소설 속 엑스트라

[5F, Materialized Demon Realm]

I returned to the Materialized Demon Realm. Players had conquered the demon
castles, but no one knew about the secret underground bases and the NPCs that
hadn’t been rescued.

“Is it here?”

I brought my trustworthy comrade, Cheok Jungyeong, because of the unfavorable

terrain for sharpshooters.

“Yep.”

We followed a secret passageway on the outskirts until we reached a huge boulder. I

glanced at Cheok Jungyeong.

“It better not be boring.”

Cheok Jungyeong looked like a legendary giant with the armor I gave him. His body
grew even bigger with the special skill, [Secret March].

“It’ll be somewhat interesting.”

The demons should be high level according to my settings and a demon had even
tamed a drake here. I planned to make myself a wrist protector with the drake
leather.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

We entered what looked like a manhole.

The darkness didn’t hinder my vision at all. My eyes penetrated the walls and
detected several heat sources. This underground base contained at least 30 enemies
and the NPCs resided on the bottom floor.

[Quest discovered!] [Rank – High] [Summary – The demon Ryukai has hypnotized and
enslaved many NPCs. The NPCs will only regain their sanity for 3 hours per day.] [Goal
– Rescue all the trapped NPCs and undo Ryukai’s mind control magic.] [Reward –
Mystical Whetstone, Mandrake]

A quest popped up. Cheok Jungyeong saw it too as he squinted at the air.

“Mmm… so what’s our plan?”

“Just follow me.”

I led Cheok Jungyeong, but the base’s defensive system activated before I could even
take a few steps. Koong— Koong— Koong— Koong— Something rumbled as Cheok
Jungyeong glared in its direction.

“What are those?”

“They’re demons.”

Cheok Jungyeong looked frightening at 2.16 meters and 140 kilograms. However, the
two giants in front of us appeared even bigger.

[Lv.10 Demon Giant]

“Leave this place.”

One of the giants spoke mechanically and his voice caused the earth to rumble.
Crack, crack. Cheok Jungyeong lightly stretched.

“Newbie, I’ve been wondering, but what’s the difference between djinns and
demons?”

“Huh?”

“Just curious.”
Cheok Jungyeong thought about such things? Well, he was a general in his past life,
so he must be a strategist as well.

“Demons are born in the demon realm and djinns are humans who borrow the
demon realm’s power.”

“Demon realm? Does it exist?”

“Who knows?”

I shrugged.

“Why wouldn’t it? The universe is vast.”

The demon realm certainly existed. Parts of Earth would soon be devoured by it.
This core event would trigger the story’s latter half. The evil gods who commanded
djinns always wanted to conquer Earth.

“I won’t repeat myself a second time.”

The demon giant spoke again.

“Leave."

“You better shut your trap, kiddo.”

Cheok Jungyeong stepped forward. His footsteps sounded quieter and his body
looked weaker.

“Take care of them however you want. I’m going ahead.”

“Sure.”

I left them to Cheok Jungyeong and stuck to the ceiling like Spiderman with parkour.
Of course, parkour couldn’t ignore the laws of physics, so I used a bit of stigma’s
magic power and shot past the two giants.

A huge wind blew from behind as I almost reached the lower floors. KWANG! Cheok
Jungyeong’s punch exploded into a shockwave and a demon giant smashed against
the wall.
I smiled in satisfaction and headed downstairs. A total of 9 demons occupied the
second floor. They prepared to fight from the ruckus upstairs.

— Get your weapons!

— Intruders!

— Report to Count Ryukai!

I transformed aether into a bow and took out 5 dark ore arrows. I could’ve used the
Desert Eagle, but didn’t want to waste bullets on small fries. I fired the arrows
simultaneously without hesitation. Chwaaaa. It didn’t matter if my targets hid
behind a wall. These arrows could penetrate any obstacles. The 5 arrows pierced
every demon’s vital organs. Only a split second had passed since they spotted me.

“You done?” Cheok Jungyeong immediately came down with black blood on his face.

“Yeah, follow me.”

We seemed like an undefeatable pair and continued crushing our way down until we
reached the bottom floor in just 5 minutes. There, we found a Dracula-like demon
and a chubby drake.

[Lv.12 Ryukai]

“Haha, foolish humans. You dare to intrude upon my abode?”

The ferocious giant charged at the murmuring Dracula. Cheok Jungyeong instantly
grabbed Ryukai’s neck and slammed him to the ground.

“Auu… uuuk… ek… kek…”

Ryukai groaned in pain and tried to resist, but failed like a human trying to push an
elephant. The demon noble’s face turned blue as he flailed and tore apart his fancy
suit.

“Kuk.”

Soon, Ryukai stopped breathing. Crack— Cheok Jungyeong twisted his neck to
confirm his death.
“The real trouble is there.”

“I know.”

Cheok Jungyeong glared at the drake, which joyfully looked at its dead master.

“You don’t need my help, right?” I asked.

“Of course.”

I walked past them and headed to the enslaved NPCs. Surprisingly, this place didn’t
look like a prison. The bottom floor seemed like a noble’s mansion and the enslaved
NPCs performed physical labor in a stupor.

I walked up to them and took out the mystic key. Then I inserted it in their heads and
unlocked the spell that controlled their minds. The NPCs briefly panicked before
choosing a young man as their spokesperson.

[Lv.9 Yuken]

This handsome young man had high potential as a master in city management and
stronghold defense and offense. Prestige could use his talents.

“Everyone, I’ve come from Prestige to rescue you. My name is… Kim Huijuin. Let us
return to Prestige.”

The NPCs hesitated at my words. Meanwhile, a fierce battle progressed nearby.

KWANG! KOONG! Thunderous roars resounded as Cheok Jungyeong’s fist crushed the
drake’s bones and claws.

“Is Ryukai dead?” Yuken asked hesitantly.

“Yes.”

“Then… we refuse.”

Yuken shook his head. I expected as much.

“If Ryukai is dead, it’ll be better for us to live here. To us, Prestige is no different than
hell.”
According to my settings, they had left the 3rd floor to escape from Prestige.
However, demons had captured them and forced them into slavery. Returning to
Prestige only meant exchanging one hell for another.

“Don’t worry.” I shook my head.

“It’ll be okay. Prestige has changed a lot since you last saw it.”

The current Prestige… KOONG! KOONG! Cheok Jungyeong was —KOONG!… kind of
noisy —KWANG!… but I used hypnotic suggestion regardless.

“A sun is being created in Prestige. Its citizens are working and living meaningful
lives. Children run around the streets with smiles now. There is no shortage of food
and water.”

My voice gently flowed into their ears.

“Moreover, Prestige needs your talents.”

***

I easily convinced Yuken and the 15 NPCs with the demon’s cunning speech. Then I
guided them back to Prestige.

“This… where… what…”

“Where are we?”

“Is this really Prestige?”

The NPCs couldn’t hide their shock. Meanwhile, Henry and Kiri showed up to take
care of them.

“Welcome, everyone. Come here.”

Henry and Kiri led them away as I sent them off with a smile. I turned to Cheok
Jungyeong after they disappeared.

“Cheok Jungyeong.”
“Huh?”

I handed him a parchment.

“What’s this?” Cheok Jungyeong’s eyebrows perked up.

“Locations where NPCs are trapped on the 5th floor.”

“What? Why are you giving this to me?”

I smiled at Cheok Jungyeong, who looked confused.

“I don’t have time to save all of them.”

“You’re telling me to save them?”

Cheok Jungyeong shoved his intimidating face forward. “Look at you. Ordering me
around now!”

Honestly, I felt scared, but already prepared a response. “Your shoes, clothes, and
armor.”

Cheok Jungyeong slightly flinched every time I pointed at something he wore.

“Not a single one didn’t come from me.”

“…”

“I didn’t ask for anything when I gave them, did I?”

Cheok Jungyeong dodged my gaze and scratched his head. I just had to give a reason
that wouldn’t hurt his pride after convincing him.

“It’s Boss’ order.”

“Huh? Oh, then just say so from the beginning!” Cheok Jungyeong laughed heartily
and snatched the parchment from my hand.

“It should be a piece of cake. Let’s see… Ah, there’s only 5 people.”
“Five places. There should be around 100 NPCs in total.”

“Tsk.”

His face quickly contorted as he put away the parchment.

“Fine, I’ll get it done within 4 days.”

“Thanks.”

— Pieeeek

Spartan suddenly appeared and flew onto my shoulder. A group attempted to

challenge the World’s End Bridge again.

“Where did this bird head come from?” Cheok Jungyeong stared at Spartan, who
appeared out of nowhere.

“I’ll be off now. Don’t lose that parchment!”

I took out the portable crystal stele and used it for the 3rd time. The crystal stele
remained just as bright after I recharged it with the Orb of Regeneration. Items with
limited uses could last forever like this.

Sssss—

The ground instantly changed from a brick pedestrian walkway to a wooden board
when I infused stigma’s magic power into the crystal stele.

I had built a temporary watchtower and looked down from a height that reached the
clouds. Far away, a group… no, an army slowly marched towards the World’s End
Bridge.

“The Chinese Alliance.”

I could tell their numbers at a glance. One, two, three, four… sixty-seven. They
planned on breaking through with sheer numbers.

“Like that’ll work.”

I coldly muttered. I held the aether bow and dark ore arrows. As always, I shot a
wooden arrow first as a warning. Chwaaak— Of course, they would ignore it like
most players.

***

The martial tournament took place the next day on floor 8-3 in Crevon. I applied
because of the first place prize and currently looked through the community in my
waiting room. I pushed myself quite a bit yesterday, but I should easily pass the
preliminary round.

[Another failed attempt to pass the bridge of death.]

— The Chinese Alliance challenged it this time and Black Lotus absolutely destroyed
them. Half of them died and the other half ran away.

— RIP Chinese Alliance lol That’s what they get for always pushing people around with
their numbers. I’m not even mad.

— Don’t be racist ^^ You should be sad that people died. Their nationality shouldn’t
matter, right?

— Wow… You have to hand it to Black Lotus. He’s amazing. But isn’t he being a bit
selfish? He’s saying he’s the only one allowed to train on the 9th floor!

— No, we didn’t receive any alert that a player reached the 9th floor. He probably can’t
go up either, so I think he’s blocking the way until he can.

[Black Lotus is going wild, but what’s the Divine Archer Jin Seyeon doing? Isn’t it
common sense for a sharpshooter to deal with another sharpshooter?]

— She should do something about it since she’s in the tower.

— Divine Archer’s in the middle of her training montage.

— I don’t think the Divine Archer has a chance with what Black Lotus has shown. She
only came in recently, so her stats are restricted even more.

[The Hero Association told Black Lotus to stop.]

— The Hero Association advised Black Lotus to stop blocking the way. It seems more
like a threat. This is the first time the outside world interfered with matters inside the
tower. They must have realized no one inside can do anything, so they took action
outside.

— Who the hell’s gonna listen to any warning from the outside world? Not even the
association head has any power here.

— I wouldn’t say that…

— No, he’s right. I can beat up Chae Joochul as long as he enters the tower.

— You must’ve lost your mind… You should get that treated.

I finally reached 5000 SP because of Black Lotus’ name all around the community
and the outside world. I should be able to create another gift now.

— Preliminary round 37! In the blue corner! The beautiful obsidian jewel, Boshy!

The martial tournament host announced the 37th preliminary round. Boss used
Boshy as her alias.

— In the red corner! The chickenhead Conrad!

I didn’t know any Conrad, but I would be up next. I prepared to stretch… Tiriring—
My messenger suddenly rang.

Nayunjajangman: Hyung, what’s your main weapon?

Nayunjajangman: Do you want to do a quest with me?

Nayunjajangman’s messages poured in like rain because I hadn’t checked them in 3

weeks.

Nayunjajangman: Hyung, why haven’t you been replying lately?

Nayunjajangman: Did something happen? You’re not dead, are you?

Nayunjajangman: Message me if you see this.

 ***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

Various stone buildings existed in Crevon. Some looked like they came from the
Middle Ages and others looked like shopping malls. Crevon’s streets looked like a
strange mix between the Middle Ages and the modern era. It gave the city a
somewhat mystical and beautiful look. Rachel walked through the main street like a
tourist. Every view seemed special enough to store in her memory.

“The scenery is indeed better than Prestige.”

Rachel nodded at vice team leader Davin’s words. About 4 days ago, Rachel and 8
other elite Royal Court guild members charged through the Field of Trials with
Rachel’s elementals. Then they cleared several quests on floor 8-2 to reach the
Crevon Mainland.

Crevon’s civilization appeared far above Prestige’s like they had been hearing on the
public forum.

“It looks like a mix of London and the Middle Ages. I’m in awe no matter where I
look.”

However, Rachel didn’t feel like they wasted investing in Prestige.

“This beautiful scenery wouldn’t lose to Prestige.”

The Tower of Wish now had close to 60000 players. The first wave only consisted of
3000 tickets, which multiplied to 9000 during the second and 18000 on the third.
Now, the tutorial contained close to 30000 players.

“I agree.”

However, only one or two thousand managed to reach the 8th floor. Many players
still lived in Prestige and couldn’t earn enough performance points to climb up.
Furthermore, investing in Prestige turned out to be the right decision since outsiders
couldn’t buy living space in Crevon.

“Vice leader, I’ve noticed that you always wear that armor.”
“Ah.” Rachel shyly laughed.

“It’s a suit, not armor.”

“Is it?”

She had acquired the [Lv.4 Black Suit] after a fierce battle of wits. It performed
fantastically until now as her favorite armor.

“Yes, I can’t recall how many times it saved my life.”

“Haha… Ah, have you heard the news? Black Lotus slaughtered the alliance that tried
crossing the bridge.”

“Yes, I heard.”

Rachel’s smiling face quickly froze. Yesterday, another group challenged the World’s
End Bridge. The Chinese guilds allied for the 8th attempt. A total of 67 people
wanted to show off their nation’s greatness until Black Lotus massacred them.

“As long as it’s not too expensive, buy the footage of the battle when it comes out.”

“Yes, understood.”

Parties that challenged Black Lotus always filmed and sold their attempts.
Otherwise, third parties would film them and sell it themselves. The most famous
video showed the Djinn Alliance’s attempt. A single arrow completely blasted the
bridge like a tactical nuke, instilling fear into the hearts of many.

“Ah, we’re here,” Davin muttered.

[Lv.11 Phiunel’s Mansion]

They planned to meet for their mission. Rachel spoke to the guards at the entrance
and followed the servants inside.

“It’s here.”

They arrived in front of a door that read, [Conference Room]. The servants left as
Rachel slowly opened the door.
“Hello.”

Rachel gracefully bowed before entering. The people inside all reacted differently to
her greeting.

“Ah, nice to meet you, elementalist Rachel.”

“Hello.”

“Hi!”

“It’s been a while, my old friend.”

