A flash of lightning, and Mike appeared atop a pile of rubble. A faint black fog permeated the air, its mere sight repulsive, carrying a subtle stench.
“Wind Blade.” Mike casually cast a wind spell, dispersing the fog and the smell along with it. This floor seemed considerably worse than the previous ones.
He peered into the distance, his vision obscured by the black fog.
[But before the SSS-rank talent, it’s useless! All useless!]
Mike’s vision was like X-ray, the surroundings holding no secrets. With his enhanced sight, he scanned the area again. The fog was empty, devoid of anything.
“Creepy. Trying to scare me with ghost movie tactics?”
To be safe, Mike tried summoning his allies. Neither Vladimir nor Gabriel could be summoned. This floor was clearly special, isolating him from the outside, preventing any reinforcements.
Fortunately, he still had the Dracula Shield!
Dracula, currently in his spirit form, had accompanied Mike to the 34th floor. The haughty Vampire Prince appeared, looking down his nose at Thor.
“A small favor, if you please.”
Mike’s polite tone made Dracula frown. He knew this wouldn’t be simple!
But as a guest in Thor’s space, he had little room to refuse. Dracula’s cooperation stemmed from his desire for the Prince’s Blood Essence in Thor’s possession.
To rebuild his physical body, he needed a vast amount of it. In all of humanity, no, the entire world, only Thor and the Blood Ancestor could provide this. In other words, Dracula would do anything for the right price!
Mike’s request wasn’t excessive. “Scout ahead.”
Dracula: ???
“Is there some great danger in the fog?” With Nine-Star Lord strength and his former Prince’s enhanced senses, Dracula hadn’t detected any threat within the fog. What was there to fear?
“I heard from Vladimir that your talent is related to sight, your perception should be even stronger than mine. If you’re sure there’s no danger, why ask me to scout?”
“I don’t quite trust SSS-rank talents,” Mike stated seriously.
It took Dracula a few moments to process this. Then, with a dramatic flourish, he declared, “No problem. 10 drops of Prince’s Blood Essence per direction.”
“One drop,” Mike countered. “One drop for the entire map.”
After the usual haggling, they settled on a price. Two drops for exploring the entire map. If Dracula died unexpectedly, Mike would add three more drops as compensation, in addition to the standard death benefits.
Dracula knew he could push for a slightly higher price, and Vladimir certainly would have. But Dracula was a Forbidden Prince! He valued his honor too much for such petty haggling.
Before setting off, Dracula had one final request. “This stays between us!” Running errands for a mere five drops of Prince’s Blood Essence? He couldn’t afford that kind of embarrassment.
“So concerned about appearances.” Mike rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue.
While Dracula scouted, Mike waited.
*East side clear, west side clear…*
As a Nine-Star Lord, Dracula was fast. The 34th floor, being a class change realm, wasn’t large. Soon, Dracula had almost covered the entire map.
Suddenly, the shield in Mike’s hand vibrated. The bat symbol vanished!
Dracula’s dead!
“Damn it, something’s wrong!”
Mike applied a drop of Prince’s Blood Essence, and the bat symbol reappeared, summoning Dracula once more.
Before Mike could ask, Dracula spoke. “Northwest, 3560 miles. I was killed by divine retribution.”
“Divine retribution?” Mike frowned.
“Yes, not from something on this floor, but a higher power.” The enemy was hiding, waiting to ambush Thor.
Now that the element of surprise was gone, there was no need for further pretense. Mike tossed Dracula a bottle containing nearly a hundred drops of Prince’s Blood Essence.
“Take this. Use it if a fight breaks out.” Before Dracula could celebrate, Mike added, “It’ll be deducted from your future wages.”
Dracula: “…” His feelings were complex.
After stacking Charge Up and making all necessary preparations, Mike, accompanied by Dracula, headed straight for the designated location! He would meet this mysterious God!
Seeing the massive shadow ahead, Mike shouted, “Who goes there?!”
The shadow revealed its true form, a colossal figure over ten thousand meters tall! Its massive body was perfectly proportioned, with bronze skin and explosive muscles, creating an overwhelming visual impact. This was a God, without a doubt.
Mike looked up. The God had long white hair, looking vaguely familiar. Their eyes met, the God’s gaze filled with amusement.
The God grinned, announcing his name. “I am the Lord of the Raging Tides, Master of Countless Creatures, Ruler of the Waters, Sovereign of Oceans and Lakes…”
As he spoke, waves rippled, and a trident appeared in his hand. Divine power surged, a divine kingdom descended! The sea roared and raged! Countless waves formed a single sentence, echoing throughout the 34th floor: “I am Poseidon!”
Mike was certain. This was Poseidon’s true form.
So… he escaped the Temple of Truth?
As Mike assessed Poseidon, Poseidon assessed him. They had clashed indirectly several times within the Tower of Truth, Poseidon sending Mike various “gifts.” Poseidon had even played a role in Mike acquiring the Void Fire element during his previous class change. Poseidon spoke again, his voice booming across the 34th floor. “Thor, there’s no need for a fight to the death between us.”
