[Cheat] Chapter 136-140

# Chapter 136: Margaret

“Say that again if you dare.”

“What’s wrong with saying it again? Paimon was originally kind and pureyou forced Paimon into this!”

Zephyr chuckled. “Am I really that bad? I’m very kind, actually. It’s just that in this game, I don’t need to hide my true nature!”

Growing up meant constantly wrapping oneself in disguises—turning from pure to fake. Everyone wore countless masks, treating different people with different faces depending on status and situation.

“But me? Since this is just a game, I shed that disguise. In that sense, I’m actually the purest person in this world!”

Paimon stared, dumbfounded. How can this guy spout nonsense so seriously…

“The secret to smithing is sweat… What’s with all the noise? Oh, it’s you lot.”

Wagner wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking exasperated. “I really don’t understand young people these days.”

“Hello, Wagner. I came to pick up the ore.”

“No problem, I’ve had it ready for a while.”

Wagner handed Zephyr a large bundle of fine enhancement ore.

“Bye~”

After leaving Wagner, Zephyr bought a drink at a street stall and opened his pack. With Wagner’s newly-forged ore plus the piles he’d freeloaded from the Knights, he immediately leveled his weapon up to 40.

“Perfect.”

Lumine was level 20, but with the hidden +20 levels, a level 40 weapon, and artifacts stacked on top, taking down elite monsters in the 40–50 range wouldn’t be a problem.

Just then, a message arrived.

Amber: “Hey, you around? Captain Jean’s looking for you.”

Zephyr: “What does she want with me?”

Amber: “No idea. Just head to the Knights and you’ll find out.”

“…Fine.”

Before leaving, he sent Hu Tao a message—better that than her thinking he was slacking off again.

…

At the Knights headquarters, he knocked on Jean’s office door.

“Come in.”

He pushed it open. Inside were Jean—and Margaret.

Zephyr groaned. “You again? Don’t tell me the cat’s still missing?”

Margaret flushed in embarrassment. “You misunderstood. I already found Little Prince yesterday. Today I came for another matter—I need Captain Jean’s help.”

“You’ve got endless problems. For anything else, go to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“No, no, this time there’s payment involved. I just want Captain Jean to help me figure out which brand of cat food Little Prince likes best.”

“…”

Zephyr was about to explode, but Jean spoke first.

“Sorry, Miss Margaret. My work is too busy. This is something you should handle yourself.”

“But—but there’s payment this time!”

“I’m truly sorry. Even if there’s payment, this isn’t a knight’s duty. Please post a commission at the Adventurers’ Guild.”

Margaret looked dejected, then left.

Paimon blinked. “Eh? Captain Jean, you suddenly learned how to refuse people?”

Jean smiled. “People must learn to grow.”

Zephyr’s gaze wandered to the Holy Lyre der Himmel replica in her office. Yesterday it had been coated in dust, but today it gleamed as if brand new.

“By the way, Traveler,” Jean said. “I thought about it yesterday. That plan you mentioned really was good.”

Paimon tilted her head. “You mean the temporary workers thing?”

Jean nodded. “We’ve already approved it. The Knights are recruiting right now. The benefits are good, but we’ll only accept those with good character.”

Paimon asked, “And how do you judge if someone’s got good character?”

“Simple. We have someone who knows Mondstadt well, who knows lots of people, and whose own reputation is impeccable lead the recruiting.”

“Who?”

Jean smiled. “Amber.”

“Amber? No wonder I haven’t seen her lately.”

Zephyr added, “Speaking of, Amber came to tell me you wanted me—was that about this?”

“That was part of it. But there’s another, more serious matter.”

Jean sighed deeply. “It’s about Stormterror again. Because of him, tourism has collapsed, Mondstadt’s tax revenue has plummeted. But that’s not the worst. The worst is caravans have stopped coming. Which means Mondstadt’s supply of seasonings has run dangerously low.”

“Seasonings?”

“Yes. With fewer spices, prices have soared. Sugar in particular—its price has risen more than tenfold. Thankfully, the Knights have kept the prices from going completely out of control, but the shortage itself can’t be solved so easily.

“Traveler, Zephyr—you’ve been here such a short time yet already became Honorary Knights. Do you have any ideas for solving this?”

Zephyr fell silent. “…I don’t have a great solution. Doesn’t Mondstadt produce seasonings itself?”

