Chapter 56 - Choi Jiwon Is Too Strong (7)

"... What did I just see?"

"... I can't believe my eyes."

The Players who had remained conscious struggled to get up one by one, while countless unconscious Players lay scattered across the ground like discarded luggage.

"... It actually worked."

I was inwardly going over what had just happened.

The idea had first come to me when I saw the city's ruler toss me a Diamond token from the pouch at her waist.

The other residents were being controlled by token boxes. Then... could she be, too? That was the thought that had set this plan in motion.

It also helped that the city's ruler was far too childish and arrogant for someone who supposedly ruled a city. Honestly, she acted too much like a little shit to be anyone's ruler.

Of course, I hadn't done this with complete confidence. In my head, I'd put the odds at about fifty-fifty.

If there really was a Diamond box, simply stealing the pouch would do the trick.

If all it held was a lone Diamond token, I planned to slip a Bronze box inside and casually toss it back, playing it cool.

She'd take it and instantly become a beggar, and I'd imagined myself teabagging her with a smug, "Congratulations. You're a beggar now."

But...

"... Thank you."

My thoughts were interrupted when the city's ruler staggered over.

No, the woman who had been playing the role of the city's ruler... I wasn't sure what to call her.

"Truly... thank you."

The former city's ruler no longer radiated that oppressive presence. It was hard to believe she was the same woman who had displayed such overwhelming might.

She just... looked like an ordinary village girl wearing armor that didn't suit her.

"... So."

I voiced the question that had been on my mind ever since I saw the Diamond box.

"Who are you?"

"..."

After some hesitation, the city's ruler finally spoke.

"... The real ruler of this city is dead. He died half a year ago."

"... The real ruler of this city is dead. He died half a year ago."

One year ago.

Exhausted by the endless conflict between social classes, the city's true ruler offered the city to a god.

He was a young noble who had inherited the city at a terribly young age after his parents died away from home.

An ambitious young man pursuing his ideals in a harsh world, he had a clear goal: to turn this city into a perfect utopia. And he had the drive to make it happen.

But... in his immaturity, he had failed to consider that being forced to "understand" someone else would be far more painful than he imagined.

By now, most people had adapted in one way or another, but when the city's rules first changed, it had been absolute pandemonium.

Their actions were compelled. Their personalities were warped. Who was I? What had I become? Countless people couldn't accept it.

At first, the city's ruler tried to stay positive.

It was only an adjustment period. Someday, after enough time had passed, the residents would thank him.

But no matter how relentlessly he tried to brainwash himself, reality remained unchanged.

He had set out to create a better city, a perfect city.

Yet the city before his eyes was a theater of cruelty, its people manipulated like puppets on a stage, weeping tears of blood.

It was already far too late to undo everything. The situation was heading toward utter catastrophe.

The young ruler agonized over it, again and again.

Until he reached the conclusion that someone needed to take responsibility.

"... And so he made up his mind."

Floor 2—this city—needed to be restored to normal.

In recognition of his offering the city himself, he had been granted the position of "temporary administrator."

As a result, he fully understood the city's new rules. The key was his own existence.

Aside from physically enforced rules, such as the inability to leave the city, all other violations had to be punished by the city's ruler in person.

In other words, his existence was essential for Floor 2 to continue functioning as Floor 2.

Which meant...

"That's how he died. He burst his own heart. His last words were... 'I'm sorry,' I think."

Without him, Floor 2 would no longer function as Floor 2.

It would no longer serve as the trial the god wanted.

If that happened... perhaps the god would create a new Floor 2.

Perhaps the residents would be free.

With that thought, the city's ruler killed himself.

"... Never dreaming there was a token box that could force someone to act like him..."

An angel carrying something glittering appeared beside the maid who had watched his death in horror.

That day, a second ruler of the city was created.

Unlike the original ruler, she neither agonized nor reflected, and above all, she was arrogant.

Introspection and self-reflection are processes that allow humans to grow into better, more thoughtful beings, but the new ruler had been given no such functions.

The tower had no need for them.

"... The angels placed restrictions on all the other residents so they couldn't speak of this... But perhaps they thought there was no need to silence the person directly involved, because they never placed any restrictions on me..."

"..."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Because it struck me that everyone here was a victim, except the original ruler who had fucked everything up so spectacularly.

"... What do you want?"

I had no idea what the god who created this tower wanted.

I couldn't understand the motives of someone who would do this, then presume to judge humanity for its wrongdoing.

Was it, I'm such an evil bastard, so hurry up and get stronger, then come cut my head off?

Or was it, Think about what humanity did in the colonial era. This is nothing compared to that?

Maybe, surprisingly enough, it meant nothing at all. Maybe he'd done it for no better reason than, "Well... it's fun."

Seeing the angels' side openly committing atrocities left my mind in turmoil.

"Whew..."

My experience on Floor 0 had taught me that times like this were precisely when I needed to keep looking ahead.

There was no point dwelling on questions I couldn't answer. What mattered was the situation at hand.

"So... you're free of the box's control now, right?"

"... Yes."

"Hmm..."

I glanced at the diamond-colored box in my hand, then at the large sack at the mouth of the alley. The sack stuffed with token boxes.

There was no city's ruler anymore. No one to force people to obey the rules.

There was no way to obtain tokens, either. All the boxes were crammed into that sack.

<Floor 2>

-Clear Condition: Earn the recognition of a city resident and bring a token of that recognition to clear the floor. However, you must not leave the city limits. Get along with your fellow climbers!

Except for "You must not leave the city limits," every rule had become meaningless.

Just as the city's ruler had hoped, Floor 2 could no longer fulfill its role.

"Then..."

What was I supposed to do now? Just as that thought crossed my mind...

"Congratulations!"

An exquisitely beautiful voice rang out without warning.

At the same time, a brilliant pillar of light rose in the very center of the square, and baby angels appeared out of nowhere, blowing trumpets and beaming.

-[Wondrous Achievement Alert!]

-You have successfully neutralized the hidden boss, 'City's Ruler'!

-A special reward will be granted to [Kim Junho] for making the greatest contribution!

Even a message window, something I hadn't seen in a while, popped up before my eyes to congratulate me.

It was as though they were welcoming back a divine champion who had completed his mission.

As those trumpets of victory rang out...

"... Huh?"

I realized I was the only person in the square still awake.

The firefighter Park Cheoljin, who had been exchanging glances with me just moments ago.

The other Players, who had been breathing heavily.

Even the former city's ruler, who had been telling me about the past with her swollen eyes.

They had all collapsed where they stood.

"I've healed them. There's no need to worry."

Their breathing was steady and their expressions peaceful, so they did seem to be merely asleep.

I turned my head slightly to check on Choi Jiwon. Every injury she'd sustained during the battle, large and small, had healed.

So that hadn't been a lie.

I raised my head again and turned toward the pillar of light, where the voice had come from.

"A pleasure to meet you."

A finely shaped nose. Smooth skin. Large eyes and vivid red lips. Auburn curls flowing down their back.

Had the human form been clumsily modeled after this angel?

Or was the being before me the creation on which God had lavished the greatest care?

The androgynous angel slowly stepped out of the pillar of light with a warm smile.

There were no pure white wings spread behind their back.

There was no radiant halo floating above their head.

Yet it was a truly divine entrance, a sacred sight.

All the more so against the square, filled with dust and the smell of burning.

"I am the Archangel Raphael."

The Archangel said to oversee everything from Floor 1 through Floor 5 had descended.

A Word from the Author (Author's Afterword)

Thank you, as always, for reading.

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