Transcendent Gallery.

The comments under Han Yuseong’s post kept pouring in.

At the same time, everyone who hit play was met with the same shocking image:

Han Yuseong charging at Dekkan.

The moment showed Han Yuseong instantly closing the vast distance between himself and Dekkan in one blink.

ㄴ ?

ㄴ ??

ㄴ Huh?

ㄴ What the hell, how fast did he get in front of Dekkan?

ㄴ Bro I just rubbed my eyes for a sec—why did his position change?

ㄴ One second?

ㄴ No, way under a second.

ㄴ 0.48, holy sh*t 😂😂😂

ㄴ I timed it. It took 0.48 seconds to close the distance.

ㄴ If you include the time for the technique activation, isn't that faster than a high-rank mage's teleport?

ㄴ How did he even do that?

ㄴ Pioneer: At that speed, it wasn’t thought out—it was pure instinct.

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Yep, agreed.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: You're right. He stepped through the zone and moved forward. It was such a split-second move.

The next scene was Han Yuseong and Dekkan clashing in continued combat.

【Archmage】

The platinum-haired mage, Ophelia, followed Han Yuseong's movements with her azure eyes.

“Huh. The Sword Aura’s density is rising in real time.”

Ophelia was a mage, but she was very familiar with the way a swordsman's martial force surged.

“He’s ascended to Fifth Rank? Yeah... he wouldn’t have taken down Dekkan otherwise.”

Whether in the Tower or here, on this continent after returning, she’d fought countless mercenaries and knights who followed the path of the sword.

To defeat your enemy, you needed to understand them.

ㄴ Archmage: Did he seriously reach Fifth Rank mid-combat?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Yep, confirmed.

ㄴ Pioneer: LMAO man this is depressing. You telling me he ranked up in that situation? 😂

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: How undignified. One should ascend ranks while sitting cross-legged, basking in the upward surge of energy from one's toes. This is... disappointing.

ㄴ Your disappointment is in a really weird place, man.

ㄴ He’s always been weird.

ㄴ FamousOne: Please, for the love of all that’s sacred, act your age, Lord Heavenly Demon...

ㄴ Wait, the Climber is Fifth Rank now?? Huh??? That means...

ㄴ We can’t act like seniors around him anymore LMAO

ㄴ So seniority has an expiration date after all 😂 And it’s this short???

ㄴ Floor 10 filter activated!! 😂 All Easy and Normal Mode climbers just got decapitated en masse LOL

ㄴ Dda-ing─!

ㄴ Except for a few truly enlightened ones, Easy and Normal all got Dda-ing’d!

ㄴ We’re just ordinary normies...

ㄴ Life is meaningless.

ㄴ No no, calm down. Everyone has their own pace and strengths.

ㄴ My “pace” already finished the race. I got no potential left. 😭😭😭

ㄴ Damn... not even Floor 30. We got wiped on 10. That’s just sad.

ㄴ I used to be anxious about reaching Fifth Rank. Now that I’ve hit it, I feel oddly at peace.

ㄴ We haven’t fallen behind... we’re still “friends” on the same path.

ㄴ Yeah... let’s go with that...

ㄴ I need a drink.

ㄴ Bartender, four of your strongest Poison Shots... on the rocks.

ㄴ I’ll settle for some Honggukju and an early night.

Then Ophelia’s eyes went wide.

“Perfect timing...!”

On her screen, Han Yuseong had executed Piercing Blade precisely as Dekkan’s arms lifted—an impeccable read.

Then came the next shock.

Han Yuseong was seen infusing some kind of shard into his sword.

And then—

The sword glowed brighter than ever, surpassing even its usual brilliant aura.

ㄴ What’s that shard?

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Huh? Hey, Sword of Light—

“No way... is that...?”

Ophelia, speculating about the shard’s identity, winced at what happened next.

A sword imbued with dark mana pierced through Han Yuseong’s left side.

“Ugh... that had to hurt.”

ㄴ Damn, he tanked it.

ㄴ Mental fortitude GOAT 😱

ㄴ Ice Queen: Frozen! Hoooo! May your pain be frozen away~!

Despite the wound, Han Yuseong still slashed diagonally through the air.

ㄴ Holy hell, I don’t know what that glowing strike was, but it was clean as hell.

ㄴ Suwang: Behold! The light!!!

ㄴ This Climber guy really gets what combat is all about.

ㄴ Pioneer: Fun fact: I timed it with a stopwatch—he landed that last shard-infused strike exactly 1 second after Extreme Breath activated. Dead-on. Climber, that wasn’t intentional, right?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: I wish I could pull that off on purpose.

ㄴ Holy sh*t 😂 it’s true. 1 second dead-on.

ㄴ Chills. Actual chills.

ㄴ Ice Queen: Frozen! It’s true!

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Seriously. 40 seconds effect window. One misstep and he would've died.

ㄴ Suwang: Therefore!!! Climber Friend is ALWAYS RIGHT!!!