Jean shook her head. “Our main industries are grain and wine. Seasonings mostly came from Liyue imports. With caravans too scared to come, the weakness became obvious.”

Lumine frowned. “But are Liyue’s merchants really so cowardly? Just some rumors, and they give up Mondstadt’s trade? I thought merchants were supposed to be bold.”

“No, merchants are usually bold. But in this case, I think they simply don’t need to.”

“Don’t need to?”

“Yes. Even if they don’t come to Mondstadt, they can sell to the other five nations. Liyue’s goods are always in high demand across Teyvat.”

“…Ah.”

Zephyr muttered, “Wait, can’t Sweet Flowers be used to make sugar?”

“They can. But monsters love Sweet Flowers too. To harvest them, you have to go far afield—and the further you go, the more dangerous it is. The Knights considered it, but it’s not worth the risk.”

Paimon grabbed Zephyr’s sleeve. “Traveler! Use your overpowered player brain and think of something!”

“What brain? I don’t know business. The only real solution is to help—or defeat—Stormterror. But he never even shows up. Who knows where he’s hiding. How do we fix that?”

“Wait… didn’t I pull a Clow Card earlier?”

Zephyr dug into his bag and pulled out a strange card.

The Sweet Card!

It had no combat power. Its description: Grants the power to make food taste sweet, or turn objects into sweets.

“This is it!”

He whipped it out, brimming with confidence. “Jean, I’ve got the solution.”

“Really? What is it?”

Zephyr calmly picked up a cup of water from the desk.

“This is just water, right?”

Jean blinked, then nodded.

“And there’s no sugar in it?”

“Of course not.”

“Perfect.”

He activated the Clow Card. It glowed gold, light spilling into the room.

Jean gasped. “Wh-what’s happening!?”

The light faded. Zephyr set the cup back on the desk. “Jean, try a sip.”

“...?”

She stared in confusion. What was this supposed to mean? But it wasn’t like he’d poison her. So Jean lifted the cup and drank.

The instant it touched her tongue, her eyes widened. “It’s… sweet!”

“This was just plain water! Not a grain of sugar! So why—why is it this sweet!?”

Zephyr smirked. “That’s my Clow Card’s magic. It can make food sweet—or turn objects into sweets.”

//END

# Chapter 137: Sugar

“There’s actually a magic like this?”

Zephyr pulled an omelet from his pack and handed it to Jean.

“This is… a sweet omelet? Such magic really exists!?”

Jean was dumbfounded. In her impression, magic was always fireballs and lightning—she had never imagined something like this could exist.

But then her eyes lit up, her breathing a little quick. “This card… does it have any limits?”

“Not sure. But producing several thousand kilos of sweets a day shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jean’s gaze burned hotter. “Several thousand kilos—that’s more than enough! Wonderful. This means Mondstadt’s sugar shortage could finally be solved.”

Among Mondstadt’s missing seasonings, two were most important: salt and sugar. Salt they still had some stock of. Sugar, however, was completely gone.

Jean leaned forward, a bit excited. “Zephyr, please—lend me this card.”

Zephyr smirked.

“Please!”

“I heard, Jean, that you like reading romance novels?”

Her cheeks flushed crimson. “Wh-where did you hear that? Ridiculous! I don’t read that kind of thing!”

“What’s a knight’s code?”

“…Honesty.”

Jean, rare for her, showed a shy and flustered expression. “…Fine, yes, I do read them. So what?”

Zephyr grinned wickedly. “Then beg me like Lady Vira would.”

“Like Lady Vira…? No! I can’t!”

“Why not? Mondstadt is short on sugar. Prices have risen tenfold. Can you bear to watch your people suffer? Can you bear to watch merchants exploit them? And now the solution is simple. Just agree, and all your worries disappear.”

Paimon pointed at him. “Devil! You’re a devil!”

“I… I…”

Jean bit her lip. Just as her resolve was about to crumble, the door opened.

“Oh my, if it isn’t cutie and Jean. Why so close? Don’t tell me… Sorry, Jean, I didn’t know you had that kind of taste.” Lisa shut the door and left.

“Lisa, it’s not what you think!”

But by the time Jean rushed to the door, Lisa was long gone.

Jean collapsed to her knees, her white tights brushed with dust.

Lumine rolled her eyes. “Is teasing Captain Jean really that fun?”

