Episode 39: Tower of Strife (4)
My head buzzed with exhilaration.
Before me, the Floor 100 boss, a demon as formidable as the Seven Sins, knelt.
A being of such caliber can’t be obtained through mere summoning tickets.
Normally, bosses can’t be tamed as summons.
But my Seven Sins weren’t summoned—they were conquered.
If I can still command them after the game became reality, then maybe I can recruit a boss too.
‘It’s possible.’
The game system remains intact, even improved in some ways.
So, applying the method I used for the Seven Sins should work.
The Sevenfold Sevenfold Method: subdue them repeatedly without killing, confront them relentlessly.
Like I did with Hertia, Caligo, and Theo—defeat, heal, persuade, request, defeat again, heal, threaten, cajole.
Simply demand they become mine.
“Azas, has your mind changed?”
“I told you clearly—I’ll never bow to you!”
《King of Afterimage Azas leaves an afterimage and hides.》
Azas is a stack-based dealer.
Three afterimages on a target unlock his special skill.
‘But in his current state, that’s not happening.’
Why did I spend my precious first move destroying terrain instead of targeting Azas?
To limit the structures he could hide in.
I’ve mapped every intact object.
All that’s left is detecting the faint tremors when he hides.
“Caligo, he’s behind you.”
Startled, Caligo flung a flask of poison behind him.
Azas, hidden in an afterimage, was forced to reveal himself.
“Arghhh!”
Azas writhed, clearly pained by Caligo’s poison.
But defiance still burned in his eyes.
He needs more taming.
A strong foe requires thorough forging.
“Hertia, now. Attack as I command.”
“Yes, Master!”
《Witch of the Apocalypse Hertia attacks King of Afterimage Azas.》
《Witch of the Apocalypse Hertia’s attack slightly misses.》
Hertia’s attack grazed Azas’s hand.
“Pathetic aim!”
Pathetic? You’re delusional.
From now on, I’ll chip away at his health until his spirit breaks.
***
Hertia, Caligo, and Theo trembled as they watched Hyun-woo.
Not from mere fear, but from instinctive awe.
They were witnessing Lucifer’s true nature.
A torrent of emotions—rage, desire, exhilaration—yet beneath it, cold reason and strategy.
A majesty no fool outside the Tower could mimic.
This was the Lucifer they remembered.
- Sage… he’s in that state, isn’t he?
- Yes. The same look he had when he claimed us.
- Stay sharp. One mistake, and his wrath will fall.
They feared this Lucifer because they’d experienced his insatiable desire firsthand.
When Lucifer’s possessiveness surfaced, nothing could stop him.
They, too, once dismissed him as a presumptuous human.
But everyone soon learns: what Lucifer declares, he achieves.
“I’ll take it from here!”
Unaware, Meryl moved eagerly to impress her lord.
Instantly, a thick wave of killing intent struck her.
“Stop, Meryl.”
“Y-yes?!”
“Do nothing. Don’t move a speck without my command.”
It wasn’t a shout, but the weight in his voice was crushing, laced with indescribable fury.
Meryl’s knees buckled, drenched in sweat.
Hyun-woo didn’t spare her a glance, issuing orders.
“Theo, move the clone to target his skin. You aim for his collar.”
“My lord’s will be done!”
《Black Prince Theo moves King of Afterimage Azas’s clone.》
Even when Azas exposed weaknesses, Hyun-woo never landed a fatal blow.
The Seven Sins followed without question, knowing his actions weren’t random—they were to utterly dominate the enemy’s mind.
“You dare toy with me?!”
Azas’s enraged cry rang out.
Hyun-woo replied calmly.
“We haven’t even started playing.”
“Your insolent tongue—I’ll carve it out myself!”
《King of Afterimage Azas absorbs his afterimages into the Mistblade.》
《King of Afterimage Azas casts Thousand Mists, Ten Thousand Shadows.》
As time passed, Azas revealed his hidden power.
