The light dissolved, and Alex's body reformed in silence.

No battlefield. No corpses. No screaming.

Instead, he stood in a vast, dimly lit chamber. The walls shimmered faintly, etched with runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.

A single table of black stone stretched across the middle, and on the far end sat Raon Levin.

The wolf in his blazer and glasses lounged casually, adjusting his spectacles with one clawed hand as if he'd been waiting for Alex all along.

Alex's steps echoed as he walked forward, his mind sharp and alert even though the trial was already cleared.

Raon finally looked up, his golden eyes glinting.

"Wow… fascinating. Very fascinating. Humans really are such interesting creatures."

Alex smirked. "Believe it or not, looks like wolves are getting interesting too — considering the one sitting in front of me looks like a corporate worker. No offense, really."

Raon laughed, a deep, amused chuckle that reverberated across the chamber. "None taken, boy."

---

Raon leaned back, tapping his claw against the table.

"Believe it or not, when the trial began, I thought you'd die a miserable death. But you've exceeded my expectations. You killed more than a hundred thousand people in this trial alone. The gods must have gone insane watching that performance."

Alex waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Enough about that. I've got questions, Mr. Raon."

The wolf tilted his head, folding his hands neatly before him. For a long moment, he simply stared at Alex with an unnervingly calm gaze.

"Well," Raon finally said, "since you've shown me something this interesting, I'll answer what I can. Ask away."

Alex's eyes sharpened. "What the hell is this Tower of Ascension?"

Raon was silent for a moment before replying, voice low and deliberate.

"This tower… is the legacy of gods long forgotten by time and reality. Long before the ones you know — those petty fools who laugh and gamble on your suffering — there were older beings. Ancient. Terrifying. They shaped realities, sculpted the very laws you live under. They were called the Older Gods."

Alex's breath hitched.

'Older Gods… again. This isn't the first time I've heard that term. Just what the hell are they?'

His voice hardened. "Are the Elder Gods dead? Or trapped somewhere?"

Raon chuckled, low and cynical. "Dead? Perhaps. Trapped? Likely. Forgotten? Never. This tower is their proof of existence. Each floor you climb, each trial you conquer, is a fragment of their legacy. That's all I can tell you right now."

He adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Even I don't know everything, boy. These are gods we're talking about. They don't like mortals prying into their secrets."

Alex frowned. "So… they're listening to us right now, aren't they?"

Raon's lips curled into a half-smile. "That's the beauty of this place. The moment you clear a trial, you're brought here — a space where their gaze cannot reach. The room you're standing in now is proof of that. It blocks their eyes."

Alex glanced around, feeling the weight of the runes and the strange pressure in the air.

'So that's what this feeling was. A barrier strong enough to cut even gods off from seeing inside.'

Raon's voice pulled him back. "And because of that, I can tell you things I normally wouldn't dare whisper."

Alex leaned against the table. "So clearing floors… it's basically a test of worthiness, right? To see who's fit."

Raon smiled faintly. "Precisely."

Alex exhaled heavily. "Figures. Another goddamn test."

He looked up again. "So, tell me — are there more people who've gone beyond the first floor?"

Raon nodded. "Oh yes. Each of them terrifying in their own right." He smirked. "And I see potential in you, kid. Talent unlike anything I've seen before."

Alex gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, I've heard that a lot."

Raon adjusted his glasses again, his tone suddenly sharp. "Then heed this. If you meet someone from the upper floors — don't mess with them. They are in a league of their own. They don't take kindly to lower-floor climbers looking down on them."

Alex gave a mock salute. "Got it. I'll remember your advice with all my heart. I'm a peace-loving guy anyway."

Raon's mouth twitched.

'Why do I get the feeling this brat is more trouble than talent? Well… whatever. If he screws up, he'll face the consequences himself. That has nothing to do with me.'

Alex leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

"Tell me, Mr. Raon. How can I leave the tower?"

At that, Raon's ears perked up. His sharp gaze locked onto Alex as he replied, "I'll tell you that… but first, how did you even enter the first floor of the tower?"