Seeing Han Yuseong pierce through Dekkan’s armor, infused with pure Magi, Ophelia nodded with certainty.

“Yup. That’s definitely a Holy Sword shard.”

She placed her hands on the keyboard.

ㄴ Archmage: That was from a broken Holy Sword, right? Sword of Light?

You didn’t break a perfectly fine one for that... right?

ㄴ Demon Dragon King: Belltuuuui~ Archmage still doesn’t understand the ways of the Sword of Light~ He makes a perfect deduction and still hopes it’s wrong.

ㄴ Sword of Light: Nah. I broke it.

ㄴ Demon Dragon King: Belltuuuui~ Truly a Doctor of Sword-of-Light Studies.

“Ugh, my head...”

Ophelia clutched her forehead. A headache was building.

But she didn’t entirely misunderstand Sword of Light.

Weapons couldn’t be sent through interdimensional trades.

She expected something like an artifact. Not a shard of the Holy Sword itself.

“Well, now that I think about it, only a Holy Sword shard could’ve turned that situation around.”

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist: Wait—is this an invasion opportunity?

ㄴ 😱 Demon faction plotting to invade after hearing about the Holy Sword’s destruction! The Grand Demon Duke’s move?!

ㄴ Sword of Light: Don’t worry. I have another one.

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist: Oh. Never mind.

ㄴ Fastest invasion retraction ever 😂

Ophelia returned to typing.

ㄴ Archmage: Alright, fine... you are gonna repair the sword though, right?

ㄴ Sword of Light: Of course. Ekklesia agreed to be shattered. The least I can do is fix her.

ㄴ WTF the sword agreed to be shattered??? That thing’s just as crazy.

ㄴ Makes sense. Just like its owner.

Then, all comments suddenly stopped.

Dekkan, collapsed on the ground, opened his eyes.

His lips slowly moved.

—Thank you.

—Disciple of the Great Forerunners.

And then, Dekkan’s eyes closed.

He vanished into black mist.

ㄴ Damn... he got his mind back at the very end.

ㄴ Rest well.

ㄴ Hey man, Dekkan—remember when we grilled fish after that beast hunt? That was good stuff. Just... yeah.

ㄴ Hey! I first saw Dekkan back on Normal Mode Floor 72. Thanks to him, I only lost an arm instead of dying. Rest easy, man.

ㄴ You too? Bro, I got through Floor 74 thanks to him. Time to rest.

Even in the same Tower mode, the specific floor sequence could vary. If the difficulty changed, even shared NPCs could show different [N O V E L I G H T] behaviors.

ㄴ Pioneer: I met him more than once. Hard Mode Floor 63—the last night of the Beast Forest battle. Thanks for sharing that drink with me, brother.

ㄴ Suwang: Goodbye, friend! I’ll remember you!

ㄴ Spear King: You were a mighty warrior. Thanks for all the duels.

ㄴ Ice Queen: I think we first met on Floor 54. Having you as a comrade eased my heart. You were more reliable than many players. Frozen farewell.

ㄴ Demon Dragon King: Belltuuuui~ You were better in every way than those throwaway party members. (oT-T)尸

ㄴ Spear King: “Forerunner” is another term for “Transcendent.” He meant Sword of Light. And... the Absolute Monarch, probably.

ㄴ Admin: Sounds like it. He recognized the techniques the Climber used. If he could speak like that at the end, then his memories transferred intact.

ㄴ Sword of Light: So he really remembered me...

ㄴ Sword of Light: That last attack must’ve hurt you too. But don’t blame Dekkan too much.

ㄴ Sword of Light: He couldn’t think clearly. To him, you were an enemy he had to defeat. As a death knight, that was his duty.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: I don’t blame him. Honestly, it didn’t even hurt that much. Felt like my life was slipping away for a second, but the early hits stung more. 😂

ㄴ If I’d leveled up just a bit later, I’d be toast LOL

ㄴ Damn, we almost lost you.

“Sniff... hic... ngh...”

Ophelia wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. The memories were vivid. Everything that happened in the Tower remained crystal clear.

She’d climbed with Dekkan on four floors. It was impossible to forget.

They didn’t talk deeply, not like others. But having a trustworthy vanguard was invaluable to a mage. Especially in the Tower, where death lurked behind every misstep.

He wasn’t “just an NPC.”

“Ugh, I’m getting too emotional for no reason... I need to stop reading these comments. Hmph.”

She said that, but kept reading every last one.

ㄴ Wait, something’s left on the ground.

ㄴ Admin: Dekkan’s sword... and a manual for the Absolute Monarch’s swordsmanship?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Yeah, that’s right.

ㄴ ...So it was a sequel hook. No denying it now. Damn. Rest well, Dekkan.

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: The Absolute Monarch—where is that guy, anyway?

ㄴ Crying in a corner somewhere? 😂

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: No way. Not that man.

“Father.”

Transcendent Gallery Username: Absolute Monarch.

The Iron-Blooded Emperor of the Deindark Empire, Gerard, turned at the sound.

