Despite finishing my vacation because I had felt rested enough, I now realized there was little left that truly demanded my involvement—that was largely because I was surrounded by people I could rely on.

Most matters no longer demanded my attention. Hendrick and Ha Hee-Jeong were steadily handling affairs on Earth without the need for my interference. As for the worlds beyond, they rested in Thunder Axe, Master of the Five Carriage Wheels, and Aurora’s capable hands.

Just how long did they prepare for all of this?

After driving out Kalain’s remaining forces, the Liberation Alliance had moved swiftly to stabilize the worlds left in turmoil. Everything advanced with remarkable efficiency, without hesitation or wasted motion. It felt less like a response to an unexpected crisis and more like the execution of a plan that had long been in place. Perhaps their preparations had begun well before they had ever discovered me during our first climb.

That said, there were no further wars.

From the moment Kalain fell by my hand, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the balance of power had already collapsed. On top of that, I had transferred half of my authority and strength to Aurora. No one dared to show so much as a hint of resistance now that she had joined the effort.

All that remained for me was to deal with the gods with whom I had unresolved enmity.

In the past, I had spent a great deal of time worrying about what would come after conquering the tower. Now, looking back, those concerns felt unnecessary.

I never imagined I would become this strong.

It was, to some extent, thanks to Kalain himself. Even if Thunder Axe had involved themself, we wouldn’t have been able to overcome the older challenger’s faction. However, by insisting on a direct, one-on-one duel, Kalain had drastically reduced pointless sacrifices and wasted time.

I briefly considered addressing the hostile gods immediately, but decided to leave them be a little longer. It would become clear to me who was—or wasn’t—capable of redemption the moment I faced them.

Even if I chose to spare them, forcing them to stew in a state of anxiety and uncertainty could be considered part of their punishment. It was a consequence of their own actions, and I didn’t feel sympathetic in the slightest.

I had a more urgent matter to attend to than settling old grudges—I wanted to meet and form stronger bonds with those who had helped me during my ascent through the tower.

For my own sake as well.

I looked out across the vast plain within Aurora’s domain.

The wind brushed gently through my hair, while sunlight touched my cheeks and spread warmth across my skin. Aurora was gazing at the same scenery, her expression calm and untroubled.

Relishing the peace, I turned my awareness inward. A memory flashed through my mind, still as vivid as the day it had occurred. Lightning had struck down upon Soulbound within the darkness of my inner world. Things were different now. That inner landscape was no longer shrouded in the same darkness as before.

The Coming Dawn.

As if influenced by my divine title, my inner world had grown far brighter than it once was. That didn’t mean the shadows had disappeared entirely.

Still, it is improving, little by little.

Unlike when I had first entered the tower and learned about gods, I now understood that they weren’t inherently grand beings. They had simply acquired immense power by utilizing the framework arranged by the Primordial God, generally through the faith of others. Their behavior alone made that clear. Some had genuinely matured and grown into their role over time, but many others clearly hadn’t.

In fact, most of them feel broken in one way or another.

I was no exception.

Lately, I had been observing my inner state more and more often. The grueling trials had traumatized countless climbers, and I was no exception. I hadn’t been born a god—I was a human being who had been forced into the role while climbing the tower, step by step. On top of that, I spent decades in solitude and inherited an almost omniscient being’s power. That wasn’t a simple matter.

Each of those three factors alone was enough to cause serious issues. Combined, they formed a far more complex and dangerous situation. That was especially the case after inheriting the Primordial God’s authority had expanded my mind; existence itself began to feel strikingly small to me.

How do I describe it?

I felt like I finally understood why the word “trivial” existed at all. Fortunately, I had recognized this shift in perspective, and more importantly, I hadn’t lost sight of who I used to be. To be honest, it worried me more than I let on—a change in someone’s mental state was notoriously hard to reverse.

I felt somewhat stable at the moment, though.

It is all thanks to Hee-Jeong.

As soon as we had met up, she had noticed something. I had tried to behave as I always had, but decades of accumulated time and semi-omniscience weren’t things that could simply be brushed aside. The same thing had occurred when I went to the rest area and met other people. Something about those interactions had felt subtly off.

