Ranker Who Lives Twice

‘Son?’ A burst of light momentarily brightened the area before it dispersed into a multitude of tiny sparks that faded away with the Changgong Library. Yeon-woo was momentarily dazed, deeply affected by the Heavenly Demon’s parting words.

At that moment…

‘Wait?’ Yeon-woo’s mind raced as a thought formed in his mind. Pew! He could sense that he was in freefall.

***

[This is the 52nd floor, the gate of the ‘Frozen Sea’.]

[The trial of the 52nd floor is beginning.]

[Trial: Since ancient times, icy habitats have been one of the most difficult places for warm-blooded creatures to survive. Icy habitats pose a challenge to warm-blooded creatures, and ice represents death in many ways. However, after death, new life springs up, and an ice-covered world is bound to eventually reveal a warm, bountiful one. Just as light and blackness circulate, ice also holds countless possibilities. Find those possibilities and overcome the limitations of ice. Those possibilities will reveal and develop your potential.]

In many ways, the fifty-second floor was the extreme opposite of the fifty-first floor. On the fifty-first floor, one had to climb a mountain with several layers of fire, while on the fifty-second floor, one had to cross an endless sea of ice. A blizzard blew year-round on the floor, dropping the temperature so much that most living beings couldn’t survive. In addition, the sun’s rays were so intense that the light reflecting off the white snow could damage one’s eyesight.

In a way, it was a very similar environment to the Wailing Wall that Yeon-woo experienced on the twenty-sixth floor. Both floors boasted a large area where one could freely move around. However, the biggest difference between them was that one could rely on the wall for protection and focus on defeating the invaders on the twenty-sixth floor. However, on the fifty-second floor, one had to move around without any protection because there were hardly any safe places around.

There was no land, only the cold, icy sea, where large icebergs occasionally appeared. They provided areas where players could stand, but that was the most that they could do. Additionally, it was impossible to know what kind of monsters were hiding on and beneath the icebergs. They were filled with so many dangerous crevices that it was impossible to relax one’s guard even for a moment. Danger lurked in every corner.

The fifty-first floor tested the abilities and unique properties of the rankers who had passed the fiftieth floor and guided them towards the path they would take in the future. The fifty-second floor tested the abilities of those who’d already made a decision about their future path. Being a ranker in the Tower didn’t only mean one had great talent. It also meant that one had been reborn as a true practitioner of one’s path. In other words, one’s path was inevitably filled with great trials and dangerous tribulations, and so one had to have the ability to pass an ordeal like the fifty-second floor.

‘And to end this grueling trial, I need to find the Water Dragon’s pearl in the depths of this icy sea.’

The Water Dragon’s pearls were usually found in the hydrothermal vents located in the deepest part of the sea, where light did not reach. They were very difficult to access because of the immense pressure, which disturbed one’s senses. Of course, the temperature was also much lower, and the sea was infested with unknown sea creatures and sea monsters.

Because of this, many rankers trembled in fright when it came to the fifty-second floor. It was also where those who fought Arthia had built their stronghold since the harsh environment made it easy to hide, and one could take advantage of the topography with artifacts.

Since the fifty-second floor was the place where those who resisted Arthia’s rule of the lower floors could find respite, they would fight tooth and nail to keep it free from anyone’s rule. Arthia had slowly driven them there in order to wage a battle and eliminate them all in one fell swoop.

However, Yeon-woo wasn’t directly involved in this, and the responsibility had been given to Doyle since none of the resisters were strong enough to need Yeon-woo’s intervention. And even if someone strong appeared, either Phante or Khan was more than capable of taking care of them.

Now that Doyle was Yeon-woo’s Apostle, Arthia’s command system revolved around him in Yeon-woo’s absence. Fortunately, Doyle was a capable administrator who led the organization without mistakes. He updated Yeon-woo frequently through their shared Channel, which meant that Yeon-woo was not too concerned about the day-to-day operations and Arthia’s overall progress.

‘Why isn’t anyone here?’ As soon as Yeon-woo arrived on the fifty-second floor, he had expanded his Consciousness. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn’t even sense the presence of any players trying to clear the floor and avoiding the clash between Arthia and other clans. Nor could he sense anyone from Arthia or any of the resisters.

If 200 years had passed, Yeon-woo would have thought this was normal, but he watched the Heavenly Demon turn the Wheel of Time and Space with his own eyes, so there was no way that the floor would be so empty. ‘Then… did I make an error in calculating the time difference?’ For a moment, Yeon-woo thought this might be the case.