“Yes. Very fun.”

“Jean, I’m joking. Here, you can borrow the card.”

“…Thank you.”

Paimon gaped. “That’s it? You lent it out that easily? Paimon thought you’d threaten her—like, ‘Unless you marry me, no card for you.’”

“…Do I look like that kind of person?”

“Yes!”

“… …”

“Ahem. I respect Captain Jean deeply. I’d never say something like that to her.”

Lumine arched a brow. “So you just say it to me, huh?”

“Ahem…”

Paimon narrowed her eyes. This guy definitely had dirty thoughts—no doubt about it.

If Zephyr knew her suspicion, he’d slap his thigh and say, Exactly! His favorite scene was always the gallant knightess being forced to yield under someone else’s pressure.

Jean steadied herself with a deep breath. “Thank you, Zephyr. Now let’s discuss sugar’s pricing.”

“How much did a pound cost before?”

“About five Mora.”

“So now it’s fifty a pound? That’s insane!” Paimon yelped.

Jean said, “My thought is: keep the price the same as before. All the Mora earned from selling sugar will go to you. The Knights won’t take a single coin.”

Paimon rubbed her chin. “At the old price? Hmm… Paimon thinks maybe you should raise it a little.”

Zephyr suddenly straightened, righteous. “No! Everyone knows I’m a kind man. The Knights’ finances are already strained. How could I abandon them? All Mora earned will go to the Knights!”

“What!?”

Jean and Paimon both doubted their ears.

“No, impossible! The Knights already owe you so much. We can’t accept another favor like this!”

“Traveler! Do you even realize how much money that is!? Do you know how many Sweet Madames you could buy!? Why just give it away!?”

“Say no more. My mind is made up. Unless… you give the card back.”

“…This…”

Jean inhaled deeply, then gave a formal knight’s salute. “Honorary Knight, your contributions to Mondstadt are immeasurable. As Acting Grand Master, I extend my deepest respect.”

“No need to be so formal. Something more casual—like Lady Vira’s way?”

Jean flushed, but after only a brief inner struggle, she lowered her head, touching her forehead gently against Lumine’s.

“Thank you, Traveler.”

…

Zephyr wasn’t even sure how he walked out of headquarters afterward. But when he did, all the Knights who saw him gave strange looks—surprised, impressed, even jealous.

Paimon huffed. “Hey, Zephyr. What are you plotting? Giving it away for free—that’s not like you.”

Lumine frowned too. “Exactly. And also—stop teasing girls. I don’t want to be forced into head-to-head moments with them.”

“You’d rather head-to-head with me?”

“Spit! In your dreams.”

After endless questioning, Zephyr finally revealed his true thoughts.

“We shouldn’t obsess over short-term losses. We must look to the future! Jean is obviously my target. And she’s not just Jean—she’s Captain Jean. Once we sign a contract, she’ll be mine… and won’t the Knights also be mine? I’m just shuffling money around. In the end, it comes back to me. Where’s the loss?”

Both Lumine and Paimon were stunned.

Paimon pointed. “So you don’t just want Jean—you want the entire Knights too! You villain! You’ll never succeed!”

“I’ll even make you third-in-command.”

“Lord Zephyr, this is the wisest, most brilliant decision Paimon has ever seen!”

Lumine: “???”

Zephyr said, “What’re you staring for? Submit now. I’ll make you second-in-command.”

“I’ll never submit!”

“Then I’ll send the entire Knights after your sister.”

“…Zephyr, you’re amazing!”

He couldn’t help but sigh. Money and power really were terrifyingly effective.

Just then, a message pinged.

‘Where are you!!!???’

Zephyr twitched. Hu Tao never let him breathe.

“I’m here already, quit spamming. You’ve sent over 99+.”

“But you haven’t shown up! Where the hell did you run off to!?”

She was fuming.

Zephyr muttered, “Sigh. Compared to Jean, this little brat really doesn’t measure up…”

“In what way am I inferior!? You’re definitely badmouthing me!”

…

After a morning of work, they finally broke for lunch. Zephyr could finally rest a bit.

“Huh? Why’s the internet so unstable?”

Connection dropped in and out. Oddly enough, Genshin still ran, but websites wouldn’t load.

Zephyr sighed, grabbed his phone, and searched.

“Hm, router issue? Routers have two bands, 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz. 2.4 reaches farther but weaker. 5.0 is shorter range but stronger. If laggy, try switching.”