“Oh?” This opening caught Mike off guard. Since Poseidon was extending an olive branch, Mike decided to hold back for now.
“If you’re sincere, shrink down to human size. Talking to you like this is giving me a neck
cramp.”
“This is as small as my divine form can get.” Poseidon shook his head, offering an alternative. His massive form sat down, silent.
At the same time, a figure emerged from the waves, identical to Poseidon, a projection created by his divine power.
“Thor, as I said, I mean you no harm,” Poseidon’s projection stated frankly. “Even disregarding the rules of Truth, I wouldn’t dare attack you, let alone kill you.”
A God’s power was on a different level. Even within the Tower of Truth, a God could find ways to kill Mike. That’s why Poseidon’s projection used “wouldn’t dare” instead of “couldn’t.” “Interesting.” Mike closed his eyes, his mind racing. He had dealt with Poseidon multiple times before. Based on past experience, Poseidon wasn’t afraid to offend Mike, even willing to create trouble within the rules. This sudden change in attitude was strange. Poseidon continued, “Aren’t you curious about the origins of the Temple of Truth? I can offer some valuable information.”
“Hold on. Nothing’s more expensive than free,” Mike interrupted. “Besides, how do I know you won’t withhold crucial information or mislead me?”
“Simple,” Poseidon grinned. “Just consider it a story. As for its truth… you’re smart enough to
judge for yourself.”
Since Poseidon was determined to talk, Mike couldn’t stop him. *He has a point!*
Before Poseidon began, Mike pulled out two bottles of wine from his inventory. One for
himself, and another… also for himself.
Poseidon: “…”
Composing himself, Poseidon began. “In ancient times, all races shared the same world. Powerful beings emerged constantly, waging endless wars. It was an era of chaos, disorder,
savagery, and violence.”
Mike nodded, agreeing.
Poseidon continued, “The strongest beings of that time had many titles: God of Gods, the Honored One, the Supreme God… what you humans call Supreme Beings.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “So, in ancient times, the strongest were only level 1000?”
If that was the power ceiling, where did the Supreme Demon God come from? “Yes,” Poseidon confirmed. “I lived through that chaotic era. I was weak then, Gods were lofty beings. Many races had potential Supreme Beings attempting to reach that level. Some succeeded, others failed. Those who failed usually died, or worse.”
Dracula knew this as well. The most famous example was the Blood Ancestor’s attempt to reach level 1000, which triggered a five-race alliance to stop him! The Blood Ancestor’s failure resulted in the rampage of the River of Blood, crippling the blood clan and relegating them to the Lower Three Races, a position they hadn’t recovered from.
But Mike already knew all this. Why was Poseidon bringing it up? “The Tower of Truth was created to solve this problem,” Poseidon revealed, addressing Mike’s unspoken question. “In ancient times, when a potential Supreme Being attempted to reach level 1000, they often attracted unwanted attention, ending up besieged and killed. Even if they succeeded, they were doomed, destined to die at the hands of other Supreme Beings, or from other strange causes, or simply vanish without a trace. Over countless millennia, no Supreme Being lived longer than 1000 years. This is the origin of the Supreme Being’s curse of death.”
Mike listened intently, absorbing every detail. This was all new information! Humanity surely had records of this, but Shadow Nine’s existence had muddied the waters. Other sources were for reference. Shadow Nine’s sources were for misinformation. Regardless, Mike was grateful for this free intel from Poseidon. If he really had to kill Poseidon later, he might go easy on
him.
“Because of this curse, all races suffered heavy losses. Then, a legendary figure appeared.” Poseidon’s expression turned unusually serious. “This being called himself ‘Truth.””
*Wow—* Just the name told Mike this was a big deal! Fortunately, Poseidon continued without pausing, so Mike simply listened.
“Truth’s power is debated. Some say he was a Supreme Being, others claim he wasn’t even a
Quasi-God,” Poseidon recalled. “Truth traveled among the races, using various incredible methods to gather a group of powerful beings. They decided to forge the Tower of Truth
together!” “Wait,” Mike interrupted again. “These people… weren’t they the Nine Races?” Poseidon nodded. “Yes, the Nine Races were the first to form an alliance and forge the Tower
of Truth.” “And then?”
“That’s all.” Poseidon said seriously, “As I said, I was weak back then. My knowledge is
limited.”
Mike wasn’t sure if Poseidon was lying. But he was curious about something else. This information, within the Tower of Truth, under the rules of Truth, should be forbidden. Mike had received a similar response when asking Pecker about related matters. Why was Poseidon so kind as to tell him this for free? Something was amiss.
In terms of strength, Mike considered himself Poseidon’s equal. In terms of background, Mike was slightly stronger. But those weren’t the reasons for Poseidon’s actions! Unless… Poseidon needed something from him, something so important that he was willing to risk the penalties of the rules of Truth to share this information!
A flash of inspiration struck Mike. Piecing together all the information he had, he blurted out, “You want to become a demon god?!”
“Yes,” Poseidon nodded calmly. “I want to leave the Temple of Truth and enter the Eighth
Abyss!”