Rachel scanned the room. Hunter of the Vast Expanse, Kim Junwoo. Desolate Moon’s
Shin Jonghak. Essence of the Strait’s Yi Jiyoon and Miyamoto Yohei. One of the recent
rising rankers, Chae Nayun, and Essence of the Strait’s chief officer, Kim Youngjin.

Rachel faced old acquaintances that warmed her heart as well as powerful veterans
who made her tremble. She tried to remain calm as she took a seat.

“Hiya.”

“…”

Rachel returned Chae Nayun’s greeting with a slight bow. The door opened again and
a gentle old man with white hair walked in.

“Welcome, outsiders.”

The following name floated above his head:

[Lv.??? Phiunel]
[The Tower of Wish has been the topic of interest all around the world. The first wave
of players has learned that you may bring back one skill after staying inside for more
than 1600 hours. These so-called skills allow even ordinary people without gifts to
display supernatural power. The general public now treats these tickets like lottery
tickets that could change their lives. Unfortunately, crimes targeting entrance tickets
have also risen and dealing with players grows more problematic.]

Yoo Yeonha watched the news in her new office after being recently promoted to
Chief Strategic Officer.

[Essence of the Strait Chief Strategic Officer, Yoo Yeonha]

The nameplate sparkled on her desk. She easily rose to the position thanks to the
public’s attention on the tower. The media would’ve loved digging into the fact that
she became Chief Strategic Officer in less than 3 years.

“Hmm…”

With this, she had built a strong foundation to become Essence of the Strait’s vice
guild leader. Yoo Yeonha changed the channel with her chin in one hand.

[CH 11] [I Live Alone]

— I’m wondering if I can also get a skill from the Tower of Wish, so I’m looking around
auction houses.

[CH 12] [Accurate 19]

— Accurate 19! Find out anything you want to know about the Tower of Wish!

[CH 13] [Tower of Wish Special]

— The strongest person in the tower is…

— Black Lotus?

— Yes, his selfishness in blocking the path is earning the Hero Association’s wrath, but
Black Lotus’ influence is insurmountable.

[CH 14] [Public Debate – Issues In The Tower]

— It’s not good that a third party group holds the most influence in the tower. It
would’ve been much better if Essence of the Strait, Desolate Moon, or Frost Sanctuary
took this spot. We also can’t say for sure that Black Lotus isn’t a djinn…

Every channel talked about the same thing. The media completely drowned in
stories regarding the tower after they discovered that one could bring back a skill.

“Sigh… Don’t they get tired of it?”

Yoo Yeonha pondered. Is it worth it for me to go?

At first, she didn’t even consider it and wanted to avoid any needless stress after
graduating from Cube.

However, the situation had changed. Essence of the Strait performed well inside the
tower and she could scout for new talents there. Recruiting those with good skills
seemed even more important now.

— Black Lotus demolished the Chinese Alliance of 67 people by himself. What was such
a powerful person doing on Earth? Could he be a hermit training on the legendary
Mount Everest?

Yoo Yeonha had no connections with Black Lotus and they would likely never meet
on Earth. However, that would change if she entered the tower. He most likely
belonged to the Chameleon Troupe, but it would be worth the risks to meet him.

“Hnnng…”

Yoo Yeonha agonized over her options. Of course, Essence of the Strait and its
affiliate businesses needed her guidance. However, they didn’t need her that
desperately and she could still take care of things from inside the tower. She even
thought about just choosing the lowest difficulty tutorial. According to reports,
players only needed to spend about 100 nights or 1600 hours inside to acquire a
skill. Would it be a foolish or worthwhile gamble?

“I think there’s a skill related to intelligence too.”

Yoo Yeonha smacked her lips as she thought about what skill to bring back and how
to utilize it in real life. At this point, she had already made up her mind and
possessed a red entrance ticket that allowed her to bring a trustworthy companion.

“Who should I choose?”

Eventually, she came up with a list. Dad is busy. I hear red ticket users share a waiting
room. I’d rather not share the same room with him during the tutorial.

Then a lightbulb went off in her head: the strongest summoner magician, Ah Hae-In.
Ah Hae-In only focused on research after partnering with Essence of the Strait.
Recently, she had been asking around for an entrance ticket. Choosing Ah Hae-In
might also deepen their partnership.

“Huuu.”

After a deep breath, Yoo Yeonha organized her thoughts and picked up her
smartwatch.

***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

I passed the martial tournament’s preliminary round without much difficulty. I

debated whether to use a bow or gun, but ended up using a simple dagger and wire.
The Lv.6 NPC didn’t pose much of a threat.

“Boring.”

“I agree.”

Boss muttered as we left the arena. She also easily defeated her opponent and looked
into the air as we walked. She seemed to have figured out how to block friends from
viewing her system window as I couldn’t see what she read anymore. Well, she was
probably reading a web novel.
“Is it fun, Boss?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s okay.”

After walking for about five minutes…

“Aah…”

Boss suddenly exclaimed with disappointment. It must’ve ended on a cliffhanger.

Damn, the author even made someone audibly yelp in anticipation?

“Oh right, Hajin.” Boss turned to me.

“Yes?”

“Are you planning on getting first place?”

She asked a rather random question, but I nodded anyways. I had no reason to aim
for anything else.

“If I can, then why not?”

“Is there an item you specifically want?”

“The first place rewards all sound great. There are four of them, after all.”

A hint of curiosity surfaced on Boss’ face. “The emotion potion too?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

The emotion potion would work perfectly on an NPC. It also worked on players, but
only inside the tower. The effect would disappear once the player left.

“I see.”

Boss turned away as I nodded without much thought.

“It does seem nice if you want to form a good relationship with someone.”

Boss began talking to herself, but I didn’t say anything.

“If you feel a certain way about someone…”

“…?”

Boss’ murmuring didn’t stop. “You would need something like that to form a
relationship, but who would you use it on? I wonder who he’s thinking about. The
target of the potion…”

She repeated the same thing multiple times before I realized she wouldn’t stop until I
answered.

“I’m going to use it on an NPC. It doesn’t work well on players anyways.”

“…”

Boss remained silent as if she hadn’t asked in the first place. She only made a faint
sound like a kitten purring in joy.

“So, um, Boss… you’ve heard about the Sunrise Ceremony, right?”

Players somehow managed to find all the materials Medea asked for. Kim Suho
probably found the rare shamrock plant.

“I do. Are you going?”

“Yes, the sun will give us a nice present.”

We arrived at a narrow alleyway between two shops. This kind of place would be
littered with cigarettes back on Earth. Jin Yohan, Cheok Jungyeong, and Jain stood
waiting for us there. However, they seemed a bit strange. Jin Yohan and Cheok
Jungyeong spoke excitedly while Jain looked through the community without a care.

“We’re here.”

Jin Yohan and Cheok Jungyeong turned around at Boss’ voice. Their faces even
looked red, so I couldn’t help but ask.

“What’s wrong?”

“He saw that weapon!” Cheok Jungyeong yelled in excitement.

I tilted my head in confusion when Jin Yohan raised his Serpent Spear with a smile.
Jin Yohan entered the tower with a black ticket and brought along his signature
weapon.

“It’s a weapon related to this one.”

“Ah.”

I realized who he might’ve seen. It shouldn’t be Zhang Fei, the Serpent Spear’s
original owner, but another legendary general who would’ve fought Zhang Fei.

“Lu Bu?”

“Exactly. His level had question marks next to his name. Lu Bu, otherwise known as
Fengxian. I got goosebumps when I saw him.”

Among NPCs, some wanted to show off their name and others hid theirs. Of course, I
could see everything with my smartwatch.

“Hahaha, looks like the tower is starting to get fun!”

Cheok Jungyeong burst out into laughter. I tried provoking him a bit.

“It’ll be hard to fight him bare-handed, don’t you think?”

“Hm, maybe?”

Surprisingly, he took the time to think about it as Jain grew tired of them.

“Just tell me the plan already. I’m busy. I have a party to attend.”

She wore a fancy dress and wanted to cut to the chase, so I took out a card from my
pocket.

[The Banquet of Honor for Crevon’s VIP nobles will be held in Krischen. The host is the
noble, Phiunel.]

“Oooh, what’s this?” Jain’s eyes sparkled.

“A banquet…”
Boss also narrowed her eyes at the invitation. A banquet… a banquet… I explained as
Boss murmured to herself.

“This is a banquet that’s also an auction. Almost all VIP nobles, including the royal
prince and royal princess, will be there.”

Crevon’s nobles hosted the Banquet of Honor annually. It would begin like an
ordinary banquet until the auction that sold precious objects excavated around
Crevon. About 100-200 nobles would attend and they only sold the most precious
items.

“Ah, I get it. You want to steal from this auction!”

Cheok Jungyeong heartily spoke, but I shook my head.

“No.”

Every noble would gather there, including the royal prince and princess with Lu Bu
as their guard. Not even Cheok Jungyeong could fight Lu Bu head-on.

“It’s the opposite. We want to protect these items. Look at the back of the card.”

[Hiring outsiders as guards.] [Come to Phiunel’s mansion by the North River.] [A test
will be held to determine your strength.]

The Spyren River divided Crevon’s regions into north and south.

“Protect? Guard?” Cheok Jungyeong frowned.

“Yep, it pays quite a lot. To be exact, 10000 TP per person.

“That’s boring.”

“No, it won’t be that boring. I’ve looked into it and demons threatened to attack the
banquet.”

Crevon was about twice the size of Gyeonggi-do, but the entire 8-3 floor equaled
South Korea. Demons lived in the west that partially turned into the demon realm
and constantly looked for opportunities to topple Crevon.
“Demons? How come they’re popping up everywhere?” Cheok Jungyeong asked.

“They’re the villains inside the tower.”

“Mmm. Shouldn’t they just delay the banquet if demons will attack?” Jin Yohan asked.

“I don’t know. The nobles probably don’t want to give in to terrorist threats. Plus, Lu
Bu might be able to stop them by himself.”

Honestly, I didn’t know how this would unfold. The future I knew had disappeared
when I blocked the pathway to the 9th floor.

“Ah, they would lose face if they mobilized the army, so they brought Lu Bu instead.”

“Makes sense. Lu Bu would certainly do the job.”

Cheok Jungyeong and Jin Yohan nodded in agreement.

“Right, so think of our objective as guarding Crevon’s nobles. I’ll take care of
everything else.”

“So you’re going to be the only one stealing?” Jain asked with a bright smile.

I nodded. Phiunel was actually a demon spy who planned to take all the precious
treasures. It remained the same as in my abandoned setting and I had already
confirmed it with the Book of Truth. The auction items would arrive after going
through strict security measures and Phiunel would swap them out for fakes after
the auction.

Then I would step in and steal them from the thief himself. I wanted one of the
unique skill books.

“It’s almost time. Let’s get going.”

The job interview would begin in 30 minutes, so we headed towards Phiunel’s

mansion.

***

[8-3F, Phiunel’s Mansion]

Phiunel finished explaining the guard mission to several players. The auction would
start after the first half of the Banquet of Honor and players had to protect the
auction house from potential demons.

“Any questions?”

Phiunel looked at the players as Kim Youngjin raised his hand.

“Will we be enough for such an important event?”

“You’re Team 1. There will be a Team 2 and 3 as well. Each team will be in charge of
different areas, but you outsiders should be able to recognize each other, correct?”

Kim Youngjin nodded as Phiunel continued.

“Your job is very important. The royal prince and princess will also be attending this
banquet. They are the fourth prince and the fifth princess.”

“Eh? So we need to protect them as well?” Chae Nayun asked. She glanced at Rachel
next to her, who was also a princess. Her full name was Rachel Elizabeth Louise.

“No, they will be accompanied by two royal guards. Some nobles will arrive without
guards out of respect for the royal court. Your duty will be to protect such nobles.”

“Oh, then who are the royal guards?”

Chae Nayun curiously asked as Phiunel smiled.

“One is Lancelot, Knight of the Sacred Lake.”

Rachel’s eyes immediately widened. Lancelot came from the legends of England. She
couldn’t help but get her hopes up that he might recognize her.

“The other person… well, a knight’s title doesn’t fit him and I personally dislike him
as well.”

Phiunel rubbed his beard. “His name is Lu Bu.”

The two characters instantly changed the room’s atmosphere. The name Lu Bu
sounded much more familiar to the players. Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three
Kingdoms exaggerated many things, but Lu Bu’s strength was undoubtedly real.

“Sounds fun.”

Kim Junwoo, the hunter from Vast Expanse, also spoke.

“I see.”

Phiunel smiled, but soon put on a solemn expression and clapped twice.

“As you may know, I will need to test your strength.”

Rachel felt a strange aura creeping from the walls. The others felt the same and clad
themselves with magic power.

“I hope you understand. My life is on the line in this business and I’ll pay a hefty fee
upfront if you pass.”

Phiunel left as the windows shattered and assassins in black showed up. The players
all smiled bitterly at each other.

***

Chae Nayun left Phiunel’s mansion 20 minutes later after passing the test. Six other
players also passed.

[Guard Team 1] laughed while discussing the test’s difficulty.

“It wasn’t that hard.”

“There were 27 assassins, but are demons that weak? Could it be that Lu Bu isn’t as
strong as we think?”

“Don’t underestimate them. It shouldn’t be this easy to earn 10000 TP.”

While they chatted…

“Hm?”

Chae Nayun caught sight of 5 players entering the mansion with hooded robes. They
gave her a strange feeling. To be exact, it came from just one person in that group.

“…?”

Chae Nayun could tell he was a man from his build. She couldn’t see anything else,
but her intuition told her she had met him before. She suddenly felt a strange urge.
Her intuition told her to run over and grab his shoulder, but she hesitated. She
usually trusted her intuition because it was a special stat.

“That must be Team 2 or Team 3.”

Kim Junwoo said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. However, Chae Nayun didn’t
reply. She watched as the group slowly grew farther away and felt complicated
emotions constricting her. Then the wind suddenly blew.

It carried the group’s scent to her. The somewhat familiar smell made her dizzy. Her
vision turned misty as she brought her hands to her eyes, but no tears came.

What’s wrong with me? Chae Nayun turned back to the group, but the mansion door
had already closed before she could determine the source of that scent or the group’s
identity.

“Ah…”

An unknown feeling of loneliness rose within her. She felt out of breath as though a
huge rock had fallen on her chest. Then her eyes grew misty again. She wiped them
and looked at her stained sleeve with faint droplets.

***

[8-3F, Crevon Duel Arena]

Jin Seyeon mulled over how to defeat Black Lotus at the World’s End Bridge. She felt
like her group could win with the help of a single player. Her body and magic power
continued moving on their own as she thought. Jin Seyeon distanced herself from
Shin Jonghak and shot a magic arrow.

“Kuk!”

Shin Jonghak groaned as the arrow struck him. Prestige’s bonus focused on hunting,
resting, and training while Crevon’s focused on sparring, dueling, and competing.
Players began sparring all the time once they found out.

“One more time!”

