*Knock, knock, knock*
Mike knocked dutifully three times.
The door opened again.
This time, Mike didn’t hesitate. He stepped into the ninety-ninth floor.
He didn’t bother looking around. His gaze focused on the figure before him.
A middle-aged man, Apollo, in his familiar, unremarkable form.
A face so ordinary it was impossible to remember. The moment you looked away, you couldn’t recall a single detail.
As for his attire… every time Mike had seen him, he had been wearing a white robe.
But this time, as Mike’s gaze fell upon the robe, his pupils constricted, his eyes widening in shock.
He saw a faint pattern on the robe, resembling a butterfly with outstretched wings!
Mike wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Few people were privy to the secrets of the Supreme Being, Apollo.
Everything related to him was classified information.
If Shadow Nine were still on Earth, Mike could have asked him.
But Shadow Nine was gone!
Asking Stone was pointless. He wouldn’t know anything.
Discussing this with anyone else would be inappropriate.
He would have to wait until he saw Ares again.
Only Ares would be suitable to discuss such matters.
Although, knowing Ares, he probably wouldn’t have any serious insights.
A chair materialized before Mike.
“Sit.”
Mike sat down.
“My instructor has gone to the Supreme Abyssal,” Apollo said, pacing back and forth. “He should be back within three months.”
Mike nodded, acknowledging the information.
Shadow Three’s tunnel was probably related to the Supreme Abyssal.
As Apollo paced, Mike’s gaze wandered around the ninety-ninth floor.
It wasn’t what he had expected.
It was an empty white space, devoid of any features except for Apollo, the chair, and a white -cloud.
Mike remembered Fool mentioning that Apollo’s private space looked exactly like this!
Had Apollo placed his private space on the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower of Truth?
“Don’t try to enter the Tower of Truth for the next few days,” Apollo said.
“Understood.” Mike nodded.
“After my instructor returns, you’ll have a choice to make.”
A choice?
What choice?
Mike didn’t dwell on it. He would deal with it when the time came.
If Apollo wasn’t elaborating, it meant he wasn’t ready to reveal more.
Asking would be pointless.
Mike was starting to understand how to converse with Apollo.
The ninety-ninth floor wasn’t particularly exciting.
But Mike wasn’t disappointed. He was curious.
“Third Bro,” he asked, “can you tell me what’s inside the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower of Truth?”
He was the potential Supreme Being, the future Supreme Being, destined to reach the ninety- ninth floor.
Surely, it was reasonable to learn a little more about it?
“It was like this before I arrived,” Apollo said casually.
“What about before that?” Mike pressed.
“Before that?” Apollo sounded puzzled. “Haven’t you seen it?”
Mike: ???
When had he seen it?
Apollo pointed outside, towards the forest below.
“Whoa-”
Mike gasped.
The Forest of Truth… had been moved from inside the Tower of Truth?!
He walked to the door, peering down.
He had been too preoccupied with their conversations to appreciate the scenery.
From the ninety-ninth floor, he could see the entire Forest of Truth.
The shape of the forest, imprinted in his mind, made his scalp tingle.
It was… a slightly misshapen heart!
This had to be Morpheus’s doing!
Mike was stunned.
It was unexpected, yet somehow… fitting.
According to the Tower of Truth’s rules, reaching the ninety-ninth floor granted immense
privileges.
Moving the Forest of Truth outside seemed… reasonable.
No wonder the Forest of Truth’s rules were so powerful, capable of suppressing demon creatures and serving as humanity’s first line of defense.
It took Mike a while to recover from his shock.
To distract himself, he asked casually, “When do you plan to conquer the 100th floor?” “Ninety-five years, two hundred and sixty-four days ago,” Apollo replied matter-of-factly.
Mike: ???
Was he joking?
Seeing Thor’s confusion, Apollo explained, “Every Supreme Being has conquered the 100th
floor.”
In other words, only those who had conquered the 100th floor were worthy of being called
Supreme Beings.
Mike was bewildered. “Then why are you here?”
Both humans and demons believed that Apollo was stuck on the ninety-ninth floor,
constantly attempting to break through.
But he had already conquered it?!
Apollo’s explanation was… very Apollo. “It’s peaceful here.”
After Morpheus had emptied the ninety-ninth floor, it had become a peaceful, empty space.
Apollo wasn’t trapped on the ninety-ninth floor. He lived there!
Mike was utterly flabbergasted.
The information overload was too much to handle.
Apollo realized that allowing Thor to ask questions always led to surprises.
