Chapter 559

After taking a short rest of about eight hours, I returned to the tower once again.

As soon as I returned, I saw Yena busily moving around the screen I had left open.

— Lady! You’re supposed to go this way, not that way! You may have big ears, but you don’t seem to understand what’s being said!

—What do you mean, why are you… Ugh! Guess I have to do everything myself. I barely made it through without the contract I needed with a Saint.

Yena was challenging the “Collaborative Strategy Floor,” where challengers form teams to climb together.

Of course, there was a hidden route one could take alone, but the difficulty rose exponentially.

For Yena, who had not formed a *Contract of the Saint,* this was quite a daunting task.

Despite her shortcomings, Yena covered for the other Challengers’ lack, ultimately succeeding in the challenge.

The Challengers, who were teamed up with Yena, admired and thanked her, but Yena, clearly irritated, waved her hands and hurried towards the next floor.

“51st floor… Faster than I thought.”

I had expected difficulties, and there were indeed real challenges, but climbing 50 floors in 8 hours was an impressive speed.

Unlike Leo, who had returned from another world with a host of abilities after regression.

Without a Saint’s Contract, to achieve this level meant Yena was among the top tier.

Thanks to Yena’s brilliant performance, many Saints surrounded her, but none of them requested a contract, only watching silently.

Apparently, my warning had been well heeded.

—But seriously, isn’t there anyone who intends to make a contract? I’ll approve it right now!

—Hey? You were just fine chatting earlier, so why the silence when it comes to contracts?

—You’ve probably been threatened by someone who denies the Light, or something like that. Otherwise, there’s no reason for absolutely no one to step forward. Right? Right-right-right?!

And thus, with that settled…

Gapwoo was ready to be completely disconnected from here, so all that was left was climbing the tower.

[Lilha~]

[Okay.]

[Lily is back immediately.]

[Hmm.]

[Stop tormenting Yena so much!]

[Yena’s ignoring the chats and working tirelessly. Haha!]

[Yena’s determined to quit if she doesn’t get to level 121. Haha!]

[Are we going to break the Celestial Sphere Seal now?]

[What now?]

“We should keep climbing. We’ve done everything we need to do.”

Floor 91 of the Tower.

The place where Leo decided to stay for a while and where the ‘Port of Stars,’ allowing passage to various Celestial Spheres, was located.

At the port, ‘Meteor Ships’ were docked. These ships could take travelers to authorized Celestial Spheres.

It was said that during this time, Challengers were protected by the Tower, allowing them to endure the true forms and true words of the Celestials of the Spheres.

Leo, being a ‘Multiple Contractor’ with over thirty Saint Contracts, seemed to be spending considerable time here.

When I arrived at the Port of Stars, numerous Challengers and their Saints gathered around, murmuring.

This was a place where I was already infamous and with my recent elevation as a Saint, the rumors spread even more.

—Isn’t that the woman? The Saint…

—Yeah, the one who shattered two Celestial Spheres…

—I saw her on the 70th floor; she was monstrous, no kidding.

—The Saint gave a serious warning, saying not to mess with her…

—She is quite beautiful though, right?

—It’s better to be careful. If you irritate her, she might cut off your head…

“I don’t just chop off heads indiscriminately.”

If you don’t intentionally provoke me directly, I usually let people go. So why have the rumors become so exaggerated?

It’s very puzzling.

[Lily’s pride is overrated.]

[Lily isn’t scheming against people.]

[Let’s eliminate all those who are arrogant.]

[??: I don’t just chop off heads. (Destruction of Eden and Hell)]

[They’ve crossed the line.]

[Haha!]

[Oh…]

[Ah, Angels and Demons are exceptions. Haha.]

“To tackle Floor 91, it seems we need to acknowledge from any Celestial Sphere first.”

I’ve already been acknowledged by two Celestial Spheres, but because I didn’t arrive here via Floor 91, it wasn’t considered fully acknowledged.

I chose one of the many Meteor Ships, and the Challengers traveling with me flinched and quickly disappeared into a remote corner.

Soon, I was left alone on the blue-lit deck of the Meteor Ship.

Boom…!

[Departure is imminent. Please stop all actions and take your seat.]

[Exiting the ship at random could lead to you becoming a wanderer of dimensions.]

The Meteor Ship turned yellow and ascended into the sky.

Before long, the Meteor Ship had broken through the blue sky and headed far out into the universe. The beadlike yellow energy wrapped around us, protecting us from the harsh space environment.

[Oh.]

[Beads?]

[Where are we going?]

“I think it’s better to visit someone I know.”

There’s no need to go to a Celestial Sphere just because they follow the rules. I should visit someone I have a personal connection with instead.

After contacting Leo, it appears he is there too.

[The One Who Opens Their Eyes awaits you.]

“I’m going to meet the Buddha.”

[Destination: The Universe – The Celestial Sphere of the Myriad Realms.]

—

■

At the protection of Buddha’s Meteor Ship, we arrived at the Celestial Sphere of the Myriad Realms.

The Celestial Sphere of the Myriad Realms was a land where mountains soared high, resembling the MainTemple of the New Continent.

As the Meteor Ship docked in front of a massive hall erected on the mountaintop, many Challengers disembarked hurriedly and fled.