Shin Jonghak charged again as Jin Seyeon pondered. A sharpshooter had to deal with
another sharpshooter since warriors couldn’t fly. Walking across the sky was
impossible without astounding magic power. Even so, Jin Seyeon had chosen Chae
Nayun and Kim Suho as the first candidates in her Black Lotus hunting group. Even
the community called those two magic power monsters. Chae Nayun possessed
frightening magic power capacity and might be able to reach the sharpshooter. She
could clad herself in magic power and detonate magic power behind her to fly like a
bullet…

Jin Seyon’s thoughts suddenly stopped as her expression froze.

“Wait.”

“Yes?” Shin Jonghak abruptly paused. Bullet. Bullet. Bullet. Jin Seyeon seriously
repeated this one word.

Stupid, why didn’t I think of this before?

Sharpshooting was a fight between distances and Jin Seyeon already knew someone
who could snipe Black Lotus from an equal distance, if not farther.

The monster wolf, Fenrir.

The field of mercenaries highly praised his sniping skills. Supposedly, he could snipe
a target 5 km away. Plus, Fenrir’s bullets could also pierce magic barriers. Jin Seyeon
heard from Kim Suho that Fenrir used a black ticket to enter the tower and brought
along his unique form-changing gun.

“Perfect.” Jin Seyeon finally opened her mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“I came up with a way to break through the World’s End Bridge.”

Jin Seyeon proudly smiled. Aileen watched their spar from the side and ran up to her.
“What, what? Tell me.”

“Before that…”

The key to finding Fenrir.

“Let’s go find Suho.”

Shin Jonghak frowned, but Jin Seyeon paid no mind to it. The perfect strategy
unfolded in her mind where she and Fenrir would carefully strike at Black Lotus
under Aileen’s protection while Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak snuck past to the 9th
floor.
“Damn.”

Phiunel scratched his head as he looked at the messy room. This disaster only took
10 minutes.

About 20 minutes ago, 5 country bumpkins arrived at the mansion for a guard team
position. They looked no different than any other outsider. However, Phiunel didn’t
want to let them pass. The entire test was a farce to begin with, but he had a bad
feeling about this one.

He also hated the group’s arrogant demeanor. As such, he brought in the strongest
assassins at his disposal. However…

— Uuugh…

— Kuuuk…

The elite soldiers all groaned on the floor and not a single piece of furniture he had
purchased with care remained undamaged. He couldn’t even recognize his own
mansion after all the chaos.

“How dare they.”

Phiunel angrily muttered. He had heard about the outsiders, seekers of truth who
entered the tower from another world to reach its peak. However, he didn’t believe
any would reach the top and viewed them like thugs.

“…”

Phiunel clenched his teeth as fury rose in his old eyes. He didn’t care about his
subordinates, but that group’s arrogant words still lingered in his ears. He recalled
how they insolently sat and mocked the demon race in front of him. After that, he
simply concluded that they had to die. Everyone knew outsiders had 7 lives, but he
would find a way around that. Phiunel took out a small notebook from his pocket.

[Lv.11 Directory]

His most precious treasure allowed him to see the name and details of every
individual he ever met. It showed their nickname, real name, and current location.

“Fools.”

Demons specialized in assassination and torture. They would surely find a way to
take seven lives with one death.

Phiunel wrote the names of these ruffians onto his kill list.

***

[8-3F, Main Street Outside Phiunel’s Mansion]

We became [Guard Team 2] after passing Phiunel’s test. He also gave us mysterious
name tags with communication magic in them.

Then we headed to Crevon’s western side, which bordered demon territory. It took
us 40 minutes on a carriage traveling at 120 km per hour to reach the Ironblood
Duchess’ mansion.

“Ah, you’re here. My friend and friends of my friend.”

Tomer welcomed us with a delicious meal. We lived like aristocrats compared to

other players who returned to Prestige just to sleep because of Crevon’s high prices. I
couldn’t help but feel grateful for my relationship with Tomer.

We each received our own rooms after our meal. I got the biggest one while the rest
received slightly smaller rooms, but equal nonetheless. However, I had no plans of
staying since my waiting room felt much better than most places.

“Create a waiting room ticket.”

[An entrance ticket to player Extra7’s waiting room has been created.]

I almost tore the ticket when… Tok, tok. Someone knocked on the door. I tilted my
head and opened it to find Boss.

“Boss?”

She looked at me intently with a single book under her arm.

“Is that a skill book?”

“Yeah. I looked through the auction house and found what seemed to be a good basic
skill book. I came to ask whether I’m right.”

Boss bashfully handed me the skill book. She looked like a student getting her
homework checked. I lightly smiled and took a look.

[Basic Skill Acquisition Book – Lv.1 Touch of Fire]

“How much did you pay for this?”

“…5000 TP.”

Boss swallowed her saliva. Her eyes faintly shook as I laughed. I didn’t mean much by
it, but her shoulders flinched.

“W-W-What’s wrong? Did I pay too much for a trash skill?”

“No, it’s a decent skill and you got it for cheap too. Well done. You can learn it if you
want.”

“Huhu, I see.”

Boss smiled as the skill book transformed into a current of magic power that flowed
into her.

“By the way, what’s that?”

Boss pointed at the robe and jewels on my bed after regaining her confidence.

“Oh, they’re for the upcoming craftsmanship tournament.”

“Craftsmanship tournament?”
“Yep, I want the first place prize.”

First place at the craftsmanship tournament would win [Hephaestus’ Chisel]. I didn’t
know what it did, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it.

“Mm, I see. Good luck then. I’m going to train this skill.”

“See you later.”

She spun around and hopped away with a smile, probably towards the training
room.

“Oh wait, Boss.”

She turned back. “Hm?”

“You can sleep in my waiting room if you want.”

I generated entrance tickets to my waiting room for the Chameleon Troupe

members.

[You have sent a waiting room entrance ticket to your friend, player Boss.] [You have
sent a waiting room entrance ticket to your friend, player PhantomThief.] [You have
sent a waiting room entrance ticket to your friend, player Goryeo’sStrongest.] [You
have sent a waiting room entrance ticket to your friend, player Hurabono.]

Of course, I excluded Kaita. He and Zurahan had recently been fighting Kim Suho’s
group.

“Your waiting room?” Boss looked at me suspiciously.

“Yeah, I have a good bed and even a hot spring. I sent entrance tickets to the other
members too, so tell them to drop by whenever they want.”

Boss’ expression returned to normal after she heard the other members also
received an invitation.

“Okay.”

Boss left with a smile.

 ***

I did what I had to do for the next 9 days.

First, I got myself a citizenship ID through Tomer’s help. Then I traveled around
Crevon with Sannuri to find the dwarven steles.

Demons lived in the western territory and monsters lived in the mountain ridges. I
acquired quite a bit of valuable resources while clearing my way through them. Of
course, my luck played a major role.

First, I found an herb called Crevfort, which could be used with a mandrake and
shamrock plant to brew an elixir. I could easily sell it to an NPC for 20000 TP.

Next, I found two dwarven steles. The first stele contained information about
installing magic circuits into weapons, a miraculous technique that allowed weapons
to possess magic power. Unfortunately, the knowledge wasn’t permanent and would
disappear from memory after one use.

I decided to install a magic circuit on aether. A faint magic circuit appeared on it after
the procedure. It should polish and expand this magic circuit on its own since it
possessed intelligence.

The second dwarven stele was a diary about their own existence and the world
known as the tower. This philosophical book contained musings about their birth,
their reason for existing, and where they lived. I felt surprised by some of their
accurate guesses, but it contained nothing else.

I spent my days productively until the Banquet of Honors.

“You ready?”

I asked the other members. Currently, we stood on the back lawn of the [Lv.16
Phiunel’s Grand Mansion], a special mansion recently constructed for the banquet. It
looked rather ancient because of the architectural style. The banquet would begin
today at 5 P.M.

“I’m ready.”

“Me too. Looks like it’ll be interesting.”

Jain and Jin Yohan replied excitedly while Boss nodded in silence.

“Do we have to wear this?”

Cheok Jungyeong seemed bothered by our robes. I made him a bigger one, so it
fluttered around too much.

“Don’t you have a robe like yours?”

Cheok Jungyeong looked at mine with a hint of envy. For the record, I wore a
different robe that looked more like light leather armor with an eagle hood.

“You can rip parts of it off as long as you keep your face hidden.”

“Oh, okay.” Cheok Jungyeong easily accepted that.

“By the way, you know my disguise won’t work on you, right?” Jain added in.

“Yes, I do.”

They placed a heavy restriction on players’ abilities because the royal prince and
princess would attend. Jain could still use her gift, but only on herself. Her ability
would bypass even magic barriers in the outside world, but someone’s skill
restricted it in this mansion.

“Be careful everyone.”

I glanced at my smartwatch. It read 2 in the afternoon.

Music rang out from the grand mansion and luxurious carriages arrived one by one
at the front entrance. On Earth, these carriages would be like Bentleys and Rolls
Royces.

The nobles came out of their carriages and walked gracefully inside.

***

[Lv.16 Phiunel’s Grand Mansion]

The Banquet of Honor began at 3 P.M. as beautiful classical music played. The nobles
either danced or talked and enjoyed the atmosphere.

However, the highest ranking nobles from Crevon’s central region couldn’t do the
same. Atalos, the clan that became the rightful owner of Crevon under Agamemnon
and Moses’ blessings, could only enjoy the view from the 2nd floor balcony. They
didn’t join in to maintain their dignity.

“This is why I didn’t want to come. It’s so boring. I’m a good dancer too! And I
practiced so much!”

Araha Von Atalos Diana, Crevon’s fifth princess, had just turned 18 and complained.

“Be quiet.”

The fourth prince, Aruon Von Atalos Philip, didn’t feel too pleased with his younger
sister’s antics.

“This is why I didn’t want to come. Didn’t the demons send a threat? I guess it’s my
fault for being lower ranked.”

The demons sent a letter that they would attack the Banquet of Honor. However, the
Atalos Royal Family only scoffed since the administrators ordained the Banquet of
Honor.

“Don’t say that anywhere else.”

“I will. I’m going to.”

“…”

Aruon sighed. He wouldn’t succeed the throne, but still needed to maintain the royal
family’s reputation. He wasn’t the only one who felt this way. The Atalos Royal Family
name never suffered a single speck of dirt even after generations. Of course, the
immature Araha might be the exception.

“Oppa, how much money can you spend? I want to buy the Crane Feather Fan no
matter what. I saw it in the auction catalog. It’s so pretty.”

“I’ll buy it for you, so be quiet.”

“Yay!”

Araha giggled. She turned sideways and saw a huge, muscular man towering over
her.

“Um… Sir Lu Bu?”

Princess Araha carefully called her guard’s name. The great general standing next to
her looked over. He had well-defined facial features and wore his hair in a bun.
Furthermore, his fiery eyes seemed to pronounce his greatness to the world.

“Yes, Princess Araha.”

He addressed her in a neutral tone that sounded neither respectful nor disrespectful.
Prince Aruon furrowed his brows, but Princess Araha liked this royal guard’s
attitude.

“What will you do if the demons attack?”

“I will dispatch all who dare to harm Prince and Princess.”

His words also meant he only cared about them and not the other nobles.
Fortunately, Lancelot stood on the opposite side of Lu Bu and scouted the banquet
hall.

“Hehe, how very trustworthy. Do you mind if I like you, Sir Lu Bu?”

“…”

“I’ve never dated anyone before.”

Lu Bu remained unfazed by Princess Araha’s daring remarks and closed his eyes. Lu
Bu already knew about the fifth princess’ well-known mischief.

“Do you dislike younger women? Isn’t this dress pretty?”

“Araha, please just shut up.”

Aruon couldn’t stand her jokes any longer and placed his hand over her mouth.
— Everyone, the Auction of Honor will begin soon!

The host’s voice rang out at 5 P.M. Then the grand mansion suddenly rumbled.
Lancelot placed his hand over his sword, but bitterly smiled when he realized it was
part of the event. The walls slowly drifted apart to create more space as the podium
in the middle rose to change the mansion’s design into that of an auction house.

“Phiunel made this mansion solely for this banquet? Amazing.”

Aruon smiled for the first time since the banquet began.

“By the way, elder brother, who are those people?”

The prince and princess could see the busily moving guards from the second floor
balcony. Aruon also followed Araha’s line of sight and looked at them downstairs.
The outsiders communicated with each other and ran to their stations.

“Outsiders…”

Aruon strained his eyes. The players’ names floated above their heads:
Nayunjajangman, CaptainBritain, StraitTeamLeader, WindSamurai, CrazyMan, etc.
The royal family didn’t possess any special ability. The nametags these players wore
displayed their information.

“They’re outsiders?”

Aruon nodded at Araha’s question. “Looks like it.”

“Wow, it’s the first time I’m seeing outsiders. They look somewhat different from us.”

“Stay put, please.”

The host continued as the siblings bickered.

— Please take your seats, everyone.

Luxurious chairs suddenly rose from the ground.

“Make sure you keep your poker face.”

Aruon nudged his sister and put on an imposing expression. The host soon pointed
at them and thanked the royal family for coming.

— Let us thank the Atalos Royal Family’s Prince Aruon and Princess Araha watching
from above before we begin this auction.

A spotlight fell on the siblings as applause rang out. Clap, clap, clap— Araha and
Aruon forcefully smiled. Huge sums would exchange hands at this Banquet of Honor
in Crevon, the city of the rich.

***

[Backyard of Phiunel’s Grand Mansion]

[6:15 P.M.]

— The next item is… Kteron’s Mantra! This treasure will grant you wisdom in times
of need!

I stood guard in the backyard for most of the day and threw away my nametag when
the auction approached its end. Then I disguised myself by coloring my armor with
aether and entered the mansion. The guards in the backyard decreased from 5 to 4,
but Boss’ shadow puppet filled in for me.

— The starting price is 30000 TP! Ah, it already became 40000 TP! The bid comes
from Hail family’s Young Lord Yoten!

I infused stigma’s magic power into my thousand-mile eyes and watched everything
inside.

— This is the Crane Feather Fan… Confirmed. What’s the next item?… I think it’s
Kreton’s Mantra.

I could also see and hear Phiunel’s subordinates swapping out the real items for
fakes. Phiunel kept the real items deep underground, but I already knew how to
reach them.

A small pillar at the mansion’ right corner held a silver candle and a secret room
would appear after slightly turning it. However, one also had to infuse demonic
energy into the door, which only demons possessed.
This stopped players and human NPCs, but I already had a source of demonic energy
from a crystal I obtained with [Extraction and Permanent Materialization].

I walked as quietly as possible to the corner. Phiunel didn’t dispatch any guards here
to avoid suspicion, so I should be enough. However, I suddenly sensed a presence
from behind. Tak. Someone’s footstep rang out. Was it really another person? I didn’t
feel anything just a moment ago. It didn’t make sense since even aether didn’t notice.

Soon, I understood why.

The Tower of Wish could make the impossible possible with skills. It must be a high
level [Stealth] skill. I bit my lips, but it shouldn’t be that bad. I should be able to
suppress them without difficulty.

