Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

Silver Moray.

A sword bestowed by his father to protect the family's honor and pride.

From the moment he received it, he had admired—and pursued—the most beautiful and powerful sword of all: his father.

But no matter how desperately he tried to follow that blade, there was no way he could ever reach it.

His father never looked back at him.

The limits of his talent were painfully clear.

The faint belief he still held in himself vanished the moment he lost in a single exchange.

In the end, he was nothing more than one slightly unusual Arie—one who harbored the foolish delusion of surpassing his father.

That truth had always strangled him.

He hated it.

He could clearly feel his own limits, yet the wall blocking his path seemed higher than even the ceiling of the Tower itself.

He hated that.

He wanted to deny it.

He didn't want to break yet.

Even if his journey had been short, he had lived his entire life gazing at that single goal.

What, then, had his path of the sword been for?

The demon was right.

By the Tower's standards, he was pitifully weak.

What could he possibly achieve on his own?

As the demon said, he couldn't even stand beside his friend.

Power gained through the righteous path had its limits.

Wanting more without offering anything in return was nothing but greed.

That it was impossible with his own strength alone—he had known that for a long time.

So then, there was no choice but to let go.

Even if that ominous demon truly was his nature, he had no choice but to accept it.

The crimson-black thing swallowed him whole.

And though he had not yet given consent, he did not resist—he simply entrusted his body to it.

Without even knowing what price he would have to pay.

....

He opened his eyes.

There was a light on the ceiling of the training room, but it was dim, leaving the space still dark.

It seemed he had been lying unconscious in this private room the entire time.

If not for the something he felt stirring inside him, he might have believed it had all been nothing more than a vivid dream.

He felt strange.

A little… hungry, perhaps.

He rose from the floor and stepped outside.

Everything that had looked ordinary just moments ago now appeared different.

Around the floating castle, he could sense something white and blue drifting through the air.

Even from the servant who had just passed by him, he could feel a faint blue presence.

What were these things?

That same unknown presence could even be felt within himself.

Not just one—but many.

Gurgle.

"I've been feeling hungry this whole time…"

Deciding he should eat something first, Vicente began heading toward the dining hall—

"Ah, Vicente? You're finally out?"

—when he heard a familiar voice from behind.

Albelda and Anna, holding hands, came running toward him after spotting him.

Albelda, who looked darker than usual, spoke in a worried tone.

"Um… are you okay now? If you didn't eat dinner, want to eat together?"

At her mention of dinner, he checked the date on his pocket device.

Not even a full day had passed yet.

It seemed he had shut himself in all afternoon after losing to Pungyeon, only coming out at night.

She must have been worried that he'd taken the loss hard.

"…I'm fine. Let's go eat. I'm really hungry right now."

"R–Really? Then that's a relief! Come on, let's go to the other cafeteria this time."

At his answer, her expression instantly brightened.

Anna's did too.

Seeing their faces finally light up again, after having looked so down earlier, a faint smile crept onto his lips.

They soon arrived at the dining hall, following Albelda.

He ordered food as she and Anna did, and the three enjoyed their meal in a familiar, relaxed atmosphere.

And yet—

"…?"

Despite eating a substantial amount, he felt no fullness at all.

If anything, his hunger felt even worse than before.

Why?

"…!"

The moment he absentmindedly looked toward Anna and Albelda, he felt that same blue presence from them as well.

That thing floating around the castle, clinging to people—what was it?

And why did it stir his appetite?

Anna tilted her head at the strange look in Vicente's eyes.

"Huh? What is it, Vicente oppa?"

Only then did Vicente realize that saliva had pooled in his mouth.

He hurriedly covered it.

"Ah! N–Nothing. You got a new hairpin, Anna."

"Yeah! You noticed right away, oppa? Hehe."

Even as he chatted with Albelda and Anna about everyday things, the hunger steadily grew.

So did the craving he felt toward that blue presence.

His head began to spin.

"I'm going back now."

"Huh? Already? Well… okay."

