Chapter 56
―Death is the end and the conclusion.
―O greatest and worst witch, destined to monopolize the Abyss’s love.
―Your name shall be Adora.
The Witch of Death, Adora.
It was the “Black Witch” who named her.
Born with a fate tied to “death,” Adora was paradoxically given a name meaning “love” by the Black Witch.
The name was given with the firm belief that she would become the greatest and worst witch, monopolizing the love of the Abyss.
Naturally, the Black Witch never taught her how to control death.
Instead, she brainwashed her to maximize death.
Because death is the end, the conclusion.
―No one shall ever stand beside you.
Not even the Lords of the Abyss, she said.
No one could ever escape the “death” that Adora commanded.
She was shaped into a lonely, isolated being.
And Adora accepted that without a shred of doubt.
That was the duty of an Absolute Being.
She believed the path she walked would be filled with nothing but death.
But—
“…I’m curious. What do you think ‘death’ is?”
Adora found herself rethinking the definition of death.
The human who held her hand and stood by her side.
Someone who wasn’t an end nor a conclusion.
She became curious about Park Chan-woo’s definition of “death.”
To her sudden question, Park Chan-woo shrugged and replied.
“It is noble.”
“Noble…?”
It was an answer Adora had not anticipated at all.
To call death noble?
Something sublime and beautiful, admirable and precious.
Wasn’t that what one would call noble?
But the death Adora had learned from the Black Witch was meaningless. The pinnacle of nothingness that left nothing behind.
To wield death was to stand at the end.
Where was the nobility in that?
But Park Chan-woo had answered from the heart.
Because he had died once.
Perhaps he was the one most closely tied to “death” in this world.
There was no one else who had returned after reaching the end.
“Because it lacks meaning, it has meaning. Death isn’t an end—it’s closure. That’s why it is noble.”
That was how he had experienced death.
Sephiro, the Dragon God.
When that transcendent being brought about a hollow end.
When humanity vanished like dust from a single word, and everything they had built turned to nothing.
He was filled with endless regret, and yet also with inexplicable relief.
The tangled threads of a resentful life were finally put in order.
It was absurd, wasn’t it?
Doing something meaningless even though death awaited anyway.
But that was what gave it meaning.
Without that closure, he wouldn’t be who he was now.
By experiencing death, he blazed with intensity and forged a stronger soul.
“…You speak as if you’ve died before.”
Adora finally spoke to Park Chan-woo, who had answered so casually.
As if he truly knew what death was.
Park Chan-woo gave a faint smile.
Adora quietly observed him.
‘…Not an end, but a closure.’
She had overcome death and to some extent succeeded in controlling it.
But that was thanks to Park Chan-woo.
Because she desperately tried to keep him alive.
Yet, if death was not the end but closure, as he said—
…Her fate would change too.
Not a destructive being who brings about the end.
Not someone who walks alone.
‘One who walks with all destinies.’
One who reveals the preciousness of fleeting moments.
One who teaches that nothing in the world is eternal—one who serves as a bridge in the middle, not the end.
The moment she thought that, her shoulders felt a little lighter.
For the first time, she felt she wasn’t alone.
Adora looked around her.
The countless undead that followed her.
They weren’t summoned or manipulated by her.
They had come naturally, without her even being conscious of it.
That was the decisive reason even other witches didn’t dare approach her.
Adora slowly opened her mouth.
“Return to where you belong.”
Shrrrrrr!
In an instant, all the undead crumbled and scattered into dust.
They had finally reached complete death.
At the same time, Adora faced a “death” unlike any before.
‘Memories.’
They were the memories of the dead.
Stories of happiness and regret from days gone by.
They sparkled like stars and unfolded before Adora’s eyes.
The countless starlights became a galaxy, spreading out like a great sea.
“…It’s beautiful.”
Adora murmured without realizing it.
She was overwhelmed by the galaxy of memories.
The memories slowly organized themselves, and the stars eventually disappeared.
It was bittersweet.