Rewinding the wheel of time and space was not an easy task. Even though he tried to return around the time he entered the Changgong Library, he might have missed by a few days, months, or even years since it was too difficult to match the exact point in time. From the moment he entered the Changgong Library, he had resigned himself to the fact that he might lose anything from a few months to a year.

‘Is the battle over?’ In order to accurately determine the time, Yeon-woo decided to open all the Channels that the Heavenly Demon had closed. However, before he had a chance to do so, the ice under his feet suddenly churned, and a huge whirlwind appeared nearby from the ice, flowing into the sky like a white pillar.

Just by looking at it, Yeon-woo could tell that the whirlwind possessed immense power. It tore about everything around it, and he could hear an earth-shattering noise. Yeon-woo quickly spread his Fire Wings and activated Blink. Even though Blink transported him to a distant place: crackle, crackle! Bam! As if anticipating Yeon-woo’s movements, another whirlwind broke through the icy water and rose up into the sky, trying to swallow Yeon-woo whole.

Whenever Yeon-woo used Blink, a new whirlwind would appear beneath him. It was clearly not a natural phenomenon; someone was targeting him deliberately. Yeon-woo realized who it was when he sensed a magical aura in the wind. “Demonism!”

Sss! Blackness spread thickly over the sparkling white sea, stretching out on both sides as a pair of eyes appeared in its center. The gaze was full of arrogance that pressed down on everything in the world. Yeon-woo could also feel his hunger, as if he wanted to consume Yeon-woo whole. 『My little one, you escaped my grasp so adeptly. I really like you. You were worth waiting for.』

When they were still in the Changgong Library, ] the Demonism had been forced to form a human body because of the limitations from the Heavenly Demon. However, now that he was on the fifty-second floor, he revealed his true body.

Yeon-woo could read all the things hidden behind his eyes. Vigrid contained the wishes of the heroes who cried out for victory and the evil spirits of the demons that spat out blood and cursed. The Demonism had been formed when various thoughts and emotions gathered together, and it wasn’t enough for him to consume the desire for victory and evil thoughts that Vigrid possessed. The Demonism revealed his true power because he wanted to also consume Vigrid’s potential and the power of its true names and folklore, behaving with arrogance and greed because of the nature of the Stone of Sin. It had already become a monster that could easily consume a Demon King or great demon!

『Since we’ve already warmed up at the library, shouldn’t we play properly now? Hehehe!』Boom! Boom! Boom! As the Demonism released his will, the whirlwinds that had formed on the icy sea began to multiply in size.

The sudden turbulence in the air caused huge waves hundreds of meters high to crash down around them. Black clouds gathered in the sky and lightning rained down one after another. The Demonism made the extreme weather appear at will, and blackness similar to the Black King’s rapidly spread, occasionally exposing its jagged teeth, as if it would consume Yeon-woo at any moment.

Even though Yeon-woo had just succeeded to the Throne of Death, the Demonism possessed the strength to go toe to toe with Allforone because of all the various pieces he had collected. Since he had the assistance of the Stone of Sin and was using Vigrid as a vessel, there was no limit to his powers—which was why he had already taken the stage and shaken it.

‘This crazy fool!’ Yeon-woo wondered what Allforone was thinking at this moment and frowned at the thought of having to soon contend with two madmen.

“Ah, don’t worry, that strange bastard won’t show up here, hehehe! It’s probably because he’s so preoccupied with other things. I don’t think he has the time to worry about what’s going on here.”

For a moment, Yeon-woo felt as if he had been blindsided as he remembered a phrase he’d scanned after picking up a random book in the Changgong Library: ‘Infighting in the Bureau!’ Didn’t it say that Yvlke had joined hands with Laplace and started a civil war in the Central Bureau?

The Central Bureau was an important organization that kept the heavens and Allforone in check. What would happen if it stopped functioning for a while? The answer was obvious: the heavenly world would descend to the lower floors.

If Allforone was dealing with them, he didn’t have the bandwidth to worry about anything else happening on the lower floors. It didn’t matter how great he was. He wouldn’t be able to handle all the chaos unless he could split himself in two.

Yeon-woo understood why Allforone had appeared at the Changgong Library to prevent his awakening. However, once Allforone realized that he could not restrain Yeon-woo, Allforone had quickly left the library as if he had been kicked out. Since he was too busy stopping the heavenly world from descending, it had been difficult for him to completely stop Yeon-woo’s awakening.

The Demonism had also seen the information and foreseen what the heavenly world would do and how Allforone would counterattack. And so, he had chosen this moment to eat the fruit he had been watching grow for such a long time. He was confident he could now consume Yeon-woo without any interruption. 『Let’s play together to our hearts’ content! Hahaha!”』

Boom! The shockwaves that shook the stage grew more intense. Each impact made cracks form all over the stage, and the void began to bloom out of them. Chains shot out of the void and rushed towards Yeon-woo to ensnare him, glowing with blackness. Yeon-woo was aware that if they bound him, he’d never be able to escape.

