The Heavenly Demon Destroys the Tower - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 40
The Sacred Fire that appeared in Manmajeon after visiting the first tower.
‘Is it connected to Cheonmyeongru?’
Lee Gang-han pressed the flame with this thought in mind.
Then.
[Sacred Fire]
The primordial flame from which Cheonmashinkyo was born.
When the player challenges the first tower, the spark of Sacred Fire is transmitted anew to Cheonma.
As the flame grows stronger, the functions of Manmajeon are restored.
And the TP required to establish ‘Cheonmashinkyo’ drops dramatically.
Currently it exists as a ‘faint spark.’
Rather than being connected to Cheonmyeongru,
this spark was generated by clearing the first tower.
‘So if this spark grows, Manmajeon will be restored?’
Establishing Cheonmashinkyo currently requires 100 million TP.
To lower this absurd cost, he had to nurture this spark of Sacred Fire.
But.
‘There’s no information on how to grow it.’
Since it appeared from challenging the first tower,
would the spark grow stronger as he descended floor by floor?
As Lee Gang-han gazed at the pristine white flame,
a chime sounded.
[Will you construct Cheonmyeongru?]
[1,000,000 TP is required.]
When he touched near the spark,
a message appeared asking if he would build Cheonmyeongru.
‘Is Cheonmyeongru also connected to the spark?’
Lee Gang-han pressed various locations throughout Manmajeon, shrouded in darkness, just in case.
But aside from near the flame, no message appeared asking to build Cheonmyeongru.
‘It seems it must be built near the Sacred Fire.’
Cheonmyeongru—the place where Priestesses and Priestess devotees were said to dwell.
Did they also manage the Sacred Fire here?
Lee Gang-han felt such a question arise,
but unlike the special structures he’d built before—the Goblin’s Treasure Market and the Orc Shaman’s Altar—
no matter how long he held his touch, no description of Cheonmyeongru appeared.
‘I’ll have to build it to find out.’
The construction cost of one million TP was somewhat burdensome,
but when a million viewers had gathered not long ago, he’d earned an enormous amount of TP in sponsorships,
so he had funds to spare.
Besides,
‘I need to grow stronger.’
Thinking back to how he’d nearly drowned in the sea,
his hesitation about investing TP disappeared.
Rather than hoard money out of stinginess,
he should invest in Manmajeon and find the path to strength.
With that, Lee Gang-han began construction of Cheonmyeongru.
A low rumble echoed.
A building began to take shape, encircling the Sacred Fire.
An open-air, single-story structure in the Oriental style.
‘This is Cheonmyeongru…? The size is rather modest for something that cost a million TP.’
Dark-crimson roof tiles distinguished Cheonmyeongru.
The structure itself was beautiful,
yet its scale seemed unimpressive.
For a building that cost a million TP, it appeared humble.
‘Still, it must be useful for something.’
Lee Gang-han pressed the completed Cheonmyeongru.
A description of the building appeared.
[Cheonmyeongru Lv. 1]
A dwelling place for Priestesses and Priestess devotees of Cheonmashinkyo.

They manage the Sacred Fire and safeguard the religious symbol of the Cheonmashinkyo.
Currently, no Priestess has been assigned.
Once a Priestess is appointed, the power of the Sacred Fire can be drawn out efficiently, and the revelations of flame can be interpreted.
The Cheonmyeongru—the building that oversees the Sacred Fire.
But it seemed that before a Priestess was assigned, the related content couldn’t progress.
‘But where do I find a Priestess?’
One obstacle after another.
As Lee Gang-han faced the prospect of a million TP investment becoming useless due to the Priestess’s absence, his brow furrowed.
Then.
‘An empty slot appeared. Let me try clicking it.’
An empty space materialized in the Priestess section.
Lee Gang-han quickly pressed it.
And then.
[You can designate a Priestess from the Priestess candidate pool.]
[Priestess Candidate Pool]
-Apprentice Priestess
-?????
-?????
-?????
.
.
.
-Priestess Cheon Se-ran
First came the Apprentice Priestess option.
And in the very last slot appeared “Priestess Cheon Se-ran.”
‘Cheon Se-ran—that’s our guide.’
When maintaining the guide status.
The ghostly Priestess’s name had definitely shown as Cheon Se-ran, the final Priestess.
In the guide mode, she’d offered advice in every way possible, so was she recruited from there?
Lee Gang-han, pleased at the sight, reached to select Priestess Cheon Se-ran.
[Appointing ‘Priestess Cheon Se-ran’ as Priestess requires 999,999,999 TP.]
“What the—?”
Seeing the TP cost that followed, he doubted his own eyes.
999.99 million TP?
That’s more expensive than reconstructing the Cheonmashinkyo itself.
‘Why is it so costly?’