“Who are you?”

A soft voice came from behind.

“Who are you?”

A soft voice came from behind. I realized the person’s identity and sighed in relief.
Aether’s automatic defense system only reacted to killing intent and hostility. That
must mean an ally had appeared.

I confidently turned around after my analysis. Jain stood there disguised as a man.

“Huhu, did I surprise you?”

“Yes, a lot.”

Jain’s stealth and disguise ability truly suited her personality. She smiled
mischievously.

“How’s my disguise? I tried to copy the guy you told me to be.”

“It’s perfect.”

Blonde hair, a slightly thuggish appearance, a short height, and a cute look
unbefitting a demon. She looked exactly like Phiunel’s subordinate, whom I
investigated beforehand.

“Don’t surprise me like that next time. Stay put until I message you even if you’re
bored.”

“Okay.”

Jain disappeared like a true phantom thief.

I calmed my beating heart before proceeding to the secret room. A demon

pretending to be a guard stood in front.
“Oi, who are—”

Aether shot forward before he could finish and pierced his neck. Black blood
splurted along with an unsettling gargle.

“Kek, kuk…”

The demon didn’t die as I took out a dark ore arrow to finish him off. I had long
grown used to such trivial murder. Click— I turned the silver candle to reveal a small,
dark pathway.

I needed to prepare before heading downstairs. Two powerful demons should be

waiting there.

“Huuu.”

I took out several of the highest quality potions that glowed with different colors.

[You have consumed a Dwarven Potion of Courage.] [You have consumed a Dwarven
Potion of Vitality.] [You have consumed a Dwarven Potion of Wind.] [You have
consumed a Dwarven Potion of Stone.]

I consumed 4 potions and immediately felt the effects. My muscles roiled as

adrenaline rushed through me. I gained a total of 3 points in every stat. It would only
last 15 minutes, but I wouldn’t have to worry about anything else as I took out the
Desert Eagle. Several system alerts popped up after fusing aether with the Desert
Eagle.

[Aether has fused with the Desert Eagle.] [Special skill, Algorithm, has activated.]
[Aether’s neurotech chip has activated.] [The Desert Eagle’s output will increase
proportionately to your physical stats.]

Aether had learned this extra ability after it fused with me. I learned about it after a
mission as Fenrir the last time I returned to Earth. From what I could tell, the anti-
material sniper rifle’s power became no less than my dark ore arrows.

[The Desert Eagle has used 50% of aether.]

I only distributed 50% to the Desert Eagle to maintain my defensive functions.

I proceeded down with the gun in hand. As expected, a door appeared after exactly
66 steps. I took out the demonic energy crystal and crushed it. Sssk— The door
reacted to the demonic energy and opened.

“Oh, you’re here. Kteron’s Mantra is he— what?”

Aether shot forward like last time, but the enemy reacted faster. He released his
demonic energy and blocked as his eyes turned black.

“Who are you?”

I raised my handgun at the Lv.14 demon. I would be at a disadvantage if the fight

dragged out, so I quickly pulled the trigger 3 times. Each bullet struck the same spot.
The first carried an anti-magic property, breaking the barrier around his body. The
second carried a piercing property that tore a hole through his tough skin. The final
one carried an explosive property that dug into his body.

The first battle ended in the blink of an eye. However, another demon remained.

“You!”

Demonic energy burst from his body and surrounded us. This demonic energy storm
seemed to have a life-stealing ability. However, I didn’t need to defend or avoid it.

I changed the Desert Eagle into a shotgun and aimed. Aether automatically blocked
his demonic energy and turned it into crystals with [Extraction and Permanent
Materialization]. It rapidly drained my spirit power, but I calmly pulled the trigger.

KWANG!

The shotgun shell blasted out and obliterated the demon.

“Whew…”

The secret room grew silent as I walked forward to check the items.

[Lv.13 Crane Feather Fan] [Hwai’s Sword Technique] [Lv.14 Cintamani] [Unique Skill
Acquisition Book – Lv.??? Clock Hand of Fate] [Lv.12 Serpent Dragon’s Scale]…

The [Unique Skill Acquisition Book] undoubtedly caught my eye the most. It looked
like an old, wornout book, but I planned on filling my only unique skill slot with it.

[You have acquired the unique skill, Lv.??? Clock Hand of Fate!] [The roulette of fate has
activated for the first time!] [The unique skill’s level will be randomly chosen… (the
maximum level is 10)] [You have acquired Lv.8 Clock Hand of Fate!]

I felt more than satisfied and prepared to leave as I placed the items in a bag since
treasures couldn’t be stored in the inventory.

[Crane Feather Fan], [Crystal Rose], [Fiendish Flute], [Da Vinci’s Hat], [Prometheus’
Wisdom], etc. Each item cost at least 150,000 TP. I left the secret room after packing
up and shouted.

“Spartan!”

Spartan landed on the ground after breaking through the window. I handed the bag
to Spartan.

“Take this back to our hideout.”

Spartan flew into the sky with the bag. Its weight didn’t affect him thanks to the
weight-reducing magic I placed on it. My body loosened up after completing the
operation. As I sighed in relief…

“Stop.”

Someone appeared from the foot of the staircase. The obvious presence didn’t
surprise me this time as I turned around without much thought.

“…!”

Then I immediately took back my words about not being surprised.

“I found someone whose identity is unknown, over.”

She held a longsword. The blade seemed sharp enough to slice through anything. I
felt all too familiar with the guard looking at me.

“First floor hallway, over. Check the location, over.”

She spoke with someone and it seemed the mansion had some sort of system to
detect intruders or perhaps an elemental had sensed me.

“Right, over. The first floor, over.”

I could see her unique current of magic power undulating at the tip of her blade.
However, she likely couldn’t see through my hooded robe and mask. Even her
intuition shouldn’t be able to detect anything because of the equipment I made with
painstaking care.

“I don’t have to say over? Got it, over. Ah, uh, okay.”

She still seemed a little dumb. Was it because she didn’t possess Homer’s Ring like in
the original story? I bitterly smiled and looked at Chae Nayun.

“I’ll suppress him for now. I don’t need reinforcements.”

She swung her longsword, but my body refused to move. The world turned blurry as
though time had stopped.

“—!”

With a spirited shout, a crescent sword qi flew towards me. The attack should’ve
split me in half, but aether automatically defended. The fierce wind from the attack
caused my robe to flutter.

“What?”

Chae Nayun’s eyes trembled. She might’ve been surprised that I stopped her attack
or perhaps she saw underneath my robe.

“Wait.”

Regardless of the reason, she spoke out as her hands trembled and her sword shook.
She examined me from top to bottom.

“You…”

Wind blew in from the window that Spartan broke. A gentle breeze parted Chae
Nayun’s hair and I clearly saw her face. She didn’t look that different from the past.
“Who are you?”

The wind carried her voice into my ears. She spoke with a trembling voice. However,
I remained silent, not because of my beating heart or the shock from our sudden
reunion. This place just didn’t suit a reunion.

Sssss…

Violet light seeped in from outside as an explosion erupted.

I felt a certain urge and aether moved accordingly. Tssss— Aether shot out and pulled
Chae Nayun towards me.

“Uwoah!”

She missed the timing to resist and her longsword fell out of her hands. Soon,
something touched my chest. Aether formed a barrier around us as our clothes
touched and I used stigma’s magic power to further strengthen it.

Kwagwagwagwa!

A storm of demonic energy shook the world. The explosion only lasted briefly and
the world soon regained its color, but we remained in the same position. Debris
littered the mansion hallway. In the midst of it all, I held onto Chae Nayun as she
stared at my chest.

I suddenly felt her body stiffen. Soon, she slowly raised her head to look at me. I
couldn’t let that happen, so I covered her eyes with my left hand.

“You…”

I sensed the certainty in her tone and felt afraid. However, I didn’t know how to stop
her either. I panicked, which hindered my rational thought process. Then I
condensed aether into my right hand.

“Are you…”

I had to stop her with the only available method.

— Puk!
“Uuk!”

A short groan followed as I smacked her in the head with aether and she fainted.

“…”

My mind blanked, but the screams snapped me out of my daze. I didn’t have time to
stand still and quickly messaged Jain.

[I’m done here. Start the operation.]

***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

The demons attacked with gargoyles in the sky and giants on land. They used
multiple [Mass Teleports] for this surprise attack.

However, Crevon’s army quickly reacted. The royal family didn’t place any soldiers at
the grand mansion, but troops heavily guarded the surrounding streets. Crevon’s
soldiers arrived at the frontlines right away. Furthermore, the famous Flying General
Lu Bu and Lancelot of the Lake guarded the prince and princess. Not even the
demons could break through them.

“Haha…”

Phiunel happily watched since the demons didn’t plan on invading Crevon. They only
had to raid the mansion for him to achieve the perfect crime.

“Sir!”

Someone flung his door open and Phiunel put on a worried expression that turned
into confusion when he saw who had entered.

“Yoten? What’s wrong?”

Phiunel’s short secretary with blonde hair and a slightly thuggish look came over.

“There’s trouble!”
“What?” Phiunel furrowed his brows. “What happened? Aren’t things going well?”

Yoten took several deep breaths before shouting once again.

“T-The items in the secret room all disappeared!”

“What?”

“H-Hurry downstairs and see for yourself!”

Phiunel forgot his old age and ran like the wind. He raced from his office on the 7th
floor to the secret room in just 3 minutes and almost received a heart attack upon
seeing the empty room.

“T-This.”

Phiunel rummaged his pockets instinctively. He should be able to look up the thief in
his directory as long as he met them once. However, he didn’t have time at the
moment.

“Yoten! Contact the higher-ups immedi… huh?”

Phiunel turned around before taking out his directory. Then he saw Yoten standing
in front of him with a sinister smile.

“Yoten? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Ah, you see…”

Phiunel suddenly felt heat rising from his chest. He glared at Yoten, who stabbed him
with a dagger. Phiunel never neglected his training, but the opponent’s magic power
thoroughly overwhelmed his own.

“Yoten… why…”

Phiunel placed his hand on Yoten’s neck, feeling nothing but anger and betrayal. He
wanted to strangle Yoten, but lost all his strength.

“Your use ran out, old man.”

Phiunel gritted his teeth and glared with bloodshot eyes. “Yoten, you…”

“Don’t be so mad. It would be more foolish to trust you when you lived in human
society for 60 years.”

Yoten pulled the dagger out.

“Kuhuk!”

Blood splurted as Phiunel stumbled forward. Yoten grinned and pulled him up by the
hair. Then he brought the dagger to Phiunel’s neck.

“Goodbye old man.”

KWANG! An explosion blew up the surrounding walls. The wind pressure sent Yoten
flying and the woman who appeared quickly suppressed him.

“W-What? Who are you!”

Yoten struggled under the woman’s grasp, but the woman responded mechanically.

“I. Am. A. Guard. Protecting. Her. Employer.”

Phiunel heard the woman exchanging words with Yoten. He thought, I picked a good
guard… as his consciousness faded. Whispers rang out in the quiet basement.

“Um, Boss. It’s over now. Can you let go?”

“Shh.”

“The old man’s already fainted.”

“You didn’t kill him, right?”

“Yup, I avoided any vital organs.”

Boss let go of Jain disguised as Yoten. Kim Hajin decided it would be a waste to kill
Phiunel, so he came up with this plan.

“We’re going to rip him off now, right?”

Jain chattered with a bright smile. Now, Phiunel and the demons would
misunderstand each other. Phiunel would cut off contact with them, thinking they
had betrayed him and the demons would take this as Phiunel betraying them
instead. As a result, Phiunel would inadvertently fall to the side of humans.

“Well done, Jain.”

“You came in at the perfect time. Your acting skills need some work though. Want me
to kiss you?”

“Try it if you’re not afraid of dying.”

“Oh right, Hajin told me to bring an item called the directory. Let’s see…”

Jain rummaged through the unconscious Phiunel’s pockets and stole a little
notebook.

***

[High Difficulty, Second Tutorial, Nameless Ocean’s Nameless Island.] [Seven days after
the start of the second tutorial.]

“Oh, so we can’t eat summoned monsters.”

Yoo Yeonha murmured in disappointment as her idea got shot down. Growl— She
hadn’t eaten anything in 4 days.

“Of course not. I’m more surprised you even thought that was possible.”

Ah Hae-In glared at Yoo Yeonha, who suggested eating her summoned beast. How
could she think of such a cruel thing?

“Whew…”

Yoo Yeonha stood up without a choice. She had to move when she could if she didn’t
want to starve to death. Yoo Yeonha had heard about the second tutorial outside the
tower and made ample preparations, but their island didn’t have any materials to
make a fishing rod. Swimming to another island also carried too much risks.

Yoo Yeonha could only glare at the sandy beach. Her eyes caught sight of faint
movement in the sand after standing in a daze for about 10 minutes.

“Crab!”

She found a fat crab. Ah Hae-In didn’t seem all that excited as Yoo Yeonha chased the
crab. Stay calm. You learned how to catch seafood with your bare hands. Timing is
most important… now!

“Kyak!”

However, Yoo Yeonha couldn’t even get close. She stumbled over a rock because of
her weak physical stats.

“Sigh.”

Ah Hae-In guessed the outcome from Yoo Yeonha’s scream and continued staring at
the sand. She found it difficult to even summon a simple creature with her restricted
stats. Even so, Ah Hae-In stared at the hole she dug in the sand. She called it the
singularity point training method and prevented her magic power from wavering
subconsciously by focusing her concentration on a single point.

“Come, come, come to me.”

Ah Hae-In felt like she had only focused for 5 minutes, but 60 minutes had passed.
Afterwards, a small creature that looked like a baby seal squirmed out of the hole. It
looked like it could easily catch some fish once it grew bigger.

“I did it!”

Yoo Yeonha’s voice suddenly rang out. Ah Hae-In turned around and found Yoo
Yeonha hugging a huge fish.

“I, I caught one! Duchess Ah Hae-In! I… uwoah!”

Yoo Yeonha tripped on a rock while running over with a smile. Time stopped for a
moment as she wondered. Don’t, don’t tell me. Did the fish I just caught enter the
water again? Yoo Yeonha raised her head with despair.

“Whew.”
Thankfully, the fish flopped on the sand.

“Well done, Yeonha.”

Ah Hae-In complimented her and picked up the fish.

“A glossy seafish. Looks like we’ll be having a feast tonight. You can leave the fire to
me.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Yoo Yeonha returned a smile. Ah Hae-In grinned and started a campfire with her
magic power.

“Ssp.”

“Ssssp.”

They drooled over the campfire 30 minutes later. Ah Hae-In separated the meat and
split it in half after the fish finished cooking. Yoo Yeonha took a huge bite at the
glossy seafish in her hand. Nyam.

“Wow.”

She had never tasted anything so delicious. It felt like the entire universe exploded in
her mind. The fish in her mouth made her realize what it meant to be alive.

“It’s… it’s so good…”

“Right? It must taste better because you caught it yourself.”

