A confident look and tone of voice.
YuWon confirmed it was true by the way he spoke.
"That was fast."
"I am fast."
The guy crossed his arms and frowned.
But he certainly deserved it.
He never thought he would gather all the alter egos so quickly.
"I thought I would be faster."
Between clearing Floor 44 and the fight with the Three Precious Children, YuWon thought he would need exactly this much time.
And as expected, it took only a few months for the fight to end.
However, the clones gathered much faster than expected.
"It would have been good if the main body was like you."
It was an honest statement.
If the main body had been as intelligent and capable as the twelfth alter ego standing before him now, the fight would have been easier.
"Of course."
That didn't mean Son OhGong didn't have the ability.
"It's even more surprising that he climbed the ranks with that head."
The ranking was based on various criteria.
Individual strength, influence in the tower, power, intelligence, etc.
Among the many criteria, Son OhGong ascended to his position solely with his own strength.
And that was why YuWon thought Son OhGong was really cool.
"What is the main body like?" the twelfth one asked.
YuWon asked in return.
"Don't you know what kind of guy he is?"
"I don't know. I've only seen him for a very short time."
"Why?"
"Because he was imprisoned right after I was created."
Even YuWon knew that Son OhGong was trapped somewhere on Floor 50.
But apart from that, it was hard to understand how an alter ego of Son OhGong didn't know much about him.
"But..."
YuWon, who thought he knew Son OhGong well, realized that he had never spoken so deeply with his alter ego before.
"Because I thought alter egos were just an ability."
But now?
Now that they were talking, he realized that each of the clones had a slightly different personality and different characteristics. The twelfth one in front of him was particularly intelligent.
"Alter egos share the memories of the main body. All I have is a very small part of the main body's memories."
"A part?"
"Well, what he did when he was younger... things like that."
Son OhGong shrugged and continued speaking.
"The rest is loyalty to the main body. Emotional things, like hostility toward the Celestial Realm. The memory part is sparse, so I don't know what the hell I'm doing."
Those words reminded YuWon of Son OhGong's words about the clones.
"Is your alter ego really another you?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
"Because if your alter ego is really another you, I don't think he would listen to me."
A story that came out of nowhere.
Regarding the rare deceptive ability called Alter Ego, Son OhGong said this.
"There's a reason why everyone at least has selfish behaviors."
At that moment, Son OhGong hit his chest and said:
"I may have many bodies, but we are all one."
That's what it meant.
Still, it was surprising.
Not all memories are shared, only some.
He couldn't imagine what that would feel like.
"How much do you know, and how much don't you know?"
Son OhGong looked puzzled at YuWon's question.
"Why? Do you want me to tell you?"
"As far as I know."
After all, the Son OhGong in front of him knew where he came from.
He knew quite a bit about his past and a fair amount about his personality.
It wasn't hard to figure out.
"Well, we're about to get to know each other anyway."
YuWon called the Administrator and immediately ordered a trial.
The difficulty was high, but the time was much shorter.
"You're a bastard, you."
When the Trial was over, the Administrator crossed his arms and looked around.
"Or these guys are careless."
Catching the Messengers.
The trial was about following the Messengers. It was ridiculously difficult to ask someone to chase messengers who were comparable to Rankers in speed.
But...
"How difficult is it to defeat those who are only fast?"
YuWon's eyes saw through the Messengers.
Where they were going.
How fast they were moving.
It wasn't difficult for him to spot them and catch them with his hands.
Of course.
"Ugh, I didn't think you'd pass so quickly."
As much as the Administrator knew about YuWon, he also didn't think he would fail this trial.
However, he didn't expect him to pass so easily.
"Are we on the 50th floor now?"
"Yes."
"That's where the Celestial Realm is."
The 50th floor was a special world even among all the floors.
Each section of ten floors in the world had its own special corners, but the 50th floor was particularly special.
No matter how big a guild was, its influence would inevitably extend across all floors.
But the 50th floor was built like a world solely for the Celestial Realm.
"Are you planning to do something more there?"
"Why do you think that?"
"There are a lot of alter egos gathered there."
For a moment, YuWon felt as if he were naked before the eyes of the Administrator he was facing.
"And you're tangled up with them."
A meaningful gaze.
'...He's still like a snake.'
The Administrator's eyes were otherworldly. Just like Son OhGong's Golden Cinder Eyes, he might not be able to see the whole truth, but he had another pair of eyes worthy of the name Administrator.
In his eyes, it seemed like he could see the relationship between YuWon and Son OhGong.
"Please keep this a secret. Don't get too involved in the world, Administrator."