He tried. “…But I only see one option?”

Reading further: If your phone doesn’t show both, your router probably has auto-select enabled. It picks the band for you based on distance. In theory it’s smart, but in practice it’s unreliable. Turn it off if lagging.

“Seriously?”

He switched the setting off—and to his shock, the net instantly smoothed out.

“Amazing.” Selecting the 5.0GHz band, the signal was perfect.

With the internet fixed, he skimmed the news. Nothing major today. Then he opened his chat app.

A familiar ID lit up.

Eiri is God Forever!

(T/N: WTF is this name?)

Ding ding. She messaged first.

“You there?”

“What’s up?”

“I ran into something mysterious!”

“Huh??”

“You won’t believe it. I downloaded a game, and somehow my soul got bound to the character. If my character dies, I die too!”

Zephyr froze. “You too?”

She was shocked. You too?”

Tears welled in Zephyr’s eyes. Finally, a companion!

“What game?”

“Dark Souls.”

“…Uh. Good luck.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Only now did Zephyr realize how lucky he was. Genshin’s difficulty wasn’t high—so long as he didn’t seek death.

But Dark Souls… different story. He could only pray for her survival.

“Forget it. Let’s relax with some Genshin videos. Hm? What’s this?”

“Otherworldly Encounter! Enjoy the Flavor!”

“A Genshin collab event? With… KFC? Ugh, so cringe. I’m not going.”

…Twenty minutes later.

“All sold out.”

“… …”

Zephyr sighed, bought a drink from the corner shop instead, and tapped his phone against the shopkeeper’s—payment complete.

This world’s tech was a bit ahead of his old one. WeChat Pay and Alipay were long obsolete. Now they used a new method: digital RMB.

It was similar to QR-pay, but different—digital RMB worked even without internet. By tapping two phones together, payment went through.

At first, Zephyr found it strange. Now, he was used to it.

///END

# Chapter 138: Tower of God

When they got home, the place was already in chaos.

“Hey, Lumine, get up and get to work already!”

“Traveler, don’t just stand there watching! You come help too!”

Lumine sighed helplessly. “It’s not that I don’t want to move, I really can’t. Zephyr just went out to buy some things.”

“Excuses, all excuses! This Hall Master says you’re just being lazy!”

“I am not!”

“Then can you swear you’ve never once thought of slacking off?”

Lumine silently turned her head aside.

“I knew it!”

“But you said you couldn’t move!”

Zephyr sat down with a weary sigh. The moment he sat, Lumine sent him a thought, “You’re back?”

“You can see me?”

“I sensed it. Hu Tao’s been nagging the whole time.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll start working.”

“No, I meant… maybe rest another half hour?”

This girl… such a slacker?

And yet—adorable.

Suddenly, a small pop-up appeared at the bottom-right corner of his vision.

> “Unlimited Game Platform – Big Sale Today!”

If it were any other ad, Zephyr would’ve closed it in a second. But this was from the Unlimited Game Platform. He clicked without hesitation.

There were five games on sale. The smallest discount was 50% off. The biggest—90% off. Zephyr nearly jumped.

Ninety percent off! Practically giving it away! He clicked into it immediately.

The game’s title was: Tower of God.

Zephyr frowned. Tower of God… I vaguely remember watching that anime.

“Wait, this is weird. Even at ninety percent off it’s still 100 points?”

He only had 100 points total, earned from completing a main quest.

That meant, without discount, the game cost 1000 points.

What the hell, so expensive! The others weren’t this pricey!

He looked closer at the description:

A girl named Rachel who chases the stars, and a boy named the Twenty-Fifth Baam, who only needs Rachel and nothing else—this is their story of an “ending” and a “beginning.”

“…What the hell kind of description is this?”

Zephyr was speechless. I don’t even understand it. So what exactly is Tower of God?

Tower of God—

Within it exists everything: wealth and beauty, power and prestige, even strength surpassing all. Whatever you desire, you can find in the Tower.

“Oh, it really is that anime.”

Zephyr gradually recalled.

It was a closed world. No sky, no earth, no planet—only the Tower of God. People were born and died inside it.

The Tower had false skies and false lands. No one knew what lay outside, and no one even cared.

The protagonist, the Twenty-Fifth Baam, had no past memories for unknown reasons. Naive and ignorant, he lived alone in a world of darkness.