Yoo Yeonha teared up at Ah Hae-In’s words. She became enlightened about a new
world today.
Crevon’s princess, Araha, watched as they suppressed the demons’ attack. Her heart
beat with excitement as she witnessed a battle for the first time filled with screams,
explosions, magic power, and the smell of blood and metal.

— Kuak!

— Kuuk!

Araha turned to the martial artist sitting next to her after watching this carnage.

“Aren’t you going to fight, Sir Lu Bu?”

“I’m here to protect Prince and Princess.”

Lu Bu briefly replied as Araha smiled. She could see Lu Bu holding back his desire to
join.

“You can go if you want. I’m stronger than I look. I can defend myself.”

“…”

Lu Bu shook his head. Chwaaa— A golden flash of light annihilated a group of

monsters. Lu Bu and Araha simultaneously turned in that direction. The black-haired
young man looked powerful and also incredibly handsome. Lu Bu stared at him with
a burning gaze.

[MasterHolySword]

He held a shining sword befitting his name. The man seemed to be dancing as he
displayed his swordsmanship. His holy sword slashed through magic power and
every monster with ease.

Lu Bu’s gaze grew deeper as MasterHolySword displayed his strength. Araha easily
saw through his heart.

“You want to fight him?”

“…No.”

Lu Bu obviously lied and suddenly felt a gaze. It carried the same emotions as his
own.

“…”

Lu Bu turned to the side and spotted a robed giant. The giant tore off his robe and
sent it flying in the air. He stared at Lu Bu with a thick smile.

Lu Bu stood up and received the giant’s gaze. The man slowly walked forward and
arrived in front of him.

“Are you an enemy?” Lu Bu asked as he tightened his grip on his weapon, the Square
Sky Halberd.

“Cheok Jungyeong.”

The giant replied and Lu Bu’s eyebrows twitched.

“That’s my name.”

“Answer my question.”

“I’ve come to fight you.”

Araha watched them in confusion and panic.

“I don’t have time to deal with personal affairs.”

Lu Bu rejected the giant’s offer as Cheok Jungyeong frowned and turned towards
Araha, who blankly stared at the giant.

“In that case…”

Cheok Jungyeong’s large hand reached towards the princess, but Lu Bu grabbed his
wrist. The giant exerted even more strength, but his arm wouldn’t budge. Cheok
Jungyeong had never faced such humiliation before, but he felt happy.

Their gazes clashed like steel. Then the giant grinned and opened his mouth. A
thunderous roar came out.

“Let’s F—I—G—H—T—!”

Cheok Jungyeong’s muscles bulked up like they would explode. His instant, amplified
strength shook off Lu Bu’s hand.

Lu Bu fell into a dilemma. He held the Square Sky Halberd, but the opponent didn’t
possess a weapon. An honorable fight should take place under the same conditions,
but would it be alright to leave behind his beloved Square Sky Halberd? Soon, a faint
smile emerged on Lu Bu’s face and his fist shot forward. Cheok Jungyeong also
swung and the two warriors’ fists collided. A mighty torrent of magic power erupted
and shook the heavens and earth.

***

[3F, Lv.8 Chameleon Troupe’s Hideout]

We returned to our hideout on the 3rd floor six hours later. Boss, Jin Yohan, Jain, and
I all appeared fine, but Cheok Jungyeong remained unconscious. He looked
thoroughly beaten up and not a single place on his body hadn’t been bruised. We
placed him on a bed and spread the stolen items on the floor.

“Wow…” Jain’s eyes sparkled at the treasures in various colors.

“W-What are we going to do with them?”

“Mmm… we can’t sell them because they’re too precious.”

Each item cost at least 150,000 TP, which no player could afford. We would have to
use Crevon’s black market or sell to an administrator, but the first option would take
at least a year and our items might get stolen with the second option. The
administrators might argue that we committed a crime and forcibly take them away.

“So we’re going to split them among ourselves.”

This auction featured more rare and luxurious items than useful ones. For example,
the [Cintamani] and the [Crystal Rose]. I only wanted the unique skill book, so I didn’t
care how they distributed the rest.

I checked the unique skill once again.

[Lv.8 Unique Skill – Clock Hand of Fate] Fate: You may select up to 8 targets to be your
fate. For 3 minutes, your variable stats and special stats will increase by 300% when
fighting against your fate. (May be used once every 120 hours). Time Reversal: You may
return to the past by 3 minutes. (Will recharge once every 720 hours. Up to 3 charges
may be stored). Body Reversal: Will activate when your physical body dies. Your
physical body will return to its state 10 minutes before your death. (2 lifetime uses).

Anyone would consider this extremely overpowered. I felt immensely satisfied by

today’s haul and kindly spoke to the Chameleon Troupe members looking at me.

“Take something you like.”

“We can?”

Jain was a given, but even Boss and Jin Yohan’s eyes sparkled.

“Of course. Ah, but let me choose one first.”

I picked up [Hwai’s Sword Technique] for Kim Suho. I didn’t know anything about it,
but I figured he could use it.

“Me, me! I’ll go next!”

Jain raised her hand and focused on the treasures. Then suddenly…

— Kieeeek!

Spartan suddenly appeared with a piercing sound.

“Ah, another one…”

I felt exhausted, but another group seemed to have arrived at the World’s End
Bridge. They must’ve planned on doing so with Crevon in chaos.
“I have to go.”

“…”

Everyone appeared too busy picking out their treasure to mind me. I laughed and
activated the portable crystal stele. Then the surrounding scenery instantly changed.

I stood on the watchtower and shot a wooden arrow at the 6 person party walking
on the bridge.

— Tak.

The arrow struck the ground in front of them.

— Uwoah!

— Aaak!

— R-Run!

It seemed they just wanted to test the waters in case I wasn’t here.

“Whew.”

I sighed in relief since I didn’t have much energy left. — Tiring. I suddenly received a
message.

Nayunjajangman: Hyung!!! Where are you, hyung? Crevon is in chaos right now!!!

Chae Nayun sent a message full of exclamation marks. She wasn’t the type to faint for
long. I bitterly smiled as I replied.

Me: I know, but I’m okay. I’m on the 7th floor.

***

The Atalos Royal Family held a commendation ceremony 4 days later to honor
Crevon’s soldiers and the outsiders who fought off the demons’ attack. Many players
gathered on the royal family’s lawn.
“He’s not here.”

Jin Seyeon also attended the ceremony, but didn’t seem too interested and kept
glancing around for someone.

“Are you looking for something, senior?”

Kim Suho walked up to her. He would receive a grade 3 commendation, the highest
out of any player.

“Ah, perfect timing, Suho.” Jin Seyeon looked glad to see him. “Where’s Fenrir?”

“Fenrir? You mean Hajin?”

“Yeah!”

Jin Seyeon explained her plan to defeat Black Lotus. Kim Suho nodded with wide
eyes after hearing it.

“That does sound like a good plan.”

“Right? Then—”

“But I don’t know where Hajin is.”

“Eh?”

Jin Seyeon tilted her head as Kim Suho awkwardly scratched his neck.

“I don’t even know his nickname.”

“Aren’t you guys friends?”

“We are, but Hajin has many secrets…”

Kim Suho awkwardly laughed and avoided her eyes. Then he suddenly clapped as
though he recalled something. The disappointed Jin Seyeon waited for him to
continue.

“I think Rachel might know.”

“Rachel?”

“Yep, she’s right over there.”

Kim Suho pointed into the crowd. The beautifully dressed Rachel greeted Crevon’s
nobles.

“Ah, okay. Thanks!”

Jin Seyeon hopped over to Rachel.

Aruon Von Atalos Philip watched the commendation ceremony and asked Araha
beside him.

“Are you okay?”

Araha looked confused at the sudden question. “What do you mean, elder brother?”

“The Crane Feather Fan…”

“Ah.”

Araha laughed. The demons had stolen almost all the items from the Banquet of
Honor and they almost killed Phiunel as well. They clearly wanted the auction’s
items from the start.

“It’s fine. Anyways, look at that girl.”

Araha pointed at a blonde girl. Rachel spoke with Jin Seyeon, who had come to find
her.

“Apparently, she’s royalty too.”

“She is?”

“Yep, royalty from the outside world.”

“I see.”

Aruon wasn’t too interested in the outside world. Their tiny world couldn’t compare
to the tower based on the education he received from the royal court. Aruon felt
more concerned about the 300,000 TP Crane Feather Fan than such a small world.

“To lose 300,000 TP like that.”

“Eh? That’s why you looked so down this entire time?” Araha snickered and took out
a small machine. It looked like a box with a strange insignia on the lid.

“What’s that?”

“It’s called a tracking device. I placed a mark on the Crane Feather Fan since
something like this might happen.”

“You mean…”

“Yep, the Crane Feather Fan is on the 3rd floor right now,” Araha spoke with a bright
voice. “I’m planning on asking Lu Bu. What do you think?”

“You can’t command a royal guard by yourself.”

“What? Just because I’m the fifth princess and lower on the hierarchy?”

“Exactly,” Aruon replied coldly.

“Eeeh… hiinng…” Araha pouted.

“But I, the fourth prince, can.”

“Really? Really, really?”

“Yeah.”

Araha smiled at Aruon’s dignified appearance. “Then I want to go with Lu Bu.”

“No.”

“Ah, why not? Then I won’t tell you anything about the fan’s location.”

“You know, the Crane Feather Fan is yours.”

“Hmph, oppa wanted it too. Don’t lie to me.”

“Cough.”

He did spend 300,000 TP. He wouldn’t have spent so much for his younger sister if he
didn’t want it too.

“We can talk about this later. The commendation ceremony is starting. Focus.”

***

[Two days later, 8-3F Crevon. Ironblood Duchess’ mansion.]

Five days had passed since the demons’ attack. I leisurely watched the TV in Tomer’s
mansion. Well, it looked more like a magic crystal ball. Other than its odd shape, it
functioned no differently than Earth’s TV with variety shows, dramas, and even
advertisements.

— Who will be the winner of Crevon’s 17th Craftsmanship Tournament?

The host built up suspense as I intently watched the crystal ball.

— The item winning the grand prize is… dudududu!

Hurry up! We just finished watching an ad. I’ll snipe you if you cut to another one!

— The Wolf’s Fragrance!

I clenched my fist triumphantly.

— The Wolf’s Fragrance is a robe that received the highest praise from all 23 judges!
Looking at this beautiful robe makes us suspect whether the missing dwarves have
returned! Its elegant patterns look like an ancient work of art and the magic power
infused in it truly has exquisite harmony with…

“Whew.”

The host recited the judges’ comments, but I turned the TV off since I knew the
results now. I lay on the comfy bed and took out the directory Jain stole from
Phiunel.
[Lv.11 Directory] Lv.11 Individual Info: You may view the history of the people you’ve
encountered. Lv.11 Detailed Info: You may view the detailed stats of people you’ve
encountered. (You may only check up to 3 people’s information every 24 hours. Stats
above 11 points cannot be estimated.)

I checked the stats of 2 characters using the directory’s detailed info function.

[Jin Seyeon] ▷Stats: Variable Stats [Strength 9.675] [Stamina 8.350] [Speed 10.050]
[Perception ???] [Magic Power 11.000] [Vitality 10.505]

[Aileen] ▷Stats: Variable Stats [Strength 6.950] [Stamina 6.815] [Speed 8.585]
[Perception ???] [Magic Power ???] [Vitality 8.135]

“I might be screwed if they come to the bridge now.”

They would overpower me even with their stat restrictions. I couldn’t prevent them
from crossing with the addition of Yi Yongha and Shin Jonghak. Of course, I already
succeeded in blocking the World’s End Bridge for 3 months. I should be able to block
it for a while longer with the Chameleon Troupe’s help. Things would probably be
safe if I could hold out for another month.

Tiring— I received a message.

CaptainBritain: Hajin, you’re coming today, right?

“Hmm.”

I had an appointment with Jin Seyeon today. According to Rachel, Jin Seyeon wanted
to defeat Black Lotus with me. I wanted to reject such a comedic offer at first, but it
seemed like the perfect chance to buy some time and earn SP.

“Let’s see…”

I got up and checked my wardrobe. I wanted to wear casual clothes, but Tomer’s
guest wardrobe only contained suits.

“This will do.”

I picked what I liked most.

 ***

[8-3F, Heart of Crevon, Aileen’s Hideout Sponsored by the Hail Family]

A small change occurred in Crevon’s society after the previous demon attack. A few
nobles expressed their desire to sponsor a few players. Of course, only those who
displayed overwhelming battle prowess or loyalty during the incident.

“Geez.”

Aileen stood out even among players and could select which noble family to sponsor
her. She chose the rich Hail Family with their great vision for the future.

“Is he really coming?”

Aileen grumbled in their luxury hideout. Kim Hajin hadn’t arrived and 30 minutes
had already passed since their scheduled meeting at 6. Jin Seyeon glanced at the
clock, then at Rachel who flinched.

“He, he said he’ll be here soon… Ah!”

Kiik— The hideout door finally opened and Rachel’s face lit up.

“Looks like Hajin is… here…?”

Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, and even Rachel tilted their heads. A man wearing a
black suit and sunglasses appeared.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

The man bowed as he took off his sunglasses.

“Ah, whew… Why were you late, Hajin?”

“I live far away. Sorry.”

“Um, what’s up with the suit?”

“Ah, well, I’m meeting 2 famous rankers, so I thought I’d dress up for the occasion.”
Jin Seyeon stood up and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Fenrir.”

“Ah, yes, me too. You can just call me Kim Hajin. I find the name Fenrir kind of cringy.”

“Sure. Take a seat, Hajin.”

Jin Seyeon guided him to a chair. Kim Hajin sat quietly while Aileen glared at him
from the opposite side. Jin Seyeon immediately brought up the main topic.

“I heard Rachel already explained the plan in detail.”

“Yes.”

Jin Seyeon nodded at his reply. She didn’t like to needlessly waste time.

“Then do you mind if we perform a quick test—”

Kim Hajin placed his gun on the table before Jin Seyeon could even finish her
sentence. He infused magic power into the gun under everyone’s scrutiny. Then the
beautiful handgun transformed into a 1.4 meter anti-material sniper rifle.

“Whoa, is this a water gun?” Aileen’s eyes sparkled as though she found an
interesting toy.

“As expected of a gun-related gift…”

Kim Hajin didn’t correct Jin Seyeon’s guess. He transformed the sniper rifle back into
a handgun and put it away to not reveal any more information.

“So, about the plan… I heard me, Aileen, and Jin Seyeon will shoot down Black Lotus.”

Everyone nodded at Kim Hajin’s words.

“Yes, we’re thinking about carrying out the plan on Monday in 4 days.”

However, Kim Hajin immediately proposed a different idea.

“All of us won’t be necessary. Give me a month. I can shoot Black Lotus down by
myself.”
“Yes?”

“What?”

His shocking statement made Aileen burst into laughter. Kim Hajin looked back and
forth between Jin Seyeon and Aileen. They both seemed dumbfounded, but Aileen
spoke first.

