Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 435: Ninety-Second Floor, The Feast’s End (1)

[Eliminate the third-class god ‘Eternal Feast’ alongside the other apostles. Time remaining: 48 hours 0 minutes.]

The ordeal hadn’t begun yet. I still felt weightless, and the world around me remained shrouded in darkness.

Is the tower granting me time to think?

That wasn’t a bad thing. I used the moment to make educated guesses based on past experiences. Since this was related to something I had encountered before, one simple idea came to mind immediately

Causality.

It had to be tied to the Primordial God’s power.

That mad scientist had researched causality in the sewers, and Eternal Feast had stopped him. Considering what I had witnessed on Earth, it was more than possible that he had exploited it afterward. One example was when the Drug Enforcement Agency distributed the very narcotics they were meant to stop.

I can’t be certain, though.

Regardless, it was still very likely.

One of Thunder Axe’s conversations had revolved around ranking up as a god, and according to him, it took centuries at best. The events on the thirty-fourth floor hadn’t taken place that long ago. For Eternal Feast, a fourth-class god, to rise to third-class meant that something significant had occurred.

Perhaps he had simply been close to surpassing that barrier, but given the present circumstances, my suspicion seemed far more likely.

Just look at the ninety-first floor. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The Tower of Ordeal had centered the trial around the Primordial God’s power, just as it had before. This one would probably be no different. Eternal Feast seemed to have drawn inspiration from that event and devised some scheme. Since the discovery was tied to the tower, he couldn’t exploit it openly.

The scientist said causality could be extracted from leftovers of gods or apostles, like food, drink, or even excretions.

Eternal Feast ruled a city devoted to indulgence. Judging by his name, that couldn’t be his only territory. Knowing the method, perhaps he had conducted experiments in one of his other domains. In doing so, the tower had caught him.

Of course, that wasn’t certain. The tower could want me to kill him for something else entirely. The truth would become clear once the floor began.

Hmm, the ninety-first floor wasn’t easy.

The ninety-second wouldn’t be either. Even fighting a monster that wielded causality was arduous. During my fight against a fifth-class god, Endless Furnace, I should have died. If my theory were correct, I would have to face a third-class god wielding causality.

Won’t that be impossibly difficult?

It was hard to predict. I had no idea to what extent Eternal Feast could wield causality. Who knew, perhaps this floor could prove easier than expected? The scientist had only managed to extract a trace amount into a small vial. Although it was a hopeful thought, the thirty-fourth floor hadn’t been that long ago.

Saboden had devoured one of the Primordial God’s worlds whole eons ago. Even if Eternal Feast had conducted experiments at an interplanetary scale, it would hardly compare to Saboden’s access to causality.

Hmm, if I think of it that way, it isn’t as grim as I feared.

Moreover, I would have to fight Kalain no matter what. Not only was he a challenger like me, but he had earned causality and was also a first-class god.

Perhaps this was the tower’s way of preparing me. I had already fought a god, and I had faced a beast that possessed causality. Now, the trial seemed to be urging me to confront a combination of the two.

A rehearsal for the inevitable battle against Kalain. That has to be it.

If Eternal Feast had done something truly forbidden, the tower would have intervened directly. It had immediately punished the mad scientist upon his discovery, after all.

I assumed that the tower had imposed restrictions on Eternal Feast.

Am I being too optimistic?

One detail from the tower’s message stuck out to me, however. It mentioned other apostles.

Not apostle, but apostles.

That meant it wasn’t just telling me summon my apostle, Gehenna, but that others would be present as well. Thunder Axe’s apostle, Angelina, had claimed she defeated a fifth-class god. I didn’t know if the apostles here would be of that caliber, but it wasn’t out of the question.

Maybe the tower thinks it will be impossible for me to conquer alone and gave me allies.

Regardless, that didn’t frighten me. If it had sent apostles to help me, that meant the tower had already deemed my victory possible with them. Gods in their right minds wouldn’t send apostles into sure-death trials.

What mattered most was the experience.

Even if I had to rely on others, I would still learn how to face a god who wielded causality. That would assist me in the battles to come. There were nearly eight more floors before I could face Kalain. How much I grew before then mattered immensely.

Still, another concern lingered.

How much harder will the ordeals grow from here?

Facing Kalain would never be easy. However, if I was already supposed to kill a god that could wield causality on the ninety-second floor, then who or what would appear on the floors beyond?

Will beings stronger than Eternal Feast emerge in the trials to come?

I had no idea. Perhaps I would face a second-class or even a first-class god. Although the tower could always test my cunning rather than my strength.

My thoughts were circling too much. For now, I needed to focus on the present.

The summoning process had felt longer than usual, probably because apostles would be joining me. By my reckoning, at least a minute had passed, but the message still read forty-eight hours.

A little later, the notification window finally updated.

[One of the apostles may be a traitor. Exercise caution.]

Hmm.

The possibility of a traitor wasn’t something I could take lightly. It would make things harder than fighting alone. In battle, I would have to guard my back as well. Trusting too easily could mean instant death.

So the tower includes apostles not only because Eternal Feast is strong, but also this?

The tower did enjoy raising the difficulties of floors, but if that were the case, why would it have warned me? The tower rarely offered such hints, and I usually had to figure them out myself.

Perhaps an apostle of a god hostile to me had found their way into this ordeal.

I have interfered with plenty of gods already.

