Root (2)
“Well, it seems Ragnar has finally found a decent chooser after a long time. Don’t you all think so?”
Ceratosuchus stroked his chin with interest as he looked at the large screen that appeared before his eyes.
There, Theo was seen climbing the White Tower at a very fast pace.
It’s as if they know what the mission of each level is.
“Even if you say you came from the future, it’s definitely amazing.”
[■■’s God is not just okay, but he is one of the best among all the Choosers of all time. I think that ■■■■.] [■■■ ■ seriously thinks that it would be okay to consider the position of Apostle.] [The God of Harmony is ■■■■ ■■■■■■ ■ ■ ■■■■.]
.
.
The reaction of the gods observing the Baektap was quite explosive.
There were quite a few people who were shaking their butts to immediately offer Theo the apostolic office.
In the first place, an Apostle was a type of incarnation created by the gods who were imprisoned in the prison of causality in order to exert influence on the human world.
Because it was created by separating one’s own spirit and body, it was possible for it to manifest some of the power of God.
That is why, from generation to generation, the apostles have left their mark on history, both positively and negatively.
The gods were very concerned about selecting apostles who could contribute to the spread of their faith as well as their own reputation.
But most of the gods like Theo.
[Causality ■■ If so, then this time we can finally see the closed world ■■ I cautiously guess.]
Then, Ceratosuchus’s impression hardened at the message that suddenly popped up.
“I wonder if the God of Cause and Effect would be a little more cautious in his words. No matter how long it has been since you have chosen a favorite, making hasty assumptions and expectations can only bring about negative losses.”
[The God of In■■ has a gloomy expression and is holding back tears. His tail loses its strength and falls.]
ha!
Ceratosuchus sighed.
Whenever the gods behaved in such a way that they did not befit their authority, he became disillusioned with his profession.
I was sick and tired of dealing with people with personality disorders, like crybabies, chatterboxes, neighborhood bullies, and explosive lunatics.
‘We need to find the right person as soon as possible and close the mystery, sir.’
It was at that time.
Pot!
Suddenly, a small screen appeared next to the one shining on Theo.
A warning message notifying you of an unauthorized intruder.
“Hmm.”
Ceratosuchus hesitated for a moment before ordering the release.
Looking closely, the intruder was also Ragnar.
A guy who seems to have come looking for Theo because he is jealous of him.
[■■’s god asks the manager what he is thinking.]
“Oh, I was just thinking about Ragnar’s family. Don’t they have a habit of never defeating a challenger? So I was wondering if it would be right for us to block the approach of intruders.”
[■■’s god talks about family rules, but the caretaker’s smile is truly sinister.]
“Ahem! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
[■■’s god answers that it seems to be a mistake.] [The other gods of the pantheon vehemently agree with ■■’s god’s opinion.]
“Anyway, I think this is a good opportunity to further test the selector’s determination and skills. Should we just leave it alone? If a problem arises, we can kick them out then.”
[The gods of the Pantheon begin voting based on the manager’s opinion.] [For: 156, Against: 21] [Since there are more votes in favor, we follow the manager’s opinion.]
“Then shall we go and watch for a while?”
Advertisements
Smile!
A deep smile appeared on Ceratosuchus’ lips.
* * *
‘What the heck is going on?’
Gishar was very proud until he first climbed the White Tower.
I was wondering how high the difficulty level would be, considering that it was a place conquered by a young kid.
But that thought was shattered the moment I got to the second floor.
“You can handle four swords?”
At first I thought it was a failure because there was a dead guy who looked exactly like Theo, but I could quickly tell it was a fake because the hair and eye colors were different.
The problem was that there were traces of a fierce battle.
I was wondering how fierce the battle would have been, considering that it was a staircase that was conquered in about 40 seconds.
Judging from the traces of destruction and the sword scratches on the wall, it was definitely not something to be ignored.
“When you said you were at the level of a senior inspector, I thought it was just a rumor… … Huh! But you can at least do the basics, right?”
Of course, it seemed like he wasn’t at the level to tackle Theo, so Guishar tried to scoff and belittle Theo’s evaluation.
But the moment I got to the third floor.
‘… … It might not be under me.’
For the first time, Gishar broke out in a cold sweat.
Not only was his skill in handling the greatsword impressive, but his level of control over his swordmanship using telekinesis was also by no means small.
It was as if the four Theos were freely moving around and attacking together.
In particular, the marks of cutting down multiple enemies with a single stroke were sharp enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
And the tension only grew as we climbed the next level.
The fourth floor was an ordinary mansion.
A place with a yard and a lot of people who appear to be merchants.
However, as if there had been an attack, the mansion was engulfed in flames, revealing only its hideous skeleton, and there were corpses everywhere, killed by swords, arrows, and the like.
The attackers were wearing masks to hide their identities, but they all had shocked faces and had their hearts pierced through them.
It was a trace of the sword.
“Did you come to the mansion that was under attack? But all of your tricks are cruel. It’s like you’re dealing with an enemy… … .”
Guishar now calmly followed Theo’s trail.
However, this time, what was questionable was that Theo’s traces, which had previously only shown efficient movements, showed an unnecessarily cruel side.
Excessive emotion.
“Who the hell are these people?”
What Gishar felt while climbing the White Tower was that most of the missions on each floor were related to Theo.
That means this incident could be related to Theo’s trauma… … .
Guishar pulled at the masks of the dead bodies and rummaged through their clothes to see if there was any clue that could help him identify them.
Thanks to that, I was able to figure out one thing in common.
