I Became the 1st Floor Boss of the Tower

Clang!

In the silence of the room, there was a sound of teacups clinking. Lee Shin took a seat in front of the table and waited for her.

"This incident must have dealt quite a blow to Astria," Metatron said.

"Hmm… But don’t you think they are a bit too indolent?" Lee Shin asked.

"No, I don’t think so…” Metatron replied and chuckled lightly. "There were thirty Apostles in total, and half of them were quite formidable individuals. Besides, later on, seven of the Apostles became incarnate gods. So, how could one think this was a gesture of complacency?"

Her words also made sense, but Lee Shin was still suspicious about their intentions.

"If your power has become abnormally strong, then it\'s understandable," Metatron said.

"If even one high-ranking god had come, the battle would not have ended as easily as it did," Lee Shin replied.

"Hmm... I wonder if that would be the case," Metatron said.

Metatron gave Lee Shin a meaningful look, as if she were trying to probe into his thoughts. Her expression seemed to convey that even if a higher ranking god had come, the outcome would not have changed.

"I think I can finally understand Astria’s intention through this incident," Metatron said.

"Hmm… their intention? Do you think they are trying to find the God of Chaos?” Lee Shin asked.

Lee Shin’s casual remark elicited a subtle expression from Metatron. While he attempted to fish out her thoughts, it seemed futile to manipulate her in this manner. Even if she were to provide information, it would not be something that Lee Shin could extract, but rather something she had intended to reveal from the beginning.

Nevertheless, he had mentioned the name, God of Chaos, in the hopes of gaining even a small amount of information about him.

- Just as we’ve expected of her reputation, she’s not gullible.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Metatron brought over some tea and offered it to Lee Shin.

"Are you aware that you are still a figure shrouded in mystery? Do you know that?” Metatron asked.

"Yes, I\'m aware of that," Lee Shin replied.

"The God of Chaos... In truth, there are not that many who know that name. Even among the gods, there are only a few who are acquainted with it,” Metatron explained.

"So, are you implying that it is abnormal for someone like me, a mere challenger, to know about it?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, that’s right," Metatron replied.

After taking a slow sip of tea, she raised her hand and gestured toward an empty space. Suddenly, a book came out from the bookshelf and gently landed on the table. The next moment, it opened up and stopped at a page, which displayed a vast cosmic background.

"Do you see this vast, boundless expanse that seems to stretch endlessly?" Metatron asked.

"Yes, I see it," Lee Shin replied.

"And can you see those tiny dots around it?" Metatron asked.

"Yes, I can see them," Lee Shin replied.

These tiny dots were so small that they would be nearly invisible if one did not look closely.

"In fact, Earth is smaller than these dots. You and I are practically insignificant when viewed from the perspective of the entire dimension," Metatron said, looking at Lee Shin.

The page turned once more, revealing some entities.

"As dimensions continued to expand, the world became too vast to manage on its own. And so, gods emerged as a result," Metatron explained.

- Whoa…

Gene Ebrium could not help but be impressed. He had not expected to hear the story of the origin of gods here. Besides, he wondered how many people would know about the true origin of gods. Typically, gods were believed to have existed since the beginning of everything.

"We called them ‘managers’ as well," Metatron said.

To Lee Shin and the other challengers of the Tower, that was a very familiar term.

"Do you have anything to do with the managers in the Tower?" Lee Shin asked Metatron.

"Yes, in fact, in the past, they used to be managers of different dimensions, not of the Tower," Metatron explained.

"So then, are you saying that they used to be gods? But then why did they become managers of the Tower?” Lee Shin asked again as he could not understand.

"That is because they revolted about the construction of the Tower," Metatron explained.

Thunk.

Metatron closed the book and slid the book back into its original place.

- Even among the gods, differences in opinion is inevitable.

"To manage the world, an entity called \'god\' was created within the endless dimensions. In the end, even the gods are imperfect beings created by something. Each god pursues different goals, and it is natural that their opinions clash," Metatron said.

"...Can someone like you, who receives the favor of the Heavenly God, say such things?" Lee Shin asked.

Lee Shin did not hide his surprise at her unexpectedly straightforward words.

"It\'s okay. Well, there is no reason to be embarrassed for stating the obvious. But I also want to say that the Heavenly God is closer to perfection than most other gods," Metatron added.

How the Angels spoke about the Heavenly God was usually like this. Metatron\'s response was mild, to be honest. Angels below Metatron in rank tended to have even stronger reactions when it came to the Heavenly God.

