Chapter 105: Twenty-Sixth Floor, Dawn of a New World (1)

“Let there be dawn, and I shall come.”

The words seemed to hold an enigmatic weight, like a riddle steeped in Zen mystery. Comet's voice circled in my mind as if I had been given a revelation straight from the goddess.

Why does this phrase seem so important? The goddess bestowed this revelation on Comet, but why does it feel so clearly aimed at me? Is there something within my reach?

It was difficult to tell outright. Although I didn’t possess the slightest flicker of faith in the goddess, the phrase held a profound

something

that seemed undeniably potent.

How do I “bring about the dawn”?

Surely, it wasn’t as simple as waiting for the night to end. On second thought, it obviously wasn’t since the keyword was “bring,” not “await.” This dawn was something I had to create.

Dawn... Blue dawn... Dawn breeze?

Ideas churned within my mind, and my gaze settled on the sword and necklace I clutched. The holy relics still glowed faintly with a subtle red radiance. Come to think of it, I hadn’t examined their details yet.

No sooner had I thought of it than a notification appeared before me.

[Wind of the Dawn]

- Imbued with the essence of the Blue Dawn Breeze.

- Harnesses the force of the wind, enabling the wielder to strike foes from afar.

- Being used as a sacrificial offering is weakening it and its connection to the wind.

- Agility +4.

- Grants Wind Cleave lvl 1 while carried. (Sealed)

[Wind Amplification Necklace]

- Filled with the might of the Blue Dawn Breeze.

- Grants considerable advantage in all actions relating to the wind.

- Being used as a sacrificial offering is weakening it and its connection to the wind.

- Agility +3.

Despite my initial hope, the window offered no immediate solution.

The sword’s specifications would have surely enthralled me, had I been able to wield it to its full potential. Unfortunately, like the Wind’s Route skill, Wind Cleave was sealed, already partly corrupted by the power of fear.

Back to solving this mystery. Should I figure out what resonated with the ring?

For a fleeting instant, I had seen a blue light flash from the ring.

Did the relics merely resonate with one another?

No, that wouldn’t account for why the warlord went to such lengths to prevent me from reclaiming Comet’s sword. There had to be a clue hidden within this blade.

Suddenly, I remembered that the goddess had mysteriously vanished fifty years ago, leading me to pursue a new line of thought.

The world of fear.

I had been drawn here without warning, unable to even react. That seemed eerily similar to the Blue Dawn Breeze’s story, how she had disappeared without leaving any trace behind.

Unquestionably, the Stagnant Terror lay at the core of it all.

If so, is this realm the Blue Dawn Breeze’s prison? I wonder if that is even possible, though.

However, there were precedents—Fenrike and Paraktus. When I first encountered Fenrike, it was trapped within a necklace, and Paraktus had been bound to a massive boulder. They were, by definition, imprisoned deities.

If my reasoning was correct, then there was no reason Blue Dawn Breeze couldn’t be trapped here.

How on earth am I supposed to locate the goddess?

If the goddess were in a functional state, she would have already sought me out.

Where is she?

Since she had bestowed a revelation upon Comet, she couldn’t be dead.

I glanced down at the ring, but it didn’t offer guidance like on the twenty-fifth floor. Gazing upward, I stared intently at the blood-red sky of this crimson world.

Dawn... and Wind Cleave.

I went over the goddess’s message again. The phrase urging the creation of dawn meant to bring forth a new dawn. If I assumed this crimson world was the goddess’s prison, was I supposed to cleave the sky?

Nah, that is absurd. How could I possibly split the heavens?

A hollow chuckle escaped my lips. Even I recognized the ridiculousness of the thought.

Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t discard it. Despite my reluctance, my mind kept circling back to the idea of cutting through the scarlet sky.

Even if Wind Cleave is sealed, hmm...

The ring had summoned a gust of wind to guide me, so what was to say the Wind of the Dawn couldn’t guide me in the same way. Although the sword’s connection to the wind was fading, the description implied it hadn’t been completely severed. It wouldn’t hurt to try.

Once again, however, doubt began to creep into my mind.

Can I really do it?

After all, a god had created this realm, and one powerful enough to imprison another at that. I was but a mere climber, how could I measure up to a god?

No. I have to believe in myself.

Until I tried, I wouldn’t know. I couldn’t limit myself preemptively.

Even if I couldn’t shatter the entire crimson sky, perhaps all the Blue Dawn Breeze required was a single, minuscule fissure.

Wait a second, something doesn’t add up.

My initial premise was flawed. If the goddess was confined here, and this sword held the key to her release, then the warlord wouldn’t have sent me to this place.

It didn’t make sense. Even if I grabbed the sword, all he had to do was fight me.

Fuck, I had allowed myself to get lost in fantasy.

I sighed frustratedly, then a thought hit me with the force of a hammer.

Wait, did the warlord send me here?

All I had witnessed was a flash of blue. The warlord hadn’t chanted an incantation or prayed to the Stagnant Terror as he had previously. Instead, I had been drawn here after the relics resonated with one another.

In other words, it was possible that the Blue Dawn Breeze had brought me to this place. After all, Comet had vanished in a similar burst of blue light.

I can’t be sure, but...

The possibility existed. Now resolute, I stored my axe into the mimic and grasped the Wind of the Dawn with both hands.

Alright, time to try this.

I tightened my grip on the necklace which was wedged between the sword’s hilt and my palm, then infused it with mana. I couldn’t estimate how much mana it would take to split the sky, so I just poured it in uncontrollably.

