Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The sponsorships kept pouring in without end.

Messages overlapped one after another until they completely blocked my view.

And that wasn't all.

One by one, voices began shouting at me from all around the banquet hall.

"Hey! Stop looking over there and look this way too!"

"I've sponsored you plenty as well! Pick me, would you?!"

The banquet hall instantly descended into chaos.

I fell into thought for a moment.

Who should I choose here?

[These are the Constellations who wish for you to become their Incarnation.]

[Choose one Constellation from the following list.]

1. Miracle of Three Days

2. One-Eyed White-Haired Elder

3. One Who Overcomes Adversity

4. God of Philanderers

5. Father of the Wealthy Night

.

.

.

Most of the Constellations inside the banquet hall had sent their names.

But one among them stood out more than anyone else.

[‘Father of the Wealthy Night’ has sponsored 420,000 Coins.]

[Message: Choose me.]

At the very top of the sponsorship messages, 420,000 Coins had been sent under the name Father of the Wealthy Night.

The sponsorships that had been pouring in nonstop suddenly came to a halt.

The Constellations on the first floor, as well as those who had continued sponsoring me, looked visibly startled.

"F-Four hundred thousand Coins...? I knew those Olympus bastards were rich, but I didn't think they'd go this far...."

Thanatos, who had been watching everything unfold, rubbed his chin and muttered in surprise.

"I didn't expect that man to act this aggressively...."

I could feel an ominous gaze from somewhere on the third floor.

That was where the Constellations of Olympus were gathered.

It was probably Hades.

If he was willing to spend 420,000 Coins, then Hades must have been accepting a considerable loss as well.

[Lee Suhyeok...!! I-Is it really okay to just leave things like this, nya...?!!]

Leon was also visibly flustered by the amount of Coins piling up.

It was far beyond anything he'd ever had to deal with before.

I turned my gaze toward the platform and met the eyes of the Highest-Level Administrator.

This entire situation had been part of his plan to create a dramatic spectacle.

He was probably waiting to see what choice I would make.

And what kind of consequences that choice would bring down on me.

"Now then, I'd appreciate it if you made your choice soon. The Constellations are eagerly waiting for your answer."

Every Constellation in this place was watching to see what I would choose.

In the end, there was only one thing I could do.

[Player Lee Suhyeok has ultimately chosen no one.]

"Huh? Wait a second."

"No... am I seeing this correctly?"

The completely unexpected result sent murmurs of confusion through the banquet hall.

[The majority of the Constellations are greatly dissatisfied with your choice!]

[‘One-Eyed White-Haired Elder’ strokes his beard and lets out a low hum.]

[‘Miracle of Three Days’ demands that you explain yourself immediately!]

[‘Father of the Wealthy Night’ cannot understand your decision.]

The atmosphere turned cold.

Realizing how serious things had become, Leon hurriedly tugged at the hem of my clothes.

Even so, I didn't change my mind.

"Wouldn't this actually be better for all of you? If I chose Hades right now, everyone else here would be put in a difficult position. Am I wrong?"

No matter which Constellation I chose, the same problem would arise.

The moment I picked one side, I would effectively turn the other major factions against me.

That was why I chose no one.

"But that doesn't mean I've given up on making a choice."

[The Constellations show interest in your words.]

I confidently walked through the crowd of Constellations and looked up at the Highest-Level Administrator standing on the platform.

"Let me ask one thing. Was there a time limit on this choice?"

"...Oh? I didn't expect you to ask something like that."

He smiled faintly.

"Correct. There was no specific time limit. It was merely a suggestion on my part."

His goal was simple.

Whatever happened, he wanted this performance to become even more dramatic.

I turned back toward the Constellations below the platform, then toward those gathered on the second and third floors.

"Before I reach the 50th floor, I'll become the Incarnation of the Constellation who has sponsored me the most."

The hall fell quiet.

