Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-76

Inside the treasury, mountains of gold and treasure shone dazzlingly against the light. And just by running his eyes over them, he could tell that each and every one of them would cost no less than his whole fortune to purchase.

Even the single jewel lying near the gate was so beautiful and translucent. Moreover, he could feel an enormous amount of mana contained inside it.

‘That one’s A++ at the very least.’

If it were to be crafted into an artifact, it would possess an immeasurable value.

And the treasury was full of heavenly treasures like that one, stirring up his greed.

After managing to quench his desire, Yeon-woo was about to hurry his gait into the treasury,

“Oh, before you go, I have a question to ask you.”

But he was stopped by Hermes’ sudden remark.

“Would you be interested in taking these?”

Hermes asked with a playful smile on his face as he pointed at the artifacts on his body; his helm—Petasos, his sandals—Talaria, and his staff—Caduceus. They were all artifacts that symbolized the god of travel, Hermes.

“It is embarrassing to say it myself, but I can assure you, these are also some of the best in their kind. If you wish to take one of my artifacts, I will also ordain you as my Apostle.”

It was a shocking offer that would have stirred up the entire Tower if news of it were to reach anyone else’s ears.

As far as Yeon-woo knew, God on Earth was more like a conceptual being. However, in The Tower, gods were ‘real’ beings that could exert force on the physical world.

As such, the deities in The Tower possessed power unmatched by players, and there were several religious groups that worshipped these deities.

One of the Eight Clans, ‘Devil Army’, was a well-known example of a clan consisting only of said worshipers.

And the players at the pinnacle of those religious groups were known as Apostles.

They were the messengers, the prophets and also the avatars of their god. And thanks to being endowed with their gods’ abilities, Apostles were also able to establish themselves in The Tower as leaders.

They were said to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lords—who exercises tremendous influence over The Tower with their large following, or with superhumans—one-man armies who had trained themselves to exceed the limits of the human body and gained superhuman abilities.

And right now, Hermes was offering such a position to Yeon-woo.

Hermes was one of the Dodecatheon, the major twelve deities of Olympus.

Among several deities in this world, he was most definitely one of the strongest.

Being the Apostle of a god such as him would give him advantages beyond his imagination.

Besides, Petasos, Talaria, or Caduceus, any one of those could be just as good as Aegis, depending on the situation.

And in addition to the power he would receive for being an Apostle,

‘It could be even better than taking Astrape.’

However, Yeon-woo calmly shook his head once again.

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer.”

‘Because I can’t let myself be tied down.‘

It was the creed he had kept in his mind from the very start.

*Grin*

“I see. I suppose that is your path.”

Although a mere mortal had rejected his offer, rather than being offended, Hermes put on a gentle smile as if he had been expecting it.

‘This is my path?’

Hermes’ vague words aroused Yeon-woo’s curiosity, but he couldn’t ask anything as he saw Hermes waving his hand.

In the end, Yeon-woo had no choice but to enter the treasury.

Upon passing through the gate, he hurried across the chamber through the passageway along the mountains of treasures.

But after taking only a few steps, Yeon-woo began to hear voices that kept ringing inside his head.

「Hey! Take me.」

「No, don’t listen to that. I am the one you need.」

「What about me? Don’t I look tempting? 」

「If you don’t take me, you’ll regret forever.」

They were the voices of the Egos dwelling inside the artifacts. The Egos that had been awakened by the power of the gods but ended up being stuck in a place for god knows how many years.

Their voices sounded as luscious as the devil’s.

But Yeon-woo managed to disregard their voices and walk further into the treasury.

[Appraisal failed]

[Appraisal failed]

···

[Appraisal successful]

[‘Draconic Eyes’ skill proficiency has increased.]

[‘Draconic Eyes’ has been upgraded. You are now allowed to peek into the truth of more things in the world.]

As soon as the message appeared, Yeon-woo was bombarded with a ton of information. He was given the background story and even the secrets that the artifacts held.

