Chapter 414

“Strengthening the planet using the Tower of Heroes?”

Reading the title of the research proposal handed to him in his office, Ludwig couldn’t help but mutter it out loud. And upon hearing him, the man who drafted the proposal, Se-Hoon, nodded.

“Yes.”

“How exactly do you.... Never mind, I’ll read it first. Wait a moment.”

Deciding to read through it first instead of having Se-Hoon elaborate, Ludwig began carefully reading the research proposal beyond just the table of contents.

The first thing it started off with was laying out the fundamental limitations of the planet and the problems arising from them. From then on, it detailed the conventional solutions that had been proposed.

Rather than just presenting solutions... he seems to have brought them up to refute them.

The currently existing methods only addressed long-term threats, such as environmental pollution. Not a single one had countermeasures for overwhelmingly powerful beings like the Perfect Ones and the Harbingers of Destruction, who could single-handedly destroy a planet.

But to be fair, it is understandable from their perspective.

If a Perfect One were to twist the planet’s axis of rotation or even just split it in half, what could anyone do? The rampages, as Se-Hoon described them, of such beings were an unavoidable extinction event for humanity—which was why the academic world chose not to acknowledge them at all.

Hm... If I stopped reading here, this proposal would just appear to be a doomsayer’s manifesto.

Had it not been for the intriguing table of contents, Ludwig would have dismissed it outright by now as pessimistic rambling. However, because he knew what came next, he turned the pages with growing anticipation.

...To preserve the planet from the unchecked rise of these beings, we must be able to harness the infinite potential of the Tower of Heroes—the very source that creates them—actively.

The Tower of Heroes reconstructs its form based on the observer’s field of vision and disappears completely if their view moves beyond the planet’s gravitational field. This suggests that the Tower does not exist in a strictly physical sense. Rather, like the powers of those that reach the summit, it is a type of law—a phenomenon bound within the confines of the planet...

Ludwig’s eyes widened gradually in shock, having reached Se-Hoon’s deductions about the true nature of the Tower. Without realizing it, he gripped the research proposal so tightly that the paper crumpled.

But he quickly loosened his grip, staring down at the document.

Th-this is...

For most, the proposal would be incomprehensible. But in the eyes of Ludwig, who had spent years researching the Towers of Heroes, each paragraph struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Whew

Knowing instinctively that now was not the time to question the validity of the proposal, Ludwig took a deep breath before looking at the waiting Se-Hoon.

“How... did you come up with this?”

There was no way he had come up with everything in the proposal without some sort of revelation or experience.

However, despite Ludwig’s reaction that betrayed his unwavering belief in it, Se-Hoon slightly frowned.

All I did was write down what came to mind...

To be precise, he had pieced together a hypothesis based on the information he had gathered so far. And if he were to be honest, he had thrown it out as a “let’s just test it” idea.

Yet after reading such a thing, Ludwig was asking him how he knew instead of outright rejecting it?

Should I try to make it sound more convincing?

He delayed his response, pondering how to best phrase his response to gain Ludwig’s full support—

“No, never mind. That was a foolish question on my part.”

Ludwig cut off that train of thought himself with a dismissive wave of his hand. Massaging his temples, Ludwig looked down once more at the research proposal.

He... might have just had a revelation.

Just as some individuals would attain enlightenment and grasp universal truths out of the blue one day, perhaps Se-Hoon had a revelation about the nature of the Towers of Heroes. Of course, there was still the lingering question of how he had reached the truth after that, but Ludwig chose not to pursue it further.

Whatever the method, it doesn’t matter.

No matter what method Se-Hoon had used, as long as the research could prove itself true, that was all that mattered. Having settled his thoughts, Ludwig looked at Se-Hoon with a now much calmer expression.

“I completely agree with your idea of strengthening the planet. With the Demon Force backed into a corner, they’ll likely try everything they can.”