“You must be crazy. I thought about letting go of the fact that you arrived late
because of Seung-Ah, but this… Even without you, we—”

“Wait.” Jin Seyeon raised her arm and stopped Aileen from continuing.

“You can do it alone in a month?”

“Yes, I can make you the first to reach the 9th floor without any flashy plans. Of
course, you’ll have to properly compensate me.”

“Like a mercenary mission.”

“Exactly. I am a mercenary and you will be the customer.”

“Wait!” Aileen smacked Jin Seyeon’s arm away.

“What can you do? Also, why a month? It’s not like your water gun will change in a
month—”

Jin Seyeon raised her arm once again and stopped her. “Do you have a method?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“No!” Aileen pushed Jin Seyeon’s arm down to speak up. “Tell us now—”

Jin Seyeon raised her arm once again and stopped Aileen.

“Haaaa… I can only be patient for so long…” Aileen’s eyebrows shook with genuine
anger.

“Move.”
“What do you mean?” Jin Seyeon tilted her head with a straight face.

“Move your arm!”

“Ah.”

Jin Seyeon placed her arm down. Aileen fumed as she glared at Jin Seyeon, but Jin
Seyeon only focused on Kim Hajin.

“Why do you need a month?”

Kim Hajin leaned against his chair at Jin Seyeon’s question. Then he spoke with a
serious tone, “It’s better to have more time.”

“What? See, you can’t trust this kid—”

Jin Seyeon raised her arm once again.

“I find that hard to believe. Black Lotus currently stands at the peak of players.
Without knowing your strength, we can’t blindly… hm?”

Jin Seyeon felt something wet on her arm and curiously turned sideways at Aileen
biting her arm.

“What are you doing, Lady Aileen?”

“I told you not to put up your arm—!”

“Um… ah, it hurts. It hurts.”

Jin Seyeon didn’t feel even the slightest pain, but said so out of courtesy.

“Uuuuu!”

“Let go, Lady Aileen. Let go, I’m sorry.”

Aileen bit down and even gritted her teeth while Jin Seyeon pretended to be in pain.
Kim Hajin and Rachel held back from laughing.

“Hmph.”
After some time, Aileen let go of Jin Seyeon and glared at her instead.

“Try that one more time and see what happens.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”

Kim Hajin felt proud of himself for holding back his laughter as he took out his
handgun.

“Well, you see, I can defeat Black Lotus because of a simple reason. It’s a matter of
suitability.”

“Suitability?”

“Yes, you could say I’m his perfect counter.”

Kim Hajin transformed his handgun into a shotgun. He turned to Aileen after loading
it with bullets.

“Lady Aileen.”

“What?”

Aileen seemed embarrassed by her previous display and averted her gaze.

“Try using a barrier.”

“Barrier?”

“Yep, with full power. I’ll break it easily.”

A thick silence descended in the room. No one dared to make any noise as Aileen
looked at Kim Hajin in a daze. She didn’t look angry or displeased, only 100%
astonished.
[8-3F, Hospital Medical Office]

Crevon’s hospitals felt no different than Earth’s. They possessed the same knowledge
about sanitation and germs with even more advanced healing techniques. Players
exposed to highly dense demonic energy in the previous attack came here for
treatment.

“…”

Shin Jonghak didn’t come because of any injuries or demonic energy poisoning, but
just to see Chae Nayun.

“Why are you staring?” Chae Nayun grimaced in the middle of the holy power
treatment. “You’re not returning to the hideout?”

“I’m up next. I’m just waiting,” Shin Jonghak replied expressionlessly. Chae Nayun
remained silent as the priest cured her.

“It’s not painful, so stay still,” the priest spoke. Chae Nayun nervously trembled
because the holy power injector looked like a syringe.

“Okay.”

She jumped into battle that day as soon as she regained consciousness. Her right arm
received a small injury, so she came to eliminate any demonic energy that might’ve
remained.

“Um, my head is okay, right?”

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong.”

Chae Nayun fell into thought at the priest’s words. However, she shook it off and
decided not to think about that day. Doing so made her depressed, gave her a
headache, and ignited a flame in her heart.

“That should be a psychological problem,” the priest spoke. Did he have a mind-
reading ability? Chae Nayun scratched her cheek and checked her messenger.

Extra7: Don’t overwork yourself. Message me if you’re in danger.

Chae Nayun looked at the [Lv.5 Invitation Letter to the Love Room] in her inventory.
Recently, she felt an urge to summon him. Then a stinging pain struck her arm.

“Ow!”

“There. The poison has completely left your system, so you can go home now.”

“Auu… thank you.”

You said it wouldn’t be painful. Chae Nayun glared at the priest as she stood up.

“Have a nice day.”

She opened the door to leave after picking up her longsword, but Shin Jonghak
suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“I’ll be done soon,” Shin Jonghak muttered while looking into the air. Wait for me and
let’s head back together. That’s what he wanted to say, but it didn’t come out.

“So what?”

“…”

Shin Jonghak knew about the hardships she recently faced. He couldn’t do anything
when she suffered from the banshee’s curse. He had massacred countless undead
monsters, but couldn’t find an antidote.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Chae Nayun said what he thought and placed her
hand on his head.

“…”
Shin Jonghak looked at her. He knew who had cured her from the curse, but Yi Jiyoon
told him to keep it a secret.

“No, it’s fine.”

He shook his head and suddenly recalled his grandfather, Shin Myungchul. When
Shin Jonghak was a child, his grandfather was a member of the Nine Stars respected
by the entire world. Shin Myungchul was a hero among heroes, the pride of Korea,
and the glory of his clan.

However, Shin Jonghak knew his grandfather found his fame to be embarrassing.
Shin Myungchul often tormented himself for not being able to protect his wife, the
person he loved most. In his mind, having saved the world paled in comparison to
this mistake.

“Then let go.”

Chae Nayun’s sharp voice woke Shin Jonghak from his thoughts. He lightly smiled
and let go of her wrist.

“By the way, who hit your temple?” he asked out of curiosity and prepared to go after
the perpetrator. Who dares to hit Chae Nayun’s head? It’s already almost empty.

“I don’t know.”

Chae Nayun frowned and pretended to be oblivious.

“I’ll pay back this debt 10 times, no, 100 times over if I ever meet him.”

Shin Jonghak nodded at her words that carried a deep conviction.

***

[8-3F, Aileen’s Hideout, Sparring Room]

Aileen tried to avoid the test, perhaps out of pride, but I eventually convinced her. Jin
Seyeon and Rachel also helped to persuade her.

“Haa… I don’t know why I’m here doing this.”

Aileen laughed in vain as she swung her white hair back. I checked the Desert Eagle
and spoke.

“It’ll be over soon.”

“I know. Sigh…” Aileen unleashed her magic power.

“Be sure to thank Seung-Ah when you return to Earth.”

She cast a textbook, dome-shaped barrier.

“This barrier is going to be sturdy.”

Aileen added her Spirit Speech and it became even more powerful with a single
sentence. I raised my gun and aimed at the corner to avoid causing any injuries. I
only loaded a single bullet and murmured.

— Scan.

I infused 1.5 streaks of stigma into the bullet. The anti-magic and spell-breaking
properties should destroy Aileen’s barrier and Spirit Speech simultaneously.

“I’m shooting.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead.”

Aileen murmured while yawning. I immediately pulled the trigger. The bullet shot
out and instantly struck her barrier.

“Yaawn…”

Chwaaak— The bullet shot past Aileen’s yawning head. Clang— Then the sound of
shattering glass resounded.

“Un?”

It took some time for Aileen to realize what happened. She stood in a daze before
looking around the sparring room.

“What?”
An incomprehensible scene unfolded before her. The barrier she formed had
disappeared and the pieces of magic power on the floor served as proof.

“W-What? What happened? W-Where’s my barrier?” Aileen reached out to where her
barrier should’ve been.

“Where… did it…”

She touched the air as though her barrier had turned invisible. I turned around and
faced Jin Seyeon and Rachel.

“How is it?”

They also had strange expressions. A similar level of astonishment replaced their
previous doubts.

“What, what did you do?” Jin Seyeon asked while Rachel only blankly stared with her
mouth open.

“Mmm… a combination of my gift, skill, and weapon?”

“C-Come again?”

I made up a lie by mixing in some truth that I had bought several [Equipment
Consolidation Coupons] to upgrade the Desert Eagle and that my special skill,
[Algorithm], strengthened mechanical weapons.

“I see, but don’t guns have issues with bullets?”

“Don’t worry about that. I have a lot.”

The limited amount of bullets no longer posed an issue for me after I rescued the
blacksmith NPC Kedrick. He currently worked in a smith with countless disciples
under him. They had more than enough skill to make bullets, so I gave them the
specifications a long time ago. Now, they could pump out 20 handgun bullets, 10
assault rifle bullets, and 5 sniper rifle bullets a day.

“Hey, hey, hey! T-This is wrong! Something isn’t right here!”

Aileen hurriedly ran in front of me.

“Do, do it again. I went too easy on you. I forgot about my restricted stats and
underestimated you. It’s my mistake, so do it again.”

Aileen spat out a flurry of words. I mulled over my options and agreed to further
increase their trust in me. Aileen told the truth when she said she hadn’t gone all out.

“Okay, but hold on a second.”

I turned around and hid from their line of sight. I needed to prepare if Aileen used
her full power and I already spent 1.5 streaks of stigma earlier. I modified the bullet’s
setting with my smartwatch.

[Anti-Aileen Bullet] Will decrease the power of Aileen’s Spirit Speech related to defense.

[40 SP will be consumed. Would you like to save this change?]

The modification required 40 SP even with its limited use. Was Aileen that amazing
or did I just phrase it wrong? I saved the changes and loaded the bullet into my gun.

“Alright! Try it again!” Aileen formed another barrier and shouted confidently.

“This barrier will never break as long as my magic power allows it!”

Aileen shouted like an excited kid. I slowly raised my gun and pulled the trigger. The
bullet drew a clear trajectory as it shot forward.

“Ah.”

A short exclamation followed. Clang— The sound of shattering glass rang out once
again and the results remained the same.

“How…”

Aileen looked like she just lost her country as she murmured in a daze. Thud. She fell
to her knees and stared at the fragments of magic power on the ground. Did I just
shatter her barrier or her confidence? I wasn’t sure.

“Um, honestly, I’m just overgeared…”

I looked at Jin Seyeon. “Anyways, can you leave it to me?”

Jin Seyeon nodded.

***

I walked down Crevon’s streets with Rachel. Aileen returned to the hideout in shock
and Jin Seyeon went to cheer her up. Overall, things went quite well.

“You’ve gotten so strong.”

Rachel looked bitter as she said that.

“Same goes for you. You must’ve recovered most of your stats from what I hear on
the community.”

“I recovered about 80%. Luckily, I received lots of time on the 6th floor.”

Rachel should’ve spent around 120 hours there.

“Oh, and I never revealed your nickname to anyone.”

She didn’t want me to worry.

“Thank you. Um, can I ask you for a favor?”

I took out [Hwai’s Sword Technique] from my pocket. I brought it with me in case I
ran into Suho, but it seemed he wasn’t here. I didn’t know how to meet him either
since we didn’t exchange nicknames.

“Sure,” Rachel replied with a bright smile.

“Then here.”

I gave her [Hwai’s Sword Technique]. It should look like [Hwai’s Basic Sword Move] to
Rachel since I used setting intervention to change its name to avoid any unwanted
suspicion.

“Give it to Suho.”

“Okay.”
Rachel took the item without even checking it. She tried to put it in her inventory, but
couldn’t and tilted her head in confusion.

“…” She blinked and asked with her eyes, What is this?

“Um, some items can’t go in the inventory.”

“Ah, I see…”

Rachel placed it in the pocket of her [Lv.4 Black Suit]. It would be rude to not give her
anything, so I took out a wrist protector from my inventory.

“Here.”

“Okay.”

Rachel took the item without much thought.

“Wow…” The beautiful design immediately caught her attention.

“Who should I give this to?”

“To Rachel.”

I answered as she stared intently at it.

“Yes?”

“You.”

Rachel’s feet stopped. Then she widened her eyes at me.

“Think of it as a delivery fee.”

I had used this wrist protector before, just like the [Lv.4 Black Suit] she currently
wore.

“This is a Lv.5 item…”

“Well, I’m quite rich. Try wearing it.”

Rachel blankly stood for a moment before nodding and putting it on. She treated it
with extreme care because of its level.

“Oh, it looks good on you. It’s almost like it was made to go with that armor you’re
wearing. Use it well.”

I would have to call what she wore [Kim Hajin’s Old Equipment Set] if I had to come
up with a name. However, she didn’t know this and looked deeply touched.

***

Time quickly flew and 3 weeks passed. Kim Suho and the other players grew an
enormous amount thanks to nobles opening their hearts and lending their guards to
spar. As I said before, Crevon provided the best environment to grow stronger
through fighting.

Only 10 days remained until D-Day. Then I would have to kill Black Lotus as Fenrir. I
didn’t need to worry about being discovered since I hired Jain for the show.

[I heard Fenrir will fight Black Lotus.]

[A wolf vs a flower. Obviously, the wolf should win.]

[Yeah, no.]

[I hope the wolf wins.]

[I wonder what’s on the 9th floor :O]

“What a party.”

I didn’t know how the rumors spread, but Fenrir vs Black Lotus became something
like the battle of the century. The SP coming in made me happy. I turned the
community off and turned on the crystal ball TV.

— We have prepared an interview with one of the participants in the round of 8,

Boshy.

An interview for the martial tournament came up. The tournament started with 512
contestants and now dwindled to just 8.
— Hello, Miss Boshy.

Today’s guest featured a robed woman named Boshy.

— Hel… lo.

Boss looked nervous. I could tell from how her hands cusped together and her
fingers fidgeted.

— You defeated Masked Knight and advanced to the round of 8. How do you feel
right now?

Boss replied after hesitating.

— I feel good.

The MC became speechless at her short reply. A long silence descended on the
screen. Shouldn’t they skip to an advertisement now?

— I see… you feel good. Then what do you plan on doing today to celebrate
advancing to the round of 8?

Boss replied confidently this time.

— I’m going sun watching.

—Sun watching… Do you mean you’re headed to Prestige?

— Right.

My smartwatch rang at the perfect time.

[Prestige’s Sunrise Ceremony will begin in 3 hours.]

A sun would rise in Prestige today.

***

[3F, Prestige]
Bell and Jin Sahyuk came out to Prestige’s streets. She wore a robe, but no longer
gasped for breath thanks to the incomplete curse counteragent that Bell brought
from floor 8-2.

“How’s your body?”

Bell looked at her, but she remained silent.

“Stay hidden. We’re in a relatively safe place, but it’ll be difficult if you run into
trouble.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t even have the strength to reply. Of course, the curse no longer
threatened her life and it would be wiped away after bathing in Prestige’s sunlight.
No, Jin Sahyuk’s magic power would devour it with vengeance.