“…”

There’s no need to be this scared since I’m not planning on eating anyone.

[Haha.]

[Buddha!]

[That’s so high!]

[Will we take over the Crab Celestial Sphere too?]

“There’s no need to do this anymore—I have no intention to.”

The reason Eden and Hell were reshaped was because their entities were fake Celestial Angels and Demons. Ultimately, it was because Gapwoo needed to become a God.

As Gapwoo is already a God, there’s no need for more territorial expansions.

“With Gapwoo’s soul, it’s already pushing the limits to surpass the God level.”

Through the protection of Lasty and my ‘Space of Despair,’ we forcibly stretched it out, but further power injection might literally cause a big bang.

Common wisdom says…

“Excess is just as bad as falling short; if you indulge in something excessive, misfortune will inevitably follow.”

“True… Lord Buddha?”

“This is the first time meeting you in person, One Who Denies the Light.”

His face was benevolent, his hair seemingly perm-like and black, with a yellow dot embedded in the middle of his forehead. His attire bore a striking resemblance to the Buddha often featured in media.

His most remarkable feature was undoubtedly that kind smile.

[Oh wow.]

[It’s Buddha!]

[Buddha is handsome.]

“Further actions aren’t necessary anymore. Neither do I have the will.”

The reason Eden and Hell were dealt with this way was partly because they were fake Angel and Demon realms but ultimately due to Gapwoo’s requirement to ascend as a God.

Now that Gapwoo has become a God, further expansion of influence is unnecessary.

‘Using Gapwoo’s soul, it’s already quite a stretch to surpass the godly level.’

With the aid of Lasty’s protection and my ‘Space of Despair,’ we managed to forcefully expand it, but if more power is injected, it might literally explode.

As the saying goes…

“There is such a thing as being too greedy. Excess will inevitably bring misfortune.”

“Exactly… Lord Buddha?”

“Buddha.”

With a gentle face and what looked like perm-like black hair, a yellow dot embedded on his forehead, and his clothing – his appearance was quite similar to the Buddha often featured in the media.

The most striking thing was undeniably that gentle smile.

[Oh wow.]

[It’s Buddha!]

[Buddha is so handsome.]

“You’ve endured a long journey. Leo has entered the hall seeking enlightenment. Would you care to share a cup of tea with me?”

“…”

“Why do you stand there? Is there something you wish to say?”

“You’re not the real Buddha.”

However, I can still see through the illusion.

This ‘Buddha’ is hiding his ‘True Self,’ and he isn’t the one who had earlier sent me the message.

“May I inquire who you are? You appear to be a Buddha, but…”

“…I see.”

Buddha maintained his gentle smile and slightly nodded his head.

“Indeed, as befits someone who has obtained enlightenment, you possess the ability to perceive the myriad phenomena.”

“…I suppose it’s less about enlightenment and more about seeing what I can’t avoid seeing.”

Even when I don’t desire to, I can still perceive the truth.

Buddha then produced a set of prayer beads. With a clap, before I knew it, we were sitting face-to-face in a hall, each holding a cup of tea.

It wasn’t instant teleportation, but perhaps this too was a part of ‘enlightenment.’

“Have you ever heard this saying: ‘The Buddha is not one?'”

“I’ve heard something similar.”

Unlike the monotheistic or ‘Chief God’ concepts prevalent in other mythologies, anyone can become a Buddha.

No matter how weak or insignificant an existence may be, as long as they attain enlightenment, anyone can become a Buddha.

“Yes. Enlightenment. You rid yourself of afflictions and after an extended period, attain enlightenment and become a Buddha. Beneath this ‘Myriad Realms,’ the number of Buddhas has already surpassed twenty.”

“Buddhas numbering twenty…”

Is that a lot or a little compared to expectations?

Considering the rarity of attaining the title of Buddha, it might be considered many, yet given the long history of the Tower and the universe, the number isn’t particularly high.

It seems attaining ‘enlightenment’ isn’t as simple as it sounds.

[Buddhas numbering 20! Haha!]

[Enlightenment’s so tough!]

[Plenty, isn’t it?]

[Buddha’s got it!]

[Then who’s this Buddha?]

[Oh?]

[Did Lily achieve enlightenment?]

[If Lily attained enlightenment, then Lily’s a Buddha now! Haha!]

“Then does that mean I’m also a Buddha?”

“You, the One Who Denies the Light, are not a Buddha.”

“But didn’t you just say earlier that one becomes a Buddha by attaining enlightenment?”

Yet now you claim I’m not a Buddha. How is this so?

Tap.

The teacup in Buddha’s hand was placed down.

Although it didn’t seem like he drank, around six-tenths of the tea was already gone.

“?!”

And similarly, my own tea had also diminished by the same amount.

“The reason is simple. Though you attained enlightenment long ago, you chose to share that understanding with others.”

“…”

That wasn’t truly my choice.

“Though you’ve reached Nirvana, you’ve chosen to return to the cycle of life… I may not fully understand, but because of this, that Person is also interested in you, isn’t that so?”

“That Person?”

“I apologize for the delayed introduction. I am Achulbul, and I’m also called the ‘Benevolent Lawholder’.”

And the Person interested in you is…

“The Bonchobul, the Primordial Buddha. And also the One who created the universe along with the Master of the Tower.”

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