Until one day, the kind-hearted Rachel saved him. She taught him survival, letters, and what it meant to dream.

But all of that was meaningless at the Tower’s lowest levels—worthless, like trash.

Rachel had always dreamed of seeing real stars. For that, she began climbing the Tower of God.

Unwilling to let her go, Baam chased after her. Thus began their story.

The Tower of God had 135 floors. Each floor required a test to ascend.

The Tower was divided into three regions: Outer Tower, Middle Area, and Inner Tower.

Each floor was the size of a continent. Most people lived in the Outer Tower, living ordinary lives until death.

A lucky few were chosen by Administrators, granted the right to climb. These were called Regulars.

Those who entered by their own strength, not chosen, were called Irregulars—so rare they could be counted.

Below floor 20 were all newbies. True climbing began from floor 20. Reaching floor 134 meant you were a Ranker, a high-level being.

Each Ranker required at least 500 years to grow strong enough. Yet in this game, there were 100,000 Rankers!

Zephyr’s jaw dropped.

The description added:

The minimum level of a Ranker is 90.

“…”

He was dumbfounded. Ninety… and 100,000 of them?!

That was insane. Even the whole continent of Teyvat would be crushed—

(Except for gods and archons.)

Zephyr swallowed hard. “This world is terrifying…”

Of course, as a newbie just starting, he wouldn’t run into those monsters. They were all over 100 floors. He’d start from floor one, far away.

Still, the danger level was definitely extreme.

He thought for a moment. “Maybe I should check the other games first.”

The others were less discounted. Three were slice-of-life, and one was very familiar—JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure! Judging by the description, it was Part 3. Original price: 500 points. Discounted: still over 300. He couldn’t afford it.

That left Tower of God the best bargain.

But also the riskiest… Zephyr hesitated.

“I remember the original plot wasn’t that dangerous. Maybe it’s just the quests in this game that are tougher?”

That, at least, he could accept.

The page also said old characters could be transferred.

“That’s good. I’ll talk with Lumine first.”

Back in-game, Zephyr said, “Lumine, I need to tell you something.” He explained the whole thing.

Lumine thought for a long time. “I support it. After all, I didn’t cross worlds just to play around—I want to get stronger. A slice-of-life world isn’t worth going to.”

“Alright then. Tower of God it is.”

“When do we leave?”

“This afternoon.”

Hu Tao was still noisy—he’d better help her finish some work. And before leaving, he had to tell Amber. He couldn’t just vanish silently again.

So he spent the whole afternoon helping Hall Master Hu Tao. Finally, Hu Tao clapped her hands. “Dinner time, dinner time! My treat today!”

Paimon blinked. “Really? But Hu Tao, where’d you even get money?”

“Hehe, money is nothing to this Hall Master. Right, Traveler~?”

“…How is this your treat, then?”

“Eh? But aren’t I your best partner?”

“….”

“Fine, whatever. I also have something to tell you all. Noelle, stop for now—it’s dinner time!”

“Just let me finish this last bit of work!”

“I’ll count to three. Three, two, one…”

Noelle puffed her cheeks, lightly hammering her fists against Zephyr. “Mr. Zephyr, you’re so mean.”

Amber was called over as well.

The meal was lively and warm. Then Zephyr stood up and said, “I’m going to pick up a delivery.”

//END

# Chapter 139: Tower of God – First Floor

Paimon’s lips curled into a mischievous grin. “Traveler, do you drink?”

Lumine shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

“How can you not drink? With so many of us here, without alcohol it’s not lively at all!”

Saying that, Paimon grabbed a bottle, poured wine into a cup, and pressed it to Lumine’s lips.

“Paimon, you little—!”

“Sorry, Traveler, but sometimes Paimon can’t tell whether it’s you or Zephyr speaking, so Paimon will just put some of the blame on you.”

With that, she tilted the cup and poured the wine into Lumine’s mouth.

Hu Tao cheered, “Nice one, Paimon! Keep going, you’re the best!”

Amber frowned. “Paimon, this doesn’t seem right…”

Noelle stood frozen, completely shocked.

“Drink! Drink!”

Paimon forced a few more cups into Lumine.

At first, Lumine glared at her with killing intent, but soon her eyes glazed, and her awareness grew hazy.

