The First Apostle

“Jun-woo still hasn’t awakened, has he?”

On the 99th floor, Yuria asked. The Wizard of Restoration Grego-Ramdal answered gloomily.

“That’s right. The Divine Wizard remains silent.”

Beatrice spoke through gritted teeth.

“Then… that means we have to overcome this ourselves?”

Rustle—

Despite the party’s tense and murderous expressions, the breeze that brushed past was nothing but the warmest spring wind.

As the gentle spring breeze touched her cheek, Yuria flinched as if she’d been touched by cold snake skin.

“Really… what a disgusting bastard.”

Many things they’d given up to reach this place flashed through Yuria’s mind.

‘We’re running low on Philosopher’s Stones……’

‘What areas can we immediately reduce Philosopher’s Stone consumption?’

‘To cut as much as needed……’

‘What? Speak quickly.’

‘Medical supplies. The consumption for making healing potions is too great.’

‘……’

‘I’m sorry. Of course, we can’t stop treating the wounded……’

‘……No, cut it. Reduce healing potion production to 10 percent. And…… select only 10 percent of the wounded who can return to active duty immediately for treatment.’

‘……Ah, understood.’

‘We’re short on magical materials to repair magical exoskeletons.’

‘Show me a list of facilities on Floating Island Sion currently operating below 50 percent capacity.’

‘……Unfortunately, all such facilities have already been dismantled. Even the lowest operating facility currently shows 70 percent operation rate.’

‘Damn…… What facility shows 70 percent operation rate?’

‘Dormitories, dining halls, and training facilities.’

‘……Dismantle them all. Use the byproducts to repair magical exoskeletons.’

‘Then where will people rest……?’

‘Whether they sleep in corridors, dig holes in the ground, or collapse in waiting rooms, tell them to figure it out themselves!’

‘Understood.’

‘Ah, and……’

‘Please speak.’

‘……Reduce the medical bay by 90 percent too. Since we don’t have…… healing potions anyway.’

‘Then the wounded will…… No, never mind. Understood.’

Now there’s no telling what’s become of the rear. As they passed the 90th floor, supplies only grew slower. Floating Island Sion suffered from food shortages. Since even the most basic food was lacking, naturally the equipment was in even worse shape. Magical exoskeletons became increasingly tattered, and magical devices began running out.

After passing the 90th floor, Yuria began dismantling unnecessary institutions on Floating Island Sion to secure needed materials. The once-majestic sky island gradually transformed into a ghost ship-like wreck, and the mages aboard became increasingly wretched like ghost pirates.

In such a worn and crumbling state, the party barely reached the 99th floor.

This place was a paradise straight from a fairy tale. The moment they reached the 99th floor, supply lines from the rear were completely severed, but on these green hills there was abundant food, and the warm spring breeze was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Dawn and sunset were brilliant as rainbows.

As if all the bloody battles until now had been lies.

On this hill where not a single servant of the Outer God could be seen, and where even the event horizon leading to the next floor was invisible, only one voice reached them.

-I show respect. You who have survived to this place have qualification. But this place is your final destination. Remain here. I shall grant you this place.

Recalling that voice, Yuria clenched her teeth.

“First Apostle……”

The being that Shadow Library had confirmed as the First Apostle Balrog. But its true nature was far different from what they’d expected.

“Didn’t they say Balrog was an apostle disguised as some giant? I thought we’d just have a simple slugfest, but this annoying ability……”

The Wizard of Extraction Ak-hu banged his large fists together in frustration. If only it had been a giant, he could have driven a single <Collapse Strike> into its heart…….

“What’s the point of discussing what’s already past? We need to hurry and find a way to escape from here.”

The Wizard of Boundary Kim Ji-woong snapped at Ak-hu. Having stayed awake for several nights, his eyes were bloodshot red.

“What? Hey, Kim Ji-woong. Your tone sounds really strange? Then what have you figured out! Barrier magic is your specialty, isn’t it? We’ve been trapped in this damn hill for days now without being able to move a muscle, and what have you done? You just keep muttering ‘this can’t be right…… this can’t be right……’ without figuring out what kind of barrier we’re trapped in! You’re not in a position to snap at me, are you? Huh?”