My other party members had noticed it as well, at least to some degree. However, spending time with them—the companions I had gone through thick and thin with—helped a little, easing that discomfort.

That was also one of the reasons I had chosen to spend time with my family and Ha Hee-Jeong. One could say it was an attempt to overlay the past onto the present, to reconnect what had been fractured.

There is still a long way for me to go.

I ultimately came to a simple realization: my sense of ease mattered more than anything else. Rather than clinging too tightly to memories of the past, I had to be with people I could face without tension or restraint.

In that sense, spending time with Aurora also helped me steady myself. On the other hand, meeting the heads of state from each nation had done the opposite.

Every second of the meeting, I kept thinking about how I would have handled the situation had it been a part of a trial.

To recover more quickly and reliably, I decided to meet more people I could genuinely feel comfortable around. I had already spent time with my party members at the rest area, so logically, I should reconnect with my friendly acquaintances from the tower next.

Those in the Liberation Alliance—including Thunder Axe and Master of the Five Carriage Wheels—were in the midst of a particularly busy period, so I shouldn’t bother them for the time being.

To be honest, even though it could seem harsh, gratitude and comfort were separate matters. Other names surfaced in my mind one after another, but I felt similarly about them.

Kyuntriachae, Comet, Tunyak.

Meeting Doppy and Ryun took precedence. Even setting aside basic etiquette, that was the appropriate course of action. However, before leaving, there was still something I needed to confirm.

I turned to Aurora. “Right. How is that coming along?”

“Ah, it’s already underway.”

“Already? Then are you okay spending time here? You’re not busy?”

Aurora answered with a warm, unhurried smile, “It’s fine. It hasn’t begun everywhere yet. Well, even if it had, making time to see The Coming Dawn is only natural.”

***

“Saint, how can we ever repay this grace—”

Doppy, apostle of Fenrike the “Golden Flash,” responded calmly to the villagers bowing before him, “It’s fine!”

“In the name of the Light, we will offer our prayers for the Saint.”

“In the name of the Light...”

After Kwon Su-Hyeok had freed him, Fenrike had worked relentlessly to reclaim his world. At the time, ownership of that world had already fallen into the hands of a god under Kalain’s command.

Fenrike gathered his followers, who had been conscripted for war and scattered across countless worlds, and began restoring his divinity little by little. Later, after Kwon Su-Hyeok conquered the tower and reclaimed Fenrike’s world, it was returned to him in name. In reality, much was still lacking.

Too much time had passed.

During Fenrike’s absence, the world had been steadily exploited, practically drained of life. Even his name had grown faint, remembered only by a few. With the divinity he could still wield, he expanded his influence gradually and rebuilt what had been lost.

Even so, the title “Golden Flash” had begun to circulate once more because of Doppy. The young goblin stood at the forefront, traveling the world and conducting pilgrimages in his god’s name. As a Saint, it was his role to journey across the land, resolve the problems of his people, and offer assistance wherever it was needed.

In many ways, Doppy’s actions reflected Kwon Su-Hyeok’s influence.

When receiving thanks, stay calm.

Showing restraint was far cooler than wearing one’s emotions openly. In the past, he would have grinned instinctively. Now, he regarded the villagers with only a faint, composed smile.

His gaze drifted toward the children among his kin. Moved by the way Kwon Su-Hyeok had raised him, Doppy had come to hope that he would one day take in a disciple of his own. Unfortunately, none of the children quite met his expectations. He turned away without letting his disappointment show.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Saint! Travel safely!”

“Please come again!”

Doppy glanced back at them, then tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment. “Take care.”

Though he had grown, he was still a part of the younger generation of his species. The elders nevertheless bowed their heads to him without hesitation.

Amid their cheers, Doppy left the village behind.

The sense of direction he had developed in the tower had never left him. He followed his instincts no matter where they led. He crossed mountains, forded rivers, and walked across wide plains.

That was when he noticed a strange sight.

Beneath a massive willow tree beside the road, a solitary figure stood in the distance. It wasn’t one of his kin.

W-what is that?

He stopped in his tracks.