"Naturally, every Coin you've sponsored up until now will count."

I paused.

"And one more thing. I'll give priority to Constellations who have already sponsored at least 100,000 Coins."

[The Constellations of ‘Asgard’ say that your proposal is reasonable.]

[‘Olympus’ also expresses approval.]

[‘Miracle of Three Days’ says it is a fair judgment.]

[‘One Who Bloomed from the Lotus’ raises his bottle and shouts that anything is fine.]

[‘Father of the Wealthy Night’ laughs at your cunning scheme and nods in approval.]

The mood had completely changed.

To some, I had given another chance.

To others, I had given entertainment.

When I looked at the Highest-Level Administrator again, he covered his mouth and let out an unpleasant laugh, clearly amused.

"Chuckling... I never imagined you'd make that kind of ‘choice.’"

His eyes curved with interest.

"Well, an event like this sounds even more entertaining. We'll end the banquet here. Have a pleasant departure."

[The banquet has ended.]

[As a reward, you are granted a private audience with the Highest-Level Administrator.]

At that moment, my vision flashed white.

My sight slowly returned.

Through my blurry vision, I saw a strangely familiar door.

And then I noticed what I was wearing.

"This is...."

A company uniform.

A thin, frail body.

Right.

This was what I looked like before entering the Tower.

Creak...

I slowly opened the door.

The smell of soybean paste stew drifted into my nose.

Rice and side dishes were neatly arranged across the table.

Beyond the kitchen, I saw a familiar back.

A back I had missed for a very long time.

"Oh my, son! Why are you so late? Hurry up and eat. Hm? Haven't you been working too hard lately? You were already skinny, but now you're practically skin and bones. Come on, sit down."

She grabbed my arm and guided me to the table.

She even placed a spoon in my hand.

I couldn't say anything.

"Son, I said eat. Why are you staring at me like that?"

My mother sat across from me.

But I couldn't see her face.

It was like someone had spilled black paint across a blank sheet of paper.

My memories of the outside world had faded so much that I couldn't even remember her face anymore.

[Warning! The user's mental barrier is temporarily beginning to collapse.]

It's fake.

The mother in front of me was clearly an illusion created by that bastard.

And yet...

I couldn't bring myself to speak.

Because beyond those blurred memories, I could still faintly remember how warm she had been.

[‘Mental Immunity Ring’ restores the collapsing mental barrier.]

[The mental barrier collapses.]

[It is restored again.]

[...]

Again and again.

It broke.

Then recovered.

Broke.

Then recovered.

And at the end of it all, all that remained was an empty shell of myself.

I stood up again.

My mother grabbed my arm, confused.

"Son? Where are you going all of a sudden? Don't do that. Just one spoonful. Okay? Just one spoonful before you go."

I still couldn't see her face.

Suppressing the emotions rising inside me, I spoke quietly.

"...Show yourself. You didn't call me here just to pull this kind of crap."

The entire space instantly turned pure white.

My body returned to normal.

Seong-a and Leon were nowhere to be seen.

"..."

The scene before me was exactly the same as before.

He sat in a chair, leisurely drinking tea.

"The aroma really is wonderful. Please, take a seat. You have quite a lot you'd like to ask me, don't you?"

Step. Step.

I walked over and sat down.

Silence continued for a while.

Eventually, he spoke first.

"How was the event I prepared? Judging by your expression, you don't seem very satisfied."

He smiled.

"I thought you might shed a tear after meeting a family member again after so long."

Pour...

He carefully lifted the teapot and filled a cup.

Then he pushed it toward me.

The ripples on the surface slowly settled.

"...Where's Leon?"

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. Only you and I exist in this space."

He smiled as if nothing mattered.

"Leon is waiting in his own space. Your sword is with him as well."

He was still smiling at me.

As if this entire situation were nothing more than entertainment.

I continued questioning him.

"I clearly didn't make a choice. So why did you grant me a private audience?"

