Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-505

Was it so unexpected? Valdebich stiffened. 『What…』

"Pay him back by living. Work with me. Help me kill Vieira Dune and break the Tower."

Valdebich's eyes widened not just in confusion but also shock. 『Are you saying that despite knowing…that Vieira Dune has swallowed Mother Earth?』

"Of course. I already clashed with her a few times." Yeon-woo scoffed and described how he'd led the Walpurgisnacht to ruin and fought the war with the Titans and Giants in Tartarus. He also explained how the Titans and Giants took over Olympus and he succeeded to the Throne of Death.

Valdebich's expression was full of disbelief when he heard Bayluk and Vieira Dune had worked together to control the Elohim and tried to manifest Olympus in the lower world. 『I did hear you resurrected Arthia and defeated Walpurgisnacht, Elohim, and others, but…I didn't know all that happened.』 He murmured contemplatively. 『But the Throne of Death? I know Jeong-woo attempted exuviation through the legacy of the dragons, but you chose a completely different method…you can't even be called human anymore. Wait. Then…』 Valdebich looked at Yeon-woo with a flabbergasted expression. 『I guess it's not that strange that you tried to fight the otherworld gods.』

Valdebich was slowly gaining hints of exuviation and transcendence as he uncovered the secrets of the giant race, and it was shocking for him to encounter a mortal who could go toe to toe with transcendents. Mortals and transcendence weren't even on the same level, and only after successfully going through exuviation and gaining transcendence could a mortal stand a chance. However, Yeon-woo was doing things out of order.

In fact, the reason Valdebich had run to rescue Yeon-woo was that he'd thought an unlucky player had somehow wandered into this place and drawn the attention of the otherworld gods. The otherworld gods usually ate the players right away, or else, they played with the players until they were bored and killed them. Now that he heard what Yeon-woo had been through, it was clear that his rescue had been unnecessary. He didn't know if Yeon-woo could deal with dozens of otherworld gods on his own, but he probably would have been able to stay safe.

"Are you talking about this guy?" Yeon-woo grinned at Valdebich and spread his right hand open. Emptiness opened over his palm, and Valdebich could see the things trapped within it.

Kroooo! An otherworld god Valdebich was familiar with was screaming in pain, tightly bound with black chains. The being's aura spread out of the emptiness, shaking the cabin. Valdebich's mouth dropped open, and Yeon-woo chuckled. Although Valdebich tried to put up an imposing attitude, he still had some of his naivety left.

『I see that it was pointless to rescue you. To think the Breath of a Blind City would be trapped in a place like that…』 Valdebich shook his head. Was there anyone else in the Tower who could capture an otherworld god alive? He didn't think so. Even the Summer Queen, who had lived for thousands of years, probably never imagined it.

When Yeon-woo covered his hand, closing the emptiness, Valdebich looked back at him. 『If you can properly use what you have…killing Mother Earth might be doable.』

"Right?"

『But you know you need to get past Allforone first.』

"Of course. I plan on pulling Allforone down from his position."

『How?』

"I need to become as strong as possible, and I'm focusing on strengthening not just my familiars, but also Arthia."

『Is that why you want me to become your sword?』

"Yes. There's going to be even more trouble waiting for us after defeating Allforone." Valdebich thought of the beings on the higher floors that Allforone was blocking. While it was known that they were split into two main groups, gods and demons, and further divided into many more societies, there were no other details about them. However, one thing was for sure: once the heavenly world opened, the hierarchy would never be the same.

Valdebich knew this because he'd been retrieving the legacy of the giant race. Perhaps it was a blessing for the beings of the lower world that the gods and demons had been trapped in the heavenly world.

『Thats's quite an ambitious plan.』 Valdebich realized that to Yeon-woo, Allforone was only an obstacle blocking his destination. However, to some players and races, Allforone was a wall that blocked their fate. In fact, the otherworld gods invaded the hidden stage without getting further because of Allforone. 『Is that what you mean by breaking the Tower?』

"I have to take whatever's at the top and break the Tower for my vengeance to end." In the end, Yeon-woo's final revenge was the destruction of the Tower. "So, I'll say it again." He narrowed his eyes. "Return to Arthia, Valdebich. As someone who's inherited the power of the giant race, you'll be of great help for my ambitious plans."

