Looking at Archangel Raphael, dressed in billowing white-toned robes, I was certain inside.
"...Of course."
These beings are not angels at all. They're more like minions of a malevolent god.
I once read an article on a community site about the "true appearance of angels." According to it, angels are bizarre creatures with wheels filled with eyes or have four faces and six wings.
But the angel in front of me is a beautiful figure. As expected, the angels described in the Bible couldn't be like this...
"You only know a fraction!"
One of the young angels who was vigorously playing the trumpet suddenly interjected, interpreting my expression.
"The 'bizarre shape' of angels you're thinking of is just one form of angels! Non-human-like angels are very rare! Most of the angels described in the Bible appear as handsome human males! Moreover, high-ranking angels like Raphael aren't confined by appearance, so they can change whenever..."
"Enough of that. It's troubling our climber."
"Ah, understood, Raphael!"
The chatty young angel returned to his place and began to play the trumpet energetically.
Watching that young angel, Raphael turned his head.
"I have taken on an appearance that easily garners affection. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can change."
Raphael said with a smile.
It's what is commonly described as a "gentle smile" - the kind that warms your heart just by seeing it.
An innocent, warm, and somehow holy smile.
I'm reminded of the image of a nun looking after a newborn baby in an empty church.
"...It's fine."
I unintentionally relaxed, gritting my teeth and widening my eyes.
I need to stay alert. The minion of the god who wrecked Earth is right in front of me.
He didn't come to genuinely congratulate me.
The current situation is like encountering a critical bug in a game. 'GM Raphael - Critical bug detected. We apologize for the inconvenience.' That kind of situation.
It's only natural for the developers to panic when a bug arises. He intervened because the 2nd floor might completely break if I act maliciously. I shouldn't be mistaken.
Just as I was burning with hostility,
"Uh... I had a lot I wanted to discuss, but it seems like this isn't the right situation."
Raphael, who had been staring intently at my face, suddenly stretched out his right hand.
"Hi-Hi-EEEEK!"
"Stay still. If a mistake has been made, it should be rectified, shouldn't it?"
In the blink of an eye, an angel was grasped by the neck in his hand.
A familiar face. The angel who held the sign and explained the basic rules in the square.
"Junho, I'd like to discuss changing the 2nd floor now. It seems the 2nd floor isn't functioning as it should."
While holding the sign-angel, Raphael pleasantly spoke to me.
I nodded slightly in response.
As expected, he had a reason for coming in person. I need to stay sharp now.
The current situation is quite positive. Ji-won gained a lot of combat experience, the city's residents have been freed, and even the Archangel managing the tower has been summoned.
And repeatedly regressing doesn't guarantee reproducing the same situation. I need to act my best every moment.
I decided to get straight to the point from the start. This might catch the Archangel off guard.
"...Change the 2nd floor."
"Alright. I was thinking of changing some rules of the 2nd floor anyway."
Raphael responded refreshingly, contrary to my expectation.
"You're probably discontented with the part where you're forced to commit evil acts to get good rewards. I'll modify the rules. I'll discard the mark boxes... And for gold-grade rewards and above, you'll need to prove a certain level of strength to receive them. Ah, discarding the mark boxes means I'll leave the residents be, treating them as typical NPCs."
"Also, for the three main characters who improved the city, I'll grant all of them a diamond reward. The diamond mark is a hidden reward, but I'll give three times more. The highest-grade reward is typically given to just one person... but this is a reward for showing us an impressive strategy." When Raphael waved his free hand in the air, a message window appeared before my eyes.
< 2nd Floor >
- Clear Condition: Complete the tasks given by the city's residents and return to the plaza with the resident who assigned the task to clear. However, you must not leave the city area. Climbers, get along with each other!
- Addition 1: The standard for violence has been relaxed, and physically blocking another's actions is now impossible.
- Addition 2: To receive gold-grade rewards or higher, you must solve tasks given by the city's instructors. During the task-solving process, you can gain experience points.
"We will bring in a few strong individuals to act as instructors on the 2nd floor. It will be of great help to climbers who lack combat experience. Also, we've relaxed the standard for violence, so simple contact won't be recognized as violence. Is this acceptable?"
What I had in mind as a compromise was completely different. I thought we'd be walking a tightrope from here on...
But upon examining the rule revision, it seemed fine. Everything I wanted was included.
It was so favorable that it made me suspicious.
Especially the 'instructors' the angel mentioned... seemed to perfectly address my concerns.
Because I cleared the tutorial alone, I was worried about the others who hadn't gained levels or combat experience.
I felt a strong sense of goodwill from Archangel Raphael. Whether that 'goodwill' was the same emotion as human goodwill, I couldn't be sure, but it was clear he was being amiable towards me.
