[Eliminate or survive against the incoming enemies. Time remaining: 120 hours 7 minutes.]

Two of the seven days had already passed.

In the beginning, I had moved with confidence, convinced I would uncover a hidden mission. However, no matter how far I searched, not a single trace revealed itself. The Abyss was far larger than I had imagined, and the countless pursuers shadowing my every move only made things more difficult.

Of course, sleep was out of the question. I hadn’t been able to rest, let alone sit down for a proper meal. At best, I managed a few sips of water now and then, and that was all. I did feel faintly fatigued, but it was bearable.

There haven’t been that many battles anyway.

My method had proven effective. Targeting those who tried to provoke me, interfere, or send apostles to force a fight quieted things down quickly. They had attempted coordinated assaults several times, but whenever they did, I spared no effort in retaliating.

Ironically, the problem lay not in their joint offensives but in the deranged gods who charged alone as if they had lost their minds. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

That had definitely been annoying.

I couldn’t tell what they were thinking, but some third-class gods hurled themselves at me as if resigned to death. Those clashes never lasted long and only lasted one or maybe two exchanges at most. Strangely, some of them seemed almost grateful in their final moments, as if relieved that I had ended it for them.

A few others tried to exploit the openings that followed, but I managed to fend them off with only a few injuries.

Aside from those rare cases, the others merely kept their distance and observed me in silence. Their hostility hadn’t faded as their gazes gleamed with a predator’s hunger, like hyenas circling their prey.

Something else unusual had begun happening as well.

I think the first time was yesterday.

As I pressed onward, I caught sight of something unexpected. A god was fighting another god. After that, I saw it happen again and again. On one occasion, a god ambushed the victor from behind.

My earlier suspicion was correct. Since the tower had long forbidden fighting within the Abyss, they were now settling old grudges that had festered for ages. There were likely many such battles I hadn’t witnessed.

Those prisoners won’t bother me. They would rather tear each other apart.

Since I stayed on the move, I began encountering more gods who showed no interest in me at all. They drifted deeper into the darkness and avoided confrontation altogether. That didn’t mean I could afford to grow complacent. Even though I fought less and less frequently, the number of gods and apostles silently tailing me continued to rise.

This is becoming troublesome.

I remained vigilant, always keeping track of their movements, so whenever their numbers swelled too much, I struck first to thin them out. Unfortunately, even that was becoming increasingly difficult.

Over the last two days, they had adapted, coordinating to block my attacks as a group. They also stayed much farther away than before and maintained their formation from a distance.

I had made progress, but it wasn’t enough. The tension between us persisted in a prolonged stalemate. I waited for an opening while they bided their time, hoping to gather more allies.

At this rate, things will go sour.

Part of why I kept roaming the Abyss was not merely to observe but to disperse their growing horde. I had even accelerated at times, but now they simply followed, unwilling to engage. The mutual distrust between them had noticeably weakened as time went on. To them, I was the only enemy that truly mattered.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Fine. Let us end this now. Even if I take some losses, it is better to strike before their numbers swell further.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has survived for two days in the Abyss. Midway assessment in progress.」

***

The hierarchy of the gods represented both strength and authority.

Ordinarily, it was almost impossible for a lower-ranked god to defeat one of higher standing. On rare occasions, an apostle serving a powerful first-class god slayed a fifth-class god, but that was an extraordinary exception. Even then, the source of that strength was the higher god’s own power—it was never truly the apostle’s.

Perhaps they could slay a provisional god, but once a being ascended to fourth-class, no apostle could ever hope to overcome them.

Such was the meaning of absolute hierarchy.

Since the establishment of the Tower of Ordeal’s laws, only two recorded instances of a non-divine entity slaying a god existed.

Kalain and Kwon Su-Hyeok.

Both were Challengers, so exceptionally talented that, across the cosmos, one could go a dozen millennia without encountering such a talent. It was astonishing enough that the two aforementioned individuals had emerged within merely four thousand years.

Whatever the case, they certainly possessed something fundamentally different from the gods of old. It wasn’t merely the causality they had obtained by climbing the tower, either. No, the simple act of ascending as a challenger prepared them for something greater.

Even among gods, they stood apart as predators.

For fuck’s sake!

Just moments ago, Kwon Su-Hyeok had walked silently, but everything changed in the blink of an eye. Pure Conviction, a second-class god from thousands of years ago, flinched violently as he hurled himself aside, narrowly escaping the crackling lightning by a hair’s breadth.

Shhhhk—!

Those who failed to dodge were cleaved cleanly in two. Blood spurted upward like fountains, staining the ground crimson. The gods hadn’t remained idle. They had poured every drop of their remaining divinity into their barriers, but Kwon Su-Hyeok’s lightning tore through them as if they were made of paper.

The Star Devourer’s might was on full display.

Pure Conviction turned sharply, trembling. He had seen Kwon Su-Hyeok use his power before, and he had believed that if he gave it his all, he could endure it for a moment. However, he was wrong. He hadn’t lasted even an instant. It was absurdly powerful, an overwhelming and irresistible force that defied every law of reason.

He made his choice. He had to flee.

A few apostles stood in his way. He drove his spear through them without hesitation, tearing their bodies apart in a single motion.

“This is madness,” he muttered, his breathing ragged.

The gods imprisoned in the Abyss had been stripped of most of their power. They were naturally severed from the faith that had once sustained them, their strength slowly eroding over time. Once a second-class god on the verge of ascension to first-class, Pure Conviction had been reduced to the level of a fourth-class god.

That did explain why the gods and apostles were being utterly overwhelmed by the challenger. Regardless, the difference in power was beyond anything he could have imagined.

From what I heard, Sky of the Nine Heavens wasn’t like this.

