
"See you again… comrades."
There was no reply.
Yet somehow—the sea breeze drifted gently by, as if carrying those words away.
The light swallowed Jun's body completely.
And in the next moment—
Time resumed.
Leaving behind a mystery that could never be revealed.
//---//
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