Alex shrugged. "Well, I was working to clear a high-ranked rift." He tilted his head toward Raon. "You do know what a rift is, right?"

Raon smirked. "I know far more than you, Mr. Lucifer. So continue."

Alex's mouth twitched at the smug tone, but he went on. "As hardworking as I am, the people under me slack off too much. So naturally, I had to clear the rift alone."

Raon raised a brow. "You really don't know how to act humble, do you?"

Alex slammed his hands on the table. "What do you mean!? I am the humblest guy you'll ever meet, okay?!"

Raon blinked in disbelief, momentarily speechless. Then he sighed, shaking his head. 'I can only imagine how miserable his subordinates must be.' He adjusted his glasses. "Alright, my mistake. So, how exactly did you enter the first floor?"

Alex leaned forward, grinning. "I'm getting to that. Inside that rift, I found another rift."

Raon froze.

Alex continued, "And I'd heard rumors back in my world. They say it's becoming common — finding rifts inside rifts. But the catch? No one who entered ever came back alive. Naturally, I got curious." He spread his arms with a smirk. "So, I jumped in."

Raon's jaw almost dropped. "You… didn't stop to think you could die in there?"

Alex leaned back. "Well, before I jumped, someone did mention something about dying. But I kinda ignored it. And here I am."

Raon slammed his fist on the table and burst out laughing. "You're completely insane, you know that!?"

Alex smirked. "I hear that a lot these days."

Raon leaned back, still chuckling. "I have no problem believing that."

Finally calming, Raon snapped his fingers. A white parchment materialized in front of Alex.

"As for whether you can leave the tower or not — here. Now that you're a contender, I'm allowed to give you this. Take it."

Alex raised a brow, picking it up carefully. "What's this?"

"A key," Raon explained. "That parchment can be placed anywhere — your home, a cave, the bottom of the ocean if you wish. Wherever you set it, it will create a permanent warp gate to the tower. But remember, once placed, it can't be moved."

Alex twirled the parchment between his fingers before sliding it into his storage ring.

"Neat."

"As for leaving, don't worry. I will come pick you up myself when you're done and take you to your world."

At that, Alex nodded his head.

His expression hardened. "Now tell me — what was that rift that brought me here in the first place?"

Raon's smirk faded. His tone shifted, heavy and serious.

"The Tower of Ascension was never meant to be touched by your world. It emerges only in higher and middle planes it deems worthy. Only those realms were supposed to birth contenders. What you've described — finding it inside a lower-plane rift — means something unnatural is at play."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "You're saying someone's behind it."

Raon nodded. "You can say that. Those nested rifts you mentioned… they're not natural. Someone is deliberately opening pathways to the tower from your plane. And recently, we've been seeing more challengers from lower planes than ever before." He adjusted his glasses, voice calm but sharp. "I'll investigate. For now, don't concern yourself with it."

Alex gave a slow nod. 'So even this wolf is worried, huh.'

Raon suddenly smiled again, brushing away the tension. "Alright, now comes the fun part — your reward."

Alex raised a brow. "Reward?"

"You may make one request to any god you wish," Raon said, leaning back in his chair. "It's up to you which type you call upon. They'll hear you."

Alex's eyes lit up. His mind raced. 'The thing I need most right now… yeah, it's obvious.' His lips curled into a smirk.

"I've decided," Alex said firmly.

Raon raised a brow. "That quick?"

Alex shrugged. "It's not that hard to know what I need most right now."

Raon leaned forward, intrigued. "Very well. Call upon them."

Alex lifted his gaze to the unseen heavens above. His voice rang with certainty.

"The god I call upon… is the God of ——."

Before Raon could even blink, Alex's body dissolved into light, vanishing from the chamber.

The wolf adjusted his glasses, staring at the empty space where Alex once stood. A deep chuckle rumbled in his throat.

"What an interesting human… I wonder if he might be the one to finally free us all."

-------

A/N:

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