NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“I found it.”
A palace made of gold gleamed before him. Not only the floor and pillars of the palace but the entire cavern encircling the palace was adorned in gold.
No tycoon could possess such an amount of gold.
The dazzling scene was almost blinding as if gazing upon the golden path to heaven.
However, Se-Woon knew that this place was the exact opposite of a ‘path to heaven.’
– Player Jung Se-Woon has entered ‘Pandemonium’
The Temple of Ten Thousand Demons (万魔殿), also known as Pandemonium.
As the name implies, it is a place where ten thousand demons reside, also known as the capital of hell.
A temple allegedly built by the Demon God of Greed, who led the demons and excavated gold bars from a hellish mountain spewing black clouds.
It is also famous as the location where the Seven Demon Gods, symbolizing the Seven Deadly Sins, held a grand conference to discuss the end of the world.
“I can’t believe I actually ended up here.”
Se-Woon’s current position was on the 92nd floor of the tower.
In a tower known to have no end, this was the highest floor a player had reached so far.
However, Pandemonium, where the Seven Demon Gods—known to be among the highest-ranking demons—gathered, should originally be a structure located on the top floor of the tower where the Constellations resided.
“I guess it’s a small mercy in my misfortune?”
The Third Divine-Demonic War (神魔大戰).
That war led to the annihilation of all demons, including the Demon Gods, in the tower.
As a result, the remnants of demonic forces, including Pandemonium, were all banished from the top floor.
This was how Se-Woon was able to find Pandemonium.
After the Divine-Demonic War eradicated the forces of evil, the tower experienced a period of peace.
‘At least until the Constellations were devoured.’
Could it be that they had been waiting for that moment? Not long after the demons were annihilated, new enemies appeared at the top of the tower where the Constellations resided.
Outers.
Unknown enemies appeared from somewhere higher than the top of the tower.
At that time, not only had all the demonic gods, who had occupied half of the Constellations, been completely annihilated, but even the divine gods who were opposing the demonic gods had their power significantly weakened.
Caught in the crossfire, the number of neutral gods was also reduced by more than half.
Moreover, the Outers possessed powerful abilities that surpassed even the godly powers.
The Constellations tried desperately to fend off the Outers, but ultimately, they were defeated in battle.
‘After that, it was nothing short of a living hell.’
The Outers, occupying the top of the tower, began to send parts of their bodies downwards.
Unable to withstand this, the monsters, filled with fear, poured down to the lower floors.
With the Constellations gone and the players losing their strength, there was no way they could hold off the monsters.
Ultimately, even before the remnants of the Outers arrived, the player society collapsed significantly.
This was the current state of the tower.
– The first player to enter Pandemonium.
– Earned a historic achievement.
– Earned 100,000,000 points as a reward.
– Entered the Demonic Realm (神域) with a human body.
– Earned a remarkable achievement.
– Earned 10,000,000 points as a reward.
As expected of Pandemonium.
The moment he stepped in, numerous system messages were being displayed, and points known as “merit points” rained down.
Normally, it would be a situation to make anyone smile brightly.
“But what’s the point of receiving them if I have no use for them now?”
The society that once thrived within the tower, had completely collapsed. No matter how many points he earned, they were meaningless now since there was nowhere to spend them.
With a faint bitter smile, Se-Woon walked on the gleaming gold.
Turning his head, he saw beautiful decorations everywhere.
“It’s truly the epitome of splendor.”
As expected from the temple built by the Demon God of Greed.
Exquisite and detailed craftsmanship that seemed impossible without dwarves, golden liquid springs from fountains, and statues of the Seven Demon Gods made from gold.
“Even Zeus’s temple wasn’t this grand.”
The God of Gods.
Even the temple of Zeus, known as the mightiest god among the Twelve Olympian Gods, didn’t compare.
He would have liked to leisurely explore the temple a bit more, but—
Boom!
Rustle—
“Impatient much?”
The vibration shook the entire temple and the gold dust fell from the ceiling.
It was clear that the remnants of the Outer were attacking, knowing the location of Se-Woon, the last player remaining on the 92nd floor.
After walking a little further, a grand entrance leading to the temple’s interior appeared, but that wasn’t Se-Woon’s destination.
“It must be here.”
Pandemonium was known as the place where the Seven Demon Gods held their grand conference, but its true master was none other than Mammon, the Demon God of Greed.
Now that all the demon gods, including Mammon, had been annihilated by the Divine-Demonic War, there was only one thing Se-Woon sought in Pandemonium.
‘Mammon’s Treasury.’
The gold and treasures that the Demon God of Greed amassed over eons.
Through extensive research, sage’s knowledge, and gathering hidden pieces in dungeons, he had found the only way to overcome the current predicament.
– Using the unique skill, ‘Guidepost of the Journey.’
Whirr!
A golden arrow, resembling a compass, appeared above Se-Woon’s head.
Without the favor of a proper god or overwhelming combat abilities, the only unique skill that enabled Se-Woon to reach the 92nd floor and find Pandemonium was—
Guidepost of the Journey.