But she felt she understood.
‘Noble.’
The meaning of Park Chan-woo’s words.
Why death was noble.
…How had he known?
About the world beyond death.
About that fleeting moment.
Park Chan-woo seemed to know for certain.
A truly mysterious and wondrous human being.
‘I’ll know once I climb the Tower.’
And at that moment, one thing became clear.
If she reached the top of the Tower, she would come to understand Park Chan-woo even better.
Sssssssssssssss—
Adora spread the Domain of Death across the entire floor.
At that moment—
《The monsters on the 6th floor of the Tower of Arrogance have been annihilated.》
《All relics present on the 6th floor of the Tower of Arrogance have been obtained.》
《Adora has transferred all relics to you.》
《All relics in the showcase are automatically rearranged.》
《The floor guardian ‘Colossus’ of the 6th floor of the Tower of Arrogance has been destroyed by the death energy Adora unleashed.》
《The path to the 7th floor of the Tower of Arrogance has opened.》
《You are Adora’s sole closest aide and powerful supporter.》
《10 high-grade relics have been displayed in the showcase.》
《As a reward, you have received [12 Coins] and [40 Boxes of Arrogance].》
…….
《The monsters on the 7th floor of the Tower of Arrogance have been annihilated.》
…….
《The monsters on the 8th floor of the Tower of Arrogance have been annihilated.》
…….
《The monsters on the 9th floor of the Tower of Arrogance have been annihilated.》
…….
《You have reached the 10th Floor of the Tower of Arrogance, ‘Final Battlefield.’》
—
Crunch!
The thick exoskeleton of the massive moth-like insect was torn apart.
Kankun then swung his greatsword and smashed the insect’s head, ripping its wings off with both hands.
Green blood filled with poison splattered in all directions.
But Kankun paid it no mind.
Instead, he opened his mouth wide and drank the blood generously.
“Tastes good.”
He even gave a review of its flavor.
A scene utterly spine-chilling.
Lim Chang-yeol and the other Seoul Union members watching from afar were at a loss for words.
‘A monster…!’
Yet everyone was thinking the same thing.
Orc Master Kankun.
He was an overwhelming monster unlike anything they had seen—and likely would ever see again.
Of course, it wasn’t just Kankun’s bizarre behavior that shocked them.
His sheer martial power was beyond comprehension.
His strength, agility, and swordsmanship.
He lacked nothing.
How could a body that massive move so quickly?
But what was even harder to understand—
‘T-telekinesis?’
‘The fallen sword flew back into his hand by itself…!’
‘He just waved his hand, and those monsters over there split in two.’
‘What the hell. His greatsword is flying around!’
An endless stream of incomprehensible phenomena unfolded before them.
He split distant monsters in half without laying a hand on them.
With a single stomp, monsters charging toward him froze midair.
The greatsword lying on the ground soared at will, slaughtering enemies.
One impossible scene after another.
Kankun was that strong.
‘Sky beyond sky.’
He was on the level of “Cheonoecheon (天外天),” the sky beyond the sky.
《You have slain the floor guardian of the 8th Floor of the Tower of Arrogance, the ‘Corrupted Vulcan’s Pet Insect’!》
《You have received [1 Coin] and [3 Boxes of Arrogance] as base reward.》
《The path to the 9th floor has opened.》
《Only aides recognized by Kankun may ascend to the 9th floor.》
They reached the 9th floor in an instant.
No one could stop the awakened Kankun.
Even if left alone, he ascended the Tower on his own.
Honestly, it was puzzling why he was even cooperating with them.
“…Aren’t we doing way too little here?”
“I mean, we’re getting coins just standing still…”
The Seoul Union members whispered among themselves.
Lim Chang-yeol didn’t have a rebuttal.
Because they were right.
Kankun singlehandedly slaughtered monsters and gathered relics for placement.
He even hunted floor guardians entirely on his own.
Thanks to that, the Union members were just reaping free rewards.
