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nChapter 98 Divine Ultimatum (3)

nShe was looking for him. The Heavenly Devil, looking for him. He didn’t know why. However, from the moment he heard about it, his fists trembled with a rush of adrenaline.

n‘How strong has she become?’

nAt that time, he couldn’t use sword energy because the rank of b Heavenly Body} was low. Nevertheless, she created a tidal wave with one sword. Now that he thought about it, it doesn’t make sense. Yoon-seok still couldn’t use the Heavenly Devil’s sword without the help of Bloodseeker’s Energy. A warrior in the sky with not even an ounce of inner energy but reason. Now that she must have inner energy, he couldn’t imagine what state she had achieved. But…

nHis ambition began to swirl in his heart.

n“…”

nHe wanted to challenge her again. He wanted to see for himself how strong she and himself had become.

n“Where is she now?”

nAshton was startled by Yoon-seok’s question. Seeing how he was asking, he easily confirmed he was the person she sought.

n“Are you two perhaps enemies?”

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nAshton asked again without immediately answering. Before he knew it, his eyes were filled with worry. Yoon-seok shook his head quietly and replied.

n“No, it’s not like that. Rather, it’s a teacher-pupil relationship. She was the one to teach me about the sword.”

n“So this challenger is Yoon-seok’s teacher?”

n“Not officially, but… that’s what I think.”

nOn the other hand, Yoon-seok briefly summarized the story of his meeting with the Heavenly Devil in his early days in the tower. Ashton listened with interest, his eyes twinkling, and later answered the question about her whereabouts.

n“I don’t know where she is either. I know that she appeared in the plaza once.”

n“…?”

nAs Yoon-seok tilted his head, Ashton began to explain in chronological order.

n“She appeared about ten days ago, so you were in the midst of an exploration trial. I heard that she stayed in the plaza for about three hours before leaving.”

n“But didn’t you say earlier that she was looking for me?”

n“Yes. That’s right. But the situation is a little strange…”

n“Strange?”

n“Yes, so I think we should talk about a clan in the plaza before I explain the situation.”

nThere were six major forces in the plaza, one of which was the January Clan, composed of only Moorim people. He started with a story about a challenger who was the head of that clan.

n“Jung Dae-woon, a 19th-floor duel challenger, known by the nickname Sword Demon, is said to have been a member of a group called Heavenly Devil Protestantism in Moorim.”

nYoon-seok, who wasn’t interested in the Tower’s hierarchy, suddenly thought that he had to start with an open mind to understand this. From the moment Ashton mentioned Protestantism, Yoon-seok had a clear idea of what he was trying to say. But he didn’t show his thoughts and listened patiently. Perhaps because he was always oddly involved with Moorim, Yoon-seok could quickly understand the whole story of the incident without needing a detailed explanation.

n“…”

nTo sum it up, it was like this. After Heavenly Devil appeared, a challenger named the Sword Demon recognized her and immediately knelt, begging for her to lead them. However, she didn’t pay much attention to such a position and only asked one question.

n— Have you ever seen this challenger before?

nA duel challenger from Earth. A man in his twenties, who used two swords. This was all the personal information that the Heavenly Devil gave, and it was a mystery to him, who did not know Yoon-seok. When the Sword Demon replied that he didn’t know, she returned with a slight regret, and the Sword Demon began looking for the challenger because he was guilty he disappointed her.

nThat’s how the story reached Ashton, a member of the Earth Clan. And because they didn’t know what was going on, they zipped their mouths so that Yoon-seok’s name wouldn’t be exposed.

n“If you want, I can arrange a meeting with the Sword Demon. Well, there’s no way to contact someone who left the square, but….”

n“No, it’s fine.”

nYoon-seok shook his head firmly, cutting off his words. The Heavenly Devil was just asking out of curiosity, and the Sword Demon challenger was looking for him because of his worship. It would be troubling to meet her.

n‘That’s just how it was….’