A skill highly regarded in exploration, adventure, and discovery.
Because of this skill, he had often been used by others and faced many dangers, but without it, surviving this long would have been impossible.
Rumble—
“Well hidden.”
In a secluded corner of the temple, Se-Woon pushed the center of a wall while tilting a golden candlestick. The floor opened up, revealing a wide staircase.
A secret staircase hidden within Pandemonium.
There was no need to hesitate. This was the path leading to the treasury of the Demon God of Greed, Mammon.
Thud! Rumble—
As Se-Woon descended the stairs, the vibrations under his feet intensified.
Feeling that time was running out, his steps quickened.
After several spirals down the staircase, he finally saw the door to the treasury.
He placed his hand on the door, which only the Demon God of Greed could access.
Zap!
Mana arced like electricity, rejecting Se-Woon’s touch.
“Pelches… Who knew there’d come a day I’d be thankful to that bastard.”
Se-Woon pulled a golden key from his pocket.
A key whose purpose couldn’t be identified by any appraisal skill.
Despite being a reward from the highest-grade dungeon, he couldn’t determine its use, and Pelches had thrown it to him with a condescending grin.
Since then, Se-Woon had forgotten about the key, but his investigation of Pandemonium had revealed its purpose.
This was the golden key to Mammon’s treasury.
Click!
Creak—
The enormous golden door opened.
Inside Pandemonium, which was filled solely with gold, for the first time, something other than gold catches the eye.
“Holy… all of this is treasure?”
– You have entered the ‘Treasury of Greed.’
– The first player to enter the Treasury of Greed.
– Earned a historic achievement.
– Earned 100,000,000 points as a reward.
The system messages didn’t even register in his mind.
Even when he saw the temple made of gold, Se-Woon had merely thought, ‘Impressive.’ But now, his eyes sparkled like gold itself.
“The cursed sword Tyrfing, the Martial Arts Manual of Heavenly Demon Divine Art (천마신공), the Ancient Magic Book of the Forgotten Eight Circles, and even the Dragon Heart…”
Each and every treasure was extraordinary, filling the vast treasury.
They were items that would make even gods drool, let alone players.
As a player himself, Se-Woon almost succumbed to greed for a moment.
Rumble!
“Now’s not the time for this.”
The timely vibration snapped him back to reality.
Suppressing his greed, he navigated through the piles of gold and treasures, searching the vast treasury.
The volume of treasures was so overwhelming that it seemed like it would take months to find what he was looking for, but Se-Woon had the ‘Guidepost of the Journey’ skill.
Following the golden arrow above his head, he finally found the item he had longed for.
[ Chronos Hourglass ]
The Hourglass of Chronos, the God of time.
It was the only way to escape the tower that was on the brink of collapse.
‘Well, escape might not be the right word.’
Even if he used the hourglass, it would only revert ‘the user’s time.’ And no matter how many times he rewound time, he would eventually end up back at this moment.
‘But if I can stop the Divine-Demonic War…’
At the very least, could he not fend off the Outers’ attack?
This was what Se-Woon believed.
No, even without relying on the power of demons, by fully utilizing the knowledge he had now—
‘If I climb the tower and stop the Outers myself,’
At the very least, he could avoid the current disastrous situation.
‘And I could get some small revenge as a bonus.’
Click!
Having already thought through all the upcoming scenarios, there was no hesitation in using the hourglass.
– Rewinding time in the ‘Tower’ for the first time.
A new beginning.
The plan was already perfect.
His mind was filled with knowledge about hidden pieces obtained through Guidepost of the Journey, various books, and the information gleaned from players as he climbed the tower.
No matter what it took, he would prevent the current state from happening.
He wouldn’t repeat the errors of the past.
– Used the Hourglass of Chronos.
– Remaining time until the sand runs out: 9 minutes and 58 seconds…
As he turned the hourglass, golden grains of sand began to trickle down gradually.
Rewinding time.
Since this act defied causality, it seemed to take longer than expected.
With no time to idle and wait—
Bam!
Rumble—
“You’ve managed to find your way here.”
The ceiling of the golden treasury began to collapse.
Given its endurance, the palace of a Demon God was supposed to be so robust that even gods couldn’t easily destroy it.
Indeed, it was a show of the power that had swallowed up the Gods and taken over the top of the tower.
“Gah—!”
Through the gaps in the falling ceiling, the form of an Outer barely became visible.
The roar was so intense it felt like my eardrums might burst. Even though it was just a remnant of the Outer and not the main entity, my hands trembled the moment I faced it.
Normally, I would immediately try to avoid it and move away, but things are different now.
“Ten minutes, huh. Let’s enjoy this while we can.”
[ Zeus’s Lightning Bolt, Astrape ]
– One of the three treasures created by the first giant Cyclops for Zeus, the King of the Twelve Olympian Gods and Ruler of The Sky.
Crackle!
The Lightning Bolt of the God of Thunder radiated a brilliant light from Se-Woon’s hand.