Most of the information still remained ‘inaccessible’, but even by viewing those, he could increase his proficiency.

Yeon-woo had to pass through several chambers before he could reach the final chamber. The chamber where the weapons of the Dodecatheon rested.

*Creak*

Upon entering, Yeon-woo felt himself being enveloped by some kind of vigorous energy, then let go.

But before he could wonder what it could be, he was stunned by the design of the chamber.

Along the wall, hung the armors and weapons representing twelve gods, and beneath them, were the gorgeous murals of each god’s most memorable moment.

From the smallest little details to the harmonious view the murals created, the sheer beauty of the chamber took away his breath.

After being dazed for a little longer, Yeon-woo came back to his senses and tried appraising the artifacts.

Perhaps thanks to the proficiency he gained on his way here, he was able to see the information only after a couple of failures.

[Apollon’s Solar Bow]

Classification: ???

Rating: ???

Description: The great bow used by Apollon, the god of archery, music, and prophecy. Its arrow will burn all the wicked.

[Poseidon’s Trident]

Classification: ???

Rating: ???

Description: The spear used by Poseidon, the god of the sea and storm. It holds the power to create tidal waves.

[Hephaestus’ Flame Hammer]

Classification: ???

Rating: ???

Description: The hammer used by Hephaestus, the god of fire and metallurgy. Each swing bursts with flames. Artifacts crafted with this hammer will possess great strength without a fail.

However, unlike the artifacts he saw in the outer chambers, their classifications and ratings were concealed behind question marks and only little information was given in the description.

Still, he could tell by instinct that each and every one of them was an artifact containing absolute power. They all were powerful enough to make his eyes grow by themselves.

In particular, for someone who had practiced metallurgy, Yeon-woo’s mind went seesaw when he saw the Flame Hammer.

But as soon as he moved onto the artifact hanging right next to it, his seesawing mind went completely still.

[Athena’s Aegis]

Classification: ???

Rating: ???

Description: The shield used by Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, and justice. It consists of nine layers of thin metal plates, and there’s a Gorgon’s head, which can petrify the wielder’s opponent, embedded in the center of the shield.

‘This is it.’

Yeon-woo carefully ran his hand down Aegis.

He felt the shield trembling at his touch as if it were glad to see him.

[Would you like to select ‘Athena’s Aegis’ as your reward?]

A small message popped up right in front of his eyes.

The moment he was about to say yes, Yeon-woo was stopped by a sudden thought that crossed his mind.

“But where are Zeus’ artifacts?”

In spite of the fact that this was the last chamber, he couldn’t find Zeus’ artifacts in it.

‘Come to think of it, there were several rankers equipped with Olympians’ artifact, but I don’t think there was any one using Zeus’.’

In fact, Yeon-woo preferred Astrape to Aegis.

For Yeon-woo who’s high agility and mobility were his main weapons, it was more convenient to fight with a spear that could annihilate opponents with a shot of thunder than with a shield so heavy he wouldn’t even be able to stand properly while holding.

Of course, he might have to rethink if Astrape also had a size that made it difficult to carry around, but he wanted to at least take a look before deciding which one to select.

While he was lost in thought, Yeon-woo unconsciously took a step into the inner part of the chamber.

Just then,

*Wooong*

Yeon-woo felt something shaking in his inner pocket.

When he quickly took out the source of the vibration, he noticed the hour hand of the pocket watch was quickly spinning.

Then after a few seconds, the hour hand suddenly stopped.

Startled by the sudden event, he tried to give the pocket watch a few shakes to see if there was anything wrong.

But when he moved the watch, the hour hand started moving in response to his movements.

‘A compass?’

He thought of that when seeing the moving hour hand.

Yeon-woo than laid the pocket watch flat.

The hour hand was pointing at the number 11. It was leading further into the chamber.

With his eyes narrowed in suspicion, Yeon-woo followed the pocket watch with slow steps.

Soon, Yeon-woo arrived at a dead end.

When he looked up, there was a huge mural of a god enveloped in thunder getting ready to throw his spear towards something veiled behind dark clouds.