"I didn't expect you to complain about that."

He tilted his head.

"Hm. There isn't any grand reason. I simply wanted to speak with you."

His smile deepened.

"Is there anything else you're curious about? Since we finally have this opportunity, I'll answer whatever I can."

I looked straight at him.

"Did you... regress with me?"

Silence.

The corners of his mouth lowered.

He rested his chin on both hands and stared at me.

"To give you the answer first..."

His voice remained calm.

"Unfortunately, no. You are the only person in this world who has regressed."

Something didn't add up.

If that was true, how did he remember me?

"I have a rough idea of what you're thinking."

He continued.

"But I merely recognized you."

His eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't mean I regressed."

"Recognized me?"

"Whether you believe me or not, I'm not some omnipotent being."

For the first time, his voice sounded slightly serious.

"I am merely an Administrator who cannot escape the flow either."

An empty hourglass appeared above his palm.

There was no sand inside.

The glass itself was cracked.

Then a flowerpot appeared on the table.

A flower bloomed from it.

"Do you see the flower blooming from this pot?"

He pointed toward it.

"The future and the past are ultimately part of the same stem."

His finger traced the branches.

"Even if branches spread outward, they can never completely escape from the trunk they came from."

He smiled at me and placed the hourglass beside the flowerpot.

"This is the object that sent you back."

He tapped the cracked glass.

"In other words, because the version of you from the future returned to this point in time, the hourglass of the present was broken."

He then stood from his seat.

Walking over to me, he gently placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered.

"Well, recognizing you wasn't particularly difficult."

His smile returned.

"From the very beginning, you kept producing impossible results."

At that moment, scenes of everything I'd done until now spread through the air like a strip of old film.

Between them were images of Taesu, Kim Hyuna, and Lee Yumi.

"They really are good companions."

His gaze passed over them.

"You seem to have gotten quite close to Leon as well."

He looked at me again.

"I'm sure you had companions like these before you regressed too."

I flinched.

"By the time you met me before your regression, they were probably all dead..."

His smile widened.

"...in rather terrible ways."

My eyes hardened.

"But something is strange."

He leaned closer.

"Why aren't those companions with you now?"

I turned my head.

His red eyes met mine.

His smile looked as if it had been cut across his face.

"Isn't it strange?"

His voice lowered.

"Why was Bong Taesu the only one left?"

He carefully watched every reaction on my face.

Then he brought his lips close to my ear again.

"Have you ever considered this?"

His whisper was soft.

"What if everything involving the people summoned into the Tower is merely a collection of components used to keep the Tower functioning?"

My fingers tightened.

"And what if the companions who never appeared again were simply rusted parts that had already served their purpose?"

"..."

Suddenly, I remembered what Thanatos had told me when we first met.

The residents of the 10th floor, and every world you'll climb through from now on, are all copies of worlds that were destroyed after failing to climb the Tower. Does that answer your question?

Ever since that day, the thought had stayed with me.

What if we were the same?

What if we too were merely copied data?

Cogs that kept turning without end solely for the entertainment of the Constellations.

I met his gaze.

He looked genuinely eager to hear my answer.

Just like back then.

When he had offered me the choice between regression and returning home.

But no matter what he expected...

My answer was the same.

"Nothing changes now."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Even if I'm nothing more than a component, I'll climb this Tower."

I stared straight into his red eyes.

"And in the end, I'll kill you."

A brief silence.

"That's all there is to it."

For just a moment, surprise crossed his face.

Then he covered his mouth and began laughing under his breath.

"Ah... that truly sounds exciting."

His eyes gleamed.

"Then I'll wait here."

A wide smile spread across his face.

"I'll look forward to seeing exactly how you plan to kill me."

He leaned back.

"Then, farewell."

[The private audience with the Highest-Level Administrator has ended.]

[You have obtained the hidden reward ‘Broken Hourglass (?)’.]