During his time in the tower, he had encountered countless species. Regardless, upon Fenrike’s return, he had removed all non-goblins from this world and sealed it. An outsider couldn’t reach this planet. If someone had arrived through proper means, Fenrike would have informed him—there had been no such notice.

Tension built in Doppy’s mind. He reached out to Fenrike, but received no response.

C-can it be?

The unease he had kept in check overwhelmed his reason. He had already lost his world once before, and the unfamiliar figure emanated a clearly dangerous pressure. However, Doppy had endured countless trials alongside Kwon Su-Hyeok.

He forced down his fear and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. If something had happened to his god, then he had to deal with the intruder immediately and rush to Fenrike’s side.

In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished. A chill ran down Doppy’s spine.

Left!

He drew his sword.

Clang!

Just as he gathered his divinity and prepared to strike, a familiar voice reached him.

“You’ve grown more than I expected.”

“Ah.”

The sword slipped from Doppy’s hand.

“Su-Yeok!”

***

Originally, I had planned to visit Doppy with the rest of the party. I had even mentioned it to Seo Ho-Su. In the end, he suggested I go alone. According to him, while the others were close to Doppy, he and I possessed the closest bond.

From the first floor to the ninetieth.

Inside the tower, no one had spent more time with me than Doppy. Not even Ha Hee-Jeong. She herself had suggested I meet Doppy before spending time with her. Fenrike, occupied with Liberation Alliance matters, had only opened his world to us and left the rest to me.

Doppy rushed toward me, his sword discarded and forgotten. “Su-Yeok. It’s really been a long time.”

I smiled in response to his endearing look. “It has.”

Truth be told, I had already spent a while in this world, watching him from a distance. He had responsibilities, and I couldn’t simply pull him away. During that time, he had healed illnesses, created small reservoirs, and even laid out irrigation channels.

He seemed like nothing more than a child back in the tower.

Here, in his homeworld, he was Fenrike’s apostle, a young but fully recognized saint. He had unmistakably grown compared to his clumsy self on the first floor.

Despite my unfamiliarity with this world, the goblin city didn’t feel particularly strange. After conquering the tower and returning to Earth, I had read plenty of fantasy novels. Seo Ho-Su’s influence had drawn me to stories resembling my own experiences.

Still, books were books.

The city looked less like the fictitious goblin dens I had read about and more like a medieval human settlement. Even their appearances differed from the classic Earthling image of a goblin. Well, there were a few similarities, but not many.

The tower called them “goblins” simply because it had assigned them a name that existed in human mythology. In truth, they were just another intelligent species.

“How have you been! I heard you overcame the tower!”

“Phew. I’ve been through a lot. Honestly, I’m exhausted,” I responded lightly, but Doppy took it seriously, his expression tightening with concern. I laughed and ruffled his hair. “I’m kidding.”

“Su-Yeok!”

“It really was hard, though. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Perhaps sensing that I truly meant it, Doppy nodded slightly, although his expression had a quiet, subdued gloom.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you.”

“It’s fine. I was meant to go alone anyway. That aside, you used to call me Su-Hyeok. Why are you back to Su-Yeok?”

Right after his evolution, he had alternated between calling me “Su-Hyeok” and “Su-Yeok.”

Doppy grinned to himself. “It’s easier!”

“Then do what’s comfortable.”

I figured it was simply a habit he had formed, so it didn’t strike me as all that strange. It wasn’t anything worth making an issue over. Besides, being called “Su-Yeok” did sound a little cuter. Even so, once he grew just a bit more, I intended to ask him to call me Su-Hyeok instead. Hearing “Su-Yeok” from a full-grown adult would feel somewhat awkward.

“Anyway, you don’t have anything you need to take care of right now, do you?”

“I’m free!”

“Then let’s go check on Ryun together.”

“Ryun! Sounds great! It’s been ages since I last saw Ryun!”

Running into Doppy stirred up a flood of memories. From those awkward, inexperienced days back on the first floor to the time when we had each managed to grow, at least a little.

I could distinctly feel a warmth spreading through me, a quiet sense of ease settling deep inside. It was comforting in a way I hadn’t realized I needed.

Without the slightest hesitation or thought, I reached out my hand toward Doppy. “Let’s go to Thunder Axe’s garden.”