Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-685

Hahaha…!

A laugh came from an unknown source. There was no sound or ringing. Just by seeing the message, Yeon-woo instinctively knew that someone was joyously watching what was going on and laughing at the result.

[All the gods observing the seventy-seventh floor are speechless at the shocking result!]

[All demons watching the seventy-seventh floor are very interested in Vivasvat’s soul, which will soon disappear!]

…

[Vimalacitra feels a strong sense of satisfaction regarding the birth of a new absolute being.]

[Cernunnos is still observing you closely.]

…

[All gods of death pay tribute to the king’s great work.]

[All the demons of death admire the great legend of the king.]

Numerous responses continued to pour out, but Yeon-woo had no time to pay attention to such messages.

[All faith in the Tower is flowing to you!]

The amount of faith pouring into Yeon-woo’s soul, which was already difficult to handle, multiplied several times over after Yeon-woo completely defeated Vivasvat. This was because the numerous legends that Vivasvat poured out as he died were vaster than Yeon-woo had expected.

[The vastness of player Vivasvat’s legends are making it difficult for your power, ‘Hades’ Spirit Sword’, to fully digest all of it!]

[Among the qualities of the Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria), ‘Gula (gluttony)’ refuses to give up the devouring and forcefully proceeds.]

[The number of legends is vast.]

[The number of legends is vast.]

…

[Among the qualities of the Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria), ‘Superbia (pride)’ is forcefully suppressing Vivasvat’s protesting legends.]

[‘Superbia (pride)’ is exerting greater pressure.]

[‘Superbia (pride)’ is exerting greater pressure.]

…

[Among the qualities of the Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria), ‘Luxuria (lust)’ is trying to allure Vivasvat’s legends with lustful attraction.]

[Vivasvat’s legends categorically reject Luxuria’s attempts!]

There was absolutely no way that legends built up after killing all the dragon races in the world and taking charge over so many gods and demons would submit so easily. However, the Philosopher’s Stone continued to try and crack into Vivasvat’s legends, which continued to resist.

Whoosh! The stage shook fiercely. It was another fight between Yeon-woo and Vivasvat.

Then, Vivasvat’s blurred eyes momentarily gained focus and met Yeon-woo’s eyes. For a moment, it seemed as though Vivasvat wanted to say something. His eyes were simultaneously filled with sadness and pity. He precariously hung on as he was about to collapse at any moment… His gaze also relayed a sense of sympathy for Yeon-woo.

You are no different from me… In the end, you’ll be abandoned as well… We’re just pawns on this chessboard…

The letters that popped out from Vivasvat hovered around in front of Yeon-woo’s eyes, creating such sentences. What Vivasvat wanted to say wasn’t clear, but he couldn’t maintain the focus in his eyes for long.

Crack! Sss. Soon, cracks had spread throughout Vivasvat’s body. His body crumbled to pieces.

[The Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) has successfully suppressed Vivasvat’s protesting legends!]

[‘Superbia (pride)’ fluffs its feathers.]

[‘Gula (gluttony)’ is running wild.]

[‘Luxuria (lust)’ is salivating.]

…

[Devouring accelerates!]

[The speed of devouring has increased.]

[System error.]

[System error.]

[Main operator cannot be found.]

[All system functions have stopped.]

…

[All existing operating system functions have been deleted due to the loss of the operator.]

[Exploring alternatives.]

[It has been found that most of the faith is being directed to one location.]

[A new operating system has been installed.]

[You are the subject, operator, and incarnation of the new operating system.]

…

[Congratulations! A new Allforone is born!]

Even if the Tower’s system was paralyzed or stopped, it would not disappear unless the Tower itself was destroyed. Even if the system’s incarnation disappeared, it was bound to find a replacement.

Yeon-woo now occupied the seat that the Sea of Time and Central Bureau had worked to overthrow the previous occupant of. Now, as long as Yeon-woo was in the Tower, he would command a seemingly undefeatable power, much like what Vivasvat had enjoyed.

Now, all revenge was sought. All the things that had tormented Yeon-woo and his family had been removed. Even the enemies who hurt his brother, the existence that made his father fall… There was no one else suppressing them.

Since his exuviation was unfinished, Yeon-woo occasionally felt a swell of pain from time to time. Still, Yeon-woo felt a sense of release. He had finally achieved what he set out for. He was finally done.

『You’ve gone through a lot.』 Kronos' words touched Yeon-woo’s heart.『Allforone’s last few words were a bit unsettling, but now with Jeong-woo, my daughter-in-law, and Sesha, we can…!』

However, Kronos’ words were cut off.

Whoosh! Yeon-woo intuitively felt that something was off. He felt something forcefully connecting with his body and, more specifically, to his soul. Some invisible things flew into his soul one after another.

Click. Click. Yeon-woo’s body became heavy, and his soul was tightly locked.

Yeon-woo’s body did not become physically heavier, but it felt like something huge and invisible was forcibly placed on his shoulders. However, on the contrary, his cognitive realm, including his field of vision, expanded hundreds of thousands of times…

Something strange was going on. With the system completely subordinated to him, not only did all the information of the Tower pour into Yeon-woo, but it also made Yeon-woo aware of an approaching giant ‘presence’ from the beyond.

『Son, this….』 Kronos’ voice slightly trembled.

