“The being that conveys commands…”
The great being is likely someone of high status managing the current raccoons, and the Agent would be like a minion delivering that being’s words.
For the insignificant creatures, the upper beings can cause the very fabric of existence to crumble just by ‘being faced’.
The reason the Sword Saint’s soul suffered a severe blow upon meeting the Kraken’s ‘eye’ was precisely because of that.
“It’s not that they didn’t want to tell us, but rather that it’s something we shouldn’t know. Just knowing about an upper existence could be enough to shatter a soul.”
“Rika… Hmm…”
“What kind of relationship do you have with Rika? You said you didn’t know, but there must be some connection.”
“Well…”
Rika, who resembles me, is the Agent.
If she communicates with high beings, she must possess some power and high status herself…
[Does Lily know her?]
“I don’t know, though.”
“What?”
“I really don’t know.”
I don’t know.
As far as my memory goes, there’s no character named Rika, and while there might be plenty of similar names, I’ve never heard of anyone who looks like me named Rika.
“There are quite a few high-ranking Celestials and Demon Race beings.”
Since around the year 28 after reincarnation, I’ve frequently traversed the Heavenly Realm, the Demon Realm, or dimensions in between, so I’ve often come across upper beings.
All of them possess bizarre and unique powers, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if one resembles me or was created to follow my likeness.
Moreover, I——— did, after all.
This might be a trivial matter.
[Isn’t it like a sister? Haha]
[Lily’s clone?]
[The job hints are unraveling here]
[Let’s kill the raccoon]
[Isn’t it family?]
[If it’s just someone who resembles me, that would be legendary, haha]
[But if they’re an Agent, isn’t that Cat Beastman? Did Yena teach her?]
[I’ve definitely heard of Agents before]
The raccoon seemed to focus on me, then shook its head.
“If you don’t know, that’s fine. You too must be a being arranged by some force.”
“Arranged? Now that’s an interesting story.”
“So what are you thinking of doing now? Come to think of it, it seems you came with the first passerby.”
“First, we need to climb the tower.”
More important than money or experience points was the information about the raccoon, and I’ve found the raccoon, the key to that information.
According to Immensus, it’s like I’ve achieved my goal before even climbing the past tower.
Having achieved my goal, it’s now time to grab some bonus rewards.
“Maybe something will come to mind while we climb.”
Ancient Growth Tower, 10th Floor.
Me and the raccoon climbed the tower at a rapid pace, and before even two hours had passed, we reached the 10th floor.
The raccoon seemed quite knowledgeable and skilled about the tower, claiming he had climbed it multiple times before.
Viewers reacted with comments about regression and fitting abilities for a tutorial scenario, but regression couldn’t possibly exist.
It was only a ‘trick’ that erased memories and reset the surrounding environment.
The raccoon nodded, seemingly having similar thoughts.
“That’s not incorrect. In a way, you could say it’s like turning back time, but if you think about it, that’s not true. The great beings or the Agents remain unchanged; how could time possibly go back?”
“Regression is nothing more than an illusion.”
“Well, illusions might appear real to a lesser creature… but more importantly, there he is. Ah, over there.”
10th Floor of the Tower.
The resting area on the lower floors of the tower, where weary climbers take a moment to rest.
Originally, Leo intended to meet on the 1st floor, but perhaps he found it more enjoyable than expected, as there was no reply after he suggested to meet on the 10th floor.
In front of the plaza fountain in the resting area, there was a nymph, waving her hands wildly while wrapped in many items.
[Leo here]
[Finally met Leo, haha!]
[?]
[??? LOL]
[What are you holding?]
[Why did you turn into a pond in just 2 hours?]
“Lady Lily!”
“…You’ve changed a lot, haven’t you?”
“Hehe, have I?”
When I met Leo again, something had indeed changed a lot.
Leo’s small body was adorned with all kinds of tower equipment, which was so precious that even the raccoon gulped at it.
Moreover, she had mostly restored her weakened original powers, and I could sense the presence of various alien forces that hadn’t existed before.
Each piece of equipment was comparable to a demigod level.
The raccoon let out an exclamation.
“…Valhalla’s armor, Valkyrie’s celestial wings, Ice King’s frozen sword, Thunder God’s lightning… and even multi-celebrity contracts? Are you some real regression hero or what?”
“Uh, how did you know?”
“?”
“?”
[Huh?]
[Oh?]
In an instant, both the raccoon and I were stunned, while Leo chuckled, scratching her head.