The fragile balance maintained by Wurgen’s death had been completely shattered with the death of Demon’s Edge and the fall of the Silent Volcano. Additionally, all their underground facilities had been destroyed, leaving the Demon Force with no room to plan for the future.

“However... the question is whether this plan can actually be executed.”

Se-Hoon’s proposal was divided into three phases. The first step was to move the starting point of the Towers of Heroes to the planet’s inner core using spatial magic.

After that was done, the second step was to use Terra’s control system to connect the Towers with the planet indirectly.

Then, finally, they would use that indirect connection to have the entire planet considered a part of the Towers of Heroes, thereby granting it near-infinite durability.

On paper, it seemed as simple as connecting a few components together—but as always, reality was far from that.

“Moving the system of the Towers of Heroes... I suppose you and I could probably manage that with enough effort. But Terra... I just can’t trust the Seeker’s technology yet.”

“Hmm...”

“Aside from the fact that it has been manipulated by the Seeker before, just the fact that it’s a corrupted clone makes it even more unpredictable. I believe it may not even have the capabilities necessary in the first place.”

Ludwig’s concern was valid, and Se-Hoon didn’t argue. He himself had reservations about relying on Terra.

“Of course, if we consider that the planet’s control is already entrusted to Terra, then this isn’t much different. But...”

“Entrusting the Towers of Heroes to a system designed only for planetary control is another matter entirely, isn’t it?”

As Terra was engineered to regulate the planet, if it were tasked with controlling the Towers of Heroes as well, the risk of unforeseen consequences would skyrocket. Ludwig wasn’t concerned about the immediate feasibility of the plan; it was its long-term stability that Ludwig cared about.

Well, he’s not wrong.

If something went wrong during the connection process, leading to humanity’s extinction, that would make it beyond meaningless.

Taking Ludwig’s concerns seriously, Se-Hoon began considering alternative safety mechanisms instead of simply relying on Terra.

I guess it’s always better to have too many safeguards than to have none.

Keeping the conditions of the plan in mind, Se-Hoon’s mind raced, and a certain idea naturally surfaced.

“Do you think we can apply your research here?”

“My research?”

Ludwig narrowed his eyes.

Could his research for his dream of allowing everyone to wield transcendent powers by linking the Towers of Heroes to the planet’s surface and supplying the energy through the Golden Ring—the Prometheus Project—be used here?

It certainly seems possible...

Though the objectives were different, the method of linking the Towers of Heroes and the planet was the same. And most importantly, Ludwig himself could intervene if necessary.

The issue is that my research objectives would become public knowledge...

While the public already knew that he had been researching the Towers of Heroes, only Se-Hoon knew what the true goal of it was. However, if Se-Hoon’s proposed project were implemented, that secret would be exposed to the world. Was it worth taking such a risk?

It was a matter deeply tied to his own aspirations, so Ludwig remained lost in thought for a long time.

And even then, when he finally opened his mouth slowly, it was for more time.

“...Could you give me a moment to think alone?”

“Ah, of course. You can even take until tomorrow if you’d like—”

“We don’t have that kind of time. I’ll call you back soon, so just wait a moment.”

“Understood.”

Se-Hoon teleported back to his dorm without hesitation, leaving Ludwig alone in the office. Pausing for a moment, Ludwig then stretched his hand out into the empty air and made a downward gesture.

Click!

A golden keyhole appeared in midair, rotated ninety degrees, and unlocked. A white void was exposed, and from it, a voice resonated. “What are you going to do?”

“I should be the one asking you that.”

The voice scoffed.

“Aren’t you going to make your own decision no matter what I say, like always? So figure it out yourself.”

“Oh? People might get the wrong idea if they heard you say that. When have I ever—”

“Since the moment you handed over the Hero’s Ring,” the voice cut off coldly. “Looking back now, that’s when everything began changing drastically. Because of your choice, I can’t even begin to predict where this is all leading anymore.”

