Chapter 279: Tower Of The Night!
At this moment, nothing could shake Novak's focus.
Even after crossing into the fourth floor, his memory remained somewhat hazy.
But—
His power was unlike that of ordinary people.
No amount of mental erosion could erase the deepest memories embedded within his soul.
And now—
That memory resurfaced.
Dark Mother Goddess—Hell Rose Andashir!
Novak's eyes locked onto the divine emblem etched into the wall, but his mind was already racing at full speed.
In his past life, he had once held this very emblem aloft.
He had been the most direct spokesperson of the Dark Mother Goddess in the proving ground of gods and demons.
He had signed a contract with her.
Because of that contract—
Novak knew Hell Rose better than anyone.
And yet—
Even with all his knowledge, he had never heard anything about the Dark Building being related to her!
What the hell is going on!?
The mysteries of the gods were beyond imagination.
Ordinary evolutionists could never hope to touch such secrets.
But Novak was different.
The authority of the abyss gave him the right to uncover them.
Even so—
He didn't act rashly.
The name Meikanxie—an old adversary of Hell Rose from the abyss—immediately came to mind.
Perhaps she knew more about this.
And then—
There was another concern.
Novak's gaze dropped to the Hell King's Ring on his finger.
He had long since gotten used to sealing Satan's perception, but this time—
This is definitely not the moment to unseal it.
The divine emblem was right here, at room 647.
Who knew if Hell Rose herself had her eyes fixed on this place?
Who knew what connection existed between her and the Dark Building?
But… something doesn't add up!
Novak's expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he activated the Time Hourglass's ability to rewind time.
Not to alter events—
But to break free from the constraints of this place, allowing him to fully restore his lost memories.
This was his trump card.
This was Novak's absolute confidence.
Because to him—
The truth about the Dark Mother Goddess was more important than clearing this dungeon!
As expected—
His lost memories began to return.
In his past life, Novak had been obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of the Dark Building.
So much so that he had spent a fortune to purchase and analyze videos of previous clearances.
And in those videos—
Novak remembered with absolute certainty:
In the room of the Building Leader, there was never an emblem of Hell Rose Andashir!
Yet now—
It was right in front of him.
Why!?
What changed!?
Novak's gaze remained fixed on the emblem, his mind deep in thought.
Could it be that—
This Dark Building was different from all the others?
A voice suddenly echoed from the darkness.
"Outsider, you have conquered the trials of the Dark Building's residents.
Reaching me is proof of both your wisdom and strength.
Tell me—do you wish to become a permanent resident here?
Or… do you seek to claim the power of this place?"
Novak's patience snapped.
"Enough nonsense!
Is the emblem behind you the mark of Hell Rose?!"
His demand cut through the air like a blade.
The dungeon, the trials, the so-called rewards—none of that mattered to him.
Right now, all he cared about was uncovering the connection between the emblem and the Dark Building.
The shadowed figure stiffened.
Then—
A low, furious growl.
"Blasphemer! How dare you speak my god's name so directly!?
You're courting death!"
In an instant—
Darkness surged forward.
Yet—
Novak merely frowned.
As expected.
Fanatics like these were always the most troublesome.
Killing them was easy.
But getting them to reveal the truth—
That was the real challenge.
From the depths of the shadows, a massive hand lunged forward, instantly seizing Novak and his two companions.
Yet—
The darkness had no power over him.
As inky tendrils surged, Novak's demonic transformation erupted once more, forcing back the encroaching force.
And then—
With the Shepherd's Horn, an invisible mental ripple spread outward, immediately seizing control of the Black Tower's leader.
Novak didn't bother acknowledging the Peeping Eye's feedback.
Instead, he demanded:
"Hell Rose and the Desire Sect—what's their connection to you!?
Why do their symbols appear in the Black Tower!?"
A vacant, entranced voice answered:
"The Mother Goddess sent us here, waiting for outsiders to enter the Tower of the Night… to grant them rewards…"
Even under mental domination, the man's fanatical reverence for Hell Rose was unmistakable.
But—
That wasn't the answer Novak was looking for.
"What is the Tower of Darkness?"
"It is the true name of the Black Tower. Every Black Tower within the God and Demon Trial Field is but a fragment of the Tower of the Night.
This is… this is…"
The words abruptly stopped.
The man's expression twisted, his features contorting into a grotesque mix of confusion and pain.
Then—
Before Novak could react—
His head exploded.
With the shepherd's control broken, the body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Novak wiped the blood and brain matter from his hand with an expression of disgust, frowning.
His gaze barely flickered over the object that fell from the corpse—
he simply ignored it.
He also ignored the echoing notification from the Cosmic Will:
[The Black Tower's Leader has been eliminated!]
[Secret Realm cleared! You may leave at any time.]
[First clear of the Hell-Level Secret Realm: 'Black Tower.' This dungeon is a special instance—outside of rare exceptions, all evolutionaries may only enter once!]
[Detected: Evolutionary #001 has completed a first-time clearance. Would you like to pay to release a dungeon guide video?]
Novak's focus was elsewhere.
His gaze shifted to Crow and Meimei.
As expected—
With the leader's death, clarity returned to their eyes.
The man may have been weak, but he was the anchor upholding the Black Tower's laws.
Now that he was gone, the rules governing this place collapsed—
and with them, the memory loss effect vanished.
Crow and Meimei stared at each other, dazed.
As if waking from a long and twisted dream.
Yet the one person who had made their survival possible—
Novak—
Was already standing before the massive emblem, his gaze fixed on the strange, unnerving symbol.
Meimei was still in a daze.
But Crow had already snapped back to reality.
The leader of the Black Tower was dead—which meant his position was now vacant.
A realization struck him.
Hurriedly, he stepped beside Novak and whispered:
"Brother White, do you know what this is?"
Novak ignored him.
Unfazed, Crow tried again.
"C'mon, Brother White, if you read it, I can summon something!"
Novak slowly turned his head.
His unblinking stare sent a chill down Crow's spine.
"Summon what?"
Crow scratched his head, hesitating for only a moment before explaining:
"When I was trapped in a dark room, I triggered a special quest. In that room, I found the invitation scroll for the entrance to the Black Tower. The quest said that after clearing the dungeon, if I use the scroll again, I'll receive a reward. I think… it's a summon. But I'm not sure if the reward is a class-change scroll."
Novak's gaze narrowed.
At the same time, a flicker of expectation flashed in his eyes.
"Alright. Do it."
After all—
If the Dark Mother Goddess had invested so much into this Black Tower, there had to be something deeper behind it.
He was determined to find out.
Crow crushed the scroll between his fingers.
At that moment—
Darkness surged forth.
The dimly illuminated room was instantly devoured.
And then—
On the wall, the emblem of Hell Rose… moved.
Like something alive, it crawled upward, its form shifting and twisting in unnatural ways.
And in that instant—
Novak's entire body tensed.
A piercing sensation—like an unseen gaze—descended upon them.
A presence, vast and boundless, observed from the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
From the heavens.
From the void.
From the unknown.
Then—
The divine emblem began to distort—
slowly morphing into an ethereal face.
Novak's heart pounded.
Since his return to this doomsday world, it had been over two months.
And yet—
Never did he expect to stand face to face with the Dark Mother Goddess herself.