Beyond the Eternity-Chapter 249: Tower of Chaos [1]

I'd say my performance as a Vassal of the Holy Church was more than convincing.

After the female receptionist was dismissed, a uniformed officer took her place to handle our registration. Normally, we would have undergone an evaluation to assess our capabilities and then assigned temporary service under the Demon Suppression Agency before we could start challenge the Dragon's Labyrinth.

However, posing as a vassal of the Holy Church of Destiny rendered those formalities meaningless.

Once we completed the necessary paperwork, we were each issued individual certification cards containing key details such as true name, age, date of birth, organization, class, skills, status, and criminal record.

These cards were essential for leaving the perimeters of the Holy Land.

Naturally, I made sure to fill in my details under the fake name "Luke Murphy," along with other falsified information. Even if we had registered with our real names, they wouldn't be stored in the Holy Land's personal information archive.

"If you're planning to challenge the tower, you'll need a team," the officer informed us.

"I already have my team with me."

"I see. Then you'll need a team name."

A team name, huh?

Due to the dangers and unsolved mysteries of the Dragon's Labyrinth, solo attempts were strictly prohibited. A minimum of five or six members was required as a safety measure to prevent potential disasters.

The "Team Card" represented this requirement. Issued for the challenge, it included the team's name and was a crucial document.

It was created by the Magic Engineering Association, its official designation was the [Dark Dragon's Collaboration Program].

…Not that the name really mattered.

I considered using Night Management, but that could be problematic. Soo Jinyoung, along with the other party members, were still out there, and using that name might allow them to identify us. At the same time, it would also reveal our presence to other potential enemies.

Indeed, that would be too troublesome, and I already had enough on my plate. Inviting more enemies would only lead to disaster and a greater misfortune.

Therefore,

"Fill in 'Blackhawk' as the team name."

"Who will be the leader?"

"That would be me, Luke Murphy."

The officer nodded and proceeded with the paperwork.

"Within the Tower, multiple levels have been confirmed. However, no one across the Four Continents, not even the Twelve Clans, has managed to descend past the first floor. Due to the tower's complex nature and immense height, it's believed to contain multiple levels, but even the first floor behaves in strange and unpredictable ways," the officer explained.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The first exploration team failed to clear the second floor, which resulted in the emergence of the Second Impact. When a second team was formed sometime after the Second Impact, they immediately noticed that the first floor had changed drastically from the data recorded by the previous team. More precisely, the entire structure had changed, and the trial itself was completely different."

"I see… The Veterans already informed me of this. The floor changes with each party that enters. That's why the DSA coined the term 'Individual Shadow Worlds' for this mysterious phenomenon. That's correct, isn't it?"

The officer nodded grimly.

"Unfortunately, yes. The second exploration team barely made it out alive, with over half their forces wiped out. It was a devastating loss. That's why most people hesitate to climb the tower, so mo one knows what will happen once they enter. Are the Veterans finally deciding to act?"

"That's none of your concern. We're simply here to carry out our duty."

"I see."

The officer cast a glance at us before delivering a firm warning.

"If you're serious about challenging the tower, remember this. Once you pass through the Gate, the Tower will synchronize with an existing Shadow World suited to your current level. That realm lies beyond human jurisdiction, meaning we have no control over what happens inside.

So, once you enter, do not attempt to leave under any circumstances. There's a high chance you'll be separated from your team."

His words were so well-rehearsed that I wondered just how many times he had given this exact warning.

"Understood."

We nodded in agreement.

"You won't have to wait long for the teleportation. Plenty of participants enter the first floor of the Tower from time to time. Some enter the tower to gather resources, others to grow stronger. Based on your data, none of you seem outrageously high-ranked, so you'll likely be placed in a low-tier Shadow World."

His words aligned with what I already knew as a reader of Song of Nightmares, but I listened anyway.

Like other tower-based stories and web novels you'd find on pirated reading sites, the Tower of Chaos, known as the Dragon's Labyrinth, consisted of ten floors. The Demon Suppression Agency referred to these floors as "Shadow Worlds," based on data gathered from previous raids. This was because the difficulty and nature of each floor constantly adjusted to the challenger's strength. In other words, clearing the Tower of Chaos in a single attempt was nearly impossible.

In essence, the tower operated on a simple rule:

The stronger you were, the more difficult the climb. Conversely, the weaker you were, the more forgiving the floors became.

Of course, there were exceptions wherever some challengers found themselves in a Shadow World with a "Nightmare" difficulty grade. The outcome was predictable. This was the primary reason why the Dragon's Labyrinth was such a nightmare to clear, both figuratively and literally, and an enormous pain in the ass.

Because of this, the Demon Suppression Agency, along with the Mage Association and the Twelve Clans, remained extremely cautious when dealing with the Dragon's Labyrinth.

Right now, they were likely preparing to create suitable candidates to challenge the Second Floor of the Tower of Chaos. Before that happened, we had to seize this opportunity under the guise of the Holy Church of Destiny.