"The Tower is a world created by dimensions. Do you know why the Tower was created in the beginning?" Metatron asked Lee Shin.

That question threw Lee Shin into a whirlpool of his thoughts as he contemplated why the Tower was created.

In the past, he had heard it from the Spirit King of the Underworld. Over time, as he collected and analyzed information from various sources, he could infer that the many branches of evidence were converging toward one direction—that the Tower was a world older than the gods, and the dimensions expanded endlessly. And to manage that, managers were created…

"So, it was to produce the labor force known as \'gods,\' right?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, that\'s correct. The Tower is just like a factory for producing gods. The only difference is that the gods have their own individual characteristics," Metatron explained.

The Tower of the Beginning created the gods. And the gods that now exist were beings created in that Tower. Then what happened to the current Tower?

"When gods are created at a faster rate than the expansion of dimensions, the positions of the existing gods become limited. The first gods who gained power thought that there was no need to create more gods and erased the world known as the Tower. The Tower disappeared from that point on, and the remaining gods managed their own dimensions," Metatron explained.

- Hmm… The first gods…?

Gene Ebrium mumbled with curiosity. Some of those first gods that Metatron was talking about briefly crossed Gene Ebrium’s mind.

"So then, are the current chief gods the first gods?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, that\'s correct," Metatron replied.

Lee Shin felt like the tangled threads in his mind were slowly unraveling. It made sense why there were various races involved with the Tower. The gods of Astria may have taken the lead in designing this Tower; but the chief gods of the Heavenly Realm, Demon World, World of Death, and Underworld, while outwardly supporting Astria, did not seem to have the same goals.

However, if these gods had erased the original Tower from the dimensions, things would be different. The original Tower disappeared, and a long time passed. They might have started to think that gods became necessary again, and that was a possible reason for helping to design the Tower.

"The Heavenly God had no choice but to help design the Tower because the dimensions continued to expand, and they could not dominate all dimensions," Metatron explained.

"Why did it have to be Astria who designed the Tower?" Lee Shin asked.

In response to his question, Metatron took a sip of her tea, her expression becoming stern, and then she began to speak.

"Astria was the first to discover the Tower," Metatron replied.

"They discovered the Tower?" Lee Shin asked.

"The Tower is a world that created gods. Even if they were the first gods, they could not completely erase the Tower. So, they hid the world called the Tower somewhere in the dimensions, and made it wander. They made sure even the first gods could not find it," Metatron said.

"So then, are you saying that Astria’s gods found what the first gods had hidden?" Lee Shin asked.

For the first time, Metatron hesitated to give a response after hearing Lee Shin’s question. Her gaze gradually became more serious, and she spoke with a more solemn tone.

"The God of Chaos. The Heavenly Realm is suspicious of the God of Chaos with regard to how Astria managed to find the Tower,” Metatron said.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Lee Shin asked.

“Astria was chasing after the God of Chaos—the timing of that and the discovery of the Tower coincided. Afterward, the God of Chaos concealed himself," Metatron said.

The fact that the God of Chaos was being pursued by Astria and that the timing coincided with the discovery of the Tower seemed highly relevant, and strongly connected to how the God of Chaos concealed his appearance on the first floor.

- Maybe the God of Chaos hid himself in the Tower.

Lee Shin nodded in agreement with Gene Ebrium’s words. As expected, the relationship between the Tower and the gods seemed to be intricately tangled.

"Why were Astria’s gods chasing after the God of Chaos?" Lee Shin asked.

"The God of Chaos was a god that devoured other gods. If the gods, who were also the managers of the dimensions, disappeared, it would have created problems. As a result, Astria\'s gods decided to capture the God of Chaos," Metatron explained.

"And why are you telling me all of this all of a sudden?" Lee Shin asked Metatron, looking confused.

"Please climb the Tower to find the God of Chaos," she said abruptly.

Lee Shin’s expression hardened as he contemplated her words. He wondered what was the meaning behind her request for him to find the God of Chaos.

"Why does the Heavenly Realm want to find the God of Chaos?" Lee Shin asked.

"We, the Heavenly Realm, simply want to maintain order in this dimension. If the God of Chaos falls into the hands of the gods of Astria, it will bring even greater chaos," Metatron said.

"And, what if I find the God of Chaos?" Lee Shin asked.

