Chapter 240

Even reaching the 60th floor meant nothing more than simple shock.

After all, the mountain’s entrance was merely a place to prove the qualifications of those who would climb the mountain.

No matter how high a floor you reached or how high a score you received, it was still just the entrance.

Consecutive top-tier grades?

Impressive, but the Mountain of Practitioners was teeming with powerful individuals who surpassed even Lee Sabek or Yula.

If someone’s martial prowess surpassed theirs, awarding a top-tier score was only natural.

However.

If a being appeared who solved the test at a level never seen before, a being who couldn’t be definitively categorized by any score…

…Could they still dismiss them as “just an entrance test-taker”?

Even if the high-ranking descendants or disciples of the Nine Families didn’t take the three entrance tests, could they still pretend not to care?

‘Impossible.’

Lee Sabek shook his head.

The Nine Families were precisely the ones most wary of the rise of “new powerhouses.”

Their open rejection of those from the Hidden Realms stemmed from the same reason.

They granted the opportunity to climb the mountain, but prevented them from climbing endlessly.

Until now, that had been possible because there weren’t many Arahans from the Hidden Realms.

No matter how strong they were, they never reached a level that could draw everyone’s attention.

Thus, the moment they surpassed the 60th floor, numerous families began paying attention to the tower.

Among them were the Nine Families.

Especially—

“Isn’t that the Arahan from the Undead Sect?”

“Is it because Anton is an examiner from the Undead Sect?”

“But isn’t the number too many for that?”

“…It’s Gang Si-chan!”

“Nine Dragons Gang Si-chan?”

When Gang Si-chan, the star of the Undead Sect, praised as the most outstanding late-stage powerhouse, revealed himself, the murmuring among the Arahans intensified.

The very fact that Gang Si-chan—the direct blood descendant of the sect leader who led the Undead Sect—had appeared at the mountain’s entrance was impossible.

‘Undead Sect. There must be something rotten behind this.’

Watching the scene, Lee Sabek became certain.

Inside this place, the Mystic Tower, lay the Undead Sect’s shame.

They had hidden something that should never be seen in the safest, least suspicious place.

That had to be why the Undead Sect’s core members—and Gang Si-chan himself—had come in person.

Anton’s face turned pale, almost bluish purple.

From the moment he noticed Gang Si-chan, he couldn’t even breathe properly.

“Two record breakers…”

“Who on earth are they?”

Meanwhile, both were still breaking through the 60th floor.

The Arahans grew even more curious.

Aside from being from a Hidden Realm and Non Selected Individuals, nothing was known about them.

It would have been shocking enough if only one had climbed, but two were breaking records in succession.

When they broke through the 70th floor, the Undead Sect’s movements grew even busier.

They surrounded Anton, erecting multiple layers of energy barriers.

They completely blocked any possibility of eavesdropping on their conversation.

“…Which floor did you put that on?”

Gang Si-chan asked in a heavy tone.

Anton’s body trembled as he answered.

“E-eighthieth floor, sir.”

“Eightieth… So only ten floors remain now.”

“H-he will absolutely not reach that far.”

“Absolutely? Weren’t you confident no Arahan would climb beyond the 59th floor?”

“T-that… Arisa is controllable…”

“It wasn’t you who did it. We did it for you.”

“……”

“Remember. It’s not because we favor you, but solely because of that.”

A voice like a hellish demon.

If Gang Si-chan wished it, Anton’s life would be worth less than a passing ant.

The only reason Anton was still alive was for that one thing.

It referred to the Jiangshi created from a Demon Lord.

Because Anton had arbitrarily contracted the Jiangshi the Undead Sect had thoroughly hidden and experimented with, it could no longer be kept within the family.

The Jiangshi created from the Creator’s corpse triggered the Creation Abyss the moment it was contracted.

That was why they created the Mystic Tower at the mountain’s entrance and devised this test.

After all, even the Nine Families had little interest in what happened at the mountain’s entrance.

Anton hastily nodded.

“Y-you are absolutely right, sir.”

“You should pray and pray again that the challenger does not reach the 80th floor.”

“L-leave it to me. I didn’t design it to be climbed easily.”

Gulp!

Anton swallowed from the sheer tension.

His mind went blank.

But, bluntly speaking, it wasn’t unfounded.

‘From the 71st floor onward is the realm of the incomprehensible.’

He hadn’t only placed the Jiangshi he created.

He had even received help from the Undead Sect, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

From the 71st floor onward, only Demon Jiangshi possessing the highest grade—surpassing “special entities”—had been placed.

And even if, by some chance, they reached the 80th floor…

‘Instant death on contact.’

…That Demon Lord was one the Undead Sect had painstakingly captured.

The highest-grade corpse the family obtained with all its might.

Not an ordinary Demon Lord, but a Creator.

A being called the Creator of the Cradle, no less.

A status akin to the Master of the Moon Ahetta, one of the closest to a Demon King.

However, unlike someone like Ahetta, he was a true lord devoted solely to his own strength.

Moreover, after the contract, all kinds of enhancements had been completed.

There was no way to win.

No, they wouldn’t even reach it.

It would be best if both died inside the tower—then everything would end without issue.

Yes.

There was no need to worry.

It was just groundless anxiety.

Anton tried to calm himself as much as he could.

And soon after—

“…S-stopped!”

Anton cried out, joy surging through him.

One of them had given up midway.

It was on the 73rd floor.

No more light flowed out.

Not only that—

“H-he’s coming out!”