Was it because she’s bound to the first tower?
Or is it because she’s the final Priestess?
‘Now that I think about it, she asked me back then if I was of the Cheon Clan.’
When he opened a drawer and a portal appeared.
-Opening a drawer and a portal appearing—it’s quite peculiar indeed. Lord Cheonma, might you be of the Cheon Clan by chance?
-The Cheon Clan was the surname of the lineage that once ruled as Cheonma in the old Cheonmashinkyo. I wondered if a descendant of that clan had somehow discovered how to enter Cheonma Valley.
She’d spoken of how the Cheon Clan was the name of the Cheonma lineage.
Cheon Se-ran had asked if he might have inherited that surname.
Yet it turned out she herself was of the Cheon Clan.
‘Then is Cheon Se-ran also part of the Cheonma lineage?’
Is that why her price is so steep?
I’ll have to ask her about it if I make it to the first tower later.
Lee Gang-han abandoned the idea of recruiting Cheon Se-ran with that thought.
‘Then I should just click on the Apprentice Priestess.’
Ding.
He pressed the Apprentice Priestess option at the top.
[Searching for Apprentice Priestess candidates within Manmajeon……]
[There is 1 entity matching the criteria.]
-Half-Elf Karana
When the search for Priestess candidates within Manmajeon came back.
Only Karana fit the criteria perfectly.
‘So Orcs and Goblins won’t do, then.’
They don’t quite match the image of a Priestess, after all.
Of course, Karana herself was stationed at the Orc Shaman’s Altar and consumed with her experiments on Orcs.
‘I’m curious what the Sacred Fire content is, so let me ask her to hold on for a moment.’
Not that I need her to stay indefinitely.
A brief favor seems reasonable enough to ask.
Lee Gang-han made his way toward the Orc Shaman’s Altar with this thought.
And there—
‘……All the orcs are level 2.’
I’d said to leave the level 2 ones alive, or the orc territory might disappear.
The ten or so orcs remaining were all level 2, sprawled around the altar in a dazed stupor.
And Karana, the one responsible for reducing them to this state, sat slumped in front of the altar.
Lee Gang-han pressed down on her information.
[Half-Elf Karana]
[Status: Blind Devotion, Frustration, Despair, Self-Recrimination, Regret……]
The blind devotion from last time was still there.
But now it was followed by a cascade of negative keywords.
Looking at it, not a single orc had succeeded.
She was clearly overwhelmed by frustration.
‘I can’t assign her to become a Priestess in this state.’
I should open a communication link and talk with her.
But until now, either the chieftain or Karana had always initiated contact first.
Lee Gang-han had no way of reaching out to them first.
Which made sense.
[Summon]
[Worship]
[Banish]
When I checked the Manmajeon’s status, only three categories appeared.
So I’d have to make her worship me to get her to contact me from her end, then?
Lee Gang-han pressed down on Karana again with this thought.
[Summon]
[Worship]
[Communicate]
[Transfer]
[Banish]
The Communicate and Transfer options, which hadn’t appeared before, were now visible.
* * *
“Hmm…… But these definitely weren’t there when I summoned her earlier?”
Before going to the first tower.
When I summoned the goblin chieftain at the regular tower I’d visited earlier today—
The Communicate and Transfer options definitely didn’t exist then.
‘Could it be because of the Sacred Fire?’
She’d said that as the flames grow stronger, Manmajeon’s functions are restored.
Even if the Sacred Fire’s flames are still weak now, the appearance of new options was significant.
There was nothing strange about some functions being restored.
‘Let me try communicating first.’
Ding.
Lee Gang-han pressed the Communicate option.
[……Did you call for me, Lord of Cheonma?]
Karana lifted her head, her expression downcast.
[I am shamefaced. Despite attempting so many times, I have not succeeded even once……. Tch. Punish me if you must, banish me if you must. I accept whatever judgment you render.]
Even though she’d received a considerable number of orcs—
Not only had none succeeded, but they’d all died, leaving behind only ten level 2 specimens.
It made sense that Karana believed she’d failed to produce results and was prepared to accept banishment.
Of course—
“Banish? Not a chance.”
Lee Gang-han had no intention whatsoever of banishing Karana, even if she failed a hundred times, a thousand times over.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to bring an entire race to Manmajeon?
“Instead, how about you take a break and catch your breath?”
[Take a break?]
“Yeah. I’ve built a new facility and I need you for it. Since the orc level is at 2 anyway, rest a bit and help me with something else for a while.”
[Something else……. Tch. May I ask what kind of work it is?]
“Well, you could call it fire maintenance.”
[Fire management…….]
Managing the Sacred Fire is managing fire, after all.
At Lee Gang-han’s words, she—who had been staring blankly at the ground—
soon nodded in agreement.