It had been the same since the 1st floor. They provided various conveniences. If one had the will to train, the possibilities were endless.
On the 2nd floor, violence between climbers is prohibited, and as long as one doesn't commit a crime, there's no threat of death.
"... What are you thinking?"
And I felt that his goodwill was as itchy and uncomfortable as wearing a stiff woolen sweater.
"Why are you being so nice?"
"Hmm..."
Closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, Raphael slowly opened them and looked directly at me.
"It seems you have a misunderstanding... The 2nd floor is designed entirely for you all. Precisely, it's designed to boost the resistance and willpower of the climbers. From the start, its design was inherently flawed."
"... What?"
"What do you think 'hidden achievements' mean? Isn't it strange to think that the owner of the city wears her weak points on her hip?"
"Ever seen it?"
"It seems you understand."
After calming down and thinking it over... Raphael's words were true.
Because of the irrational system of the 2nd floor, and with the will to change it...
Following the clues scattered here and there, eventually... one would reach the owner of the city. It was indeed designed that way.
Moreover, if the city's owner hadn't carelessly dangled the box with marks on her hip...
Had she placed the box deep within her armor...
Defeating her would have been impossible. Ji-won, an OP character, wouldn't even dare resist such a powerful being. Facing such a powerful being head-on was seen as futile.
This meant Raphael's words weren't merely a hastily made excuse to avert a crisis.
That doesn't guarantee it's the whole truth either. After all, a mix of truth and lies is the most believable.
"Even if humans hate me, I will be benevolent. Human love is conditional, a love of equals. But divine love is unconditional. It can love without conditions."
With arms wide open and a gentle smile, Raphael claimed that everything he did was, in fact, for the sake of humanity.
Perhaps because of my skepticism, his smile seemed different from before, slightly unsettling or awkward.
Indeed, these beings are hiding something. Just because they wear white robes and possess beautiful appearances doesn't mean they can be fully trusted.
However, instead of pointing that out, I decided to change the topic. It's wise to pretend to be somewhat persuaded for now.
"But... what about the city's residents?" Archangel Raphael had created an environment on the 2nd floor where the city's residents could only suffer.
He had gone on about loving humanity, but in reality, the residents were treated worse than street livestock. His words didn't match his actions.
Raphael's upturned lips tightened slightly.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke in a gentle, persuasive tone, akin to a kind teacher.
"Junho, just because they look alike doesn't mean they're the same person."
"... What do you mean?"
"While I have the appearance of a human, I'm not one. Just as they have the appearance of humans, they aren't the same as you. To explain in detail would be complicated... but they are beings much lower in rank than climbers like you."
"I won't force you to be indifferent to them. But isn't that the reality?"
I wanted to ask who decided on such 'ranks', but the answer was clear without asking.
It must have been the decision of the gods.
Everything that happens in this tower is likely orchestrated by the omnipotent god.
What could be his intention? Was my ability to return also part of his plan?
My head started to throb with confusion. As I bowed my head, Raphael turned and began to distance himself from me.
"It seems our discussion is over... I'll go wake the others. It was a fruitful time, Junho."
I clenched my teeth, keeping my gaze on the ground.
Yes, whatever the god's intentions were, it's better to set aside unsolvable problems.
From the beginning to the end, it was extremely displeasing to be played with by them.
The tower was created according to the will of the gods. The 2nd floor, entirely according to Archangel Raphael's intentions. And perhaps my return ability was also by god's design.
Seeing it this way, aren't I just another puppet on a stage, no different from the city's residents?
A rush of anger surged in my head.
Was it due to my arrogance from being a returnee who knows no fear of death? Or was it just my naturally hot-headed nature?
"You... you better be prepared. Do you think it's fair to just show up and then run away?"
"Heek..."
"Wait."
I felt I couldn't let Raphael go just like that.
"Why?"
Holding a small angel in one hand, Raphael paused as he was about to step into a pillar of light and looked back at me.
"Give it to me."
"... What?"
"The reward. Give me more."
"Originally, the diamond reward was like a bonus for subduing the city's owner. But just giving three isn't enough. It doesn't balance out. What about the special reward for achieving hidden achievements?"
"Weren't the city rules changed in exchange?"
"That was because the 2nd floor became unplayable, so you changed the rules on your own."
I really wanted to smack the back of Raphael's head right then...
But realistically, fighting an Archangel would be impossible.
While I couldn't sense any power from him, in martial arts novels, when there's a significant difference in skill, it's often undetectable. He's an 'Archangel' after all; it's reasonable to see him as a transcendent being.
In other words... picking a fight would be the worst decision.
"Special reward."
The best strategy was to accept the situation and maximize the benefits.
"Do it."
Given the circumstances...
I wasn't going to stop at just three diamond rewards.