"There are things Messengers do behind the scenes, but even then, Administrators shouldn't do that."
"In that case..."
"However."
The Administrator's eyes narrowed.
A threatening gaze.
"Don't cross the line. I won't either, but Administrators don't want the world turned upside down."
It was a clear warning.
It was.
But it was justified.
"Surely the Administrator of the 44th Floor is already very angry."
The battle between Yamata no Orochi and Amaterasu.
It was one of the topics that shook the entire Tower. Around 30% of the major cities on the 44th floor were razed due to that fight, and the Trials were suspended for a while.
It will probably take several decades at least to repair the damage.
From the perspective of the Administrator, who can be said to be the ruler of the world, it's not a very pleasant situation.
"The logic of all this is that we can't leave the rotten parts unattended."
"When you say 'rotten parts,' what parts are you referring to?"
"I'm sure there are many, and I can't exactly say which ones, nor am I in a position to judge them...."
YuWon shook his head.
Having these kinds of thoughts, he couldn't just sit idly by.
Especially...
Especially in the case of this 50th floor.
"Please understand that this is a legitimate disturbance given the circumstances."
"Only if it is justified."
"If it's not justified, I will gladly accept the punishment."
Contrary to expectations. Was it because YuWon came out with too much confidence?
The manager shrugged, avoiding YuWon's gaze.
"Well... What kind of punishment would you receive if you're not even a Ranker?"
The Administrator cleared his throat and looked back at YuWon.
"Still, this guy up here is a bit of a jerk. You should be careful if it's just a battle of interests."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The Administrator clicked his tongue and waved his hand in the air.
"Just go up. I don't know what else you're going to do, but do your best."
Unexpected words.
Seeing YuWon's surprised look, the manager raised the corner of his mouth.
"We have different opinions on our side, but I'm still on your side."
[Passed the Trial on the 49th Floor]
[Acquired 100,000 points]
Gii-.
A bright light covered YuWon's face.
A fresh air, as fresh as the light, entered through his nostrils, and with that fresh air, he could see the familiar scenery of the Murim Realm.
The world of the 50th Floor.
A place similar to the Murim Realm, but different.
This place, reminiscent of a mansion belonging to a clan in the Murim Realm, was the gateway for new Players to arrive.
And there...
"Uh, welcome, Player Kim YuWon!"
A voice broke in to welcome him.
"What, Kim YuWon?"
"Already?"
"Isn't there still some time left in the Trial program?"
The Players who spotted YuWon rushed towards him.
Each one held long staffs in their hands.
"How do you feel about reaching the 50th floor?"
"Did you break any records this time?"
"There were a couple of floors where your records disappeared, did something happen?"
A crowd of people gathered around YuWon.
Those who were waiting were journalists. They were fellow players to YuWon, and YuWon had already seen this scene a few times.
Naturally, YuWon didn't answer their questions.
No, he didn't.
There was no reason to.
But...
"We've gathered again."
This time was different.
"My qualifications... are probably not what you expected."
YuWon began to respond to the last question he heard.
"There's not much to say, this is not where I was aiming for, it's just one of those places I'm passing through."
The journalists' faces lit up as they saw YuWon responding to the questions.
Even as they noted down every word, they couldn't help but ask more questions.
"Hargaan has named you his rival, what do you think?"
"It's funny." ("I don't think so.")
"Are you saying you're not a rival?"
"Ask the other party the same question, see what they answer."
"I heard you have a somewhat precarious relationship with the Olympians. How did that happen..."
"Any more questions?"
He moved on from the annoying questions.
Most of the questions were related to Olympus.
It was a well-known fact that the relationship between YuWon and Olympus was not good. However, many said that the relationship had become strained due to Zeus' downfall.
That's why this modifier was added in front of YuWon.
'The world was meant to be.'
Even if you pretend to be Olympus, you are the only one who can do it.
Who would have predicted that the relationship between Olympus and YuWon would be restored when Zeus was brought down?
Of course, none of them thought that YuWon would help bring down Zeus.
"Is there any ranker or guild you would like to meet? If so, what would you like to tell them through this event?"
YuWon's eyes turned to the reporter who asked the question.
It was the question he was waiting for.
"The ranker or guild I want to meet... Yes."
There was one.
The journalists' eyes gleamed. Up until that moment, YuWon had behaved like a lone wolf, detached from any guild.
But here, for the first time, he mentioned that he was interested in a guild.
"Who is it and where are they?"
"The guild I want to meet is the Celestial Realm."
The reporters started writing down YuWon's words.
"And the ranker I want to meet is the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal."
At those contradictory words, no one could help but pause their pens.
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