nYoon-seok felt his body relax, which was worked up because of the news. Did he expect to be remembered as a special being to her? Somehow, he felt dejected. Yoon-seok asked calmly despite this inner conflict.

n“Do you happen to know what floor she was on?

n“No, it’s not exactly confirmed. However, there’s a rumor that the Sword Demon, who was on the 19th floor, looked at her and said she was already above him and showed respect.”

nYoon-seok clenched his fist without realizing it. Ashton seemed to doubt it and said it was a rumor, but Yoon-seok could tell. The rumor must be true.

n‘Well… it’s only natural.’

nYoon-seok had to take time to adjust to new things whenever he went up one floor, but that wouldn’t have been the case for the Heavenly Devil. For her, the trial would have been a mere process of retracing the path that she had taken before.

n‘At least 20 floors and above… so it has already happened…’

nWas Namgoong Soso looking at Yoon-seok with this kind of feeling? It felt like he still had a long way to go, but there was no one to blame but himself. Kang Hyung-woo, Lee Chang-hoon, Plaza, Mission, Earth, Exploration…while Yoon-seok had been working on many things so far, the Heavenly Devil was only focused on ascending.

nDidn’t Ashton say that earlier? The Sword Demon begged her to lead them, but she didn’t show any interest. Perhaps only those people could reach the top of the Tower.

n‘This isn’t the time to be uncertain.’

nYoon-seok was extremely motivated. Of course, he knew that the number of floors wasn’t everything. However, his opponent was none other than the Heavenly Devil. Even in the crazy world of Moorim, there was a sky beyond the sky, an absolute being revered as a living legend. If there were a difference even in the number of floors, it would be hard to even look at the tip of her toes.

nAnd he was ambitious to reach her? Wanting to find out how strong she had become in combat? It was a ridiculous idea that made him want to laugh.

n‘Still, I’m glad…’

nMeanwhile, Yoon-seok felt relieved at the same time. As far as he was concerned, he knew now that his reunion with her wouldn’t come today. She would be disappointed if she saw him now.

n“Do you happen to have any more information about her?”

nHe wanted to go back to the waiting room right away and face the next trial, but before that, Yoon-seok asked a few more questions. Then, they started talking about the appearance of the Heavenly Devil.

n“…A young woman?”

n“Yes, she was a woman of a young age with a cold impression, exuding a distant atmosphere. So many people were surprised because the ever so proud Sword Demon knelt before that young woman in front of everyone.

nWere there perhaps multiple Heavenly Devils? Or was there the ability to reverse aging in the upper ranks of {Heavenly Body}? The answer was unknown, but he would find out when they meet again someday. Leaving his many questions behind, Yoon-seok left the plaza.

n「Your purchase has arrived.」

n「Please check the lower part of the description.」

nYoon-seok, having returned to the waiting room, checked the hole in the wall first. There was still no restoration, and beyond the wall, Namgoong Soso was meditating calmly. Maybe she was reflecting on herself. That was the only way to overcome the 9th-floor trial.

n‘And how did she win?’

nThe Heavenly Devil was the same as a complete being. But a 10% stronger opponent? It didn’t make sense to grow stronger during the duel and attain victory, but somehow there must be a way. That was why the Tower, which desired strong challengers, wouldn’t have created a disadvantage for them.

n‘I’d like to hear about that when we meet next time.’

nYoon-seok, who soon took his eyes off Namgoong Soso, quietly approached the statue and ran a hand over the tablet. The eight-color sword that he aimed for had been obtained, but training was no longer necessary. In addition, it wasn’t training that led him to this state, but {Divine Ultimatum}. After all, it was a hundred times more efficient than to be challenged and grow based on his duels.

nWell, he understood that this mindset might sound half-warrior-like, but.…

nThis place wasn’t Moorim, but the Tower. There were different ways to become strong.

