Chapter 130 — Beneath the Night of the New Moon
1
A dreary darkness had descended.
A night devoid of moonlight—plunged into a complete and perfect darkness.
It was the ideal time to enter the Erosion Zone and the Rifts.
The new moon was when the demons in the tower were at their weakest.
On this night, the Rifts’ independence strengthened, making them less likely to affect reality.
However, the Tower of Arrogance’s Wardens grew stronger on this night.
Manus had already entered the tower, meeting with Black and White.
“Come on, just admit it. You cheated with those dice, didn’t you?”
“How could I possibly cheat with dice? It’s pure luck. Just luck.”
“Seriously, you think rolling 6s five times in a row is normal, you piece of―?!”
As always, chaos reigned here.
Though Manus had brought them a new game, it was playing out in a familiar fashion.
Clearing his throat to announce his presence, the two turned their gaze toward him.
Manus looked at them with a blank expression as he spoke.
“You two were so engrossed that you didn’t even notice me come in.”
“Oh, welcome! Perfect timing. White here won’t stop arguing…”
“Arguing? It’s called logical suspicion.”
The two of them naturally started packing up the game and turned to Manus, curious about his visit.
This young prodigy—what could he want this time?
Especially for White, being confined for so long, it was refreshing to have someone like Manus around to absorb all the knowledge he could offer.
Though many had found their way into this space, none had sought to learn everything with such fervor as this boy.
A day without even a sliver of light entering through the cracked window.
Black glanced at the window once before asking Manus,
“How far up the tower have you climbed?”
“We’ll challenge the 100th floor today.”
“You’ll meet the first Apostle, then.”
Manus nodded.
There was no point in hiding information from these two.
In fact, it was more practical to share and compare the knowledge they had.
The world had already changed drastically.
If he was to identify the deviations from the original story, he needed companions to help him puzzle through it.
Manus offered a piece of information he had.
Whether it was correct or not, he needed confirmation.
“Once I defeat the Apostle, will another world open up?”
“That’s correct. You’ll have to start again from the 1st floor, but the difficulty will sharply increase.”
“And with the mana stones you collect there, you’ll be able to learn ancient magic.”
White crossed her arms as she spoke.
Realizing the information aligned with what he already knew, Manus felt relieved.
Since he was already here, he thought it might be a good time to learn some magic.
“How much magic do you still have left to teach me?”
“Hmm… two ancient spells, I think? We’re starting to run low on mana stones ourselves.”
“I’ll bring you some after this trip to the tower.”
White smiled and nodded.
“Alright, what do you want to learn?”
“I want to learn the 4th-class spell, [Cus].”
White glanced at Manus, tilting her head slightly.
Her eyes were full of curiosity.
She seemed to ponder something for a moment before she couldn’t hold back her question.
“With your abilities, I expected you to ask for something higher level.”
“This is sufficient for now.”
“Well, alright. I’ll teach it to you.”
The [Cus] spell was a wide-area, non-elemental mana beam that pierced through its targets.
It ignored all weaknesses, but in turn, couldn’t exploit any weaknesses either.
At this point, spells like these were becoming more and more useful.
Besides, the 4th-class Cus was also one of the components necessary for crafting higher-tier Cadenza spells.
“From the 4th-class onward, it’ll get pretty tough. Think you can handle it?”
“I’m certain I can.”
White demonstrated the spell.
With a simple gesture, she extended her hand, and a brilliant magic circle appeared.
The complex structure of the spell resembled a constellation.
White’s representation was the Orion constellation.
The tragic figure who had been deceived by treachery, glowing brilliantly like a constellation adorned with sapphire stars.
Manus closed his eyes and analyzed the spell circle.
After a short while, he extended his hand just like White.
“Oh, I didn’t expect you to pull it off in one go.”
“I can still aim higher.”
“Heh, good. I look forward to the day you surpass us.”
White chuckled lowly and patted Manus on the back.
It wasn’t a light pat, and the force carried enough weight to jolt him.
After exchanging some brief pleasantries, Manus hurriedly left the space.
“Oh, right! That girl—Kael, was it?”
“Is something wrong?”
“She’s come by a few times to learn magic. Quite impressive, really. But… is she really a commoner?”
“Well… I’m not one to pry into others’ backgrounds.”
White nodded as if to say, “Fair enough.”
Then, she returned to her seat at the game board and said,
“Anyway, let’s meet again soon.”
“Of course.”
Manus gave a slight bow and exited the room.
As he stepped into the lobby, the others were already gathered, chatting among themselves.
“-You’re back?”
Alano, fully equipped with her artifacts, greeted him warmly.
Everyone was waiting for his instructions.
Manus gazed at them, then spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“-Yes, sir!”
It was time to conquer the first region of the tower.
2
The 100th floor.
This particular area was referred to as a Zone.
Zones were areas with distinct themes that required specific magical strategies and party compositions.
At every 100th floor, a Zone Master awaited them—these masters were known as Apostles.
