Listen while reading: Kimi Wa Negau

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  The future where Seth came from was one where I wasn’t present, where I didn’t return, and where tless disasters befell both Earth and the many worlds of the Tower.

  Among them was the invasion of Floor 80. Divis ravaged America, killed Caesar and his family, and then were set loose, creating plete chaos.

  I have yet to learhing from him, but so far, everything I’ve learned has been firmed already, and with my abilities, I’ve detected that he tells no lies.

  He is ho and will tell me when I ask, but if I don’t ask, he always would rather keep these things for himself.

  I don’t know if it’s because he’s selfish or secretive about his truth; maybe he fears the future could ge so much that it wouldn’t be possible to solve these problems as he wants.

  But I know that there are things he ’t pletely hide from me that I easily guess based on his as and what he tells me about.

  And right now, I already guessed that this world, Elios...

  It was most likely destroyed.

  How did I guess that?

  First, the Divi Spirit Gods were already dying.

  Ohey died, the pilrs of the world would grow unstable.

  The Barbarian God would bee the only pilr, and his warm tendencies would bring chaos to this world and others. The world might either begin to slowly fall apart, or the cult itself would accelerate its dest into destru.

  And above all, the memories I saw from the shattered souls of Terminus gave me another hint: a mysterious group of vile scum that came to this world and vihe isoted and discriminated four-armed red orc tribe, who had been chased away into a wastend by the other red orc tribes due to their fear against their gifted physical power, to do the vilest a this world’s history.

  “The people that vinced Ultimus’ tribe to sacrifice thousands of people iual that created the Evil God Rakshasa...” I said. “Was the end of Elios in your future their fault?”

  “Yes,” he nodded. “With your powers, did you read someone’s mind?”

  “Yeah, a couple of cultists.” I nodded. “Ultimus mind was fragmented; it seemed he had fallen under a spell that made him mad, perhaps the very effect of the divinity the Evil God granted him. So it was quite hard to browse through his memories. But from what I saw, I discovered such a thing. Now tell me, Seth. What happened?”

  “Well…” Seth sighed. “When the World of Elios came to an end, I wasn’t eveo do anything. Back then, I didn’t even care either. I was a selfish person, and, at the same time, just another man. I couldn’t really give myself the privilege of g about a whole different world.”

  “Okay, I get that.” I nodded. “But why did you end up g now? And how did it end?”

  “Back then, it just happened,” he said. “I didn’t care and tio move on... But it ged a few years ter, when I met someone. She started as just another party member, someone I recruited because I really needed a Pyer to help me out on party-only quests on the higher floors. Mia was her name. She was a beast-kin woman, a tiger-kin to be specific.”

  “Aha…” I nodded, listening to the love story.

  “A-and... well,” he started blushing. “Things happened. We got along; we saved one another from danger. At oime, our entire party betrayed us; they set us up to kill us and steal our equipment and items. But by w together, we survived, by the skin of our teeth.”

  “Huh-uh,” I kept noddiing snacks.

  “And well, things happened,” he muttered. “Whatever the case, I loved her—I still do. She ofteo talk to me about the stories of her world and of Elios. She was always menting how her world came to an eually, I got ied and started researg. I started to slowly ect the dots between many other is. And then I discovered that the world of Elios came to an end by the very ritual that created the Barbarian God.”

  “He didn’t drain the world?” I asked.

  “He did… Teically, the thing is, Evil Gods are tools for these people,” Seth expined. “They’re beings they actually trol. So while the people of these worlds where Evil Gods were created believed that this was a god that would protect them… Ohe Evil Gods creators came back, they could easily take over the Evil God’s mind and trol them.”

  “Is that so…”

  “I am not sure who was behind everything; I wasn’t there, and the information was scarce,” he expined. “But it was one of those people, the leader of whatever anization, cult, group, or whatever they were. They wielded the power of the Evil God, the Barbarian God, and turned him into a Divine struct that helped them drain all of the world’s Energies and Souls.”

  “So that’s how it is…” I nodded. “Now I’m even more thankful we killed him. Rakshasa was desti destru to this world either way.”

  “Yeah… Mia always talked to me about Elios, of its beautiful blue skies, of its tranquil grassnds, lush forests, the tribes that lived freely, and more,” he said. “It inspired me; I wao visit it with her, to live in Elios at her side... To settle down, even. I was tired, Bing Xue. So tired of everything... I had sidered many times if I should stop and simply settle down with her. Tet my world, tet my purpose. Tet my path... Just so… Just so I could be with her. Mia was my everything.”

  “Seth…” I felt slightly moved, but at the same time, I was a bit worried. “Did something happen to her?”

  “…”

  He remained in silence, looking down.

  “Don’t tell me.”

  “Yeah, she died...”

  I fell silent for a moment. Well, we both did.

  He looked sorrowful, reminisg the time he had spent with her, perhaps.

  “It was...” he grabbed his head. “In Floor 76... That nightmare. It was something—something we could have never won against. Bing Xue, if only you would visit that floor, you would uand the dread I feel.”

  I noticed his hands were trembling.

  Just what is in Floor 76 that makes it so dreadful and strong that even Mia died?

  “I couldn’t save her…” Seth grabbed the grass tightly. “I couldn’t do anything! I watched her die… I… Hahh…”

  He wao keep himself posed, to remain as cold as he always is.

  Yet he couldn’t help it; he quickly started g.

  “Mia…”

  My disciple was g in front of me; there was nothing much I could do other than offer him my pany.

  I walked to his side and then hugged him.