Creek-

The space surrounding the white void was filled with spreading crack, distorting space itself and unleashing immense pressure upon the office. The sight was terrifying: space itself was tearing apart, threatening to swallow the entire building into the rift.

Though that was no wonder, considering that the source of it—the owner of the voice within the white void—was filled with agitation.

“Is this really what you wanted? That monster, Lee Se-Hoon—do you really believe he’ll save the world?”

“Enough.” There was a biting chill in Ludwig’s voice.

And the moment he had said it, the cracks had instantly stopped spreading. Now, the room was left in a nightmarish state where space itself had been torn asunder.

Yet, with a simple wave of Ludwig’s hand...

Whoosh!

The white cracks disappeared, and the furniture that had been twisted or shattered all returned to their original state.

“It seems I went a bit too far. My apologies.”

Unlike before, the voice from the void had calmed significantly, prompting a soft smile from Ludwig.

“No, it just shows that you understand how important this moment is. Just like I do.”

“...”

“This decision will mark a turning point for the world. Perhaps the final turning point.”

Depending on the choice made, perhaps even the course of the world itself would be decided.

And upon hearing the conviction that it would be in Ludwig’s voice, the voice fell silent.

“That’s why I can’t decide this alone. And I shouldn’t.”

“...I suppose you're right.”

“Even a single word will do. Tell me your will...” Hesitating at the end, Ludwig then added one last word. “Ascension.”

At his call, the voice—Ascension—fell into deep contemplation.

“At this point, no matter what I choose... I’ll just get swept along by that monster.”

“Lee Se-Hoon is an exceptional student, after all.”

“

Tsk...

Then I guess you can help him out this time.” With those words, the white void slowly closed. And right before it shut, Ascension quietly muttered, “Because his wish... is now our wish.”

Click!

The golden keyhole locked and melted away.

“Our wish, huh...” whispered Ludwig to himself.

To save humanity with his own power—he had never once forgotten since conquering the Tower of Heroes. Reflecting on that unwavering wish, Ludwig turned his gaze out the window.

“Perhaps... it’s not too far off now.”

He gazed up at the Tower of Pristine piercing through the sky.

***

In the pitch-black darkness, shadowy figures sat around a round table crafted to mimic the night sky, which was shimmering with an eerie glow.

Voices echoed back and forth, yet to someone not in the conversation, the words remained unheard. Thanks to that, the gathered figures continued their discussion without concern.

Drip-

Something suddenly began moving in the darkness. Stopping their silent conversations, the assembled figures all turned their gazes toward the source of the disturbance.

Squelch... squelch...

A formless, viscous mass slithered toward the table. It pulsed—breaking apart, reforming, birthing, and dying all at once—crawling ever closer. Then, when the amorphous slime finally touched the table, they could hear its voice inside their minds.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“You all... seem to be using it well... Makes me proud... Ha, ha...”

Hearing the uninvited guest—Tuner—the shadowy figures began murmuring, their whispers still lost in the void.

“You were still alive?”

“Even I’m surprised... But you know... it’s the foundation that matters... There’s not much time... so let’s skip the nonsense...”

Drip-

The gelatinous mass resting on the table was trembling, barely holding itself together.

“We all know... it’s over, right? There’s no time for... foolish ideas like ‘uniting to survive’...You disagree? Hah... that’s funny...”

Tuner chuckled lazily.

“Anyway... we need to discard the excess.... Only those who can survive... should survive.... And if any of you are after me... well, let’s just say... it won’t be easy.... I still have plenty of cards to play.... What should we discard, you... ask? Hm... Let’s see... something... useless... but possessing something valuable.... That kind of target would be ideal...”

Tuner didn’t go about naming anyone, but those present at the meeting immediately knew who he was referring to. Someone who held something valuable—yet was not present at this gathering.

“If there’s anything left... consider it a favor...”

At that moment, the hunting of Dawn was decided.