“Yes. I don’t think it’s over yet.” Yeon-woo calmly nodded, as if he had expected something more. Although defeating Allforone was the goal of this raid, Yeon-woo had expected that things would not end so easily.

The son of the Heavenly Demon was dead, and the Black King was preparing to wake from his slumber, so it would have been strange if nothing happened. Furthermore, Sea of Time and Harmonia’s plans would not end here.

Moreover, the message that the first scenario quest, ‘Black King’s Ambition’, was successfully completed had not yet popped up. Instead… Ring. Ring!

[A new chain quest based on your current scenario quest (Black King’s Ambition I) has been created!]

[Scenario Quest / Black King’s Ambition II]

[Description: The Black King, who had been severely wounded by the Heavenly Demon and fell to the deepest part of the emptiness by the traitor ‘day’, is very happy that his two successors have dealt a critical blow to the Heavenly Demon on his behalf. However, the Black King greedily expects more. Although you have managed to kill the Heavenly Demon’s flesh and blood, and put him in a state of despair, the Black King is not satisfied. The Black King’s greed will surely be satisfied once you extort and usurp everything that the Heavenly Demon has. Thus, take away more of the Heavenly Demon’s things and acquire more. In this way, you will provide greater entertainment for the great Black King, who is about to wake up from his ‘sleep’.]

[Achievement conditions:]

[1. The Tower was created by the Heavenly Demon. Take over more floors and build holy territories in honor of the Black King.

2. Take all that was left by the Heavenly Demon’s flesh and blood, and firmly imprint the fear of the Black King on the ninety-eighth floor.

3. Awaken more of the Black King’s powers.]

[Note: This is a party quest. Please note that rewards vary depending on the level of one’s contribution.]

[Restrictions: Black King’s shadow.]

[Time limit: -]

[Rewards: 1. ??? 2. ???]

[Note: Harmonia, a successor of the Black King, is already actively carrying out quests.]

[A competition to achieve offerings to awaken the Black King shall commence.]

[A violent competition over who wakes the Black King shall commence.]

…

[The contribution difference between you and Harmonia widens!]

[The nature of darkness, which has encroached on the lower world, is further strengthened!]

[Darkness is activated.]

[Entrance into the heavenly world has begun.]

[Darkness has successfully encroached on the seventy-eighth floor.]

‘Of course.’ Yeon-woo clenched his jaw while watching the newly updated quest descriptions. ‘It’s good that I got everyone out of the Tower.’

When Yeon-woo started the Allforone raid and when the darkness left the seventy-seventh floor to try and take control of the Tower, Yeon-woo felt a bit uncomfortable by the darkness’ movements, so he immediately kicked everyone out of the Tower.

However, Yeon-woo did not think that the Black King would mobilize so quickly. No, to be precise, it must be part of Harmonia’s doing. As the darkness became active, it not only encroached on the entirety of the lower world, but the darkness also infiltrated the seventy-eighth floor. This was proof that Harmonia was busily at work.

Yeon-woo had a sense of what Harmonia was after. ‘The Tower itself is a weight that weighs down on the Black King. It’s because of this that the Black King is not able to wake up… Since the Black King can’t destroy or pull the Tower away from himself, he’s planning on turning it into his own property.’

Utilizing offerings and violence, Harmonia could pull more darkness from the outside and apply it to the Tower. Furthermore, with Yeon-woo acting as the central operator of the Tower’s system, the darkness could naturally enter the Tower and ascend upwards. ‘Wouldn’t this mean that all the gods and demons trapped on the ninety-eighth floor would be devoured?’

[Most of the gods residing on the ninety-eighth floor are terrified of the encroaching darkness.]

[A small number of gods residing on the ninety-eighth floor want to take measures to guard against the encroaching darkness!]

[All the demons residing on the ninety-eighth floor are exhibiting strong antagonism towards the darkness!]

…

[The leader of <Malach>, Metatron, expresses strong concerns about the development of ‘night (Nyx)’.]

[The leader of <Le Infernal>, Baal, expresses great concern about the new confrontation between ‘Day (Eros)’ and ‘Night (Nyx)’]

The expansion of darkness had the potential to bring about a great disaster, as the darkness would summon otherworld beings related to night and break the balance of the universe, which had just found a balanced order. This meant that the last chapter of the revelations, the end times, would commence.

[Among his two successors, the Black King is very satisfied with you.]

[The Black King is showing a lot of interest in your performance, which he has seen in one of his ‘dreams’.]

[The Black King looks forward to seeing more performances from you in this ‘dream’.]

[The Black King is bestowing you with more grace.]

[The Black King is bestowing you with more blessings.]

…

[The amount of darkness that you can utilize has been greatly increased!]

At that moment, Yeon-woo perceived and saw the intangible matter that was connected to him, no, that forcibly bound him.

Clack. Clack. The things looked like the chains were wrapped around his arms. The intangible chains were connected to Yeon-woo’s arms, legs, torso, and neck. It looked as though Yeon-woo was randomly suspended in the air as if caught in a tangled spider web.

[The Black King expects his shadow to complete his mission.]

Seeing the message, Yeon-woo looked up into the sky with a stiff expression.

[The player, Cha Yeon-woo, looks up at the god who cherishes him.]

[The Black King is interested in what his shadow plans to say.]

[Another successor, Harmonia, is surprised at this side of the Black King that she has never seen before.]

…

[Player Cha Yeon-woo sends a message to the Black King’s true body.]

[Message: Fuck you.]