I already knew this case would eventually be reported to the Cardinals. Since they were relatively busy, it would take them a few hours, maybe even a day, to receive the report. But once they did, they would undoubtedly find the situation suspicious and send Inquisitors to investigate.

However, if we cleared the Second Floor, which had remained uncleared for ten years, it would make it difficult for the Church to act against us directly, especially when part of the credit would go to them.

[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' is impressed by your strategy.]

[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' remarks that this is an incredibly risky plan.]

[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' questions what will happen if you fail to clear the second floor.]

Damn. As expected, this peculiar constellation saw right through the situation.

If we managed to clear the second floor of the Tower of Chaos, we'd hit the jackpot and gain a massive lead over the rest of the Walkers. But failure was a different story altogether.

If we failed to clear the second floor, the nightmares contained within would spill out like a flood.

The higher the floor you reached in the Tower of Chaos, the greater the catastrophe caused by failure.

If the First Impact, the initial failure that led to the world's cannibalization, could be considered a minor incident, then the Second Impact would mean the destruction of an entire civilization. And if something as dangerous as the Second Impact happened again… it would be nothing short of an apocalypse.

Not only would the Church's reputation take a massive hit, but the other Walkers might suffer the consequences as well.

No matter how you sliced the cake or flipped the game board, the scenario remained just as dangerous.

It had reached a point where I couldn't fully trust the information from Song of Nightmares or draw any reliable comparisons. There was no way to predict what kind of Shadow World we would face once we enter the tower.

'Tch. Maybe the High Priestess should have come here after all.'

I clicked my tongue, biting the tip of my fingernail.

'No… I don't think even Divination would have worked. There are plenty of Diviners in the Holy Church of Destiny, yet none of them have been able to clear the second floor.'

'Could there be some kind of barrier surrounding the Tower of Chaos?'

'If I think about the situation using that logic, it makes sense. Maybe a barrier repelling outside interference…'

'Considering the nature of the entity behind the Tower of Chaos, it's safe to assume its magic power is reinforcing the Tower's density.'

'Seriously, what kind of messed up narrative is this?'

Honestly, I was stunned when I read about this concept in Song of Nightmares. A tower that automatically adjusts its difficulty based on the individual's strength. The idea that the weak could ever clear it was nothing more than delusion. It was completely irrational and illogical.

Was it even possible to conquer such a tower?

I could only think of one way to clear the Tower of Chaos without suffering heavy casualties, but even that bordered on the impossible.

Was this how Soo Jinyoung felt, forced to relive the same convoluted story over and over again?

Now that I thought about it, it was almost absurd how she managed to endure it so many times without losing her mind.

"Here you go, sir."

I snapped out of my reverie as the uniformed officer handed me the Team Card. I glanced over it.

[Dragon's Labyrinth Collaboration Program]

[Team Name: Blackhawk]

[Main Leader: Luke Murphy]

[Number of Members: 5]

[Issuing Number: No.382714906]

So this was our team card, huh? It looked far less extravagant than I had expected. Maybe my standards for an ordinary team card were just too high.

If I had to describe it, it looked no different from a standard employee ID that an average salary worker would carry around with them while toiling away for a soulless corporation.

I smiled bitterly at the random thought. Then, I focused my attention on the man infront of me.

"Your registration is complete, sir. You're now free to challenge the Tower of Chaos. Just show this card to the guards stationed there, and they'll let you in," the uniformed officer explained before adding,

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"Also, aside from challenging the Dragon's Labyrinth, you're still eligible to work for the Demon Suppression Agency and receive a salary. Of course, since you'll be entering the tower, you can gather resources from the first floor and sell them for profit, provided you survive."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why does it sound like you're expecting us to die?"

"Ah... No! W-Why would we want that? Naturally, we wouldn't want to lose manpower, especially given the current state of the world."

I chuckled. "Relax, I get it. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you're way too stiff?"

"I hear that a lot, sir." The uniformed officer awkwardly scratched his cheek.

Was he nervous? At a glance, he didn't seem like the type to rattle easily. Maybe it was because he thought he was speaking to a vassal of the Church.

"In any case, thanks for making everything simple and quick. Hope you have a good day."

With that, I turned and led the group out of the building. Even as we stepped outside, I could still feel lingering gazes on my back.

† †

The uniformed officer behind the reception desk watched in silence as the man in the long red coat exited the building with his group.

A female officer approached, stopping beside him. She glanced toward the exit, hesitating before asking,

"Do you think they're from the Church?"

"About that... I'm not sure."

"You don't know? Then why—"

"The recommendation letter he provided checked out. I inspected it thoroughly. And more importantly, he could use Order." The officer leaned back with a sigh. "Do you know anyone besides those Church bastards who can do that?"

"Um... no..."

"That's what I thought." His brows furrowed. "Even so, it's strange. Why weren't we informed about this? Go report it to the presiden, he might already know something."

"Understood."

With a nod, the female officer quickly headed upstairs. Watching her leave, the man could only rub his temple and sigh. After a moment, he stood up and made his way to the information archive.