“I’ve suffered enough.”

Bell didn’t bother her about it. He knew the humiliation she went through. Just
thinking about those times should bring her pain.

“Do you want to eat something? Like your favorite corn fried rice.”

“Later.”

Jin Sahyuk knew she had to eat to recover her strength. Bell nodded at her brief
reply. They slowly walked and stood with the huge crowd. Medea’s palace could be
seen in the distance and the first sun would rise above it today.

— How long do we have to wait?

— 10 minutes.

— What happened to the inner wall?

— Oh, apparently they’re gradually pulling it down.

Players talked among themselves as Jin Sahyuk pulled her robe down and sighed.
“Sahyuk,” Bell called her.

“What.”

“Can you wait here for a second? We might not have time to buy the corn fried rice
later, so I’ll go buy it now.”

Jin Sahyuk nodded. For some reason, she really wanted to eat corn fried rice today.
She only ate porridge until now because of Rumi.

“Then wait here.”

“Okay.”

Bell disappeared as Jin Sahyuk waited for the sun to rise among the crowd. The
artificial sun could weaken curses. A mere banshee’s curse should be burnt clean
since the administrators said they would bless the first wave of sunlight.

“Whew…”

Jin Sahyuk sighed once again.

I held on for so long with all my stats barely averaging 3 points. My patience and
willpower surely increased by a hundred times.

Jin Sahyuk recalled a certain man and clenched her teeth. Now, she would soon take
revenge.

Just wait 3 months. I’ll catch up to you soon.

— Look, the sun!

— Sun! Hey, take out your recorder!

— Wow!

An earthshaking resonance of magic power occurred as the crowd pointed towards

the heart of Prestige and shouted. Jin Sahyuk also raised her head.

A brilliant orange light rose above Medea’s palace. A light that didn’t previously exist
in Prestige. Jin Sahyuk smiled as the sun slowly lit up the world and touched the
people with warmth. Tak— Someone suddenly put their arm over her shoulders.

“What.”

Did Bell come back already? What the hell was he doing? Jin Sahyuk frowned and
turned.

“…!”

Her heart immediately jumped and her diaphragm constricted.

“It’s been a while.”

Jin Sahyuk recognized him. Hic. She hiccuped unknowingly at the man who appeared
in her dreams the most, the son of a bitch who wouldn’t leave her mind for a second
because of her pent-up resentment and anger.

“You’re alive.”

Kim Hajin spoke to her.

“…”

The person she wanted to kill the most now stood next to her. However, Jin Sahyuk
couldn’t say anything. She became drowsy and drenched in cold sweat from an
instinctive fear instilled in her body.

“What’s with that expression? Smile, will ya? Someone would think I came to bully
you if they saw.”

Jin Sahyuk felt dumbstruck. She wanted to unleash her magic power and smack him,
but her body refused to listen. She couldn’t even move her tongue, much less her
fingers.

“You’re not gonna smile?”

A cold voice rang out. Jin Sahyuk found herself forcefully raising the corners of her
mouth and clenching her teeth. She valued her pride even more than life and would
rather bite her tongue than suffer such humiliation. She creaked her head to the side
and glared at the man.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me. Oooh, I’m
getting goosebumps.”

Kim Hajin smacked her shoulders. This meaningless gesture seeped into her bones
and she could feel the vast difference in their stats.

“I can’t kill you today even if I want to, so don’t be so nervous.”

Kim Hajin’s words gave her the greatest humiliation. He meant that he could easily
kill her otherwise.

“Wow, isn’t the sun pretty?”

Jin Sahyuk made a wish for the first time in her life for Bell to come save her.
[The sunlight blessed by administrators has completely cured low level abnormal
status effects.] [A total of six Lv.2 Banshee’s Curse has been cured.] [All stats will slowly
recover.] [Challenge, Sweetness After Bitterness, completed – You have endured the
banshee’s curse the longest] [Will increase magic power stat by 0.5 points and infuse
magic power with an undead attribute.]

The artificial sun radiated warmth and revealed a blue sky. Sunlight descended to the
earth and enveloped Jin Sahyuk’s cold body. It cleansed the curse and blessed her
with a special reward for all her suffering.

She had suffered greatly for months. No other time in her life had she cried or been
weakened so much. It made her realize that she was only human. so she should
rejoice about overcoming the curse today.

However, happiness still seemed distant. Her body refused to listen to her brain as
she felt herself wither up from the heavy tension.

“…”

The man’s sudden silence made her feel like walking on thin ice. Jin Sahyuk licked
her dried lips. Should I turn around? Should I? She finally glanced at Kim Hajin.

“Wow…”

He stared at the sun with a stupid, thoughtless expression.

Jin Sahyuk felt her rage explode. Am I actually afraid of someone like him? Just when
did I grow so weak?

She forcibly moved her body with rage. Her fingers and joints began to listen again.

“Oi.”
Kim Hajin turned and faced her. He glared with wolf-like eyes that froze her body.
She could only look, but wasn’t sure if it was out of courage or fear.

“Do you have a special resistance stat?” Kim Hajin asked. Jin Sahyuk didn’t answer.

“Do you or do you not?”

“…”

“Answer,” Kim Hajin pressed her.

“You’re not going to answer? Three, two, one—”

“I do.”

She only found out recently, but a special stat called inhumane resistance indeed
manifested. It must’ve been because she refused to give up against the banshee’s
curse.

“Mmm, I see.”

Kim Hajin grinned, then exerted more strength into the arm wrapped around her
shoulders. They looked like close friends from anyone else’s point of view. The whole
situation disgusted Jin Sahyuk, but she didn’t resist. She simply clenched her teeth,
raised the magic power inside her, and muttered inwardly, I’ll cut out your heart if
you get any closer. Then the dry, cold voice entered her ears.

“Looks like I’ll have to kill you now.”

His sharp voice carried genuine killing intent and goosebumps rose all over her body.
Even she felt surprised by her subconscious reaction. Ssk— Kim Hajin pulled out a
gun from his pocket. The beautiful gun slowly approached her neck. Jin Sahyuk
stared at the muzzle as the cold metal made contact.

“Huuk.”

She could only eke out a sound and recalled how Kim Hajin placed a vicious curse on
his arrow. Would he use an even more brutal curse this time? Would she have to go
through all that suffering and pain again? A feeling of terror rose from the depths of
her heart. Jin Sahyuk panicked as her body lost all its strength and leaned against
Kim Hajin.

“Hmm.”

Kim Hajin had his own worries. Jin Sahyuk didn’t seem to be thinking normally. She
didn’t risk her life to kill him because of her laughably low stats and lost all her
confidence.

Kim Hajin knew he would instill a powerful effect by killing her this time. His
existence would become a trauma for her and might even cause a complete death. He
only needed to move his hand a little. However…

[Warning! Many administrators are watching you. Murder is strictly prohibited in

Prestige today.] [Warning! It is recommended that you stop your act of hostility.]
[Warning! It is strongly recommended that you stop your act of hostility. Otherwise,
you will be turning many administrators into your enemies!]

The system even used the phrase, strongly recommended. It seemed today wasn’t the
day. Kim Hajin sighed and put away his Desert Eagle. The cold metal disappeared
from Jin Sahyuk’s neck. Only then did she come to her senses and look up at him.

“I’m proud of you.” Kim Hajin patted her head instead of killing her and forcefully
ruffled her hair. “You’re lucky too.”

Jin Sahyuk thought of how he treated her like a dog. She refused to suffer such
humiliation. How can such an unhandsome man… Rage rose from within her and she
resisted for the first time.

“Y-You!” She shook off his hand and glared.

“You son of a—”

“Talk and I’ll kill you.”

However, a single sentence shut her up again. Kim Hajin smiled at her.

“I’m letting you go just this once, so don’t let it dwell in your heart.”

Jin Sahyuk sensed a familiar presence as Kim Hajin spoke. She felt relieved at Bell’s
return. Kim Hajin sensed it too and combed her disheveled hair before letting go of
her.

“Alright, I’m leaving now.”

He knocked her head a few times for one last bit of humiliation. Jin Sahyuk kept her
mouth shut. However, he looked at her one more time as though he found it
displeasing.

“Don’t let me see you again.”

Jin Sahyuk stood blankly for a while before grinning. She managed to sneer now that
a trustworthy ally had arrived.

“I thought about it…”

Her body still creaked from nervousness, but Jin Sahyuk managed to utter a few
words. She glared at her sworn enemy and tried her best to shake off the fear.

“What do you plan on doing when we meet outside the tower?”

Kim Hajin paused. So he’s afraid. Jin Sahyuk guessed and tried to feel a sense of
superiority. However, Kim Hajin only coldly smiled at her.

“It’ll be the same outside the tower.”

Jin Sahyuk couldn’t see it, but the system messages in front of him affirmed his
statement.

[Unique skill, Lv.8 Clock Hand of Fate has activated.] [You have met the condition to set
a target as your fate.] Completed: Converse back and forth more than 30 times between
you and a target. [Jin Sahyuk, the Refugee of a Foolish Grudge, has been added to your
Fate Record.] [The condition will change. You must perform a different action to set
your second fate.]

“You’ll die if I see you again.”

Jin Sahyuk blanked out for a moment at Kim Hajin’s final words. Soon, Bell appeared
and stepped between them. She could no longer see Kim Hajin as Bell eyed him
before turning towards her.
“Are you okay, Sahyuk?”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t reply as her body and mind burned with anger. She vowed to make
Kim Hajin regret letting her go until he coughed blood. She vowed to deliver him the
most excruciating pain and suffering.

“I swear on my clan…”

Jin Sahyuk’s voice trembled, perhaps from the overwhelming rage. She seemed to be
crying with tears around her eyes.

***

“Wow…”

Yoo Yeonha watched the rising sun from the opposite side of the same floor. This
scene filled her with wonder even as someone who wielded magic power and saw all
sorts of magic spells growing up.

The tallest steeple of Medea’s palace filled with fire and soon became an artificial sun
that rose into the sky. This beauty lay outside the realm of nature, a miracle that one
could only watch in a stupor.

“…?”

She only noticed the player standing next to her after a while because of the
mesmerizing sun. Yoo Yeonha turned to the side.

“…”

The girl’s blonde hair shone brilliantly under the light. Yoo Yeonha became
speechless at her beauty that rivaled elves. Rachel graciously bowed as royalty
would.

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded. They greeted each other somewhat awkwardly, but had planned
this seemingly coincidental meeting. Rachel had sent Yoo Yeonha a friend request
along with the following message:

[Hello, Yeonha! It’s been a while >‿<! Maybe a year. I felt really happy when I heard you
entered the tower ٩(◕‿◕｡)٩!… (13 lines of omitted text)… I’d like to show you around
if you have time. Essence of the Strait and the English Royal Court guild have a good
relationship inside the tower too… (8 lines of omitted text)… I won’t mind even if you
say no! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ]

It felt more like a letter than a text message. Yoo Yeonha didn’t feel like rejecting such
a nice gesture, so she accepted. She initially planned for an Essence of the Strait
member to show her around, but it would also be more efficient for her guild if
Rachel guided her instead.

“Rachel, your ID is CaptainBritain, right?”

“Yes.”

Prestige’s new sun reflected off Rachel’s milky white skin as she fidgeted and smiled
shyly. Rachel must’ve heard that Yoo Yeonha became Essence of the Strait’s chief
strategic officer.

The rank 1 guild’s chief strategic officer undoubtedly held great power. If Yoo Yeonha
wanted, she could collude with other guilds and drive the English Royal Court guild
to the depths of despair.

“You don’t have to talk so formally. It’s fine if you speak like in your text messages.”

Yoo Yeonha projected her system messenger. “Also, where did you learn to type these
emoticons?”

“Ah…”

Rachel smiled bashfully. She couldn’t usually say what she wanted because of her
position as England’s princess and felt unfamiliar with addressing people with great
authority like Yoo Yeonha.

“It’s been a while since we last met, so it’s a bit… awkward.”

Rachel rarely talked if she didn’t need to and kept it simple whenever she did. Of
course, she used her keyboard when she felt especially grateful.
“Um, so how are you going to help me?”

“Ah, I’ll explain how to grow stronger in detail…”

Rachel paused in the middle of her speech and looked around. Didn’t Yoo Yeonha say
she came with that person?

“Duchess Ah Hae-In went back. She said receiving the sunlight’s blessing was
enough.”

Ah Hae-In had a 100 day training routine already prepared. She should be in the
middle of meditating inside Essence of the Strait’s hideout.

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes.”

“Then we should visit the various hunting grounds on the 3rd floor first. Erm, let,
let’s go?”

Rachel tried to casually speak as Yoo Yeonha instructed. They used to be classmates
and Rachel wanted to close the distance between them considering the potential
benefits. Rachel’s relationship with Kim Youngjin seemed fine, but Yoo Yeonha would
clearly be Essence of the Strait’s new head inside the tower.

“…”

However, Yoo Yeonha didn’t reply as Rachel dejectedly asked again.

“Shall we head to the hunting grounds?”

Yoo Yeonha remained silent, but not because of how Rachel spoke. She smelled a
familiar scent from the princess. Yoo Yeonha furrowed her brows and stared intently
at Rachel. This, of course, made Rachel flinch.

“O-Or would you like to go somewhere else? I’d be honored to guide you wherever…”

Did she dislike my casual tone? Rachel spoke even more respectfully, but Yoo Yeonha
only focused on figuring out the smell. Then she suddenly approached Rachel and
sniffed her.
“You…”

Yoo Yeonha sniffed her one more time to confirm. She became certain now. This
smell practically doused Rachel’s body. Yoo Yeonha could only blankly stare and
knew exactly where this smell came from. After all, the same smell soaked her bed
and wouldn’t disappear no matter how many times she washed it. Right, it smelled
like Kim Hajin.

***

[3F, Prestige]

The price of land in Prestige skyrocketed 10 days later after the artificial sun
appeared. However, players couldn’t buy any land even if they had the money
because most of it already belonged to another player.

I owned almost 50% of all available land in Prestige. Henry and Kiri used it to form
mutually beneficial relationships with NPCs, so Prestige’s citizens didn’t complain
about my monopoly of wealth.

“How are things going?”

I visited Henry and Kiri for the first time in a while at Riry Shop. I asked them about
Prestige’s state of affairs and worried if Medea might scheme to take away my land.

“It’s going great! We’re both really happy!”

“Oh! Our daddy also came back!”

I widened my eyes at Kiri’s words. “Really?”

“Yes! Oppa’s friend rescued him and brought him back!”

“Cheok Jungyeong did? That’s great.”

I smiled and patted their heads. All the NPCs that Cheok Jungyeong and I saved
possessed useful skills in construction, law, administration, education, and magic.
Prestige now rapidly progressed, but Kiri’s smile soon faded as she asked with a
worried expression.
“I heard about oppa’s upcoming battle.”

“Hm? Oh, the one with Black Lotus. It’s tomorrow.”