One of them had given up on climbing the tower.

The entrance glowed, revealing someone’s figure.

“Who is that?”

“He’s from a Hidden Realm, right? Have you seen him before?”

“…First time seeing him.”

Some Arahans from the Hidden Realms tilted their heads at the person who emerged.

Arisa was puzzled as well.

He had a youthful face, as if he had only just become an adult.

His features were thick and his presence manly, yet he didn’t feel like a formidable master.

Moreover, it was a face she was seeing for the first time.

If he was from a Hidden Realm and possessed such talent, she should have at least glimpsed him once.

Even though he climbed to the 73rd floor, he didn’t seem to have any significant wounds.

However—

“A worthless test. Not worth climbing further.”

Chiwoo frowned and delivered that verdict.

He could have climbed higher if he wanted, but he didn’t.

Not only were disgusting demons turned into Jiangshi, they had been completed as experimental subjects filled with all kinds of atrocities.

The higher he climbed, the worse the Jiangshi became.

He didn’t even want to touch them.

Ignoring the stares around him, Chiwoo stood before the entrance door, crossed his arms, and looked up at the tower.

Only then did the Arahans realize.

“…Isn’t there still one person left?”

That one person was still inside.

Moreover—

“…He finally reached it.”

“Ahh…!”

The challenger had finally, somehow, reached the 80th floor.

—

Demon Lord Jiangshi.

The Creator of the Cradle opened his eyes.

“There is one who has invaded my Cradle.”

There was no emotion in his voice.

After becoming a Jiangshi, he held no memories from when he was the Creator of the Cradle.

However, perhaps because he was such a powerful existence, the Jiangshi itself had gained self-awareness.

He only retained the instinctive recognition that he must kill the invader who violated his cradle.

“I praise you for climbing this far. However, you cannot defeat me within this Cradle.”

The Creator of the Cradle was confident.

This place was his Creation Abyss—the Cradle he had created.

Within a place like his own castle, there was no being who could handle him.

A setting where you grew stronger as you climbed floors?

That was merely something he had no choice but to implement, because he was too strong.

Originally, the Creator of the Cradle was powerful by existence alone.

Unlike ordinary Demon Lords, he was a demon who had honed pure skill to an extreme, the closest to an Arahan.

And the fact that his opponent had reached the 80th floor was proof that he far surpassed the Creator’s own level.

The Creator of the Cradle had been waiting for such a powerful individual.

He took his stance.

Then—

“…Strange.”

He tilted his head.

His strength wouldn’t come out.

The eruption of Mana was far less than expected.

Mana would not materialize, and his overall physical abilities had dropped to an absurd degree.

At best, perhaps around Level 30.

The Creator of the Cradle looked at Park Chan-woo and spoke.

“My consciousness cries out that this cannot be. Normally, I should have been strengthened by a full 80 levels by your standard, yet my current level is at best around 30. You… what is your level?”

“Curious?”

Park Chan-woo chuckled.

Honestly, it was fascinating to him as well.

A conscious Creator, even as a Jiangshi.

The very entity that created this Creation Abyss was asking him.

In any case, communication was possible.

That meant he could pursue practical gains rather than rushing straight into a fight.

“If you’re curious, answer my question first. The technique of turning demons into Jiangshi—was it made by demons?”

The Creator of the Cradle hesitated.

He had no proper memories left.

But strangely, fleeting images surfaced.

Memories from the moment he became a Jiangshi.

If asked whether the techniques used at that time were demonic…

-Kill. Kill. Kill!

A sudden headache struck.

Pain that shouldn’t exist.

A command carved into him as a Jiangshi.

Originally, he should have killed any being that appeared on the 80th floor immediately.

But the Creator of the Cradle did not.

Because he found the owner of this absurd level far too curious.

“It is a technique with demonic involvement.”

“…Interesting.”

Park Chan-woo let out a soft laugh.

Is this truly the mountain of Arahan?

He was starting to understand why the Will of Magic from the Tower of God had sent him here.

It seemed he needed to see through the entire story of this corrupted mountain.

“Now it’s your turn to answer my question. You—what is your level?”

“Negative.”

“…?”

“58.”

“…Hmm?”

The Creator of the Cradle tilted his head again.

That, too, was impossible within his framework.

How could a negative Level 58 reach this place?

However, it didn’t seem like a lie.

If he calculated based on those words, it roughly matched.

Park Chan-woo asked again.

“Are you the end? Or are there floors beyond this?”

“…I am also very curious about that. This Cradle was created according to my instincts. However, I cannot recall anything beyond this.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to kill you first.”

“I wonder if that’s possible. I don’t think I’ll lose.”

He understood that Park Chan-woo possessed absurd abilities relative to his negative level.

But that was all.

The Creator of the Cradle was also an existence who had achieved absurd strength relative to his level.

If they fought, he didn’t believe he would lose.

At that moment.

Park Chan-woo drew Baal’s Sword.

Grrrrrr!

Baal’s Sword roared like a beast.

However, the Authority he would use this time was not Gluttony.

“Finally, I’ll get to use it.”

Use what?

The moment the Creator of the Cradle wondered—

“[Absolute Being].”

[‘Baal Armament Set Effect’, ‘Absolute Being’ activates!]

—

“…Didn’t you clearly say the 80th floor?”

Gang Si-chan asked.

Anton, sprawled as if half-fainted, stammered.

He couldn’t answer.

Because—

“…Why is the light from the 81st floor turning on?”