The Wizard of Extraction Ak-hu easily lost his composure. The endless battles and resulting tension had worn down even the wizards’ mental strength.

“You’re going too far.”

The Wizard of Boundary Kim Ji-woong was the same. The man who had always maintained a refined attitude like a single brush was now sharp as a blade. He didn’t back down an inch against Ak-hu, whose Ki-blood was surging menacingly.

Hummm—

Kim Ji-woong’s Circle rumbled low.

“Enough.”

It was always Yuria’s job to stop them.

“But that bastard……!”

“This isn’t the time.”

“Huff…… My apologies.”

“……I got unnecessarily agitated too. I’m sorry.”

Though Yuria was far below them in both age and experience, no one dared treat her carelessly. It was Yuria who had shouldered the most difficult decisions all the way to the 99th floor. Of course, her decisions weren’t perfect. Rather, many people often grumbled that her decisions were too cold-hearted. But it was ultimately Yuria who had embraced all those complaints and hatred alone and led the party to the 99th floor, and anyone at the level of a wizard couldn’t help but feel sorry toward her.

“As you know, we’re trapped here right now.”

Yuria said.

“Far from finding a way to escape, we haven’t even seen Balrog’s shadow.”

Hmm…….

At her words, people let out sighs.

She was right. Thirty wizards and thirty grand knights had gathered, but they were powerless before the current phenomenon.

What if the First Apostle had been a giant instead, as Ak-hu said? Even a giant as large as several continents combined—at least they could have fought it. It would have been a matter of fighting to see who died first.

But the current situation was completely different.

The enemy wasn’t visible. They couldn’t find the edge of the world. Even though Floating Island Sion, which could leap across the vast distances between stars in an instant, flew for days on end, this massive world didn’t shrink even slightly. The horizon always remained in the same place. How could such an impossibly vast space exist on the 99th floor? No, was this even the 99th floor to begin with?

-Even within my authority, the World Tree was useless. This doesn’t seem to be a simple dimension.

A space where even the World Tree, which possessed dimensional power, didn’t work.

No one could determine the true nature of this place.

They had seen countless worlds corroded by the Outer God’s power, but this place was far different from those. The Outer God’s order was originally so alien that people couldn’t even live there…… yet somehow this place was like paradise. A paradise so good it was almost sinister, enough to break the morale of battle-weary mages. Not a single mage could figure out how such a thing was possible.

The party was gradually losing their will before this overwhelming yet cozy wall.

“That’s not the point.”

Suddenly, the Knight Commander, Doom Knight Zeros, cut off Yuria’s words and interrupted.

“Let’s just wait until the Divine Wizard comes out. We can’t defeat the Outer God without him anyway.”

At that, the wizards all glared at Zeros in unison.

With looks that said ‘what kind of ignorant nonsense is that,’ Zeros finally exploded.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

At his snapping tone, Yeon Gae-bu-so responded with cold mockery.

“Hmph. How nice it must be to be a knight. You can just spout off whatever you want.”

“What did you say?”

The Guardian Martial House of Society and the infamous Knight Commander glared at each other. Yeon Gae-bu-so’s Circle growled while Zeros fingered his beam hilt. A confrontation between two absolute powers that would have once thrown the tower into a whirlwind of war.

“Haah……”

Yuria held her forehead and walked between them. Zeros and Yeon Gae-bu-so looked at Yuria and made uncomfortable expressions. But they didn’t immediately back down like Ak-hu and Kim Ji-woong had. Their pride and honor as those who claimed to be the tower’s absolute powers were too great for that.

Yuria first spoke to Yeon Gae-bu-so.

“I’ll explain first, so please wait a moment.”

Yeon Gae-bu-so crossed his arms without responding. His uncomfortable expression was written all over his face.

Still, seeing him take a step back, Yuria spoke to Zeros.

“Knight Commander. We need to move forward. We can’t wait for Baek Jun-woo to come out.”

“Why not? Didn’t the Divine Wizard promise? That he’d create the 11th Circle and come out before meeting the Outer God. But now we’re on the 99th floor. What if we somehow get past here and the Divine Wizard hasn’t finished his training by then?”

“Are you really saying that……!”

As Yeon Gae-bu-so was about to explode again, Yuria stretched out her hand to stop him. She looked straight at Zeros and said.

