Episode 515 The Last Story (3)
Tower of Trials.
Was it because I never thought that the day would come when I would reach that final floor?
Even though I knew that climbing the Tower of Trials to the end would be a trivial task at the point where I had obtained power equivalent to that of the three ancient gods my heart continued to pound.
Excited….
When you first enter the Tower of Trials a miracle you could not even imagine is within reach.
[The Tower of Trials looks upon the great challenger who has reached the highest point for the first time.]
Numerous challengers climbed the Tower of Trials again and again each with their own wishes hoping to reach the final floor.
I wanted to one day reach the final floor of the transcendental structure called the Tower of Trials and see an untouched view that no one could reach.
Same goes for me.
‘Tower of Trials. What will be on that final floor and what can you get? ‘I’ve thought about it several times.’
I imagined it.
I kept thinking about what the final reward the Tower of Trials had arranged on the final floor would be.
However now there is no need to think or guess about the final reward that the Tower of Trials gives to challengers who reach the final floor.
[The achievement ‘First Reacher’ has been achieved.]
[Exclusive permission #D-0007[Increased Compensation] is automatically activated when the conditions are met.]
[The level of rewards obtained from achievements increases.]
[All abilities increase by 1 000.]
Of course.
[….]
[Challenger Han Seong-yoon.]
[Entry to the final floor of the Tower of Trials has been granted.]
60th floor.
Among the numerous challengers who have chosen to climb the Tower of Trials they ascend to an uncharted territory that none have been able to reach.
My eyes were filled with pure white light and a new world appeared along with a strange sensation similar to advancing beyond the Gate of Ascension.
***
Final layer.
As only the greatest of the challengers climbing the Tower of Trials reached the top the world of vision also experienced an unexpected change.
Everything I saw in front of me was bathed in a pure white light all kinds of exploration abilities such as physical sensations and energy were blocked and I felt like I was flowing somewhere.
───.
“….”
however….
‘Why?’
It was strange.
‘I’m used to it.’
The Tower of Trials allowed entry to the final floor and immediately reached the 60th floor without going through a private waiting room.
Well that being said the way the Tower of Trials sets up stages or moves them to specific spaces is not that different from the existing method…
Aside from that I felt a sense of familiarity with the ‘final floor’ itself which the Tower of Trials had summoned here.
‘Yes… It feels like I’ve returned to a place I’ve been to before. ‘I’m sure.’
I thought that Tower of Trials might have been a modification but I also thought that wasn’t the case.
There has not been a single change in my body or mind and all of this can be stopped by my refusal.
However despite this I continue to feel familiar with the ‘final floor’ itself created by the Tower of Trials.
Strangely enough.
‘Where is it?’
question.
Where on earth have I seen something like this that gives me such a strong sense of déjà vu?
‘Where on earth did I see something worthy of being placed on the final floor of the Tower of Trials?’
step.
That too is only for a moment.
This is the moment when we try to think again and again to find the answer to the question.
Suddenly the pure white light that filled my vision faded and I realized the most obvious answer.
Goooo───!
A pure white space spreads out beyond your field of vision and you complete your grasp of the new space the moment you step on the ground.
Ok.
The pure white space spread like a thin membrane around the point where I was standing but beyond a certain range the pitch black space was radiating its presence.
Kiririk─… Kiririk──… Kiririk───….
A pitch-black space.
The sight of thousands or tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of different types of cogwheels rotating together in a space like space.
There was a pure white space at the center of the interlocking cogwheels emitting intense light like a cluster of stars embroidered in space.
“….”
no.
To be precise the gear wheels did not engage with the pure white space itself as the center.
Rather than the pure white space itself it seems to be centered around a ‘door’ with a geometric pattern engraved in the deepest part of the space.
‘door. A geometric pattern whose meaning is unknown. A space-like background and various gears interlocking within it. …Is that so?’
and….
“under.”
I realized.
“Really…”
What value and meaning does the pure white and pitch black space arranged on the final floor of the Tower of Trials contain and what on earth made me feel such a sense of déjà vu?
“This is absurd.”
Jump and jump….
“Tower of Trials. I knew that imitating this and that was your specialty… but how on earth did you make this? “It doesn’t make sense.”
Standing in front of the ‘door’ with a geometric pattern at the center of the pure white space I stretched out my hand and smiled at the corners of my mouth.
“From my perspective this secret weapon placed on the final floor of the Tower of Trials is an impossible realm that cannot be reached even if you pour out all your capabilities.”