Standing there was his son, the First Imperial Prince, Kailen.

“What is it?”

“The Count of Wymer was supposed to supply Royal Court Mages, but they’re two short—this is the second time.”

The red-haired emperor, Gerard, responded flatly.

“Send your men. Announce compulsory requisition under imperial order. I’ll deal with the Count myself—whether I cut the responsible man’s head or punish the Count’s negligence.”

“I apologize. You entrusted me with this task.”

“There won’t be a third time. You’re capable.”

Kailen bowed his head.

“It’s strange. I’ve shown Wymer nothing but kindness... and yet I think they’re acting like I won’t punish them because of it. I think I appeared too soft.”

Gerard nodded slowly.

“That’s natural. Very few return mercy with sincerity.”

“You’ve never met such a person either?”

Gerard responded with a gesture of his chin.

“Just once. In my whole life. It’s late—go to bed.”

“Yes. Good night, Father.”

Gerard entered his room and pulled a terminal from a drawer.

He projected the video uploaded by the Climber onto the blank wall.

***

Absolute Monarch: The Past

Hard Mode Floor 53 – Climber: Gerard

Following the theory popularized by Sword of Light—that solo climbing led to faster growth—Gerard advanced alone.

Thirty years old. Crown Prince. Genius. Fifth Rank—no, Seventh.

He entered the Hard Tower already at Seventh Rank, yet still hadn’t advanced beyond it by Floor 53.

He was stalled.

Still, he had no choice but to climb.

In the Forest of Beasts, at its core—Wailing Root—

He erased a Rank 7-grade demonic beast, the Abyss Serpent, with a single slash.

On the ground: one man, unconscious.

Surrounded by twelve corpses. Only he was still breathing.

“Still alive.”

Gerard spoke and gave him a high-grade potion.

“Recovery pill. Chew it. You’ll be moving again in 30 minutes.”

Thud.

He dropped a shield beside him.

“This one’s still intact. Use it to block the gray vines and head to the perimeter.”

Why had he helped the man?

Because of what his father always said:

Give a fighting chance to any soldier still breathing.

NPC or not, he followed those words.

It was a mercy granted by noble blood.

He gave what he could, then left.

But Gerard soon faced death.

Medusa.

A curse-type demon that posed no threat—if you kept your mind sharp.

Petrification crept up his legs.

One Medusa wouldn’t be a problem.

But there were three.

Three or more could even stun a Seventh-Rank warrior.

Gerard, with near-immunity to curses, should’ve been fine.

But stray thoughts—his desperate need to reach Eighth Rank—distracted him.

And in the Tower, one mistake could kill you.

His arms were bound by the forest’s vines.

With petrification setting in, he couldn’t even channel mana.

Then—

Slice!

One Medusa’s head flew.

The man he had saved.

One less Medusa gave Gerard a chance.

He shattered the petrification, burned the plant monster, and crushed the other two Medusas.

“Why’d you save me? You could’ve died.”

“You saved me first. Gave me a shield. I lived. Hahaha!”

“Your name?”

“Dekkan.”

Gerard had to admit it.

NPC or not—without this man, he would’ve died on Floor 53.

It shocked him.

Someone who returned mercy in equal measure.

He’d never met one before.

Floor 62.

Their fourth journey together. Final mission in the Forest of Beasts.

“If you disappear this time... I don’t think we’ll meet again.”

“Maybe not.”

“You’ll be a great Emperor. I know it.”

Gerard told him everything. About being Crown Prince of another world.

They were comrades who had traded life for life.

“If this forest is ever overrun again... will you return?”

“Yes. I made a promise with my brother, a fellow knight. That I’d end the beasts here—or die trying.”

Dekkan gave a bitter smile.

“I couldn’t even find his body. But I must keep that promise.”

“Your dead brother wouldn’t care about promises.”

“Haha, you’re right.”

Half a day later, the Forest of Beasts was cleansed.

Dekkan leaned against a massive tree.

“Thank you. Because of you, I learned to enter a Zone. I’ve gained so much from you.”

“Use it well.”

“You’ll vanish soon, won’t you? Next time we meet... can I call you brother?”

Gerard nodded without a change in expression.

“Do as you like.”

That was their last meeting.

Just as he had expected.

***

Gerard, Emperor of the Deindark Empire—Absolute Monarch.

He stared at the paused video.

Dekkan fading into black smoke.

The Valsenartz sword manual he had left behind—written by Gerard himself.

Two wine glasses sat on his desk.

He poured wine into the one facing him.

As if facing Dekkan.

The scent spread through the air.

He didn’t take a sip.

Just stared at the paused frame—Dekkan gone, the sword manual remaining.

"Just an NPC. Just a copy of a memory."

None of that mattered anymore.

He would accept what he saw.

Valsenartz.

His sword style.

The Zone.

Dekkan’s final promise—

To return if the beasts ever rose again.

To die in that forest if he must.

“Farewell.”

That said it all.

“Brother.”