Chapter 27

“First, I think we should draft a blueprint before building the Tower.”

“That sounds fun. Indeed, the ultimate hobby is creation. My heart is pounding.”

With a flushed face, she exhaled rough breaths as if excited.

She looked much more human than when I last saw her.

The thorny vines that had been constricting her were nowhere to be seen.

Her face, revealed after removing the bandage covering her eyes, was beyond what could be described as beautiful.

Her eyes seemed capable of coloring the entire world, like a watercolor painting.

Though I couldn’t see them further as she squinted as if tired.

Compared to her previous mannequin-like appearance, she was certainly full of vitality now.

She seemed in a good mood, tapping the desk and humming a tune.

“Before designing, we need to decide on an overall theme for the Tower.”

Sleet raised his hand like a student making a presentation.

“Themes are important.”

We need to set themes for each floor, but before that, we must determine the overall theme of the Tower.

The atmosphere affects the growth of players.

It’s similar to why we planted lilies of the valley.

But its practical impact is even greater.

People’s imaginations gather within a unified theme, and ranks are assigned.

“What was the original Tower’s theme?”

“There wasn’t one.”

“Wow, it really was made carelessly.”

I was momentarily speechless at Sleet’s matter-of-fact statement.

I seem to be at a loss for words frequently these days. Perhaps I should build a stable.

I shook my head to erase the joke that popped into my mind.

Have I caught the old man’s sense of humor from spending time with him?

I was starting to dislike myself a little.

If the old man were here, he would have argued passionately that it wasn’t a dad joke but wordplay.

I’m like an old woman missing her departed husband.

“It couldn’t be helped. The situation was that urgent. There wasn’t time to set a proper theme. That’s how Towers are. Destruction always approaches suddenly.”

The end always comes unexpectedly.

In this world, more people face unprepared endings than prepared ones.

“Our current situation is unusual.”

“You too?”

“Why? I told you, it’s a participatory play. Include me too.”

Sleet looked dejected, thinking I was scolding him.

He seemed to like Time quite a bit, which probably made him feel worse.

“Well, it’s true that it was made hastily.”

Time began to list the Tower’s shortcomings one by one.

“Most Towers have a clear theme they want to convey. After all, it’s a process of becoming a god. It makes it easier for climbers to build their narratives.”

Traditionally, it’s the confrontation between good and evil.

Hero versus Demon Lord—a proven formula, isn’t it?

Originally insignificant characters build their narratives one by one, eventually defeating a Demon Lord with power rivaling gods.

Having a clear enemy makes it easier to instill a goal for climbing the Tower.

In this case, the concepts would be ‘justice,’ ‘hero,’ ‘mythology,’ ‘medieval,’ and so on.

Players can obtain equipment inspired by mythology and gain power according to legends.

The Constellations that appear are heroes from legends.

The downside is that equipment can be overly powerful. Losing equipment often makes one vulnerable.

Balancing becomes difficult. The variance between weapon types is too great.

Notably, major weapons like swords and spears make it easier to accumulate power because there are many related myths. This advantage comes from having many legends to draw from.

Conversely, minor weapons like whips make it harder to accumulate power. There aren’t many related myths because few people use them.

Meanwhile, weapons with short histories, like guns, get completely discarded.

But despite these drawbacks, it’s a commonly used theme because it’s convenient enough to offset the disadvantages.

First, it’s easy to build concepts. Since these are existing stories, people’s imaginations accumulate more easily.

Growth is faster. The atmosphere encourages justice and the confrontation between good and evil, so people’s faith builds easily. More resources become available for investment, making growth easier to support.

Another advantage is that there’s a definite conclusion either way. It doesn’t drag on for too long.

Since the conclusion comes faster than if destruction intervenes, destruction can be avoided somehow. Even if evil wins, the original world would end, but it could start again.

The confrontation between good and evil is used with various variations.

Sometimes the background changes to modern times, like heroes versus villains, or hunters versus gates.

In the case of heroes and villains, power is focused on specific skills like superpowers.