It’s no different….
“It’s fascinating.”
It was simple.
[The God of Transcendence and Death looks at the temporary instrument of ascension with a cool smile.]
[ …’Beginning of Ascension’. Imitating the blessings and curses that must be experienced in order to become a transcendent. It’s a miracle. ]
‘Simple Ascension Organization’.
This means that the final trial and reward arranged by the Tower of Trials on its final floor was an imitation of the ‘beginning of ascension’ to become a transcendent.
***
To be honest I couldn’t help but notice.
The ‘door’ with geometric patterns placed on a pure white space and the countless ‘cogwheels’ embroidered on a pitch-black space were blatantly imitating the beginning of ascension.
The ‘door’ of a geometric pattern placed on a pure white space showed the path beyond the Gate of Ascension and the ‘gear wheel’ embroidered in a pitch-black space symbolized the ‘truth of the universe.’
“under.”
A smile comes out naturally.
I couldn’t even imagine that what the Tower of Trials had placed on the final floor was a simple ascension device modeled after the start of ascension.
Although the Tower of Trials is also a transcendental structure it is inferior to a true transcendental or ascendant with omniscience and omnipotence.
And that too very loudly.
‘I never would have thought that something like the Tower of Trials could imitate the beginning of Ascension and embody at least as an imitation the truth of the universe that exists at the Gate of Ascension and beyond.’
A simple ascension mechanism.
Was it because he knew that what the Tower of Trials gave to the most outstanding challengers who reached the final floor was the right to ascend to heaven to become a ‘transcendant’?
Now that I could go beyond the Gate of Ascension without the Tower of Trials it didn’t seem that important to me.
“Tower of Trials. I know you’re good at imitating but… you’ve never been able to create a replica that surpasses the original. “You know?”
It’s not even just that.
Originally the Tower of Trials attempted to imitate its sacred <Transcendence> and sacred <Death> etc. but in the end everything ended in failure.
This means that the Tower of Trials can create creations exceeding expectations by activating divine <Creation> divine <laws> and divine <miracles> but even that has clear limitations.
The ‘simple ascension mechanism’ cannot replace the ‘initiation of ascension’ which is the original text.
“The same goes for the ‘Simple Ascension Device’. It just creates something close to the transcendent rather than the transcendent. “You can’t reach the realm of the ascended or transcendent with something like this.”
Tuktuk-.
“You know? Something like a ‘simple ascension device’ will only produce dregs that have not yet become transcendents. “Like you.”
In response I touched the ‘simple ascension device’ placed on the pure white space as if knocking and sneered.
“Even that may not be everything.”
Eat.
“Anyway even if you use a ‘simple ascension device’ and become the remnants of a transcendental you will only end up with a tool that is the same as yours or is inferiorly compatible and does not exist.”
Wasn’t that why they forcibly stopped the start of Ascension beyond the Ascension Gate?
In the beginning of ascension beings who take on the great challenge of becoming transcendent lose themselves.
Thus it evolves into a vessel with no limits that can contain the truth of the universe itself and becomes a transcendental being without intelligence.
Since the ‘simple ascension mechanism’ is nothing but the dregs of the transcendental the penalty will be relatively weak but the essential problem cannot be completely ignored.
There is a possibility that there will be problems in recognizing oneself whether big or small and that one will become a puppet that acts as controlled by the Tower of Trials.
You can’t look at something like that and call it a transcendent or ascendant.
“That’s boring.”
Okay.
Before I knew it I had lost the light of interest in my eyes took my hand off the ‘simple ascension device’ thought for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“…Tower of Trials. You and I are essentially the same being. “What you and I pursue are not fundamentally different.”
This is a story from one day.
━Is this the right path to salvation?
━Are you telling me that now as an excuse? Don’t be a jerk.
━They just package the act of playing with the weak as they like as the strong with trash talk calling it a greater cause or salvation right?
During the War of the Gods I had a deep conversation with the God of Creation.
━I am you.
━The sharpest weapon forged through countless trials just to realize your ideal.
Tower of Trials. The creator the God of Creation pushed countless people into hell for the beliefs he believed were right. I was the worst weapon ever made by those hands.
━So. …I am the closest being to a transcendent created by the Tower of Trials.
It felt bad but it was true.
That’s why. I said that the Tower of Trials was the same as the God of Creation.
However now that I think about it even if that is not the case I and the Tower of Trials have the same meaning.