Advertisements
“These are Ragnar, right? And they’re under the Central Intelligence Agency… … .”
Could it have something to do with Theo and Ed’s conflict?
But as far as Guishar knew, Theo had never been outside of Winterer until he was fifteen. He had not had time to experience such trauma.
‘Something seems a little off.’
Then, Guishar was able to find additional clues in the outskirts of the mansion.
The main camp of the raiders, where Theo appears to have collided.
The corpses of dead war horses were strewn everywhere.
To my eyes, the horses were all wearing armor made of different materials, as if trying to hide their identities.
Guishar could clearly see that these horses were of a breed called ‘dragon horses’, which were specially managed by Ragnar.
And there was only one place where the dragon horse was used.
“Even if the Central Intelligence Agency is like that, why did the Black Iron Corps attack this mansion… …?”
As time went by, doubts only piled up.
* * *
As Gishar climbed the 5th and 6th floors, reminiscent of a ‘dream’, he was finally forced to admit what he had wanted to turn away from.
“He is already on equal footing with the Dragon Gate Inspectors. He will never be pushed back.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, but maybe it was even higher than me.
But there was something else that I was most afraid of.
“You keep getting stronger. It’s endless. How can you grow like this in such a short period of time?”
It was a natural thought for Guishar, who did not know that Theo had a secret weapon called the Empress of the Darkness’ Chronograph.
As he ascended each level, Theo would accelerate his consciousness time to the maximum, review the battles and enlightenments of the previous level, and deeply study the strategy for conquering the current level.
The inspiration given by the sword’s bead was also becoming more and more intense.
Theo’s madness was becoming clear enough for even Guishar to see.
That’s right.
This had gone beyond aspiration and could now only be described as madness.
The madness of wanting to become stronger… … .
“I have to kill him. I have to.”
So, Guishar decided to change his mind.
At first, the purpose was to introduce the subject to Theo.
Now it was necessary to stamp out the buds of a rival who might become an even greater foe than Thorkell.
Fortunately, judging by the traces, it seemed that Theo was also becoming physically exhausted.
Srrrrung!
A hilt sword, one side of which was full of blades, protruded from its scabbard.
Gishar stepped onto the stairs leading to the next level.
So as not to reveal one’s existence.
Very carefully.
Advertisements
But his resolve was suddenly shattered.
“Hey, what is this place… … ?”
8th floor.
This staircase was completely different from the scenery I had seen before.
A metropolis where buildings made of gray concrete form a forest and create a huge skyline.
There was an imaginary city of the future that even the most prosperous imperial capital in the empire could not reach.
<Give way to your skin>
<Mathematics specialized entrance exam academy>
All sorts of neon signs and billboards that even Guishar could not recognize were flashing everywhere.
Although Gishar had enjoyed all sorts of splendid wealth and luxury, for the first time he felt his soul being oppressed by the overwhelming pressure of the city.
There were a lot of people on the street.
People walking around busily, wearing simple suits and carrying strange bags in one hand.
They just looked at the armed Gishar as if he were some strange person, and paid him no particular attention, just going their own way.
On the well-paved roads, strange armored machines, instead of horses, roam around carrying people.
On the bridge between the buildings, something that looked like a train was running somewhere without even emitting steam.
The air was thick, so thick that it was difficult to breathe.
The problem was that I couldn’t even feel the mana inside it.
“Is this a mission where I’m dropped into a completely unfamiliar world and I can’t recklessly abuse my magic? But what does this have to do with Theo…?”
gray.
If you were to describe this city in colors, wouldn’t that be the right thing to say?
If the previous floors felt familiar even though the time zone didn’t seem right, the 8th floor felt like a completely separate world.
How on earth am I supposed to find any trace of Theo here?
For the first time, Gishar got lost.
* * *
That moment.
Theo had already reached the tenth floor.
‘Even if it’s true that the past life came out to stimulate trauma, I never thought it would come all the way to Seoul… … .’
The events on the 8th floor were still vivid as if they had just happened a little while ago.
In fact, Theo had almost no memories of Earth.
All I remember is that his name was ‘Yoo Teo’, but I can’t remember anything about his family or occupation.
I just thought that I had lived an unfortunate life with only a few fragmentary memories remaining.
But then I encountered some of those memories.
The mission was very simple.
-Find the original ‘me’ and kill me.
I wondered how he could possibly find himself in a large city with a population of ten million without any clues.
Advertisements
Still, as I continued to activate the chronograph and chased after the few memories, I was able to find myself in a place called ‘Pangyo’, located south of Seoul.
A young man was fiddling with a computer with his eyes downcast, smoking a cigarette.
I don’t know what he was doing, but he looked very serious.
“I have to finish it… … . Finish it… … .”
Even after killing ‘Yuteo’, who seemed to be desperately wanting something, Theo couldn’t leave the place for a long time.
Blink, blink.
After staring at the cursor waiting for the next command, I was finally able to head to the 9th floor after hearing Lordbroke’s urging to move before all the buffs ran out of time.
At that time,
[Hidden conditions have been completed.] [Access to top-level information that was previously inaccessible for security reasons has become available.] [The filtering system will be terminated.] [You are currently running the 132nd beta service.] [A new patch will begin.] [1, 2, 3%… … 16, 17%… … 69%… … 79%]
There were still many messages that suddenly came to mind that I couldn’t understand.
Somehow, Theo suddenly had the thought that the scene on the monitor in front of the dead ‘Yoo Teo’ was quite similar to that.
[The God of Cause and Effect looks at you with sparkling eyes.]
How the bastard of the Return Sword Family lives