Hu Tao’s eyes sparkled. “Good job, Paimon! The first customer of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s new branch is about to be born!”

Zephyr returned just in time to see Paimon pouring alcohol down Lumine’s throat. “Paimon! What the hell are you doing!?”

“W-Wasn’t me, Traveler wanted to drink!”

“I’ll believe your nonsense!”

He called a server, ordered an entire barrel of soda, and dumped Paimon inside.

“You’re not coming out until you finish it!”

“Mmphh—!”

Amber said carefully, “Um… Zephyr, isn’t this a bit too cruel?”

“Not cruel at all! Look what it did— I was planning on doing a mission later!”

“Mission?”

“Yeah, I was going to tell you all. Lumine and I are about to head to a new world.”

“What!?” Everyone was shocked.

“What kind of world? Is it dangerous?”

“Not too dangerous.” Zephyr didn’t dare tell the truth—he didn’t want them to worry.

“When are you leaving?”

“Originally this afternoon, but with Lumine this drunk, tomorrow.”

“We’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

“Mm.”

Hu Tao chimed in, “What about me? When will you take this Hall Master to another world too?”

“Have you even finished setting up your branch in Mondstadt?”

“Uh…”

Noelle blinked up at Zephyr, her big eyes shining, silently saying: Mr. Zephyr, I want to go too. I want to become stronger.

But since Noelle was such a good girl, she didn’t say it aloud—only let her eyes express her wish.

“…Next time. Definitely next time.”

---

The next morning, when Lumine sobered up, Zephyr said farewell to Amber.

“Alright, I’m leaving.”

“Safe travels.”

Paimon tried hiding behind Amber. “Uh, c-can Paimon not go?”

“Nope!” Zephyr grabbed her back.

They waved goodbye to Amber and stepped into a new world—Tower of God.

---

The screen went black. A CG cutscene began to play.

Paimon gasped. “What, there’s even a CG!?”

Zephyr raised a brow. “Oh? You can see it too? Fine, let’s watch.”

In the darkness stood a boy. His face was numb, indifferent—like the saying: Some are alive but already dead, while some are dead yet still alive.

A day passed. A month passed. A year passed… countless years in darkness.

Until one day, a girl appeared.

“Who are you? Why are you here alone? Where’s your family?”

The boy said nothing.

The kind girl led him out of the cavern, taught him words, taught him love, taught him hope.

The boy’s eyes gradually cleared; he began to “live.”

To him, this girl was his angel, his only family.

But one day, she said she wanted to climb the Tower of God.

That was when the boy learned her dream.

But he couldn’t bear it. He didn’t want to lose her.

The girl… ran away.

Toward the Tower of God.

---

> Main Quest: Climb the Tower. Each floor cleared grants rewards.

> Complete the 6th Floor Test → Reward: 100 Points

> Main Quest: Help Baam or Rachel reach the Tower’s summit. Time limit: 100 years.

> Reward: Primogems x5000, Points x10000, Godhood x1

“100 points for just six floors? Not bad… wait—what the hell!?”

Seeing the second quest, Zephyr nearly jumped. So many rewards!?

Primogems, five thousand of them! Points enough to buy any game!

AndGodhood?

“This game has something like that too!?”

But then he frowned.

“One hundred years? You’ve got to be kidding.”

He didn’t even know if he’d live that long.

And he had to choose—help Baam or Rachel.

The original plot’s world-building was massive. Only one season of anime had aired, and it barely scratched the surface. He knew nothing about later arcs.

Rationally, Baam was the protagonist—he’d more likely reach the top.

But… he was a guy. Zephyr wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of spending a hundred years helping a dude climb.

Rachel, though controversial, was still a heroine Zephyr liked. If he could, he wouldn’t mind helping her.

Besides, there were also side quests, like collecting treasure chests or Oculus—clearly standard tasks given whenever entering a new world.

Looking closer, he spotted a fresh new quest:

> Side Quest: Collect the Thirteen Month Series weapons. Each collected grants rewards.

“Done deal!”

---

At that moment, Lumine slowly opened her eyes, dazed. “Where is this…?”

Darkness. Cold. Trembling.

She had suddenly appeared inside a vast, enclosed corridor.

The space was enormous. Dim walls hung with world-famous oil paintings, giving the place an eerie, oppressive atmosphere.

Behind them loomed a gigantic transparent glass wall. Beyond it was thick “seawater,” where a massive creature swam in the depths.