They were followers of the God of Death, Mors.
The group had already cleared the 95th floor, led by Kael and Anais, sweeping aside the Wardens in their way.
They had been gradually progressing through the tower ever since.
Under the suggestion to split into two parties and explore the Zone, each team did their best from their respective positions.
“I’m getting pretty used to this now.”
“Right? I wonder what comes after the 100th floor.”
[Krrrrrr!]
Magic exploded, and the demon’s mask disintegrated.
Humans were, as they say, creatures of adaptation.
From the 1st floor to the 100th floor, their mental strength had grown immensely.
The transition from the extraordinary to the ordinary was surprisingly simple.
When you repeat something often enough, even the bizarre becomes routine.
They had adapted perfectly to the Erosion and the Rifts.
“We’re almost at the 98th floor. How’s everyone holding up?”
“I’m fine,”
Alano responded confidently.
Manus’ team was also doing well, with no one showing signs of exhaustion.
Well, no one except for one person.
“Senior, is your shield okay?”
Nia asked.
“To be honest, it’s not performing at its best.”
Unlike mages, warriors and guardians relied heavily on their equipment.
Without proper weapons, they couldn’t fully utilize their skills.
The saying that craftsmen don’t blame their tools?
That only applied when the tools were good enough not to be blamed.
For those who wielded weapons, their gear was their lifeline.
Guillermo’s shield had reached its limit despite their best efforts to preserve it.
Challenging the 100th floor with his current equipment would be a stretch.
“So, what do we do about it?”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a shield during our hunt.”
“Shall we try finding one on the 99th floor?”
Everyone nodded.
Although Guillermo looked a bit uneasy, he couldn’t refuse.
He was the team’s only frontline defense.
The fact that they so casually offered to help find him a new shield was somewhat touching.
“Thanks, everyone. Let’s not waste too much time. I’ll take whatever we find.”
“Great. With a goal in mind, let’s get moving.”
Manus was satisfied to see the team functioning so smoothly without his direct involvement.
They had learned how to grow and how to solve their problems.
With more experience, they would eventually become truly great warriors.
As they walked, Nia sidled up to Manus.
Today, his role was to support the team with various magic.
“Hey, aren’t you going to show us that today?”
Manus didn’t respond immediately, simply looking at her with a hint of curiosity.
“You know… that spell that Kael uses.”
“You’ll see it if it becomes necessary.”
“I’m really curious. I tried it, but I couldn’t even begin to read the spell.”
Manus silently studied Nia.
In the original game, she had little significance, making her an enigma.
If it were up to him, he might have pushed her away, but she already knew too much.
He gazed quietly into her golden eyes, reading the emotions behind them.
“Why, are you jealous?”
“Jealous? What? No! I’m just… curious. And… maybe a little suspicious.”
Her exaggerated reaction was a clear sign he had hit the mark.
Manus turned his gaze back ahead.
He had seen this type of behavior plenty of times.
In dramas, from people around him—characters driven by inferiority, jealousy, curiosity, and ambition.
That delicate balance of emotions.
The way he handled her now would shape her future actions and feelings.
‘What should I say…’
Nia was probably feeling impatient.
Both Kael and Anais, the strongest of their peers, used Cadenza.
Combining magic was already unheard of, and yet it massively boosted their power.
For a mage, firepower was everything.
If you used the same amount of mana but had less destructive power, it meant your abilities were lacking.
He could sense how she feared being left behind.
“Senior, just focus on what you do best.”
“I know that already. I’m a mage with a dragon’s eye, remember?”
“You’ll become stronger. Now that you’ve entered the tower, you’ll find the answers.”
“…Alright.”
Nia turned her gaze forward again.
There was something reassuring in Manus’ eyes—an unspoken message telling her not to rush.
For someone rumored to be a tyrant, he was surprisingly kind-hearted.
She pouted slightly.
Even though she was a year older, why did it feel like Manus was more of an adult?
Come to think of it, despite using Cadenza, Kael had lost to Anais.
Anais had simply found her own path.
‘Is that what he’s trying to tell me? Not to get caught up on one thing?’
Nia’s Dragon’s Eye ability was specialized for copying.
And yet, it had failed to replicate Cadenza, twice now.
Her family had always claimed that there was nothing she wouldn’t be able to replicate.
So, what was the answer?
Looking into the dim tower interior, Nia felt as though it reflected her own mind.
Could she find her own magic within this tower?
“Senior Guillermo! There’s a shield over here!”
A shout interrupted her thoughts, and she turned her head naturally.
With all preparations complete, they were now ready to challenge the 100th floor.
Guillermo hefted the newly acquired shield, nodding in satisfaction.
Nia quietly observed her comrades.
Her juniors, still full of laughter even in this treacherous place.
As she watched, she felt something stir deep within her, an emotion she couldn’t quite place.
[Interference has begun.]
That emotion flowed into Manus, becoming a new seed that would sprout in time.
Only the future would reveal what path this seed would take.
–TL Notes–
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