Even without placing relics, just standing by and watching floor guardians die earned them at least one coin.
Not only that—
They had piled up quite a number of Arrogance Boxes too.
‘35 boxes.’
By the time they reached the 9th floor, Lim Chang-yeol had gathered 35 ‘Boxes of Arrogance.’
As befitted the Union leader, he had displayed quite a few relics early on.
“Fufu. I already have 42 boxes.”
Next to him, Kim Byung-han chuckled slyly.
He had collected even more boxes than Lim Chang-yeol.
Because whenever a monster or guardian appeared, he dealt just a sliver of damage. If he couldn’t do it directly, he sent his pets to be sacrificed just to snag a reward.
He aimed for the so-called “last hit.”
By swooping in on prey Kankun worked so hard to hunt, Kim Byung-han managed to collect more rewards than Lim Chang-yeol.
It was a shameless act, but Kim Byung-han was thick-skinned like none other here.
‘From the Tower of Arrogance alone, I’ve got 10 Coins and 42 Boxes of Arrogance. The moment I leave this place, I’ll be on the Royal Road.’
A hopeful future awaited him.
If it meant success, he could wear that shameless face a hundred, no—a thousand times over.
The fools were the ones who didn’t.
He had caught the right ride.
While Kankun was being generous, he had to reap every possible benefit.
“Still… Park Chan-woo. That idiot must’ve run off scared.”
Tsk tsk.
Kim Byung-han clicked his tongue and shook his head, mocking Park Chan-woo, who had disappeared early in the floors.
They had wondered if he’d reappear, but even now on the 9th floor, there was no sign of him.
It was clear he’d left the Tower.
“It’s thanks to Park Chan-woo that we’re still counted as Kankun’s aides, Kim Byung-han.”
Lim Chang-yeol made an effort to defend Park Chan-woo.
After all, the only reason the Seoul Union caught Kankun’s attention was because of him.
He provoked Kankun from the start, secured relics, and won the wager.
No one knew why he suddenly left the Tower…
But without Park Chan-woo, they wouldn’t even be here.
Kim Byung-han glared.
“Heh. Are you seriously defending that coward who ran away?”
“It’s just the truth.”
“He did run though, didn’t he?”
“…He might’ve had a reason.”
“What reason? Fine, let’s go out and ask him then.”
Kim Byung-han’s face was full of certainty.
Lim Chang-yeol, on the other hand, looked grim.
He too was beginning to suspect that Park Chan-woo had run away.
―KRAAAAHHH!
Then it happened.
《You have slain the floor guardian of the 9th Floor of the Tower of Arrogance, ‘Corrupted Vulcan’!》
The burning behemoth was butchered by Kankun.
He hacked it to pieces.
A horrific sight—but by now, they were used to it.
《You have received [2 Coins] and [5 Boxes of Arrogance] as base reward.》
《The path to the 10th floor has opened.》
Without hesitation, Kankun ascended to the 10th floor.
The Union members followed him up the stairs.
At the same time—
《You have reached the 10th Floor of the Tower of Arrogance, ‘Final Battlefield.’》
《The final battle between ‘Kankun’ and ‘Adora’ begins.》
And they saw her.
The “Witch of Death,” standing in the distance.
Brrrrrr!
Just seeing her made their bodies tremble.
That witch was on a whole other level from the monsters Kankun had hunted thus far.
But the witch was not alone.
‘Who’s that?’
‘There’s someone else?’
‘Aide of Adora’s faction?’
‘Only one person?’
Everyone tilted their heads.
If it was an aide, it must be someone who chose Adora’s side.
But unlike them, that person was alone.
Most importantly, unlike them who stood far from Kankun, this person stood right beside Adora.
A man they had never seen before.
Clad like a mage.
Had someone like that climbed the Tower?
“…!!!”
And then—
Kim Byung-han suddenly began trembling violently.
Thud!
He fell to his knees.
Clasped his hands together as if in prayer—and cried out like he had seen a god.
“P-Prophet…!!!”