Pure Conviction had descended into the Abyss after Kalain’s time.

He had heard the name spoken by those who had been trapped here the longest. They said Sky of the Nine Heavens had endured a full seven days, fighting a long, grueling, and desperate battle. Of course, he had been powerful as well, but his fight had never been this one-sided.

This doesn’t seem to be possible.

The gods who knew Kalain’s tale had chosen to wait. There was no gain in rushing into battle too soon. Pure Conviction had been the same, watching from afar for two days before finally deciding to see things for himself.

However, doubt began to gnaw at him.

Will it even be possible later?

It was a bleak thought.

Kalain, who had struggled so fiercely, had eventually left the Abyss. If Kwon Su-Hyeok possessed an even more overwhelming power, then his victory was already guaranteed. At last, Pure Conviction understood why the longest imprisoned gods had thrown themselves at him so recklessly—they had grown weary of existence itself. Rather than linger in eternal stagnation, they had chosen to die fighting.

Pure Conviction didn’t wish for that, however. He thought them fools for casting aside their lives so easily.

There is still a chance to survive, so why surrender?

Even weakened, they were far stronger than he was. If they had waited for the right moment, perhaps they could have found an opening to strike back, even if only once.

Now, everything had changed.

No, they saw him and realized it was hopeless.

They had said that they would rather die than continue living like this, but if there had been even the slightest chance, they would have fought for it. Instead, they had judged it impossible and thrown themselves to their deaths instead.

In truth, the only ones still burning with determination were those who hadn’t been trapped in the Abyss for long. Kalain had survived a full seven days in the Abyss, and anyone stronger than him would likely do the same without much struggle.

Yeah... better to give up.

Pure Conviction felt his resolve crumbling away, the very essence of what he had vowed to uphold. He thrust his spear into the apostle that stood in his path, striking down the obstacle without hesitation. Behind him, the predator continued butchering gods and apostles alike. Even if his own strength waned, he still wanted to live.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Wait, if I go this way—!

The quarantine zone was close, just within reach. The gods imprisoned in the Abyss would never dare approach it, but that man was different. He had learned what little he knew about the quarantine zone from rumors that had cost him the last remaining fragments of his divinity. If that man opened it, disaster would fall upon the Abyss—it couldn’t be allowed to happen.

If he escapes this place, so be it. But never that. Never that.

At that moment, Kwon Su-Hyeok’s voice brushed past his ear.

“Where are you rushing off to? Team-killing now? Oh, wait. You guys aren’t a team, right?

Huh. When did he get all the way over here?

Those were the last thoughts Pure Conviction ever had. His head flew into the air. Blood gushed from his neck like a crimson geyser. Below, gods and apostles scattered, fleeing the predator’s rampage.

***

[Eliminate or survive against the incoming enemies. Remaining time: 118 hours 43 minutes.]

Why does this feel easier?

That question lingered after a brief but intense battle. Even as I fought, something seemed off—the previous combat floors had been harder than this one. Sure, I absorbed divinity from any god I slew, but that didn’t explain the oddness of this trial.

I don’t feel like I have gotten stronger.

Whenever I completed hidden missions in the past, I could sense my stats immediately surge. There was no way I could have missed it.

Hmm, maybe it is because I am in the Abyss.

While the prisoners gradually grew weaker, I strengthened without even noticing. Perhaps the tower was offering me some measure of grace. After all, it had sent me into a theoretically difficult trial, so there had to be a balance.

Strangely, I can’t feel the boost, though.

I wouldn’t complain since it worked in my favor.

Truth be told, the majority of my progress stemmed from the martial techniques I had mastered, as they had become instinctive through repeated combat with various gods. Moreover, unlike Kalain, these enemies couldn’t resist the Star Devourer’s strange power.

Defending against their attacks was the only difficult part. Even with the power of erasure, their blows still left a mark.

On the endurance side, the Primordial World Tree’s essence has done wonders.

My stamina and mana recovered at a ridiculous rate. Now that I thought about it, the tower had deliberately prepared me for tougher trials ahead by offering equipment on the ninety-sixth floor.

The tower was on my side, in a sense, so it had to have its own designs for sending me here. Even if they had been weakened to the point of barely matching a third-class god, cutting down so many of them still carried a weird satisfaction. At this rate, I doubted I would lose easily even outside the tower.

My gaze swept across the surroundings. Their fighting spirit had dimmed considerably after my rampage. There were still a few watching me with hunger in their eyes, but far fewer than before. If this kept up, no one would dare to challenge me, and I could break through without further interference.

With that thought in mind, I continued forward.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I noticed it. The gods blocking my path had grown more numerous and hostile.

Ugh.

This time, however, I didn’t notice hatred, but desperation. Gods that had previously retreated were now standing in my way in an impromptu barrier while deliberately leaving another path open to the side.

Something lay ahead.

I ignored them and kept walking. For now, they continued to step back as I approached. After a few minutes, one of the passive gods stepped forward. Perhaps he was hiding his hostility, but my instincts told me otherwise.

“As you already know, I have no interest in this matter. I’ll ask one favor of you. For everyone’s sake, do not go that way. It’s for your own good as well.”

His strength appeared to match a fourth-class god’s, but his presence was anything but ordinary. I was certain he had once been a first-class god.

Still, when someone tells you not to do something, it only makes you want to do it more.

By all appearances, this was definitely the trigger for a hidden mission.

Hmm. Looks like resistance will be fierce.

I didn’t know what lay beyond him, but unlike before, the gods were radiating renewed fighting spirit. Fighting here would be difficult, yet turning back didn’t sit right with me either.

Well, is there even a need to fight?

A slow grin tugged at my lips as the Cloak of Dominion fluttered behind me.