“Where… where are we? Paimon’s scared…”

Paimon dove into Lumine’s arms.

“This is the new world—the Tower of God.”

“The Tower of God? This is the Tower?”

“Yes. This is the first floor. We weren’t chosen by an Administrator—we’ve entered directly. That makes me… an Irregular.”

He wandered a bit. The game wouldn’t place them here for no reason.

“That over there—it’s terrifying. I feel like there’s a monster inside.”

Lumine frowned. “Seawater?”

“No. That should be Shinsu.”

“Shinsu?”

“You can think of it as energy, like mana or chakra.”

At that, Lumine inhaled sharply. “So that entire wall… it’s all energy? If even a single surge escaped, the destruction would be unimaginable!”

“And I think I saw something alive in there. For a creature to live inside that much energy—it must be an incredibly powerful monster.”

“In theory, since this is only the first floor, the Shinsu’s density isn’t high. As you climb higher, it grows stronger. At the upper levels, a normal human would explode just by stepping in.

But here on the first floor, its strength should be limited.”

Should be?”

“Mm. Because the Administrator cheated—the monsters here have the strength of floor 20 beasts.”

Paimon gasped.

Suddenly, a beam of light pierced the darkness. A figure slowly emerged within it.

Paimon cried out, “There’s someone there!”

//END

# Chapter 140: The Girl Who Wanted to See the Stars

Suddenly, a beam of light pierced the darkness, and a figure slowly emerged within it.

Paimon cried out, “Someone’s there!”

Zephyr stepped forward. It was a blonde girl, though her features weren’t as refined as Lumine’s—her face was dotted with freckles.

Yet her aura was fragile and pitiful, moving in its own way.

Rachel, LV1

“So… this must be the very beginning of the story.”

“She’s Rachel, right? The girl from the plot?”

“In the story she seemed like a genuinely good person.”

“Good? …That’s hard to say. People have two sides. You can’t really sum her up as just ‘good’ or ‘bad.’”

Rachel slowly opened her misty eyes. “This is…?”

“You’re awake? The operation was successful… cough cough—I mean, this is the first floor of the Tower. Once you pass the test, you can climb higher.”

“…The Tower!? I actually made it into the Tower of God!?”

Rachel looked shocked, then her eyes lit up with joy and desperation. “Then—you must be the Administrator?”

She suddenly sat up straight. “Administrator, thank you! Please, I want to climb the Tower, I beg of you!”

“Administrator? What’s an Administrator?”

“Please, Administrator, I beg you!”

Lumine struggled to pull her hands free. “Hey! Let go! I’m not an Administrator—I don’t even know what that is!”

In his heart, Zephyr explained: Administrators are the ones with authority. Only those chosen by them have the right to climb. Otherwise, you spend your life in the Outer Tower, ordinary until death.

“I see…”

Rachel blinked, confused. “Wait—you’re not an Administrator? But isn’t that one beside you a legendary fairy?”

Paimon folded her arms proudly. “Correct! Paimon is a fairy! Girl, Paimon like you—you’re the first one to recognize Paimon's true identity!”

Zephyr flicked Paimon’s forehead. “No. You’ve misunderstood. I’m just like you—another climber.”

“Ah… I see.” Rachel’s eyes dimmed with disappointment.

“My name’s Lumine. This is Paimon. And you are?”

“My name is Rachel…”

Paimon whispered, “What’s with her? Is she really the heroine of this world?”

Zephyr nodded. “Yes. She’s Rachel. My main quest requires me to help either her or Baam reach the top. This girl… she has an obsession with climbing that’s impossible for others to imagine.”

“Then… who do you want to help?”

“…I’ll decide later.”

---

Another figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

“Oh my, two people? That doesn’t match the expected count. Strange.”

Paimon spun around. “One, two, three—hey! Do your eyes not work? Am I not a person!?”

“My apologies. So there’s a fairy among the climbers. I, Headon, offer you my deepest apologies.”

The figure wasn’t human. It was a bizarre, humanoid rabbit-like creature. Three parts rabbit, one part human, and several parts monster with no name.

Stranger still, it wore human clothes and carried a peculiar staff.

Zephyr instantly felt a dense surge of energy radiating from it. This was no ordinary being.

> Tower of God Administrator – Headon, LV90

Zephyr’s pupils contracted. Level 90!

