MDPS 36

Chapter 36

My Dark History Is Too Strong

Tower of Fierce Battle (1)

Hertia was awed by Lucifer’s transcendental foresight.

‘So, he had predicted everything all along.’

Sensing murderous intent directed at Lucifer, she had acted impulsively and descended.
Her master hated when plans were disrupted, but fearing that His body might be harmed, she had intervened anyway.

Yet in the end, her interference led to the worst possible outcome—Caligo being possessed by Theo.

‘How foolish I was…’

Even so, Lucifer remained unwavering and suppressed Theo.

‘Not only Theo, but even the existence of this insect—he foresaw it all.’

When Lucifer had ordered them to scout the area after saying he would remain alone with Theo, she had found it strange.
All they could hear were the howls of beasts and the sound of the wind—what could possibly be worth scouting?

But of course, Lucifer had known.
Who could have imagined a human was lurking nearby?

‘He must have anticipated everything… Theo’s arrival, our descent, and even the existence of that rat.’

The man they found in the forest was holding a massive camera, more than a kilometer away.
At first, she hadn’t even realized he was human.
If he hadn’t shifted slightly, she never would have noticed him.

Hertia immediately reported to her master, Oh Hyun-woo, Lucifer.

“Master. I’ve spotted a suspicious figure.”
—Suspicious figure?
“A rat spying on you, my lord.”

There was a pause.
Then Lucifer gave new orders.

—Reveal yourself.
“Am I permitted?”
—In this place, that would be best. But do not reveal that you are my summoned being.
“Understood.”

With his command, Hertia approached the man’s back as he peered into his camera screen.

“A rat sneaked in here, I see?”

At the sound of her voice, the informant Min Kang-hoon turned, sweat dripping down his face.
And the moment he saw the Witch of the Apocalypse, his legs gave out.

“What were you doing here? Did you dare think to spy on me?”

Min Kang-hoon’s body trembled violently.
From afar, she might still have seemed uncertain—but this oppressive aura left no doubt.

The monster before him was indeed the Witch of the Apocalypse.

“You spied on my territory without permission. What price will you pay? Will your eyes suffice?”
“Y-you think I’m scared?!”

As Min Kang-hoon tried to summon a contracted beast, Hertia thrust her face right up to his.

“I’ve memorized your face. If you intend to summon a beast, think carefully. If it’s an elf you dare summon, then losing your eyes will not be the end of it.”

At her whisper, his pants grew wet.
He dropped everything he was carrying and bolted into the forest.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Watching him flee, Hertia reported again.

“The rat abandoned his belongings and ran. Shall I chase him down and finish him?”
—No. If he left baggage behind, there’s no need. Collect it carefully.
“Yes, Master.”

Honestly, I was a little startled.
I had felt a strange gaze on me, but thought maybe it was just my imagination.

After all, the Adventurer Headquarters had already issued orders not to approach this place.

But it was good I had prepared in advance. That guy was clearly tailing me specifically.

“Master, here. These are all his belongings.”

A mountaineering bag and a massive telephoto camera.
Clearly he had prepared thoroughly to spy from afar.

‘He seems like a pro… but he must have been scared out of his wits, leaving behind even his camera.’

Well, if even I would freeze up being glared at like that by Hertia, it’s no wonder.

I turned on the camera to check its data.
It was too dark to see clearly, but between the moonlight, Hertia’s figure was captured.
Theo and Caligo’s silhouettes were faintly visible as well, though the mist obscured details.

Still, with detailed analysis, anyone could figure it out.

‘So he really was tailing me. He’s been snapping shots since before I even entered the forest.’

There were also pictures of me heading to the convenience store and toward the Tower of Fierce Battle.

I quickly removed the SD card.
This place was a magic discharge zone. Where new facilities or updates occurred, magic storms rendered electronic devices useless.

This camera didn’t even have space for an extra SD card, so I could rest assured I had secured all the data.

‘Now the question is—who exactly is digging into my background? I have a rough idea…’

I rummaged through the other bag.
Inside were his business card and ID.

‘Min Kang-hoon, member of the Deathside Guild.’

A quick search online brought up information.

‘Recently active on the 90th-floor raid team…’

If he was included in the top raid team, he must hold some status within the guild.

But why would Deathside be tailing me?

‘I recall he was present at that secret gathering of the major guilds…’

Maybe it was Deathside who actually hosted that meeting.
And since he acted alone without other guilds’ cooperation, perhaps they were the group most eager to eliminate this “mysterious adventurer.”

“Anything else suspicious?”
“None that I found.”
“Alright.”
“What should we do with these, Master? Shall I burn them all?”

I hesitated.
Destroying them outright seemed wasteful, but they weren’t especially valuable either.

As I pondered how best to use them…

“…That smell.”

Caligo pushed between me and Hertia, sniffing intently.

“Caligo. Your antics were odd enough before, but this is disgusting. Have you finally degraded into a beast?”

Ignoring her insult, Caligo shoved his face into the bag, sniffing greedily.

“Master, I suggest you remove this mutt in heat.”