“Knight Commander. A mage must accomplish what they say. Only then can they claim to be successors to the gods.”

“Who doesn’t know that.”

“No. You still don’t understand. Jun-woo and I made a promise without knowing when we’d reach the Outer God. I promised to keep moving straight forward. Jun-woo promised to create the 11th Circle and come out by the time we meet the Outer God.”

“Exactly. So the Divine Wizard just needs to come out before we meet the Outer God, right? Even if we wait here……”

“Is waiting moving straight forward?”

For the first time, Zeros was speechless. Yuria spoke to him persuasively.

“That was the promise from the beginning. Not a promise for someone to wait for someone else, but a promise where each would give their all on their own and have the results align perfectly. And I have faith. Faith that we’ll all keep that promise.”

“Why make it so complicated?”

“Because we need a miracle. We need to draw the attention of even a little more magical power to become even a little stronger. The more impossible the promise…… the more the magical powers will favor us. And……”

Yuria turned back with melancholy eyes.

“If we delay even a day, no, half a day, no, even just 10 minutes, who knows what might happen? We too…… should have homes to fight for and return to, shouldn’t we?”

Homes to return to.

At those words, Zeros finally fell silent. He hung his head as if ashamed.

Into the silence that settled over the party, a voice fell. It was the second time they’d heard this voice in several days.

-You are truly foolish. Admirably brave yet absurdly foolish. You do not know how worthless your struggles are.

It was the First Apostle Balrog.

Yuria’s [Magic Eye] glowed blue. She looked in all directions, but not even Balrog’s shadow was visible.

“What’s worthless about it? You’re scared and hiding, yet you talk too much! You too! Your master too! You’ll all fall into our hands in the end!”

But despite Yuria’s sharp reaction, Balrog’s voice was filled only with pity.

-You know nothing. Truly nothing at all. Do you think we are fighting you? Do you think our god fears you and is destroying those pitiful continents left behind you?

“You’re systematically cutting our supply lines and you still say that!”

-That is not the purpose. You were never our opponents to begin with. You will soon understand. You need only be grateful for your current situation. I show you mercy.

“What? You show mercy?”

Yuria felt like she might vomit.

-That is correct. I am the first apostle to descend to this world. I have watched you longer than anyone. Therefore, I now understand and pity you. At least you—I will save from complete destruction. In the perfect world our god will create, there is no place for imperfect beings like you…… so I have prepared this place for you. Therefore, you should simply be grateful and live your lives here.

“Bullshit!”

Yuria’s cold denial. Balrog sighed. It was an insulting sigh that could only come from looking down on the other party completely.

-Then what will you do? Pitiful and laughable. Created beings who cannot even escape from the world I made dare to oppose our god. You cannot even find my shadow yet speak of slaying me and reaching our master.

The moment she heard those words, Yuria had an intuition.

Right now.

Now was the moment to make her move. Adrenaline seemed to explode in her head. Though she hadn’t known what to do until just moments ago, suddenly everything became clear. What she had to do, what she could do—she just knew it without any particular basis.

“Stop acting so high and mighty. I’ll find you. What’s trapping us, how we can escape—I’ll figure it all out and kill you.”

-Haah…… You will soon understand.

With that sigh, Balrog said no more.

The party all looked at Yuria with dumbfounded eyes. Blinking eyes. People realized a beat too late what her words meant.

Even Zeros, who didn’t know much about mages, gaped.

“D-did you just make a ‘covenant’? That…… if you can’t keep it, you lose your magical power, right? Why would you do something so dangerous……”

Yuria met everyone’s worried gazes with a confident smile. Now she’d found the path. Whether she could accomplish it or not was another matter, but…… at least she’d never failed to keep a covenant she’d made.

“This Yuria will resolve this situation. I’ll kill that damn First Apostle. Before Baek Jun-woo comes out. So everyone, snap out of it now.”

“Sister……”

Even to Monggu, who called to her with anxious eyes, Yuria only gave a bright smile.

“But…… what does that apostle bastard keep saying we’ll understand? It’s so annoying.”

Suddenly, as if trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, Beatrice muttered. But she couldn’t hide the thin tremor of anxiety in her voice.