The scenery depicted in the painting looked so dynamic, it felt as if the figures were going to come alive any moment soon.

Looking at the mural from a closer distance, Yeon-woo noticed there was a hidden seam, elaborately concealed along the outline of the objects in the paintings.

It was a hidden door.

‘There can’t be any other place.’

Yeon-woo pushed the mural as hard as he could.

*Rumble*

The wall was pushed inwards just like the iron gates outside the treasury.

Beyond the wall, a small room of about 10 pyeong in size was revealed(TL: about 30 square meters). But unlike the other chamber, this room was filled with murals pertaining to Zeus’ myths in every side of the room, including the floor and the ceiling.

It was also full of weapons and armors even more majestic than the artifacts of the other gods.

‘This must be Zeus’ chamber!‘

Like a possessed man, Yeon-woo walked across the room, leaving behind all the other artifacts, and went straight to the altar located on the other side of the room.

A yellow fire burned brightly in the bronze braziers placed at both sides. In the middle, there was a statue of Zeus sitting on his throne with his eyes closed, and on his lap, there was a deep yellow spear that seemed to be at least three meters in length.

Its surface was covered in electric sparks, creating an even more majestic view.

He didn’t even have to appraise it to know what it was.

‘Astrape.’

Here laid the very weapon used by Zeus in his battle against his father, Cronus, and the other Titans.

‘This is it. I don’t need anything else.’

His instincts kept telling him that it had to be this.

Aegis? Talaria? Flame Hammer? He didn’t need any of those.

The other artifacts of the twelve gods or even all the treasures kept in the Olympus Treasury were no match for this one single piece of weapon.

That was how great of an impact Astrape gave Yeon-woo.

And he could also understand why such great artifact had never made a single appearance in the entire history of The Tower.

Because it was in a place so deeply and well-hidden inside the treasury.

Yeon-woo himself would have never been able to find it without the help from both his brother’s diary and the pocket watch.

‘Wait a second, how did the watch find the location of this room?‘

Yeon-woo was absorbed in his thoughts as he examined the pocket watch.

He had been ignoring all the details related to this pocket watch assuming they were hidden features his brother had left in it, simply because he lacked the ability to reveal its secrets.

That was why he wanted to increase the proficiency of Draconic Eyes as quickly as possible, and even learn metallurgy from Henova.

But he soon stopped thinking about it. For now, Yeon-woo still had no way to figure out what secrets held the pocket watch.

Right now, it was more important to take the fortune that the pocket watch brought to him.

‘I’ll take this.’

Yeon-woo brought his right hand over to Astrape.

But the moment Yeon-woo’s finger tip touched the weapon,

*Tremble*

The Black Bracelet wound around his right wrist suddenly started to vibrate.

And then,

*Fshsh*

Astrape desintegrated into dust.

Just like the way the Olympus’ Key had disappeared once it unlocked the door to the Olympus Treasury.

Its dust scattered into the air.

“…!”

Yeon-woo’s face turned completely stiff by this ridiculous situation.

‘Was Atrape just destroyed by my touch? Then what’s going to happen now?‘

But the moment Yeon-woo fell into the panic,

*Whistle*

With a gusty wind, the scattered particles of Astrape began to fly towards the Black Bracelet.

*Whoosh*

The Black Bracelet emanated a black aura, and the aura spread into the surrounding space as if it were going to cover the whole world with its darkness.

Then,

*Rattle* *Clank*

The yellow particles that touched the aura were dyed black, brought towards the bracelet and connected to form a long chain.

And when the chain assimilated all the particles, it started to wrap itself around Yeon-woo’s right arm like a snake.

*Clang*

Finally, with a loud, clear toll of a bell, the process ended.

Astrape, which had now assumed a new form—that of a black chain—was firmly connected to the Black Bracelet as if it had been part of it from the very beginning.

At that moment, Yeon-woo recalled what Hermes had said just before he entered the treasury.

‘I suppose that is your path.’