Read Novel Full Chapter 335: A Reward [1]
Chapter 335: A Reward [1]
The three knights remained on their knees, their helms bowed so low that the curved metal nearly touched the crimson rug.
None of them spoke. None of them moved even an inch. It was strange because only a few seconds ago, these were the same beings radiating suffocating killing intent that had made everyone in Gabriel’s party tense up to the point of trembling.
Yet now, those very same existences were before him in a posture of reverence so deep that nobody inside the throne room could process it immediately.
Bunny’s mouth fell open. Ragnarok stopped breathing for a moment. Cassie subconsciously grabbed Sophie’s sleeve as if anchoring herself to reality.
Sophie’s lips parted slightly, disbelief written across her face. Her gaze alternated between Gabriel and the knights, trying to process everything.
"What... what is happening?" Bunny whispered, but no one could answer. The tension from earlier hadn’t fully faded; instead, it had shifted—warped into something else entirely, as if they had stepped into a story written thousands of years ago and were acting out roles none of them understood.
Gabriel didn’t move at first. He simply blinked, unsure if he was seeing clearly. Even after blinking again, the three were still kneeling in front of him.
’They’re kneeling...?’
His thoughts felt almost sluggish. For a moment, he wondered if the pressure in the room had caused him to hallucinate.
The knights stayed still.
Slowly, the tallest among them raised his head, the metal of his helmet catching the red light from the black crystal hanging above the throne. His voice echoed, deep and firm, "You have reached the apex of the Tower of Ascendancy. As per the ancient decree, we kneel before the First Ascendants."
"...Ascendants?" Gabriel muttered.
Sophie felt her breath hitch. "Does that mean us? Are... are they calling us that?"
The knight continued without pause. "Only those who endure, who climb without yielding, who stand without breaking, are acknowledged here. You are the first in this age."
The words struck like thunder.
Immediately, noise erupted outside the tower.
---
Thousands, no, hundreds of thousands, of viewers stared at the giant screens replaying the kneeling scene in shock.
The entire plaza where guild members gathered went dead silent. It didn’t matter whether they were members of Olympus, Martial Palace, White Flame, the broadcast network, or casual adventurers. Every single person felt their brain stop working properly.
"What the hell, did the knights just kneel!?"
"No way, is that allowed!? Is the tower malfunctioning!?"
"Bro, what am I seeing? What, WHAT IS GOING ON!?"
The chat on every major stream and forum exploded like a volcanic eruption. Message boxes scrolled faster than the eye could track, filling with disbelief, awe, curses, emojis, conspiracy theories, and screaming that drowned out the hosts’ commentary entirely.
On another side of the plaza, Ares stood with arms crossed. For the first time, his expression went through several changes... from genuine shock to confusion.
He had seen countless strange events across nations, but from all the scenarios he had envisioned, nothing prepared him for this.
He whispered quietly, almost to himself, "This guy... what kind of existence is he, exactly?"
First was the mysterious background, then his strength, and now this. What more was he hiding?
Scarlet, who was known for her calm demeanor, couldn’t stop her fingers from trembling slightly. She remembered his faint smile when he defeated the Duke on Floor 99 and the inexplicable power he always seemed to draw from even when cornered. She remembered the way he looked at the tower, almost as if challenging it itself.
And now, the tower was bowing back.
She exhaled softly, a rare smile spreading across her lips. "You’re full of surprises... Gabriel Reyes."
The crowd continued screaming. Some shouted theories.
"He must be a chosen one!"
"No, he hacked the tower!"
"He’s clearly an NPC—how is this even possible!?" another player retorted.
"Impossible! The knights kneel only to the strongest!"
"Is he secretly a vampire monarch?"
"Dummy, vampire monarchs don’t have blue eyes and can walk freely in the sun."
The panic, hype, confusion, and awe blended into a chaotic mess of electricity across every forum, every chatroom, every guild hall.
---
INSIDE THE TOWER , THRONE ROOM
Gabriel didn’t bask in the honor or let it overwhelm him. The knights kneeling meant one thing and one thing alone.
There was someone even stronger sitting on the throne.
And that was the true danger.
He inhaled deeply, steadying his heart. His gaze shifted past the knights, traveling upward, toward the massive throne platform at the peak of the chamber.
The black crystal above it pulsed faintly, as if breathing.
That was when he finally saw her clearly.
The figure seated on the throne leaned slightly to one side, head resting on her palm in a relaxed yet elegant posture. Long crimson hair cascaded down her shoulders like strands of living flame. Her skin was pale, almost luminous, and her eyes, a deep, mysterious red, seemed ancient yet strangely gentle.
She looked young, far younger than he expected, with an expression that carried both calmness and the faintest trace of mischief, as if she found something amusing but wasn’t sure if she should laugh.
Even so, her presence was undeniable. She radiated an intimidating aura that wrapped around the entire throne room. She was the source of the pressure weighing down on them all this while.
Now that they were standing so close, it felt as if something was compelling them to kneel and worship her.
Fortunately for them, the sensation wasn’t strong enough, she was clearly holding back... for some reason.
And above her head, the floating text shimmered brightly.
[Name: ??? | LV: ???]
Even though most boss names were displayed clearly, hers was hidden behind question marks, giving off the impression that the system itself wasn’t strong enough to identify her properly.
A chill ran through him. ’This... is what was waiting for us?’
...
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