"...He is a god who can bring chaos to the world just like his divine name suggests. So, if we find him, the Heavenly God will step in and eliminate him," Metatron said.

One could hear Metatron\'s determination in her voice. The God of Chaos, whom Astria’s gods had pursued, was the same god that Heaven was concerned about. If the Heavenly Realm removed the God of Chaos, wouldn’t that actually have been a win for them? This implied that Astria’s goal was not simply the removal of the God of Chaos.

- Don\'t trust Metatron too much.

Metatron was right in front of Lee Shin, so he could not voice his thoughts, but he heeded Gene Ebrium’s advice. He did not plan on completely trusting Metatron. Lee Shin was aware that she was helping him only because he was needed in this current situation. Besides, it was a precarious situation, as he could not predict when she might turn her back against him.

"All right," Lee Shin said aloud.

Metatron looked at Lee Shin with a faint smile.

"We, the Heavenly Realm, will protect the Earth while you are climbing the Tower," Metatron said.

"Understood," Lee Shin replied.

Both Lee Shin and Metatron concealed their true intentions from each other, wearing masks of pretense. He did not have the confidence to break through Metatron\'s thick pretense, but he also did not plan on revealing his true self either. He could use them as needed, and that was it.

- In the end, you will have to climb the Tower.

Exiting Metatron\'s Heavenly Room, Lee Shin made his way back to Earth. Everyone was busy, preparing for the imminent invasion by the gods. From Earth\'s perspective, it was truly a frightening ordeal. The dominators who once ruled the Tower had attacked their homeland, which amounted to nothing more than challengers. However, the challengers must have realized through this incident that they were not invincible.

"Long time no see,” Pyon Dunaide greeted Lee Shin.

Amidst the bustling crowd, a man with blond hair walked leisurely. It was Pyon Dunaide, the Emperor of the Lostria Magic Empire, who appeared in the bamboo forest that had been turned into ruins.

"What brings you here?” Lee Shin asked.

"I heard that the Apostles of the Gods forcefully invaded this time, causing great trouble," Pyon Dunaide said.

Pyon Dunaide’s calm gaze shone coldly.

"We may have faced trouble, but they all died as a result," Lee Shin replied.

At Lee Shin’s words, a faint smile crept onto Pyon Dunaide’s face.

"Heh, this sounds like the kind of person who beat me,” Pyon Dunaide replied.

"...What is it that you want to say?” Lee Shin asked.

"I\'ll be staying here for a while," Pyon Dunaide replied.

"So?" Lee Shin asked again.

"I\'m not the same as before. I\'ve made tremendous progress in a short time. Now, even Para McMatain won’t be able to easily defeat me," Pyon Dunaide replied.

It was quite surprising to hear that. Of course, in the face of the emperor, Para McMatain might not have given his all, but the fact that Pyon Dunaide could face off with Para McMatain squarely was still evidence of remarkable growth.

"I will move all the main forces of the Lostria Empire here. So, what I’m trying to say is that we\'ll pour all our strength into protecting the Earth while you climb the Tower," Pyon Dunaide said.

"What about the Empire?" Lee Shin asked.

"Don\'t worry about the Empire. We\'re monitoring the situation there simultaneously, and if things get out of hand, we\'ll just go over. Besides, there are currently no immediate threats to the Empire," Pyon Dunaide explained to Lee Shin.

Lee Shin did not expect Pyon Dunaide to be this proactive in protecting Earth. If the high-ranking gods invade, their support might be meaningless, but if low-ranking gods appear, they could provide some help.

"Thank you," Lee Shin said, looking at Pyon Dunaide.

The next moment, Pyon Dunaide extended his hand, and they had a handshake. After exchanging glances, they turned away without regrets.

"Yu Jia," Lee Shin called out.

"Yes?" Yu Jia replied.

Lee Shin called Yu Jia, who was waiting for him in the distance. Her abilities were top-tier among the combatants on Earth, but lately, it seemed like she was only being used as a teleportation device, and so Lee Shin suddenly felt guilty about that.

"It\'s okay," Yu Jia said, looking at Lee Shin.

"Huh?" Lee Shin asked in a surprised tone.

"I mean… because you didn’t look too happy,” Yu Jia replied.

Did she learn to read minds or something?

"Let\'s go to the Eternal Gate," Lee Shin said.

"Alright," Yu Jia replied.

There were only ten more floors to climb in order to reach the hundredth floor. Lee Shin planned on conquering them in a short time.