CHAPTER 245: CALM BEFORE THE PUNISHMENT

Lilith returned to her private chamber inside the Tower. With full awareness, she immediately opened the panel displaying Nathan. With the punishment from The One Above Everything still rumbling in her mind, she could only pin her hopes on the one man she considered her own son—a man whose cock she had once sucked through the panel as well.

The panel flickered to life, revealing Nathan in a room.

Meanwhile, Nathan, who had just saved his father, was now back in his old bedroom. David, who had escorted him, had already gone home. Sophia had also left to prepare for the following day, when the Tower expedition was set to begin. Validia blended in with Lily and Nathan’s mother in the living room, building a warm family atmosphere.

Nathan sat on the edge of his old bed while his father looked out the window. His father exhaled deeply, then turned his gaze toward him.

Nathan felt nervous and awkward, as his father suddenly wanted to speak with him alone.

"Nathan, you’ve grown up... Maybe by saying this, I only want to look like a good father, but... yeah, I’m proud of you, son," he said, adjusting his glasses.

Nathan was bewildered. His sensitivity to emotions was still intact, but this moment was too random for him to predict. "A... ah," his mouth opened, unsure of what to say. "Ahahahhaaa..." He laughed awkwardly. "Don’t worry, Dad," he smiled.

"You are a good father," he added.

The atmosphere softened. His father hadn’t expected that the son who had rarely communicated with him during his teenage years would now say such a thing.

"D... Dad, I’ve become a hunter. I..." Nathan stammered a bit. "I already have a lot of money. You don’t need to work anymore," he continued, rising to his feet.

"Ahhahaha..." His father laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit that without working, he would feel useless to the family. He lowered his head, hesitant.

"You could start a business with my money," Nathan suggested.

His father nodded and smiled. A business? Could I finally open a bookstore, like I dreamed of in my youth? he wondered for a moment. Looking at Nathan, he realized he could no longer recognize the boy. He’s changed, he thought. Everything’s changed... I was such a fool, thinking my pride would be diminished by my own son’s kindness. He smiled widely.

"Really?" he asked, feigning enthusiasm. He walked over and put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. Nathan nodded. "Yes, Dad..."

Hug...

His father pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you!" he said, patting Nathan’s back before slowly letting go. "You’re incredible, son. Forgive me if I wasn’t much of a part of your life," he said, his voice trembling.

Nathan only smiled and nodded. "Of course, I forgive you. After all, you just wanted your family to live comfortably, right? That’s why you worked so hard?" he joked, filling the space with warmth until the awkwardness vanished. The bond between father and son seemed repaired through that jest.

For now, at least, everything was calm.

Nathan’s father released the hug, his eyes still shimmering.

"I’ll head to the living room for now, son. One day, I believe I’ll have a good grandchild."

He smiled, then walked away.

Nathan froze on the spot.

"Grandchild...?" he muttered under his breath, his face stiffening. Damn... what if he finds out he already has a bunny-eared granddaughter...

Before his thoughts could finish—

[Ding!]

A system panel popped up right before his eyes.

[Nathan. Come to me now.]

The message was clearly signed with a name: Tower Manager.

"Eh? Why now? I’m at home..." Nathan frowned.

Another message followed instantly.

[Don’t ask too much. This is about the Dimensional War... and about Earth’s punishment.]

Nathan fell silent. His breath caught. If Lilith was speaking with that serious of a tone, then this was no trivial matter.

"...Fine," Nathan finally nodded at the panel. "Open the door."

A holographic doorway appeared in front of his bedroom. But this time, it wasn’t the usual Tower gate he used to enter and exit. The aura it gave off was heavier, pressing down on the air itself.

Nathan gulped and stepped through.

The next moment, he stood inside a vast chamber filled with floating crystals and hovering panels. Lilith’s control room. Blue-violet light pulsed in the air, as if the room itself was the Tower’s beating heart.

Lilith was already waiting for him at the center. Her expression was cold, stripped of the usual teasing smile.

"Nathan." Her voice was heavy, almost trembling. "Earth’s endless cycle... has ended. This time, it truly is humanity’s last chance. The punishment... it will come."

Nathan clenched his fists, forcing down the panic crawling through him from Lilith’s words.

"Ended? Punishment? Start from the beginning—explain everything."

Without preamble, Lilith laid everything bare—starting from the moment she was summoned into the grand cosmic chamber, the conversation between her and The One Who Made the Learth, and finally... The One Above Everything.

Nathan’s eyes widened. "What do you mean... Learth can send something to Earth through a portal?"

Lilith nodded slowly, her face grave. "Yes. From now on, the Lesser Beings of Learth can pierce into this world. You must understand one thing, Nathan. Learth... is the same as Earth. The difference is that humans there never suffered from the mass incest that corrupted humanity here. Their genetics are pure, their bodies far stronger. On top of that, magic and technology have advanced side by side, forming a civilization we can hardly imagine."

Nathan swallowed hard, his head heavy. "Then... what kind of Lesser Beings will they send?"

"Their pets," Lilith answered firmly. "Even as their pets, the creatures are born from genetic manipulation, hybrids of magic and science. They call them... Variants."

"Variants...?" Nathan staggered back, his eyes widening. "That’s... that’s impossible to believe..."

Lilith grit her teeth, a tension she rarely showed flickering across her face. "Even I don’t know how to handle this. And worse—Earth’s humans are busy competing between guilds, fracturing themselves with politics, even dragging the Hunters into power struggles. When just a single Variant... might be more than they can handle."

Nathan clenched his fist. "Then... when does the punishment begin?"

Lilith fell silent, her eyes dimming. "...I don’t know."

Suddenly, the system panel appeared before Nathan. This time, the panel trembled strangely, as if pulled by something far greater.

[Countdown initiated.]

[Earth’s punishment: Tomorrow.]

Nathan froze. "Tomorrow...?!"

More text scrolled across the panel.

[Because I am linked to the One Who Made the Earth, I can access cosmic information whenever it concerns this planet.]

"This is insane..." Nathan clutched his head. A dizzy spell struck, his brain almost rejecting the truths being forced upon him.

Lilith lowered her head, her voice soft but trembling. "I’m sorry, Nathan. Sorry you had to learn all of this. Sorry for making you carry such confusion and such a heavy burden..."

Then she looked straight into his eyes. "My son... this trial isn’t the only one. The Dimensional War is coming too... and it will arrive in—"