  He was much smaller than me, so it was easy to embrace him with my long arms.

  “Mia is alive now, Seth. You’ve turned back time, remember? We’ll fiogether.”

  “It’s not the same anymore… All the time I spent with her, all those years… I am not a plete stranger.”

  “But aren’t you relieved she’s alive now, at least?”

  “Yeah… I am. And I think… I think it would be better to just leave her be.”

  “What! Why?!”

  There’s no way he’s thinking of doing that!

  As his master, I simply ’t let my disciple think he doesn’t need his lover back!

  Mia, prepare yourself; I’ll find you and bring you to poor little Seth!

  “C-Calm down! There’s a reason why I wouldn’t wao e back. I was the ohat ultimately became the driving force behind our party…” he sighed.

  “I had grown obsessed with climbing the tower and growing stronger. I wao reach the top of the tower and wish for Earth to be finally freed from all the destru and to be healed…”

  “I see…” I nodded. “So Mia…”

  “Mia and my other friends, they all came with me; I was the party’s leader, so…” he muttered. “Well, they followed me anywhere. They were all good friends, aside from my dear Mia. My other brothers and sisters had lived through many challenges. We saved one another, yet I just couldn’t save them; everyone died on Floor 76 except me. I brought them to their deaths. I don’t deserve to be their friend anymore; I don’t... I don’t deserve Mia.”

  So that’s why he thinks like that…

  Well, this is indeed rather plicated.

  Maybe I’m being selfish by wanting him to get back to her or his friends.

  But holy, I don’t want him to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world or the tower by himself.

  “Well, hasn’t the future already ged a lot? I didn’t just fight the barbarian god; I killed ahirteen gods, so I am fairly sure that such a feat will ge the tower and any world ected to it forever,” I said. “You don’t really know if she’ll be fine on her own, even less with your friends... If you still love her and if you still care about your friends, wouldn't you at least learhey are and what they’re doing well enough? So you see if they need help or if they might be on the brink of dying! Maybe I’m being paranoid now, but... e on, don’t you worry a little bit?”

  Seth gasped, looking at my eyes dumbfounded.

  “Y-You’re n…” he muttered. “I suppose that’s… right. At least, I should try to find them and see if they’re doing okay. I… I guess you’re really good at ving people, huh, Bing Xue? Or should I say, Master, from now on?”

  “Master is better!” I nodded. “But you call me however you want. Anyway, what else do you know about this girl? I help you find her.”

  “Hmm, well, she had a few more years of experiehan me,” Seth said. “When I met her, I only had two and a half years of experien the tower, while she had seven. She wasn’t older thahough, but she had been traveling iower at a much younger age. Perhaps because she was born in it. Although childre allowed to climb the tower, that actually depends on their rad what you sider a child. Some people iain races bee adults at three years of age, for example.”

  “So she was seven years of age?!” I gasped.

  “What! No! She was like twenty…” he facepalmed. "It is simply that most beast-kin bee adults at a younger age than humans. That’s all. So she might have started climbing the tower at… thirteen years of age; dammit, that’s so young still. She’s probably… either eighteen or een right now. Around my age, I guess.”

  “Where did you find her?” I asked.

  “At Floor 33 was our first enter,” he said. “But that’s like two years from now. This means she could be on a much lower floor.”

  “Hmm! I see, any more info?” I asked.

  “She told me she spent a lot of time training on Floor 20,” he said. “It’s a world called Zipangu. She learned her Swordsmanship aaeiques from there. It made her such a powerhouse. She said that her getting there and not was what made a whole difference.”

  “Damn, pirl, she had been on her own all this time! Why?” I wondered. “Doesn’t she have a family?”

  “Yeah, she said she beloo the Golden Fang Tiger Tribe,” said Seth. “I assume they escaped from here long ago aled in Floor 4's mountains, where the tigers might feel more fortable.”

  “I see… I do remember killing a bulky god; he was from there, I think,” I said.

  “{Stone Giant of the Ash Mountain}, right?” he asked. “Yes, he’s a zy god that asks for s from the people living there... He wasn’t someone as terrible as the barbarian god, but not someone her. Well, if he’s dead, there’s nothing that be done about it. And yes, as you asked me before, she has been alone for a while. Most likely, because of those s, they were like taxes; they had to pay for each head of a family. So if she left the floor altogether, her family wouldn’t have to spend their resources and money on her.”

  “What a greedy bastard; good thing he’s dead,” I sighed, crossing my arms. “Well! I pn to climb these worlds I freed from their gods and see how they’re doing. The very least I do is take responsibility if they require a new god and create one for them. like I did with Leviathan or Typhon.”

  “I suppose you’re the only person who could ever think “creating a god” is somehow something easy to do as a favor to others,” ughed Seth. “Thank you, Bing Xue. If possible, let’s climb the tether. Once we reach Floor 4, maybe... we could try looking for Mia’s tribe and find more clues about her whereabouts.”

  “Nice! Let’s do that then, my disciple.” I nodded. “Look at you, all better now! e, let’s celebrate with everyone else!”

  “No… I mean, I would rather be on my own than-”

  “Nope! You’re ing with me.” I grabbed him and dragged him into the middle of a daween many people.

  The beast-kin, orcs, and thralls weled him, celebrating at his side, him food, and talking to him.

  “W-Wait! Bing Xueee!”

  As he called for help, I ignored him.

  How does he expect to quer that girl’s heart again if he doesn’t know how to talk well and everything else?

  He o socialize a bit!

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  Pach