Chapter 359: The Scream-Gathering Sky (1)

This wasn’t the first time I met with the Pillars. I had met them many times before and participated in meetings where they were present. When the Tower decided to convene a Pillar meeting, I wasn’t really surprised. Instead, I thought I would open my eyes once again in the darkness, where I usually woke up after my death.

“Wake up, Death King. Are you going to lie down there forever? I suggest you stand up promptly and regain your senses so you can show proper respect. Until then, I don’t plan to invite Her Grace here.”

A familiar voice echoed in my ears. I blinked. My sight cleared bit by bit, like a wiper cleaning a car windshield covered in yellow dust. In front of me stood a woman with elegant brows.

“Finally, you’ve opened your eyes.”

Beautiful was the only word I could use to describe her. The woman looked down at me with sharp eyes and indifferent gaze. Her lips formed a straight line, showing no traces of needless persistence, delusion, or pride. She wore a purely black dress, as if refusing everything in this world that was white or gray.

I was sure I had seen that outfit, those lips, and those eyes somewhere before. I paused for a moment, trying to recall the name of that darkness.

“Advisor... River Eternal?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, that is my title.”

Outside of her voice, she made no sound as she moved around. Perhaps that was why even gravity seemed to vanish for a moment, along with every last bit of air around her.

“‘Nice to meet you for the first time’ isn’t exactly accurate to say. I heard from Her Grace that you briefly possessed my body at some point.”

“

Ah...

” I muttered.

Yes, I had once visited the kingdom of Tower Master Amethyst through Amethyst’s trauma, and to do that I had to possess the woman who was neatly clasping her hands together in front of me. That was why I felt a sense of deja vu just now.

“I heard that Her Grace owes a lot to you.” River Eternal bowed. The person she called Her Grace had to be be the Kaleido Duchess, the Tower master’s other title.

“

Ah

, yes. Well, it’s nothing...” I felt strange to meet someone I had possessed before. “But... Why would you come out to greet me? I was called to the Pillars’ meeting.”

River Eternal straightened her back and tilted her head. “I hear you’re very sharp. Doesn’t my voice ring a bell?”

“

Huh?

Y-yes. I did think your voice was familiar for some reason.”

“Is that so? It would be better if I let you hear it directly.”

River Eternal stared at me.

[Testing.]

[Playing the voice.]

[This message’s sole purpose is to play the voice.]

My jaw dropped to the floor.

“

Huh? Eeeeeh?

”

Unfazed by my shock, River Eternal bowed. “Let me formally introduce myself again. I am the second advisor affiliated with the Ducal Family of Kaleido. The Sun Queen granted me the Eleventh Cup. I usually go by Mia, but please call me River Eternal.”

Her voice was the same one I had heard many times while climbing the Tower. It was the Tower’s voice.

***

“Wait, hold on...”

I had just heard River Eternal’s long introduction, but only one thought lingered in my mind.

“The Tower’s voice messages we get... isn’t... something automated, but...”

River Eternal nodded. “Yes, it’s done manually.”

“Whaaaaat?!” I yelped. “Manually? All of it? I mean, I’m not the only Hunter who listens to the Tower’s voice. There are a ton of them! Every time a Hunter learns a Skill or goes up to a higher floor, they hear the voice...”

“They’re all done manually.”

“That’s impossible!”

River Eternal stayed indifferent. “Actually, it makes sense. Time flows differently in your world compared to this place. Here, time is stopped compared to your world, Death King. Even if multiple events occur simultaneously, it’s just a set of tasks that I have to handle one by one.”

“But you would still have to reply to thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of Hunters each day.”

As if it were no big deal, River Eternal tilted her head. “Yes, is there a problem?”

Yes, a lot of them, actually.

“Inefficiency... This is the peak of inefficiency...” I mumbled.

“Inefficiency happens when time and space are limited. Here, we can control time and observe other worlds at will. The idea of inefficiency doesn’t exist.”

“Don’t you get tired?”

“It’s for the duchess, so I see no reason to be tired,” she said, seemingly sincere.

Unbelievable.

She continued, “The matter at hand isn’t my work, Death King. Please do something about your clothes first.”

I looked around. The place I had awoken was also similar. It was the kingdom’s assembly chamber where all the nobles met to talk, the place I went to right after I possessed River Eternal.

“Why are we here?”

Wasn’t the place where the Pillars met to discuss important matters supposed to be dark?

She answered, “I’ll explain soon. For now, please get into proper attire. Even if you know Her Grace personally, you should keep proper etiquette in my presence. I can’t let you meet Her Grace like this.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with my clothes?”

River Eternal scanned me from head to toe. “They’re vulgar.”

Yes, the pitch-black leather clothes I was wearing had been styled by Anastasha. I couldn’t say anything in return, so I avoided her gaze. “These are expensive clothes, you know.”

“How much did they cost?”

“

Huh?

”

“You said they’re expensive, so if you’ll excuse me, how much did they cost?"

I told her the price I had heard from Anastasha. River Eternal nodded before picking up some clothes from a pile on the desk and gave them to me.

I ended up taking them. “W-what is this?”

“These are a hundred twenty times more expensive than your clothes. Change.”

I changed at once. In the meantime, River Eternal turned her back to me and said, “This is the control room where we watch all the Towers. It was modeled after the kingdom’s assembly chamber. It looks the same, but it’s a different place. If I were to explain it from your view... well, you can call this the first basement floor of the Tower.”

As I shoved my left foot into the pants, I asked, “Is there a second basement floor?”