Then—

“Sage! I found it!”

I frowned.
I hadn’t ordered him to search for anything.

But since he seemed to have discovered something, I nodded.

“Speak.”
“This bag reeks of vampire rot.”

Vampires? Why would their stench be in the belongings of someone tailing me?

It could be residue from materials harvested from them, but Caligo’s tone suggested otherwise.

“What exactly did you smell?”
“Karmar de Labl… that idiot’s stench is all over it.”

Immediately, I collected Min Kang-hoon’s bag.

‘Looks like I’ve caught a lead worth investigating.’

Early the next morning, I returned home from Inje County.
I had already summoned Theo, so there was no more reason to stay.

‘The Deathside rat’s bag smelled of Karmar de Labl…’

So, Deathside had connections with vampires?
That was no small matter.

Back when Legend Seven was just a game, vampires were sealed away in Episode 4’s finale—
Sealed by none other than Caligo’s poison.

I had thought them completely imprisoned. Yet here they were, appearing in the Tower, and now interfering even in the real world.

‘If they’re connected to Karmar, then spying on me makes sense.’

Karmar knew I had Hertia and Caligo as summons.
Maybe Deathside tailed me on his tip, hoping to exploit that as a weakness.

‘By now, Deathside must have confirmed Hertia’s existence.’

But that was fine. They had no evidence.
Even if rumors spread, it wouldn’t matter.

“The mysterious adventurer commands an episode villain as a summon!” Without proof, it would just sound like wild speculation. More believable, perhaps, if tied to Episode 8’s lore.

‘So, is it only Min Kang-hoon tied to Karmar? Or Deathside as a whole?’

Why was Karmar interfering in the outside world at all?
Clearly, I’d have to keep an eye on Deathside.

But my thoughts were broken—

“You’re too slow! Hertia, I said to find more praise about our Master online!”
“…Wait. I am still not used to this language… ‘Mys… te… rious… adv… enturer…’ where is the ‘M’ key…?”
“Sigh. Elves really can’t adapt to new things, can they?”

…My musings were shattered by Hertia and Caligo, who had immediately claimed the computer at home, saying they were checking news and community posts about me.

“Move aside! Look, this is how you search!”

Caligo confidently clattered at the keyboard.
But when the search failed, he grumbled.

“As expected of tools made by pitiful humans. Utter junk.”
“In any case, I believe engraving your name in the Tower should be our first priority, Master.”

…Right. There was no point obsessing over problems without answers.
Better to focus on what I could do—on my own growth.

“Agreed. We move today.”
“Then we’ll return and prepare.”

Once they departed, I sat at the desk.
I wanted to check the progress of the major guild coalition’s raid.

But then, Caligo’s search term on the screen caught my eye:

⌕ Nusipo’s Achbments

‘Caligo… were you trying to search Lucifer’s achievements?’

It seemed both he and Hertia were still far from adapting to this world.

The coalition of ten top guilds appeared to be progressing smoothly.
While I had been setting up Theo, they had nearly reached the 100th floor.

They had cleared floor 96 in three days, floor 97 in a single day, and floor 99 in just two.

‘Either they weren’t serious before, or they’ve gotten outside help. Either way, it’s pathetic.’

These were guilds who struggled even past the 94th floor, suddenly advancing like they were on steroids.

Well, I myself cleared floors 91 to 99 in just two days—
But unlike them, I shattered every existing record.

Now the public framed it as a rivalry:
the rising superstar of the new age versus the veteran adventurers of the great guilds.
People loved this kind of drama.

“Hyun-woo. It seems they’ve already begun suppressing us. Acquiring the items you requested may take some time.”
“They’re moving harder than expected.”

The Gale set, artifacts that would enhance Theo’s strengths and give wings to his abilities.
Indispensable for his difficult setup—but the biggest producer was, of course, the major guilds.

Still, thanks to Ascend and Radiance doing the legwork, I managed to complete the setup with slightly downgraded items.

“And as for the guides you sent past the 40th floor…”

Son Tae-ha continued briefing me on distribution of walkthrough videos and the growth progress of the trainees.

I nodded and stood.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll be on my way.”
“Are you heading for the 100th floor?”
“Yes. With the episode update just around the corner. Besides… if this is a competition, I intend to win.”

The coalition had already departed last night.
But I wasn’t worried.

Clearing the 100th floor would not be easy.
Episode 7’s overall theme was speed.

Unless one poured tremendous effort into setup, enemies always struck first. It was infamous for its brutal difficulty.

Considering their setups, the major guilds were probably getting beaten like dogs right now.

As for me—I was ready.
With Hertia, Caligo, and Theo, failure was practically impossible.

“Safe travels, sir.”

Leaving Son Tae-ha behind, I set out for the Tower.

The first-clear title for the Tower of Fierce Battle had to be mine.

Partly to prove myself to the Seven Deadly Sins…

‘But mostly because I just can’t stand losing.’

《You are entering the 100th floor of the Tower of Fierce Battle: “Endless Afterimages.”》