"Vicente! Don't worry too much about today!"

Albelda and Anna encouraged him all the way to his room before parting.

Once they were gone and no one was around, the dizziness eased somewhat.

But the hunger only kept growing.

Entering his private training room, Vicente picked up his sword.

For some reason, he felt things would be different this time.

And he wanted to confirm what accepting his "nature" had brought him.

Gripping his sword—Silver Moray—he began performing basic sword forms.

In the silence, only the sound of shinsu being cut through the air could be heard.

The change was immediate.

The way he wielded the blade had shifted.

Originally, his sword path had been straight—defensive or offensive, but always direct.

Now, his blade moved as if it had no fixed form, freely sweeping through space as though it were alive.

A complete reversal—almost a 180-degree change.

But it wasn't bad.

No—he liked it.

There was excessive killing intent in the blade, but a sword was, by nature, meant to cut enemies.

His old sword path had been upright and resolute.

A sword meant not to lose.

But being overly defensive, it had never been a sword meant to win.

This sword, however—

Slash—!

"Ha… ha…"

He liked this new change.

While swinging the sword, he could momentarily forget the hunger that had been gnawing at him.

—That is your true power.

"…!"

A voice suddenly echoed in his head.

There was no mistaking it—it was the demon.

It seemed it could interfere even when he wasn't dreaming now.

—The hunger you feel is the price for it. But you can grow infinitely stronger. Use that hunger as your foothold.

"As long as you have the vessel…"

"What do you mean?"

There was no reply.

Use hunger as a foothold?

Before he could think further, the moment he stopped swinging his sword, the vicious hunger returned.

Using hunger as a foothold…

Instinctively, Vicente looked at the blue presence within himself.

He knew, without being told, that this hunger and that blue thing were connected.

Could it be… that he could sate his hunger with this?

Shuaaa—

"…!"

Only seconds after the thought crossed his mind, one of the blue orbs glowed and vanished.

Immediately, the hunger eased somewhat.

And in its place, power surged through his body.

Not only his body—

Even his sword pulsed with strength.

Unconsciously tightening his grip, Vicente swung his blade with all his might toward a target set against the wall of the training room.

Slash!

White shinsu burst forth as a flying slash shot out from the sword, shattering the target and gouging the wall behind it.

At the power far beyond his expectations, Vicente's eyes widened.

—Doesn't it feel good? That power can be obtained endlessly. The more you gain, the more the hunger will subside.

A strange sensation welled up within him.

The surge of power, the pleasure he had once felt when this being lent him its strength—it was weaker than that, but unmistakably, a fragment of it could be felt when he swung his sword.

He wanted to be intoxicated by that power again.

With this strength… maybe…

For the first time in a long while, his chest swelled with excitement.

It felt as if the emptiness inside him was finally being filled.

Now, at least, he could try.

The boredom was gone.

The misery was gone.

The emptiness was gone.

The end of the wall was still nowhere in sight—but now, a ladder had appeared.

Then, as the blue-black orb that had fueled him completely vanished, the strength drained from Vicente's body.

"…Kgh!"

A wave of hunger crashed over him all at once.

It was on an entirely different level from before, gnawing viciously at his body.

The blue orb—he needed more of it…

Yet for some reason, the blue orbs would no longer be absorbed.

After using one earlier, only a single orb remained within him—and this one could not be used.

Damn it. Is this the risk?

Vicente tightened his grip on the sword.

While he was swinging it, he could temporarily forget the hunger.

So he swung.

To adapt to his newly gained power and blade—

and to forget this unbearable hunger, even if only a little.

Though the hunger itself was a problem, his motivation for the sword would never disappear again.

The fruit he had gained by accepting that ominous demon was still sweet.

But soon, he would realize just how badly he had underestimated the price known as endless hunger.

....

Three days until ascending the Tower as a Regular

"Ha… ha…"

His clothes and hair were soaked with sweat.

Wiping himself down roughly with a towel, he kept swinging his sword without rest.

If he didn't do this, he couldn't endure the hunger.