The lightning of the Thunder God that was in Leo’s hand scratched her head.
“When I was looking around the 1st floor, I found a suspicious land, and when I dug with the Earth Spirit, a mirror popped out. That, what was it… this, this one…”
“Is that a mirror reflecting the hidden side?”
“Oh! Right! I jumped in thinking it was a hidden piece, and suddenly I moved to another tower. So after climbing hard for six months, I reached the 99th floor and ended up back on the 1st floor.”
“???”
“Six months?”
[Six months?]
[Huh?]
[Are you really a time traveler? LOL]
[Was it a time lag dungeon?]
[No, six months is Leo!]
[Seriously, this is dedication to a tutorial!]
[Is it real that even a time traveler doesn’t know a hidden route? LOL]
[Leo’s insane!]
[Raccoon level panic.]
[??: Who’s the time traveler now?]
[No wonder Leo’s connection got cut off.]
[Wow.]
“…But if you die and return right away, then equipment and contracts wouldn’t stay, right?”
“I struck a deal with the God of Time on the 78th floor. I can keep it for a limited time.”
“But with just the power of the God of Time…”
“I made contracts with the God of Contracts on the 82nd floor and the God of Destruction on the 89th floor. I got endless fragments preserved from the vast sea and seized the power of the indestructible void…”
Leo rattled off everything that had happened.
The fact that he had been traveling for six months was impressive, but when you hear how dense it was, it seemed unbelievable.
You’d believe it if he said he traveled for six years instead of six months.
At Leo’s bombshell revelation, the raccoon looked back at me in astonishment, its eyes wide.
“…You’re keeping company with an insane person.”
“If it’s fun, it could be that way.”
I chuckled while playfully pinching Leo’s chubby cheeks.
Though a lot had changed, those soft cheeks were still the same.
For the raccoon, climbing with the risk of death for the sake of its kind was a serious matter, but for Leo, it was just a ‘game.’
He wouldn’t die, nor would he endure unnecessary pain.
He just got stronger in an environment far more comfortable than others while enjoying himself endlessly.
That’s why it seemed so easy for him to spend six months like it was nothing.
“Ugh?”
“But six months is a bit long.”
“Jin-mang jae-ming-uhng-neung-deng…”
“But still, if it turned into six years, what would you have done?”
Hearing the story, it seemed he had really been racing around to bring back the power he earned from the hidden world.
What he was currently wearing was only about 20% of what he had originally gained.
If he were trying to bring it all back, it wouldn’t be surprising if it took not six months, but six years.
‘No matter how fun it is, six years is a bit much, right?’
Leo laughed.
“Well, that would have been more fun, right?”
“…Seriously.”
Swoosh. Swoosh.
“Wah! Stop it already!”
“Still, you did alright. Good job on that.”
“Ugh… I was trying to come quicker, but it took longer than expected. Adjusting this ‘temporary’ time is harder than I thought.”
“How long does it last?”
The raccoon asked.
Then Leo, who had finally escaped my grip, replied while shaking his head.
“Ten days? Oh wait, it’s actually seven days. Why seven… oh right, I wasted three days bringing that lightning?”
“…What? So you made a fuss just to last for a week?”
Nod. Nod.
[Hahaha]
[Crazy girl]
[Burning six months for a week…]
[Leo the Great]
Pure fun, for real
[HA HA HA HA]
Nodding in agreement, LOL
“Well… because it’s fun.”
“Leo turned into a nymph and got really weird.”
“Lily really likes those little cheeks.”
“Why?”
“Because it won’t be even a week, right…?”
“?”
The raccoon turns to me as if demanding an explanation.
Well, it’s a reasonable question.
“I’ll reach the top in two days at most. To the 100th floor.”
“…Two days? That’s impossible.”
“No. It’s possible.”
With Leo, the ‘Returner,’ who became overwhelmingly strong, and I too could reach the 100th floor immediately if I let go of my restraint.
But I’m just climbing ‘slowly’ for the fun of it and to watch the raccoon’s journey.
Besides…
“Do you think Yena will come?”
“She might if we wait a bit longer.”
Yena is probably still climbing the Tower of Growth diligently right now.
If we just wait a leisurely two days, she should make it up, right?
[Are we going for a 48-hour broadcast?]
[Wow]
[Are we doing this without a break? LOL]
[Aren’t we already past 13 hours…?]
[Wow]
“…Are you sure you’re not a real agent?”
“I told you!”
“Who is the agent?”
“There’s someone. Looks like me.”
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