But this only fueled Hyun-woo’s possessiveness.
More importantly, he’d prepared for this.
‘With the Power Stones active, I knew you’d have a trump card like this.’
《Replacing Black Priestess Meryl with Cowardly Golem Iron.》
A team consists of four main summons and one reserve.
The reserve this time is Iron, whose Skill 2 will counter Azas’s trump card.
《Repositioning summons.》
《Positioning Cowardly Golem Iron in the front.》
With Iron placed upfront, Hyun-woo issued orders to Hertia.
“Hertia, now.”
Hertia attacked Azas while activating her artifact.
《If I’m a Knight, I’ll Do It’s frontline effect activates.》
《Cowardly Golem Iron covers its eyes and charges straight ahead.》
As Iron’s body collided with Azas, the impact staggered him.
《King of Afterimage Azas recovers from Shock.》
《King of Afterimage Azas’s Thousand Mists, Ten Thousand Shadows is interrupted.》
Azas was stunned.
He was undeniably powerful.
Unweakened, he believed no one could defeat him.
Yet, facing this man, victory felt impossible.
Worse, his condition was deteriorating, like being soaked by a drizzle.
‘How did this happen…’
He couldn’t believe it.
He hadn’t taken any significant hits.
‘Wait… my armor’s broken?’
The dark mist shrouding Azas’s upper body was neutralized.
“Now you notice? Slower than you look,” Hyun-woo taunted.
It was Theo’s Skill 2.
《Law of the Throne effect activates.》
《Hitting the same target twice disables one piece of their armor for the battle.》
Hyun-woo smirked, unruffled.
This cycle repeated dozens of times—subdue, recover, subdue again, recover again.
Azas couldn’t win.
For the first time, he felt fear.
‘This can’t be…’
In the Tower of Strife, he’d feared no one.
Even against stronger foes, he felt only rivalry, not terror.
But now, his body betrayed him.
His legs grew heavy, his hands trembled.
His breath quickened, his eyes darted away.
Not because he wanted to submit—his body was desperately fighting to survive.
“Grr!”
Azas raised his blade, trying to move.
But he couldn’t.
‘What is this monster?’
Unknowingly, Azas dropped his weapon and knelt.
Hyun-woo approached, a faint smile on his face.
“I’ll ask again. Has your mind changed?”
“…”
“If you wish, I can offer you salvation.”
“…Salvation?”
Hertia stepped forward at Azas’s question.
“My Master saved even me, the Witch of the Apocalypse.”
The name jolted Azas.
He’d heard it before, met her long ago, but the memory was faint.
“If you’re the Witch of the Apocalypse, then this man…”
“Yes. My Master, Lucifer.”
Azas finally understood.
Hyun-woo gave him a moment, then extended a hand to the bowing Azas.
“…My sins are heavy. Can a mere mortal truly grant me salvation?”
“If you desire it.”
Azas took Hyun-woo’s hand, kissing it in a pledge of loyalty.
“I offer everything to my Savior.”
《You have subdued King of Afterimage Azas.》
《Acquired King of Afterimage Azas Summoning Ticket.》
《Achieved the first-time achievement Boss of the Tower.》
A server-wide message followed.
《The Unknown Adventurer has achieved the first clear of KR Server’s Tower of Strife Floor 100.》
Then, the clear confirmation arrived.
《Cleared Floor 100 of the Tower of Strife: Endless Afterimage.》
《Unbelievable record!》
《Time taken: 23 hours, 28 minutes, 37 seconds》
《New record for clear time ranking: 1st place.》
《Clear grade: SSS》
《New record for clear grade.》
Subduing Azas took time, but as the first clear, it doesn’t matter much.
Amid the flood of rewards, one line at the end startled Hyun-woo.
《Floor 100 of the Tower of Strife will be deleted.》
‘…Floor 100 is being deleted?’