Chapter 229 Choi Yoon-seok (1)

“..What are you talking about?”

Rick responded as if he couldn’t understand Yoon-seok. That was understandable. From his perspective, Yoon-seok was someone he was just meeting for the first time. That was why he was even more annoyed. Not just Elle, how much trouble had Yoon-seok faced because of the things he’d done in his past life?

Whatever it was, the Tower and the Queen had interfered in everything. Well, Yoon-seok couldn’t say that he lacked advantages because of him..

‘A kid will be born if they hold hands? How does that make any sense!”

Yoon-seok resolved that day. If he met Rick, Yoon-seok would slap him across the back of his head. That opportunity had arrived. Although he was a reproduced fake, there wouldn’t be another chance like this to beat up his past life.

Whooooooosh-!

After telling Asura to keep an eye on Elle, Yoon-seok quickly jumped to Rick.

“You’re wasting your time.”

Rick Gerssey. He felt it at first, but it was different from when they first met on the 14th-floor mission.

—How come, for someone like me.

—It is an adult’s duty to protect a child.

Just as Yoon-seok had become a monster over the past year, he, too, had become a completely different person.

Bangggggg-!

The moment when their swords collided, a gust of wind kicked up around them with a roar.

“Is this the strength given by the Queen..?”

“Looks like the Tower had prepared a lot before it got boring.”

The two, divided past and present lives, acknowledged that neither was an easy opponent. But one thing was for sure.

“I’ve seen it before. In the end, I’m the one who wins.”

“That’s what everyone says.”

If they had one more thing in common besides appearance, it might be their fighting spirit. Fight, and get what you want. That longing for victory.

Rick suddenly stepped back. At the same time, powerful energy swelled beyond the divided sky.

“..”

Twelve destroyers who gained powers from the Queen just like Rick. Among them, no one exuded a greater presence than Rick, but there were a few who were close. As a representative, there was Disaster.

Whooooooooosh-!

As soon as their heavy body, over 100 meters long, spread its wings wide, an overwhelming wind swept across the battlefield.

—Friend, who is this? There’s a dragon’s scent on him.

“He’s the enemy that is stopping us.”

—Is that so? We’ll take care of him. Go ahead. Don’t you have anything to do?

“..Thank you.”

Rick looked at Yoon-seok with a strange gaze. And as if to say he wouldn’t waste any more time, he ignored Yoon-seok and headed elsewhere.

“Did I say you could go?”

He tried to give chase, but Disaster blocked Yoon-seok’s way.

—Do you think you can go after him alone?

He wasn’t wrong. Even Cheon-ma had to fight the guardian dragon they met on the 21st-floor mission for more than ten minutes, and Disaster was no slouch compared to them. In addition, even if it wasn’t for Disaster, Rick’s formidable colleagues were lined up beside him. But..

“Who said he’s alone?”

Yoon-seok read Lee Su-yeon’s messages that appeared throughout the battle.

—Oppa, what is this? The mission suddenly changed.

—Did something happen to you over there?

—You don’t have time to answer?

That was all of Lee Su-yeon’s piled-up messages. But a new one had just arrived.

—I’m coming right away.

Pababat!historical

The dimensional switchgear had turned back to normal, and three huge portals opened in the center of the cemetery. And that moment at the portal on the left, two shadows emerged first.

“Wow, isn’t that a dragon?”

The dragon lover had arrived.

“Have you been healthy and happy? Our son started running when we heard Father was in trouble.”

Cheon-ma rode atop the dragon as it ascended to face Disaster.

“I will take care of it.”

Although he thought it would be more efficient to move separately since she could walk on air, there was no need to care about those trivial things. With Cheon-ma here, Rick’s colleagues, including Disaster, wouldn’t be able to stop him. Plus, their other supporters were steadily marching in.

“Gentleman! It’s a battle to protect the world!”

“Catch formation!”

First, the allied forces from Seheranbad.

“I’m sorry. Two people died by my mistake while fighting.”

Then the mission challengers headed to Killian with Zackal.

“Oppa, am I late?”

Lee Su-yeon sent Cheon-ma and followed right after.

“From now on, we will follow our new Lord and annihilate our enemies.”

And with her were the Heavenly Demon Cult members from Moorim.

‘What? Why are they here?’

They were supposed to persuade warriors of the Moorim Alliance in the original scenario. However, the opposite force, the Demon Cult, was here. How did this happen? Lee Su-yeon offered a brief explanation.

—..She suddenly visited and had a life-or-death fight with the 500 years ago Heavenly Demon, and she cut their head off and became their leader.

She said she wanted to go to Moorim and check something. Was she talking about the Heavenly Demon from 500 years ago? Somehow, Yoon-seok could imagine it even if he didn’t witness what happened in Moorim. Well, although it wasn’t the expected Moorim Alliance, it wasn’t a problem.

“No one can walk out of here alive. Even if your limbs are cut off, as long as your teeth remain, crawl and kill your enemies!”

No one would be more reliable than the demons. The war part of the mission had finally begun. In line with this, the mission was also renewed.