Before he could react, Rachel’s eyes widened with excitement. “You must be the Administrator!”

“Indeed. I am one of the Tower’s Administrators. My name is Headon. And you are?”

“M-my name is Rachel. I wish to climb the Tower. Please, I beg you!”

Headon’s expression remained stone-cold, his voice deep.

“I refuse.”

“Eh…? Why? Please, I’m begging you!”

“The one the Tower calls… is not you.”

“No, no! Please, I want to climb too! Give me a chance!”

Rachel’s face twisted with disbelief, trembling with emotion.

“I’ve said it already—the Tower is not calling for you. It calls for those beside you, and for a boy. You merely slipped in through the passage by chance. In truth, you have no right to climb.”

“Eh…”

Rachel turned, eyes full of despair.

“Lumine… why…?”

Zephyr didn’t know how to answer.

“Please! Just one chance!”

“A chance?”

“I’ve dreamed of climbing all my life. Please… I beg you!”

Headon sneered faintly, as though recalling something. “Since you insist, perhaps it isn’t impossible. I’ll give you… a test.”

“A test?”

Behind them, the massive glass wall glowed. From within, a colossal beast bared its bloody jaws and let out a roar.

Rachel and Paimon both went pale.

“M-m-monster!?”

Headon spoke calmly: “The rules are simple. Enter the cage. Avoid the White Steel Eel, and shatter the black orb. Do that, and you pass.”

Paimon’s jaw dropped. “That’s an eel!? Are you kidding me!?”

That thing was more like a whale crossed with Godzilla!

Rachel’s face drained of color. “No… impossible… I can’t! How could I fight such a monster? And I don’t even have a weapon! It’s cruel to make me face an unwinnable test!”

Zephyr used his appraisal ability.

> White Steel Eel – LV20

Not as high as he expected. But its sheer size made “level” meaningless. Even if it did nothing, the pressure of its aura alone could crush a whole horde of hilichurls.

Thankfully, Rachel’s task wasn’t to kill it—just to dodge it and break the orb.

But even so, it was a huge challenge. Zephyr remembered—the orb’s material was incredibly tough. Without the right weapon, it was practically unbreakable.

Even he wouldn’t find the trial easy. For Rachel, it was near impossible.

Her face was pale as paper. “I can’t do this! Facing a monster like that… without even a weapon… how could anyone pass this kind of test? It’s too much!”

Zephyr also thought Headon was being cruel. This wasn’t a test—it was clearly meant to block her.

If it were anyone else, fine. But Rachel was one of his main quest targets. If she failed here, he’d be left with only Bam.

“Silence.”

Headon’s tone grew sharp. With a flick of his hand, torrents of Shinsu surged forth, wrapping around Rachel’s body.

“Ahhh!”

Rachel screamed in pain.

Shinsu didn’t suffocate—but its crushing pressure was unbearable. For an ordinary person, it was lethal.

“You can’t even endure the Shinsu of the 10th floor? Pathetic. How could someone like you ever dream of reaching the top?”

“Hey! What are you doing!?” Paimon shouted. “Even if you won’t let her climb, you don’t have to bully her like this!”

Zephyr could see Rachel’s HP plummeting, dropping to half in moments. His brows furrowed.

“What’s your point? You want to kill her? Stop!”

She was one of his main quest targets—she could not die here.

Headon paused, then said coldly, “Since Mr. Zephyr asks, I’ll relent.”

He released his grip. The Shinsu vanished. Rachel gasped for air, her face filled with the shock of surviving.

“You alright?” Zephyr asked.

“I… I’m fine. Thank you.”

Her expression carried gratitude, but also envy, and some deeper, complicated emotions.

Paimon said softly, “Rachel, maybe you should give up. That Headon guy clearly isn’t a good person.”

“No… I won’t. For my dream, I’ll never give up climbing.”

“Dream? What dream? What could be more precious than life?”

“I… I want to see the stars. With my own eyes.”

“Stars?”

Paimon scratched her head. “What’s so special about stars?”

Rachel looked at them as if they were the same as her—people born in the Tower, never knowing anything else. She sighed.

“Our world is a dark one. No sky, no daylight—only endless night. We’ve lived here our whole lives.

I don’t want my life to wither away like this. I want to climb the Tower. I want to see the outside world. I want to reach the top… to see the sky… to see the real stars.”

//END