He swung again and again, until every muscle in his body hit its physical limit.

Even this solution was reaching its end.

The hunger was no longer something he could forget just by focusing on something else.

Humm—

His head grew dizzier by the moment, his stomach screamed in starvation.

Clang—

The sword finally slipped from his hand.

He could no longer lift it today—physically impossible.

The hunger that had lessened even slightly surged back with monstrous intensity.

"Ha… ha…"

Mentally and physically, he was already at his limit.

For the first day or two, every time he saw a blue orb, his appetite and hunger exploded, yet he had somehow managed to live normally.

After that, everything changed.

He wasn't starving to death—but this was far beyond what a human could endure.

The blue orbs constantly tempted him.

It felt as if taking one would immediately resolve the hunger.

But no matter what he tried, the blue orbs only floated there—untouchable.

This cursed starvation only grew worse with each passing day.

At the same time, his swordsmanship continued to advance rapidly.

And behind every advance lurked that cursed hunger.

The worst part was people.

People had blue orbs too.

And every time he saw them, the pain grew even worse.

Each blue orb they carried tormented Vicente with hunger.

Albelda and Anna especially—and Albelda more than anyone—provoked that hunger so intensely that he had begun avoiding them altogether.

There were far too many people—and blue orbs—in this floating castle.

And being unable to touch even a single one drove him further toward madness.

Yet if asked whether he regretted gaining this power, he would answer no.

This horrific hunger and pain were the price of his choice.

Accepting it was only natural.

The pain remained, but the reward was undeniable.

Compared to when he felt nothing for the sword at all—this was better.

Whirr—

"…!"

At that moment, the door to the training room began to open.

Only his friends knew the password.

Which meant—

"…Um… I was worried since I haven't seen you lately, so I came to check… huh?"

Albelda cautiously stepped inside.

The blue orb she carried looked more unstable than before.

Her complexion didn't look good either.

But his concern for her vanished instantly as the blue orb within her flared—

triggering an overwhelming hunger inside him.

"Albelda, I'm fine, so please leave—ngh!"

A splitting headache struck him.

"Vicente! Are you okay?! What is this?!"

The closer she got, the worse the hunger became.

She rushed to him, checking his condition.

Each touch only made the pain worse.

"What kind of state is this?! Are you okay?! We need to get you to the infirmary—!"

"I said I'm fine! Just leave!"

Damn it.

Cornered mentally, his words came out harsher than intended.

Albelda froze in shock for a moment—

then rushed toward him even more urgently.

"No, I have to say this. Vicente, you've been really strange lately. I'm worried. What's going on? Please, tell me."

"There's nothing, so just—"

"You said you'd tell me if something was wrong! Do you even know how you've been acting these past few days?! Avoiding me and Anna, staggering around, locking yourself in here without showing your face!"

Her emotions flared, tears forming in her eyes.

"If you're going to avoid us, at least tell us why! Do you know how hurt Anna is?! What about me?! You think I came all this way for no reason?!"

She shouted at him, desperation spilling over.

So that's how they saw him…

A misunderstanding—yet not entirely.

How was he supposed to explain this?

"Today, I'm not letting this go. Come on. We're going to the infirmary."

Grab.

She seized his arm, as if ready to drag him out.

At that instant, the headache and hunger exploded beyond control.

So much pain it was almost strange he hadn't died already.

He couldn't take it anymore.

If this continued, his mind would shatter completely.

"…Albelda. Let go."

"Look at your condition first! Come on—"

Her words suddenly cut off.

A terrible premonition struck Vicente.

He whipped his head toward her.

"Huh…?"

A red liquid trickled from her lips.

She wiped her mouth with her hand, her eyebrows trembling.

"Why… all of a sudden—"

Then Albelda vomited a mouthful of blood.

Moments later, her body collapsed headfirst.

"Kh—!"

Thud.

"…Albelda? Albelda!"

Her frail body crumpled to the floor.

Only then did Vicente remember—what Albelda's physical condition had been like, years ago.