[Good. Since I can’t pursue the evolution work anyway…… *Sigh*. I’ll tend the fire and gather myself.]
“That’s good thinking.”
She’d fallen into despair, which made persuasion easier than expected.
With Karana’s consent, Lee Gang-han
registered her as an Apprentice Priestess.
Then.
[You have designated ‘Half-Elf Karana’ as an Apprentice Priestess.]
[Once the Apprentice Priestess arrives at Cheonmyeongru, she will be able to manage the Sacred Fire.]
A message appeared, instructing him to send Karana to Cheonmyeongru.
‘I should test the Teleport function.’
A chance to experiment with the newly acquired command.
Lee Gang-han pressed Teleport.
A map of Manmajeon appeared fresh on the screen,
and a finger-shaped cursor materialized.
[Designate your destination. A portal leading to that destination will open.]
At that message, he marked a spot near Cheonmyeongru.
*Whoooosh——!*
A crimson portal opened behind Karana.
The portal’s destination was Cheonmyeongru, already marked beforehand.
[Is that the portal? I’ll go.]
The moment Karana stepped into the portal,
her body appeared at Cheonmyeongru.
So that’s how the Teleport function works.
Just as Lee Gang-han was absorbing this newly acquired command,
[Here is…….]
Karana, who had entered the Cheonmyeongru building,
caught sight of the Sacred Fire burning faintly at the center of the structure,
[…….]
and fell silent all at once.
With hurried steps, she approached the white flames—the Sacred Fire.
[Apprentice Priestess ‘Karana’ begins managing the Sacred Fire…….]
[Affinity with the ‘Light’ attribute is exceptionally high.]
[Affinity with the ‘Fire’ attribute is exceptionally high.]
[Rank elevated from ‘Apprentice Priestess’ to ‘Common Priestess’.]
[Common Priestess ‘Karana’ manages the Sacred Fire…….]
Perhaps because she was an elf.
The moment Karana drew near the Sacred Fire, her affinities with light and fire surged so high that her rank jumped immediately.
‘That’s her calling, isn’t it.’
The orc evolution experiment had failed spectacularly,
yet here she was flourishing with talent.
As Lee Gang-han watched Karana crouching before the Sacred Fire, thinking such thoughts,
*Crackle-crackle——!*
Around her,
flames suddenly began blooming in all directions.
‘What is that?’
Scarlet flames—different from the Sacred Fire.
The fire converged, then began forming various shapes.
Some resembled lizards.
Others took the form of birds—entities of flame.
Come to think of it,
‘They look like Fire Spirits.’
Had she summoned flame-aspected spirits simply by facing the Sacred Fire?
Elves were certainly elves.
‘Maybe she’d be better off as an elf spirit-summoner than a shaman.’
As Lee Gang-han observed Karana’s talent,
[Ugh, ugh……. Spirits again!?]
But Karana herself, on the other hand.
She went pale watching the Fire Spirits that had materialized around her.
Especially.
Hiss-hiss-hiss…….
When a Fire Spirit drew near to her with apparent familiarity.
[Screech! No. I said no! I’m not talking to any of you! I’m an orc!]
Whoosh!
She seized the lizard-form Fire Spirit that had been approaching.
[Get lost!]
And hurled it into the Sacred Fire.
Then.
Whoooosh……!
The Fire Spirit dissolved into the Sacred Fire.
‘Wow. She really hates them?’
What kind of brainwashing could produce this?
He’d never imagined she’d despise spirits so thoroughly.
Her eyes wild, Karana continued hurling Fire Spirits into the Sacred Fire.
Lee Gang-han found the Fire Spirits vanishing into the Sacred Fire somehow wasteful.
“Karana, still…….”
He attempted to stop her at first.
But then.
[The Fire Spirit fuses with the Sacred Fire.]
‘Wait?’
[The flames of the Sacred Fire grow stronger.]
At the message that followed, he closed his mouth again.
‘The Sacred Fire grows stronger thanks to the Fire Spirits?’
Then there’s no need to stop her.
[Hiss. Cheonma…… Did you call for me?]
Karana, who had glanced at the communication screen, said.
“No. It’s nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
[Understood.]
Whoosh!
She resumed hurling Fire Spirits.
And so time passed.
When tens of spirits had fused with the Sacred Fire.
[The Sacred Fire’s state evolves from ‘Faint Ember’ to ‘Flickering Flame’.]
Whoooosh……!
The Sacred Fire, which moments before had seemed on the verge of dying out.
Grew richer and deeper, blazing larger.
The Cheonma Shatters the Tower (Ongoing Series)
Author | Yeom Bi
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyung
Publishing House | J. Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
© Yeom Bi 2025
※This work is published by J. Plus Media Co., Ltd. pursuant to a contract with the copyright holder, and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this is subject to civil and criminal legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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