n‘And that’s what my powers are…’

nb Predation}, the ability to become stronger as he devoured his opponent in a duel. Swordsmanship wasn’t the only thing that made Yoon-seok powerful. Skills, stats, powers. By combining them all, he grew stronger. It was also possible to stop the last attack during his duel with the Heavenly Devil because he could bring it all to its limit.

nChallenge

nYoon-seok believed it firmly. If he ascended one step at a time, the sky would no longer look so far away someday.

n‘All right, let’s do it.’

nThis time, it was different from the 10th floor. There was no information at all, not even whether the opponent was a challenger or a creature created by the Tower. When he entered the chat room, he couldn’t find out because there weren’t many people chatting. This led to a sudden thought. Now that there were fewer challengers, wouldn’t there be no duels between the same challengers anymore?

nIt wasn’t an unreasonable guess. He never faced the same-level challengers in an ordeal since the 6th floor’s Great Battle and the 8th floor’s Infinite Duel. But…

n‘There must have been other challengers in the future.’

nAt the time of the Wish Auction, Yoon-seok saw his future after signing with Heavenly Warrior. In that world, he was somehow broken and dueled with numerous challengers. Among them was Kerixis, King of Steel. So, his guess was wrong. It was evident as soon as he clicked the Challenge item and this phrase appeared.

n「Matching with an opponent.」

nIt was different from before when he was taken to the arena the moment he chose to challenge. A cogwheel-shaped mark appeared on the tablet and began to rotate clockwise regularly.

n‘This is how it works.’

nAt least he learned two things through this. The fact that the opponent of this battle was a duel challenger on the same floor as him…and that he would probably have to wait quite a while.

n‘Let’s train.’

nIt fell a little flat, but there was nothing he could do. Soon, Yoon-seok sat down and closed his eyes, and sunk into meditation.

nSometime later…

n“You’re here?”

nNamgoong Soso poked out her neck over the hole.

n“Wow, why is your room so stark?”

nIt certainly might be. There was a bed and furniture in Namgoong Soso’s waiting room, and it looked like she also bought snacks under the Convenience option. On the other hand, there was nothing in Yoon-seok’s waiting room. It was just one stone statue with a tablet, like when he first arrived here. Yoon-seok thought everyone was like him.

nThe idea of spending precious AP on stuff like that was unimaginable for him.

n“What? That look in your eyes…”

nNamgoong Soso responded as if she were wrongly accused.

n“The bed didn’t cost much. And if you have that, you can sleep here, and it relieves your mental fatigue. I don’t know, but I’m sure all challengers at least have one? It takes a lot of energy to fight for your life… do you want to try it? Then you’ll know what I’m talking about…”

nNamgoong Soso suddenly blushed and muttered something again as she grew more embarrassed.

n“No, that’s not what I meant. Why don’t you just use the bed while I’m here? Well, yes! That’s what I meant.”

nHonestly, he didn’t know what she was talking about, but he knew one thing for sure. Those with the Namgoong family name were too talkative.

n“Yes, is that so?”

nHe didn’t know about the bed, but he should quickly buy suitable furniture and block the hole first.

n“Anyway, what’s going on?”

nOnly then did Namgoong Soso mutter, “Oh! That’s right!” as she suddenly thought of the thing she wanted to say originally. No, as she was about to.

n「A battle opponent was matched.」

n「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」

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nHe had been watching it for at least three days. Was he just lucky? The opponent was matched much faster than he thought.

n“Wait a minute. I’ll be back after a duel.”

n“What? A duel? What do you mean…”

nHe couldn’t hear what Namgoong Soso was saying as his view changed and he moved to the arena.

n「Countdown is starting.」

nA sunny stadium. Yoon-seok identified his opponent quickly, and he had a big smile on his face.

n‘Interesting.’

nHis opponent was a demon, but not just any demon. If he remembered correctly…

nb Blood Pact} that became synthesized into {Bloodseeker Ultimatum}, it was that skill’s original owner.

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