「Group mission (10/15).」

「Reinforcements have arrived. Protect the cemetery and take the victory. Challengers are given individual tasks that suit their aptitude.」

「Current destruction rate, 11.29%.」

According to Lee Su-yeon, individual missions were like additional challenges to challengers in this war. Then, what would he be assigned to?

「Individual mission」

「Kill the Destructive Monarch 0/1.」

「When you close your eyes, you can sense where the mission object is located.」

Was it because he arrived first and fought several times with Rick already? Yoon-seok was assigned a mission related to him. Yoon-seok nodded, satisfied. He had lost track of Rick because of the Disaster, but now that problem was solved.

—I’ve been told to find the soul fountain and restore the destroyed cemetery by more than 10%. I got the most annoying task. What about you?

When Yoon-seok told her about his mission to kill the Destructive Monarch, Lee Su-yeon nodded as if she’d expected it. He told her not to worry as she went to check on Cheon-ma’s mission.

“Unnie! What did you get?”

“I was told to kill someone called Disaster. But who is that?”

“It’s the dragon in front of you!”

Since she liked dragons so much, she received a mission for them. Shaking his head, Yoon-seok ran off in Rick’s direction. He didn’t know where he was heading, but Rick was heading in the opposite direction after passing through the center of the portal.

‘Is something there?’

Many things had gone awry in this mission. The soul keeper died, and Rick, who was supposed to appear during the final part, was already causing a commotion. Rick leaving the cemetery was also not in the original story. Then, what would happen at the end of this mission?

「Elizabeth Lorwen learned a huge secret about the Destructive Monarch. If she digs into all the secrets, another end may be waiting for her.」

「Current information collection rate 97/100.」

What did that mean? Yoon-seok would soon find out.

Tadak.

Yoon-seok soon reached the other side of the cemetery covered in war clouds, landing back on the ground.

“Did he go in here..?”

A staircase was going down between the tombstones, and the Tower was telling him that Rick was down inside. He didn’t know where it led, but Yoon-seok ran down without hesitation. It continued for some time, but eventually, the area around Yoon-seok brightened up.

‘This..’

He arrived at a vast field with a black spire towering above it, with no end in sight. In the past, Yoon-seok, having fallen asleep on the bench waiting for a ride, came here after being chosen by the Tower. And everything began when he opened the Tower doors and touched the duel stone statue.

“In the end, you came all the way here.”

There were two people in front of the Tower. One was Rick, and the other was a man in a robe. Yoon-seok couldn’t see his face, but he could tell who it was.

‘The first admin.’

Yoon-seok met this man here when he was given his own Unique Power.

“Does that mean he’s dead?”

“Yes, I killed the soul keeper as promised.”

“He told me how to get here without going through the Tower, but I didn’t know he could do it..”

Rick and the man were having an unusual conversation. Yoon-seok was surprised to hear this. It looked like the man betrayed the Tower and took Rick’s side in the past.

“Then get out of my way. Now I’m going to break this Tower and end everything.”

Rick took another step toward the Tower. But, the man blocked him.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s kind of weird to say this now.. but you can’t.”

“..If that’s the case, I have to kill you.”

“Then do it.”

The man took another step closer to Rick. Rick stepped back at his confident attitude.

“What? The one who appeared earlier, what are you up to?”

Rick looked confused. Then, a gust of wind blew, and the man’s robe fluttered slightly. As a result, the man’s jawline was revealed. The man wore a lonely and sorrowful smile.

“You were mistaken about one thing from the start.”

“Mistake..?”

“It may be possible to kill me, but the power received from the Queen cannot break the Tower. You can try it.”

Rick stared at the man for a long time and soon swung his sword. The man just watched. It contained destructive power, but Rick’s sword bounced off without making a scratch on the dark stones.

“..Did you not intend to betray the Tower?”

Rick clenched his teeth and lowered his sword.

“Betray.. how can that be possible? I’m also part of the Tower.”

“Then why did you tell me that?”

“Because the Tower wanted it.

“The Tower wanted it?”

“With the death of the soul keeper, no one can interfere with the Tower anymore, right? You’ve been thoroughly used. By her, by the Tower.”

Rick’s sword trembled.

“Thanks to you, I will have to stay here forever. That’s too bad. If you were a little less twisted, you might have had another ending...”

The man couldn’t finish his sentence.

Slash-!

Without holding back, Rick’s sword flashed out and cut through his neck. But, in the end, it was useless.

Clangg! Boom! Kakakat!

The man’s body turned into powder and scattered away while Rick began swinging his sword at the Tower like a lunatic.

And in the meantime-

Clank.

The Tower door opened, and the same man reappeared.

“It’s useless. As long as the soul keeper is dead, no matter what you do, you can’t break the Tower.”

It wasn’t spoken with sarcasm. No, rather, he felt genuinely sorry for what happened.

Flop.

Rick collapsed. Suddenly, Yoon-seok felt curious. The power of destruction given by the Queen couldn’t destroy the Tower. Then, what about the power that the Tower gave?

‘Judging from what the soul keeper has said, I think it’d work..’

He’d need to test it in advance if he didn’t want to be backstabbed like that idiot at a critical moment.