『I feel more at ease since you want me because I'm useful instead of pitiful. Hahaha!』 Valdebich laughed. The sadness on his face had disappeared, and there was a slight smile on his lips.

Yeon-woo realized Valdebich had already made his decision. He didn't mention that he was searching for his brother's soul by chasing darkness. Dominating the Tower was a clear goal, but he wasn't as sure when it came to his brother's soul. Anything regarding the Black King felt like homework that he had to finish himself.

『That's the best thing I've heard in a while. I want to follow you immediately, but…』 He smiled bitterly. 『I can't. I'm already a servant of the Crawling Chaos.』

* * *

Servant? Something flashed in Yeon-woo's mind as soon as he heard the word. The Crawling Chaos had definitely looked like Valdebich when he first met the being. "What happened?"

『I suppose it's time to tell you my story.』 Valdebich smiled grimly and began to speak. 『Aren't you curious why there are otherworld gods in the Tower?』

Yeon-woo's eyes slightly widened. He had been wondering why they were here, even if this was a hidden stage. "Is it related to what you were doing?"

『A bit. As you've seen already, this is a graveyard of giants. At the same time, it's also an Illusory World the Crawling Chaos and other gods have created. Like some holy territory.』

"What?"

『The giant race didn't end because of their own greed a long time ago. They were used.』

Yeon-woo thought of the things he'd been wondering about: the last giant king who didn't quite fit the description of the trial, Valdebich's complaints, the scenario quest. He began to guess that the relationship between the Crawling Chaos and the giants was…

『You've already caught on. You're right. The giant race were slaves of the Crawling Chaos.』

Yeon-woo was dumbfounded.

『To be exact, they are an unlucky race who were leashed as hunting dogs.』 The giant race was famous for putting courage and honor first, but there was something more important that they treasured above all else: their family. 『I don't know how, but the Crawling Chaos took giant children and elders as captives, forcing the warriors to bend to his will. The warriors who had always dominated became victims for the first time. Maybe you can call it karma.』 He smiled bitterly and continued. 『The warriors couldn't abandon their families.』

"They entered the Tower because the Crawling Chaos ordered them to?"

『Correct. In other words, they were the advance party.』

Yeon-woo felt the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. The Crawling Chaos had always planned to enter the Tower, but due to Allforone and the heavenly world, there were limits to what he could do. As a result, he used the giants instead.

The giant race was on equal standing as the transcendents of the heavenly world and was also skilled in battle. What was more, the Tower didn't reject them, so they were perfect for the Crawling Chaos to use.

『The plan was for the Crawling Chaos to slowly enter the Tower through the path the giant race opened. Then, he would infect the Tower with his holy power.』

"Then this hidden stage is a type of outpost?"

『Yes.』 Valdebich's face was dark. 『The warriors had no other choice since their families were hostages. But there was a problem.』

"Allforone."

『Yes. Even the mighty giants could get past him. The warriors were forced to come to a final decision after realizing they might not be able to rescue their families…』

"They fought to see which of them was the strongest here on the sixtieth floor. They thought they could choose a Great Warrior and could give all their power to that giant so he could defeat Allforone. It was a gamble, but there was nothing else they could do. Am I right?"

Valdebich nodded and continued. 『But even that failed, and the Crawling Chaos abandoned the giants once he no longer had any use for them.』

Yeon-woo could see what happened without listening further. The giants' corpses mixed among the trees and rocks were probably the families of the warriors who had been. The horror on their faces was most likely due to the Crawling Chaos.

[You have succeeded in uncovering the secret of the giant race's end.]

[However, there are more secrets you have not yet learned. Collect the additional secrets.]

Yeon-woo moved the messages aside and said, "This is what you were searching for."

『Yes.』

"Then why are you a servant of the Crawling Chaos?"

『Would you believe me if I told you there are survivors?』

"What?"

『I was forced into a contract with the Crawling Chaos to protect them.』

At that moment, the door flung open and a little boy with a basket came in. Creak! "Mister, Mom says it's time for you to eat. I brought food…"