[6th-step Dragon Body awakening]

[All powers have been released.]

[The Throne of Death has been released.]

Yeon-woo awakened his Demonic Draconic Divine Body and activated his powers to their maximum. Without Allforone’s obstruction, Yeon-woo had no reason to restrict his abilities. A strong wave of aura flowed out of him like a storm, scattering the chains and clearing away the blackness that sought to capture him.

[Sky Wings]

Yeon-woo swapped his Fire Wings for his Sky Wings and awakened his keywords. Just as the Demonism had revealed his body in the Changgong Library, Yeon-woo also wanted to awaken all the functions of his Sky Wings.

The Sky Wings consisted of keywords that represented the powers of the gods and demons who had offered him their skills and Apostleship. His Channels with the gods and demons had been forcibly closed in the Changgong Library, so he hadn’t been able to fully utilize the Sky Wings. However, now that he was free from any restrictions, Yeon-woo could access more power than previously.

Thus, Yeon-woo was confident that he could finally get rid of the Demonism once and for all and remove a thorn from his side. Thousands of Channels opened up simultaneously.

[The restricted keywords are now accessible.]

[Waiting to connect with the relevant gods and demons.]

[Keyword: ‘death’ is activating.]

[All gods related to death have responded to your request.]

[All demons related to death have responded to your request.]

[Your left wing has been fully activated.]

[Keyword: ‘fight’ is activating.]

[All gods related to fight are withholding their response.]

[All demons related to fight are withholding their response.]

[Your right wing has not been fully activated.]

[Your right wing’s functions have been partially restored.]

[Caution! Only one of the ‘Sky Wings’ has been fully activated.]

‘What?’ A message that Yeon-woo hadn’t expected appeared. His eyes widened, and he looked up at the sky. He could feel that many gods and demons were watching him with wariness, and even outright hostility. Why were the gods and demons acting like this? He could not understand their gazes.

In the past, some of the gods and demons had expressed concern about Yeon-woo’s rapid development and ascension to the Throne of Death. Yeon-woo had also cultivated a hostile relationship with the Titans and Giants. However, these only concerned a few of the gods and demons, and most of them looked favorably on him. Some asked him to be their Apostle, and others had even offered to help him transcend so that he could join their society. They all valued Yeon-woo’s potential. But now, the situation seemed to have changed.

‘My keywords were turned off for only a brief moment. What the hell happened during that time?’

[The gods and demons want to speak with you.]

[The godly society <Asgard> asks you a question.]

[Message: What about our proposal? Give us your decision. This is a prerequisite that must be met before we bestow any of our powers unto you.]

[The godly society <Dilmun> asks you a question.]

[Message: What happened to your access pass to the Changgong Library? What knowledge did you gain there? What is your relationship to the Heavenly Demon?]

[The godly society <Vedas> asks you a question.]

[Message: We know that the Heavenly Demon turned the Wheel of Time and Space. What will happen in the future? Give us the right to peruse the ‘Treasury of Infinite Knowledge’ at the Changgong Library. Doing so will guarantee you the highest position in our society. We promise to restore Brahma’s fallen seat, as well.]

…

[The demonic society <Le Infernal> states a message.]

[Message: We are allies. We are even warring with Olympus for you. We request an alliance. Pass the access authority to Changgong Library over to us. If you do, we will give you a title that is on equal footing with the Grand Duke of the East. However, if you do not give us what we request, we will consider this a breach of our alliance.]

…

They were asking for access to the Changgong Library. All the gods and demons were stumbling over themselves to claim the rewards that Yeon-woo had obtained. They offered him anything he’d like and were willing to even take on the restrictions of the law of causality if necessary. It seemed that all transcendent beings longed to access the Changgong Library.

Still, Yeon-woo withheld his reply, making the gods and demons grow increasingly anxious. It was impossible for Yeon-woo to agree to their requests since he’d already used up all of his viewing rights on the revelations. Also, he was currently in a dangerous battle with the Demonism.

However, the gods and demons knew that he was in a precarious situation and took advantage of this, insisting that he reply. Yeon-woo could feel his insides burning. It was a critical time for them since they were trying to descend, and access to the Changgong Library was more urgent than ever.

[All gods connected to you through their Channels are speaking together.]

[Message: If you don’t have access.]

[All demons connected to you through their Channels speak in unison.]

[Message: We will regard your actions as an affront and declare you our common enemy.]