What?

Instantly, the red glow surrounding the sword and necklace dissipated. The three holy relics resonated and in the glow’s place, a violent, swirling gale began to ripple along the blade.

The wind intensified, and my hair whipped wildly around me. I swallowed hard and prepared to strike. I didn’t know how to unleash the wind, but I felt as though I could.

The real question was whether the wind could reach the heavens.

I should release it from the highest point I can reach.

Surveying my surroundings, I spotted the tallest mound of corpses and sprinted toward it.

With each step up the mound, the blue light surrounding the Wind of the Dawn grew brighter, almost like the goddess herself was responding. In this thick and heavy atmosphere, the cool, fresh breeze was a welcome sensation.

Atop the mound, I launched myself skyward with all my might. Propelling myself higher with one more jump in mid-air, I soon reached the apex of my leap.

Using every ounce of strength, I slashed across my body toward the crimson sky, picturing myself tearing it asunder.

At that very moment, the sword and necklace in my hand crumbled to dust, as if they had fulfilled their purpose. In their place, a brilliant, crescent-shaped gale surged upward, dazzlingly bright and blue.

***

The gale tore a narrow scar in the blood-red sky—a small gap, perhaps no more than two meters wide. The black rift marred the crimson expanse for a bit, but it didn’t seem to change anything.

It only hung open briefly before it began to close quickly, the red glow reemerging.

Was I mistaken? Did I miscalculate? No, maybe I’m just not strong enough.

As I stood there staring dazedly at the sky, I saw a faint blue light begin to emerge from the rift. It struggled at first, but the streak of blue gradually expanded from that narrow gap before tracing a line across the sky.

The blood-red sky split open.

Dawn descended upon the scarlet world, and a chilling breeze swept down from above.

Though I couldn’t see her, I could sense the goddess standing before me.

Her voice reverberated through the air, quiet but strong. “Thank you, Liberator.”

“So... you brought me here?”

She laughed softly, sounding as if a weight had finally been lifted. “Yes. I was worried you wouldn’t realize.”

Pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. I recalled Comet’s dark expression after receiving the goddess’s revelation and the way he had smiled at Doppy just before being taken by the warlord, urging him not to worry.

“Was Comet’s death something you intended?”

“You knew.”

“Of course. But still, why? Comet was your warrior, your apostle.”

Her voice was calm and accepting. “I know. It’s painful, but it was the only way to overcome this situation.”

Even with her answer and no matter how I turned it over in my mind, I couldn’t understand.

Why didn’t Comet come here to rescue the goddess himself?

Seemingly reading my thoughts, the goddess continued explaining, “My warrior couldn’t have saved me as you did. He didn’t have the right.”

“What do you mean, ‘the right’?”

“Also, had things not unfolded as they did, you wouldn’t have been able to carry my sword into this cursed realm.”

Thinking quickly, her meaning dawned on me. If Comet hadn’t been captured, there wouldn’t have been a grand ritual on the twenty-sixth floor. Without that ritual, I wouldn’t have been able to bring the goddess’s sword here.

Too many lives had been lost, though.

Was this really the only solution?

Maybe if I had been given the sword earlier, I could have saved her on the twenty-fourth floor instead.

“I see you still hold some resentment. Don’t worry. My warrior and followers will soon return to life.”

“They’ll come back?”

“Have you forgotten that I am a god? Now that my power has been restored, that much is possible.”

So, gods truly could restore the dead. I had difficulty grasping the idea as it was too unreal to believe, yet knowing Comet would return brought me a deep sense of relief.

However, one question still lingered in my mind.

If she is powerful enough to revive the dead...

“Then how did the Stagnant Terror trap you?”

The goddess paused, considering something before responding, “That is a tale for another time. You’ll understand one day.”

“One day?”

“No more questions now. It’s time to go back.”

***

[Eliminate all enemies and drive out the heretics. Time remaining: 7 hours 41 minutes.]

With Su-Hyeok gone, the climbers were hanging on by a thread. Ha Hee-Jeong scanned the battlefield anxiously. Although she had anticipated it to be challenging, she hadn’t expected the warlord to lash out with such ferocity.

Why is he so frenzied? Is Su-Hyeok that strong?

It seemed as if the warlord intended to kill every climber before Kwon Su-Hyeok could return. He didn’t even bother to heal his smaller wounds.

Less than ten minutes had passed since Kwon Su-Hyeok had vanished, but the climbers were steadily being driven back. Even Alexei and Seo Ho-Su, veterans in their own right, didn’t even last a minute against the warlord. Though they had managed to survive, defeating the warlord was futile until Kwon Su-Hyeok returned.

Suddenly, the Pope shouted toward the heavens, “Oh, goddess!”

His voice was unnaturally loud and clear, resonating over the entire battlefield. Everyone turned to him, then followed his gaze to the sky.

A crack appeared in the crimson sky.

“My lord, the great Stagnant Terror!” The Great Warlord of Terror’s voice echoed ominously, but he couldn’t stop the transformation.

With a sound like shattering glass, the crimson world began to break apart. In its place, a blue dawn swept over the land. A chill breeze surged across the battlefield, and from the blue sky above, Kwon Su-Hyeok descended like a falling star.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has liberated the fourth-class god ‘Blue Dawn Breeze,’ completing the hidden mission ‘Dawn of a New World.’ All stats increased by 3.」