For hunters and gates, both equipment and skills maintain a balanced equilibrium.

“It’s a guaranteed theme and subject. Like a dish where any seasoning guarantees good taste.”

“Then why didn’t our Tower choose such a theme?”

“As high as the lower limit is, the upper limit is low. You have to fight periodically reviving evil. That cycle is much shorter compared to other themes.”

“That is definitely a drawback.”

“Still, it can eliminate immediate dangers.”

Not bad. But the problem lies in the fact that we’ve already turned back time once.

Time’s power has weakened, and destruction’s power has strengthened in the current situation, making this choice extremely dangerous.

We would be swallowed by destruction as is.

“What other themes are there?”

“Many. There’s a theme where you accumulate virtue through numerous trials and ascetic processes. You can think of it as similar to Buddhist practice.”

It’s a method that continuously poses philosophical questions and prioritizes mental growth over physical growth.

The advantage is that it builds a more solid rank compared to other themes. The disadvantage is that it takes too much time.

“There’s also an approach focusing on sacrifice. Placing all the world’s burdens on one person. In this case, you can unconditionally prevent destruction, but…”

Time, uncharacteristically, hesitated to answer, drawing out her words.

With a bitter smile as if reminiscing about something, she continued with difficulty.

“It’s not a method I recommend. Yes, please ignore this method.”

Because it was painful to watch.

I heard her mumble in a low voice, almost like a soliloquy. Who was she speaking to?

Pretending not to have heard anything, I deliberately changed the subject.

“Is it okay to fix the overall system? Are there any restrictions?”

“Yes, that’s included in the Development Department’s job. If there are any issues, I’ll advise you.”

“For now, it seems there’s nothing to fix regarding game-related systems.”

Growth is fast and intuitive. It emphasizes competition to a certain extent but doesn’t completely undermine cooperation.

The main concern is that because it resembles a game, people might treat their lives lightly.

That part can’t be helped.

We can’t eliminate all risks.

“I think it would be good if the overall atmosphere was dreamlike. It’s easier to stimulate imagination, and it’s a good environment for concepts to materialize.”

It matches the systemic aspects too.

Though unintended, it goes well with the lilies of the valley we planted, doesn’t it?

Bell-shaped silver flowers everywhere. An elegant and beautiful, truly dreamlike landscape.

And if you look closely, you’ll see the poison contained within.

“It’s like a fairy tale feeling!”

“Indeed.”

I nodded at Sleet’s words.

Fairy tales have aspects that stimulate romance and childlike innocence.

But most original fairy tales are incredibly cruel and provocative.

The more I think about it, the more satisfying this theme seems.

“If we base it on fairy tales, what about creating it like a theme park?”

A theme park where separate spaces exist sharing specific themes.

It was definitely a concept that could easily combine with fairy tales.

The Tower can fulfill the role of an amusement park. Not that we’re bringing in rides.

Just as amusement parks have coexisting screams and laughter, the Tower has coexisting despair and hope.

It’s a simple metaphor, but what’s important is that it can form a similar image.

Being able to form an image means imaginations will gather, and eventually, it will gain substance.

For hotel and commercial facilities, we can use where we are now, the place called Floor 0.

Destruction will be a concept similar to a museum. Since it stops time and preserves things as they are.

It’s a concept that can excellently complement the main theme of fairy tales.

It’s not difficult to implement either.

“That seems good.”

“Right?”

It’s also easy to gather imagination.

“A place where imagination becomes reality. A place overflowing with despair and hope. Are you the clown? Are we the clowns? A space of illusion where everyone preys on each other.”

The lyrics Sleet hummed described the concept of the Tower so well it gave me chills.

“To manage the Tower as a whole, wouldn’t we need a presenter to convey our voices in our place?”

“That’s right.”

Time seemed to have the same thought as me, as her head turned in the same direction.

“N-no! I’m in the Development Department! The job description is completely different!”

“Even in games, developers sometimes shoot videos themselves.”

“How about it?”

“…I’ll do it.”

And so Sleet became our Tower’s mascot (scapegoat) and presenter.