“I pursue becoming a transcendent purely out of a desire to become stronger and you seek to become a transcendent as a means to achieve the goal of eliminating the existence of God.”
The God of Creation who was beyond the Tower of Trials did not answer and regardless of his answer I continued speaking as if in a monologue.
“You know what? This is a story told to me by a close friend who died for me. “It is said that beings who pursue life intelligence and power live like puppets without being able to prove their freedom and existence.”
….
“I felt the absence of choice as everything was taken away from you and the unfreedom that comes from weakness. So in order to become stronger I gave up everything and came here.”
….
“You believe that you can bring about true salvation by cutting out the existence of God from the universe like a tumor. “I have become stronger for that.”
….
“I learned that although they look different there is essentially no difference between the two.”
derision.
“me. and you. There is a difference between the two that separates the purpose from the means. “But crucially there is no difference between the two.”
Damcheonwoo.
The old challenger was a being who came to life acquired intelligence and sought power hoping for freedom and validation of his existence.
And he thought that by giving up his decision to acquire free will even though he had the right to do so he would achieve the proof of freedom and existence through self-acquisition rather than self-loss.
As time passed and I also searched for an answer to his thoughts I came up with my own answer.
“Free will.”
“There is nothing like that.”
“You and I both just kept moving forward to get what we believed was right.”
It was the answer to the contradiction that proof of the existence of free will can be achieved but cannot be achieved at the same time.
“It makes no difference whether it is a thirst for power or a desire to achieve a goal based on faith.”
There was no difference in terms of free will between the Tower of Trials and me.
“I lost everything to you suffered a lack of power and sought power by making desire itself an end.”
….
“According to your beliefs you believed that the existence of God was a hindrance to the right path to salvation and sought the power of the transcendent.”
….
“me. and you. Would you like to tell us what the two have in common? “You and I both felt ‘frustrated’ to put it another way ‘unfreedom.’”
strength.
My longing for that overwhelming violence stems from a lack of loss.
‘Frustration’ or ‘unfreedom’ comes from the absence of power. Therefore I long to reach the pinnacle of power beyond that.
….
faith. Or purpose. The existence of God hindered them from reaching the right path of salvation that they thought was meant for everyone. ‘Unfreedom’. That’s why I long for the transcendent power that can exclude all that.
….
“I felt frustrated that I had no power and could not choose anything.”
“‘You’ felt frustrated because you thought that the achievement of your goal according to your beliefs could not be achieved due to the existence of God.”
“Free will. That thing never existed in the first place. I just want the power to achieve what I want. There was no free will in that progression.”
It’s just that I and the Tower of Trials just kept moving forward to achieve our individual wishes.
“and. Therefore for us free will is the power to carry out our will. That’s my answer.”
Unlike Dam Cheon-woo I arrived at another answer by seeing and feeling his thoughts.
“In the first place the oppression of freedom and existence that we feel stems from the frustration of not being able to achieve our goals and desires.”
In other words free will does not exist but if there is something we consider free will it is ‘the power to carry out one’s will.’
“The power to achieve what you desire. “That overwhelming power that excludes everything means liberation from unfreedom.”
Ouch!
“I don’t use power as a means to an end. Turn means into ends and desires into beliefs. There is no fiction in my mind. “Not like you.”
I clenched my hands into fists.
“So…”
and.
“I am the freest.”
Next moment.
“That is the difference between you and me and ultimately it is what determines whether I succeed or fail in carrying out my will.”
Sze-.
“Look forward to it.”
At the same time I clenched my right hand into a fist and swung it around at the speed of light laughing in pleasure.
─────!
[The god of transcendence and death raises the corners of his mouth and lets out a twisted laugh.]
[ ───Soon. The day will come when I will be the most free. Then you will have to pay the price for my unfreedom. ]
In an instant the entire space itself including the ‘Simple Ascension Mechanism’ is shattered and the divine <Death> returns everything to nothingness.
Coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo co!
In this apocalyptic space where everything was falling apart and dying I burst into laughter feeling one step closer to freedom.
***
As time passed and I climbed the Tower of Trials I converted all of the rewards for clearing trials into strength.
….
Now everything is ready for the final story.
[Challenger Han Seong-yoon’s intention to return has been confirmed.]
[Consumes return stones to permanently return to Earth.]
[….]
‘Let’s go back.’
…And so the final chapter where the full-scale final story begins to unfold has arrived.
.