“No. Even if you clear the hundredth floor, something like ‘there are actually one hundred extra floors underground, and your real journey begins now. It’s time to celebrate part two of the Death King’s story’ will never happen, so don’t worry.”

I had never thought of anything that terrible, but for some reason, it sounded like something that could actually happen... How terrifying... My soul and the whole universe would be burned to ashes if that actually happened.

“Are you all dressed up?” she asked me.

“Yes, I’m done.”

River Eternal turned around and inspected my traditional kingdom clothes. “Hunters are normally not allowed on the first basement floor. The same rule applies to the Constellations. Even if they were to enter by some rare chance, all they would see is pitch-black darkness.”

I nodded.

“That is how it would have appeared to you in the past, Death King, but you’ve now earned the qualification to be here, even if it’s temporary. This is the first time this has happened since the Tower was built.”

River Eternal looked down at Snakey, who was wrapped around my wrist.

“I’m sorry, but you’re the only one who has obtained the qualification. The cognitive abilities of the Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye, Your Exclusive Music Box, the Goddess of Protection, and the Sword Emperor are on pause for the time being. This is for security, so I would appreciate it if I could have your understanding.”

I now understood why everyone had been quiet since I arrived. After River Eternal stopped checking my clothes, she stepped back with a nod.

“Fortunately, the clothes suit you well. This should suffice for an audience with Her Grace.”

I said, “I do hear a lot that anything suits—”

“Then, let us begin.”

River Eternal clapped.

Creaaaak—!

The door to the chamber opened. People walked out, as if they had been waiting there all along.

“Verifying the participants.”

[Verifying the participants.]

I heard the same voice twice. River Eternal raised her chin and stared at the people entering the door before calling out their names one by one.

“The Fifth Pillar, Mirage-Walking Princess, has joined the meeting.”

[The Fifth Pillar, Mirage-Walking Princess, has joined the meeting.]

The first to enter was the princess. She was the Pillar who liked me the most. With platinum blond hair, the princess smiled from ear to ear as she waved at me. If I had to compare her to an animal, she would be a chick.

“Hi, Death King! It’s been a long time. How have you—”

“I’m sorry, my lady, but please be quiet,” River Eternal said quickly.

The princess pouted. “

Ah

, Advisor Mia. You’re so strict...”

Without even blinking, River Eternal called the next participant. “The Fourth Pillar, Bystanding Moon of Blind Faith, has joined the meeting.”

[The Fourth Pillar, Bystanding Moon of Blind Faith, has joined the meeting.]

A Pillar with a dull face, as if everything from the start to the end of the universe were bothersome, entered the chamber. Somehow, this pillar reminded me of a sea otter.

“The Third Pillar, Legislator of the Beginning, has joined the meeting.”

[The Third Pillar, Legislator of the Beginning, has joined the meeting.]

A Pillar who seemed to have tasted every flavor of life—bitter, sweet, spicy, and even mint chocolate—and now just wanted to rest and go home, walked slowly, like a slime. If I were to compare this Pillar to an animal, it would be a hedgehog.

“The Second Pillar, Void-Dancing God, has joined the meeting.”

[The Second Pillar, Void-Dancing God, has joined the meeting.]

To this Pillar, it seemed that it didn’t matter whether the universe was created or destroyed as long as her interests were saved... What? She actually balletted her way into the chamber. Even after making her entrance, she was still dancing like an African flamingo.

“The Sixth Pillar, Primordial Staff, has joined the meeting.”

[The Sixth Pillar, Primordial Staff, has joined the meeting.]

The mage, looking like she was going to sigh even at her birth or just before calmly accepting her death, glanced at me. If I was to compare her to an animal, she would probably be an old lioness.

Footsteps echoed.

River Eternal, who had been staring indifferently at the five Pillars as they entered, slowly bowed deeply as she said, “Please come in, Your Grace. I apologize for asking for a meeting despite your busy schedule.”

This greeting was very different from the previous ones. She didn’t use the Tower’s voice or the system messages but her actual voice to greet and worship whoever the footsteps belonged to.

“I have called this meeting as per the rules you set, but please judge its legitimacy yourself, Your Grace.”

“It’s fine. It seems very fair to me. As always, you reliably handled the matter, my advisor."

River Eternal bowed again. “Thank you.”

The Tower master, the woman who could have any face or voice, appeared. Here, she was known as the Kaleido Duchess, but I was more familiar with the name Amethyst.

The woman with platinum blond hair smiled at me with the dignity and elegance of a noble and the master of the Tower.

“Hi, Death King. HDYD?”

I was at a loss for words.

“

Huh?

You’re quiet. I heard this was how people greet each other nowadays. Is it wrong? Yo? Sup? Wassup?”[1]

No... You, no...

River Eternal sighed. The Primordial Staff had been sighing from the beginning. The other Pillars joined in as if they had been expecting this. If the sighs were crops, then this year would be a good harvest.

Only the princess frowned and firmly said, “Mom! That’s not it! It’s ‘Wassup, man!’”

“

Ah

, I see. Thank you, my daughter.”

“Yes, I’ll gladly accept your thanks, Mom. From now on, use what I taught you correctly.”

Tower Master Amethyst turned to me and greeted me with a quaint gesture. “Let me start again, Death King. Wassup, man?”

She’d had the vibe of the final boss monster before, so what the heck happened? Also, there was no way in hell this was how people greeted each other nowadays.

1. The raw is 방가방가. 하이염? 하이잉. 할로할로. They're the very old variations of the Korean internet slangs. Some changes have been made for the smoother flow. ☜