“You can ask me one more question,” he said.
Just one question, and Thor wouldn’t be too overwhelmed.
Mike fell silent, considering his options.
He only had one chance. What should he ask?
When would Shadow Nine return?
When would the Supreme Demon God die?
When would he reach level 1,000?
…
So many questions.
Normally, with the Eye of Truth, he could have discerned the answers to these questions.
But his talent required nine awakenings to unlock its full potential. He had only completed
three.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked the question he was most curious about, a
question Apollo could easily answer.
“What is your SSS-rank talent?”
His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for the answer.
Apollo didn’t keep him in suspense.
“The Heart of Omnipotence,” he replied simply.
Mike filed the name away in his memory bank.
He recalled hearing that SSS-rank talents were somehow connected to the Supreme Demon
God.
His own was the Eye, Morpheus’s was [Dream Come True] related to the brain, and Apollo’s [The Heart of Omnipotence] was, well, the heart.
Mike hadn’t been sitting long when Apollo started giving him the “it’s been real” vibe.
Last time, his visit to Thor’s private space hadn’t been long either. Tit for tat.
“Hang on a sec.” Mike stammered, “This was kind of a last-minute thing, so I didn’t bring
anything… valuable…”
Showing up empty-handed felt rude.
Mike mentally scanned his private space. Nothing really screamed “hostess gift.”
Last time, Apollo had come to *him* for a house call, even leaving behind a Soul Element
class change item. This time, it was Mike’s turn to show some hospitality.
Finally, Mike pulled out a tree from his private space, holding it out tentatively.
“Wanna give it a shake?”
It was the most valuable thing he owned.
He wasn’t actually planning on *giving* the Money Tree to Apollo.
Even if he did, Apollo probably wouldn’t take it.
Whatever Apollo shook off the tree was his to keep.
The Money Tree wasn’t all-powerful, and the treasures it produced didn’t just appear out of
thin air.
According to Foreskin, the Money Tree stored a certain amount of energy, which could be called [the power of money].
This power manifested as various treasures.
The Money Tree replenished this power passively over time, but it could also be recharged
by… you guessed it, throwing money at it!
Watering the Money Tree with Truth Gold Coins replenished its power.
Generally, the more valuable the treasure, the more power it consumed, and the more Truth
Gold Coins required.
If Apollo shook the Money Tree, he could probably drain it dry.
From that perspective, Mike’s gift was pretty generous.
Apollo considered the offer, then reached out and gave the Money Tree a casual shake.
The half-meter tall Money Tree began to grow rapidly, reaching nearly two meters in the
blink of an eye!
Mike: ???
He stared at the Money Tree, utterly bewildered.
Apollo, seeing his confusion, explained, “Any more, and the quality would suffer.”
Thor should understand the principle of not spoiling things by excessive enthusiasm.
“That’s not what I meant… I…” Mike struggled to explain.
He was trying to give a gift, not score a free upgrade!
“You should go now.” Apollo yawned, cutting him off.
The door reappeared, and the white cloud floated outside.
Mike, clutching the two-meter tall Money Tree, sat on the cloud and descended back to the
ground.
Shadow Four, waiting below, gasped at the sight of the enormous tree.
*Thor is truly blessed by Apollo,* he thought. Shadow Four generally kept his distance from Supreme Beings.
The power gap was too vast. They were practically beings from another dimension.
“Mike! Mike!” Before Mike could walk away, a figure came running towards him.
“I heard you were here, so I came as soon as… Holy shit! What happened?!”
Foreskin stared at the two-meter tall Money Tree, his jaw dropping.
He had given Thor the Money Tree as a small sapling, barely half a meter tall.
The amount of Truth Gold Coins required to grow a Money Tree to this size was astronomical!
Even with Foreskin’s wealth, it would have been a significant investment. Seeing Foreskin’s reaction, Mike grinned, clutching the Money Tree.
Apollo was truly generous, bestowing such a valuable gift upon him. “Business first.” Foreskin tore his gaze away from the Money Tree, his expression turning
serious. “I just received an update from Afterskin.”
“What did he say?” Mike asked, curious.
Afterskin had finally overcome the most difficult challenge.
This was the perfect time for him to level up and gain strength.
Why had he been so quiet during this recent crisis?
Foreskin paused, then said slowly, “Afterskin says he has infiltrated the Supreme Abyssal.”
Mike: “…”
He had only one thing to say about this unfortunate news:
“May the Goddess of Luck protect Shadow Nine!”