Thanks to Thunder Axe, I knew that some gods had formed collectives. Even if one hadn’t sent their apostle directly, another could have urged them on. For now, I didn’t feel the need to be worried just yet. I would simply have to meet them and see, then let my instincts guide me.

Either way, I couldn’t let my guard down simply because they were supposed allies.

Or maybe there isn’t a traitor at all, and the tower only wants to sow distrust among us.

The message ended, and my vision brightened. As the sensation of weightlessness ebbed, I steadied my breathing. A vast plain greeted me, its blue grasses stretching almost endlessly beneath a violet sky heavy with ashen clouds. Roughly twenty meters ahead of me, a portal shimmered.

That has to be them.

Four apostles stood around the portal, each quite distinct.

It appeared like we wouldn’t be thrown into battle immediately. We could greet each other, then cross the portal to face Eternal Feast. That made sense, since we would want to at least have a basic grasp of one anothers’ capabilities before fighting together.

One apostle, robed and blue-skinned, turned his gaze toward me. He looked every bit the image of a sorcerer. “At last! Our provisional god has arrived!”

His words could come off as mocking, but they weren’t. More than anything, I could sense his relief that he wouldn’t have to wait any longer. I had thought the apostles had caused the delayed teleportation, but apparently not.

I didn’t feel guilty. It wasn’t as if I had chosen to be late.

The man stepped toward me. “Glad to meet you. I’ve heard plenty about you. You’re quite well known.”

The blue-skinned sorcerer extended his hand in greeting.

Being addressed so casually on our first meeting didn’t sit well with me, but I decided to let it pass. Perhaps that was simply a part of his culture.

“Yeah.”

The moment I clasped his hand, one of the apostles behind him—a towering figure easily three meters tall—frowned deeply. He had dark brown skin and wore only leather trousers, with iron plating covering his right shoulder and arm.

A massive greatsword rested in his hands; he was clearly a warrior. No, he was more like a barbarian. I was pleasantly surprised that the apostles held such varied roles.

The barbarian rumbled, his tone thick with disdain, “No surprise you’re an apostle of a mad god. Manners don’t seem to matter to you.”

The sorcerer stiffened at once and glared furiously. “How dare you! You ignorant brute—!”

Huh?

Their sudden squabble left me uncomfortable. It was awkward, even troubling. We needed to unite our strength, but they were ready to fight one another.

Should I intervene before it escalates further?

Just then, the barbarian smirked and ignored the sorcerer entirely, turning his gaze toward me instead. “An honor to meet you. I am Wan, apostle of the third-class god Wailing Plains.”

I took his hand, feeling the rough calluses of a palm hardened by long years of training.

I had to admit, I was surprised. I expected him to be uncouth, given how brusquely he treated the sorcerer and his barbaric appearance. He was unexpectedly courteous, however.

By contrast, the robed sorcerer felt far less respectful. Perhaps Wan had acted deliberately, playing off the sorcerer’s lack of manners.

Either way, I returned the courtesy since he had addressed me formally. “Ah, yes. A pleasure. I am Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

The sorcerer cut in again, “I’m Skyalf, apostle of the third-class god Wrath of All Creation. I didn’t speak formally since you’re not a god yet. Did that bother you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Do as you like,” I answered in the same informal tone, and for a moment his expression tightened.

“I heard you have a fondness for magic. What do you think? If you join us, you can become a true master of the arcane.”

I furrowed my brow.

How does he know that?

Aside from Ha Hee-Jeong, almost no one knew about my appreciation for magic. True, I had utilized lightning like it was a spell since the lower floors, but it seemed unlikely anyone could infer so much from that alone.

Still...

Considering his description of his god, perhaps he had simply sensed it. Truth be told, he wasn’t wrong; I had always loved magic. Even so, his tone rubbed me the wrong way. It sounded as if he expected me to submit to his god.

“Haven’t I already proven that my sheer destructive force is enough to call me a sorcerer?” I shrugged as I responded, and Skyalf’s expression soured.

Perhaps he took it as an insult to magic, although more likely, my irritation had slipped into my tone. I wasn’t about to warm up to someone who immediately dropped formalities and implied I should serve beneath their deity.

Wan’s laughter broke the tense silence, “Hahaha. I agree. Strength taken to such extremes is no different from magic. In fact, one can even call it greater.”

The sorcerer snapped his head around and glared daggers at Wan.

They aren’t going to start again, right? What am I supposed to do with these two?

As I mused, another apostle approached. “I am Purehe, apostle of the third-class god Sea of Transformation.”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok,” I replied.

She had chalk-white skin, paler than even an elf’s, and her demeanor was cold and businesslike. She didn’t offer her hand, making it clear she was only interested in exchanging names.

For now, it was impossible to tell who the traitor was. The sorcerer’s lack of courtesy grated on me, but people like him were often reliable after establishing trust. On the other hand, polite or taciturn individuals turned traitor in plenty of novels.

I will wait and see.

If I began doubting everyone, there would be no end to my distrust. Turning allies into enemies before the ordeal even began would be foolish.

My gaze shifted to the last apostle. From the beginning, I had sensed something unusual about him. His eyes wavered whenever they met mine. Not hostilely, but enough to rouse suspicion.

At that moment, he bowed low and, with the utmost formality, declared, “Greetings. I am Sdeeka, apostle of the fourth-class god Shadow of the End.”

Only then did I understand why he treated me in such a manner.

Shadow of the End, Lung Shark.

He was the god whose world I had saved on the sixteenth floor, and the original owner of the dagger I now carried.