It would take place at dawn since Crevon was least active then due to the morning
Fog of Darkness. I planned a flawless show, but it would be better with fewer eyes.

“How are the goblins doing?”

“They’re downstairs. Follow me. We expanded our basement a lot!”

Henry and Kiri pulled my hand and led me downstairs. Six goblins busily worked in
Riry Shop’s basement. Weren’t there initially three?

“They multiplied?”

“Yes. Master reached the 8th floor, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It looks like the stone tablet leveled up accordingly. It might also have been because
of the hard work the goblins put in.”

“I see.”

I examined the goblins.

[Lv.5 Craftsman Goblin] [In a state of increased efficiency due to being in a suitable
environment.] [Feels very satisfied with his residential area. His happiness level has
reached 99%.] [Will soon level up.]

“Residential area? This place is a residential area?”

“Ah, yes. I asked Kedrick oppa to separate the basement into different rooms. This is
the potion room.”

Kiri opened the room next door with a sign that read, [Playroom]. I peeked inside
and saw a pool table, ping-pong table, foosball table, etc. Another room had a sign
that read, [Bedroom].
“Hm? What are they?”

I caught sight of 2 goblins playing cards. They had huge bodies unlike the goblins in
the potion room.

“There are 8 goblins?”

“Yes, those two are in charge of the shop’s security. They play around during the day
when the city guards patrol the area and work at night.”

They had the same build as an adult male and also seemed well-equipped. Henry and
Kiri provided them with the proper tools to work.

“I see. Well, looks like I don’t need to worry about anything. Good job.”

I smiled and hugged them. The two starving kids I found had grown so much. They
felt quite heavy now as well.

“Then I’ll be off.”

“Okay.”

“Stay safe!”

“Don’t worry.”

I left the shop with a smile and headed to the crystal stele at the center of Prestige.
Then I used it to travel to the 8th floor.

[8-3F, Crevon, The Final Crystal Stele on the Eastern End]

Aileen and Jin Seyeon waited for me. Jin Seyeon held a recorder and Aileen had a face
with mixed emotions.

“Oh, he’s here.”

“Hello.”

Jin Seyeon asked for my plan as soon as I arrived.

“Just bait him into shooting his warning arrow. Black Lotus always shoots a harmless
wooden arrow first, so I’ll shoot him down during that brief opening when he
attacks.”

“Oh, we thought of doing the same when we first spoke to you. After all, he would
leave an opening no matter how fast his reactions.”

I nodded at Jin Seyeon’s intimidating words. As I thought, I might’ve been in trouble

if I didn’t take on this role. I probably would’ve even died.

“Can we really take the reward for reaching the 9th floor first? We can wait for you if
you want.”

Jin Seyeon felt a bit sorry.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all.”

They would simply be given the qualification to hunt the 9th floor’s calamities first. I
didn’t want that reward anyways.

“Oh, take this.”

“What is it?”

I gave them several summoning scrolls. These scrolls could be torn in an emergency
to teleport the user to a safe location within a 10 km radius. The emergency waiting
room ticket served a similar purpose, but the user would return to the same place
after exiting their waiting rooms. That wouldn’t help after being surrounded.

“Use it if you’re in danger.”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon took the scrolls without saying much. For the record, these
scrolls cost about 3000 TP each.

“Such precious scrolls… Oh, did you manage to pinpoint Black Lotus’ location?” Jin
Seyeon asked as she carefully placed the scrolls in her pocket.

“Yes, I spent the past month looking and also found a good sniping spot.”

Jin Seyeon nodded without suspecting me at all.

“Oh right, the Atalos Royal Family promised a great reward if Hajin manages to take
down Black Lotus.”

“They did?”

“Yes, they came to us first and seemed curious about the higher floors. That’s also
why I brought a recorder.”

“I see. That’s great.”

I didn’t have a reason to decline. I took out the Desert Eagle and fused it with aether.
Creak— Creak— A strange, mechanical sound rang out as the gun transformed. In
just 2 seconds, the Desert Eagle became an enormous monster.

“Let’s go.”

I placed the anti-material sniper rifle on my shoulder.

I kneeled on the ground. Professional snipers used all sorts of equipment like
tripods, a scope, and ear muffs, but I only needed aether. Click— I aimed towards the
watchtower and spotted Jain with my thousand-mile eyes. I hid on a mountain ridge
5 km northwest of the World’s End Bridge. A cold wind blew as starlight sparkled in
the sky.

Me: Are you ready?

I messaged Jain who prepared for the show.

PhantomThief: Yep, I’m good. How much is your bounty again?

Me: Crevon offered 150,000 TP. You can take all of it.

PhantomThief: Ooh, this is why you’re so great. That stingy Cheok Jungyeong would…

That amount felt like chump change to me. It only equaled my daily profit from
Prestige, but I received less than 10% because of my various charitable services. The
preparations seemed finished. I didn’t reveal my nickname to Jin Seyeon and Aileen.
Instead, I loaned them a rare item called the [Lv.4 Infinitely Multiplying
Communication Letter]. Jin Seyeon’s handwriting appeared on my copy.

[We’re standing at the bridge entrance.]

I examined my weapon. I brought 8 sniper bullets with me, magic bullets personally
crafted by Prestige’s skilled blacksmiths. Naturally, they packed more power than
factory-made bullets.

I infused stigma’s magic power into them, but didn’t add any special attributes.
Magic bullets flew silently and stigma only amplified their original properties. If I
had to modify the names of their properties… it would have to be something like
increased fanciness and false bravado.
[Start.]

I wrote the above reply after amplifying my bullets with 2 streaks of stigma. Then I
took out the Crane Feather Fan.

“Rise, fog…”

The Crane Feather Fan could control the wind and fog, so I made the Fog of Darkness
in the surrounding area even denser.

***

[Start.]

That message signaled that the operation would begin. Jin Seyeon and Aileen looked
at each other before stepping onto the World’s End Bridge. This bridge couldn’t be
destroyed or damaged and seemed like the safest bridge in the universe. However,
the two heroes walking on it thought differently. They felt tense and nervous like
walking on thin ice because of the psychological pressure from Black Lotus. The
surrounding atmosphere also felt eerie. The wind rustled the leaves and a dense fog
hid the end of the bridge.

“What skill did he learn?”

Aileen suddenly spoke. She hated scary things and took her attention off the eerie
atmosphere by thinking about the question on her mind for a month now. How did
Fenrir break her barrier so easily? She decided to think about this until the warning
arrow arrived. She even placed a hypnotic suggestion on herself with Spirit Speech.

“How can my barrier be broken so easily?”

Jin Seyeon earnestly replied to Aileen’s muttering.

“Fenrir relies more on weapons compared to other players. He isn’t the only ability
user with this problem. People with weapon-related gifts all share this common
flaw.”

These ability users could only display their power with weapons. They required
weapons rather than preferring one. Most ability users could use any weapon with
flexibility. For example, Chae Nayun and Kim Suho wouldn’t lose too much firepower
as long as they held something with a sword’s shape. Jin Seyeon could also shoot
magic arrows without bows and arrows.

However, ability users like Fenrir Kim Hajin and Weapon Master Kim Youngjin
couldn’t do the same. They would be severely weakened to the extent that they
couldn’t fight without their weapons. Such special, or perhaps inflexible ability users,
often couldn’t wield magic power either.

“I might not look like it, but I placed in the top 300 in theory.”

“Then you should know that this flaw can also become their strength.”

Such ability users usually shined when their gift’s flaw acted as their strength. Their
battle prowess increased drastically as their weapons improved because they relied
so heavily on them. What if Kim Youngjin received Xiang Yu’s legendary sword Tai’e?
Then he would become the Supreme Emperor Xiang Yu himself because his gift
allowed him to wield all weapons to their extreme. Fenrir functioned the same.

“No technology in the modern era can strengthen guns. Guns also have a shallow
history, which is why they rarely exist as artifacts. We don’t have the technology to
create guns surpassing artifacts either.”

“I get it.”

Aileen agreed. They weren’t on Earth and the Tower of Wish had items and skills
that could strengthen any equipment. Fenrir’s gift displayed amazing synergy with
the tower and he managed to elevate his gun’s state of existence. However, Aileen
still wondered where he obtained his bullets.

“So he turned his life around with a black ticket.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. He already did well before entering the tower. Anyways, let’s
focus. It’s about to begin.”

Aileen nodded. Black Lotus’ warning arrow should arrive soon.

“I’m going to focus from now on.”

Aileen used Spirit Speech on herself and her perception of the world slowed. The
wind blowing past her stopped and Jin Seyeon’s foot hovered in midair.
Aileen walked and felt every microsecond in detail. She had trouble moving properly
in this state, but could perfectly observe anything around her.

Suddenly…

She felt the flow of air twisting from far away. Aileen could see it clearly. A wooden
arrow flew towards them. Black Lotus had fired his warning shot. Aileen could also
see something else. A white streak of light traced the wooden arrow’s path before it
could even touch the ground.

Fenrir’s bullet… no, bullets. A total of 8 shooting stars perfectly tailed each other. The
shooting stars far surpassed the wooden arrow’s speed and dyed the sky white.

It looked beautiful. Aileen widened her eyes and watched the mesmerizing display.

Meanwhile, Black Lotus’ arrow still hadn’t reached their location. It still flew through
the air, yet Fenrir’s teeth had already reached the nape of Black Lotus’ neck.

Then the wolf bit the lotus.

A white explosion erupted. Each bullet continued the previous eruption of power,
creating a chain explosion that amplified their destructive potential.

BOOOOOOM…

The eastern mountain ridge roared from the magic bullets. The earth split and trees
crumbled. The mountain ridge shook and a heavy rumbling resounded. The
mountain peak began to crumble and an avalanche occurred. As expected, the wolf
thoroughly finished the hunt. He destroyed the mountain itself to eliminate Black
Lotus’ path of escape and ensured his death.

“Ah…”

The mountain crumbled under the white light. Just 8 bullets devoured an entire
mountain and left the bite marks of a beast. Aileen turned and faced Jin Seyeon, who
clearly saw Black Lotus being struck by Kim Hajin’s bullets with her Divine Archer
eyes. The subsequent explosion blocked her vision, but she knew Black Lotus had
died.

Thud.
Only then did Black Lotus’ wooden arrow strike the ground. It all happened in a
mere 3 seconds. Black Lotus’ arrow flew several kilometers and finally reached the
ground in front of them.

“So?” Aileen asked nonchalantly. She quickly calmed down because she had
witnessed far more preposterous scenes in her life.

“I think he died.”

Jin Seyeon picked up the wooden arrow and opened the letter tied at the end.

[I will allow only 10 steps forward.]

This arrow undoubtedly belonged to Black Lotus, but its owner had just died.

Aileen and Jin Seyeon stared at each other and exchanged a meaningful look. Then
they mustered the courage to step forward. One step, two steps, three steps… ten
steps. The attack they waited for didn’t arrive and nothing stopped them. Black Lotus
had died.

[You have arrived at the Door of Calamity.] [You are the first to open the Door of
Calamity. You have gained the qualification to defeat the 9th floor’s calamities first.]
[You may not give up this qualification.] [The 9th floor’s calamities will now descend to
the 8th floor.]

***

I climbed down the mountain as soon as I finished. The show met my desired
conclusion. I caused a proper avalanche thanks to weakening the mountain’s
foundation beforehand with the mystic key. Aileen and Jin Seyeon didn’t suspect
anything from the looks of it.

“Whew.”

I sighed in relief. Now, I just had to sit back and collect the SP. I planned on returning
home, but a shadow suddenly jumped out of the dark. The assassin grabbed me from
behind and strangled me.

“Iiik!”
I felt genuinely surprised, but not from the asphyxiation. I hadn’t felt any presence
and the shout came from a girl as well.

“What…”

Who is this girl? I lightly activated aether and easily pushed her away.

“Kiyak!”

The girl fainted after aether struck her chin. I rubbed my neck, coughed a few times,
and stared at her.

“Who is she?”

The girl wore a mask and her NPC name remained hidden. I tilted my head and
unmasked her, but still couldn’t figure out her identity. She just looked too average.

“The heck…”

I grew genuinely curious. She possessed an amazing stealth technique, but her
follow-up felt sloppy. Stabbing me would’ve been much more effective than trying to
choke me.

“Hmm.”

I checked my smartwatch since I should be able to view most NPCs with it.
Surprisingly, nothing showed up. Was she too insignificant or the opposite? I carried
her on my shoulder while feeling a bit confused. She might die if I left her since
unimaginable monsters would start pouring in once the 9th floor door opened.

***

“So Hajin, why did you do all that?”

Jain asked 1 hour later at the Ironblood Duchess’ mansion. I felt sorry seeing all the
wounds on her body. It had taken quite a toll even though she used a puppet for the
job.

“Why not? It’s fun and we also made 150,000 TP for free.”
“You’re right, but… well, yeah, money is nice.”

Jain didn’t dig into it even though she had many questions. I liked her personality for
this very reason. She didn’t ask questions that made the other party uncomfortable
and never pressured them. She knew how to take a hint and always acted easygoing.

“Oh, Hajin, you have a martial tournament match tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m going to forfeit.”

“Why?”

“My opponent is Boss.”

I couldn’t beat her even if I died and reincarnated. Of course, I had grown a lot
stronger and felt confident about beating anyone inside the tower. Even in the
outside world, I would be at least high-intermediate rank. I would be surprised if I
wasn’t at that level with my strengthened Desert Eagle and aether along with the
new skills.

Even so, I couldn’t beat Boss. No sharpshooter could beat her.

“Boss is going to be disappointed.”

“Disappointed?”

“She felt happy about meeting you.”

“She likes bullying her subordinates?”

“No, I think she might lose on purpose if you ask.”

I smirked. Boss losing on purpose? I found that hard to believe considering how she
hated going easy on people.

Wiiing!

A loud siren rang, most likely from the Door of Calamity opening. I left Jain behind
and ran with my gun in hand. I quickly climbed up the stairs to Tomer’s room.
“Hmm…”

Tomer looked from her balcony at the western castle wall. A heavy atmosphere filled
the air as I tapped on her shoulder.

“Yo, Ironblood Duchess.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Tomer looked at me and smiled bitterly. I also looked at the horde of monsters
rushing towards the western castle wall. Their red eyes shone with bloodlust. Only
an hour had passed since the 9th floor door opened, but such a change already
occurred. As I suspected, the calamities seemed stronger than in the original story.

“They’re doing surprisingly well.”

Tomer’s soldiers continued to defend the castle wall. I expected as much from the
Ironblood Duchess’ elite soldiers.

“Just what are you?” Tomer looked at me with a piercing gaze.

“What.”

“Are you a prophet or some sort of reincarnator?”

“Oh.”

I thinly smiled. Was it three months ago? I told Tomer to train her soldiers more
strictly so they could reach at least level 13. I also grilled her not to be cheap and
invest in their equipment. Tomer didn’t understand, but trusted me enough to do so.
I thoroughly prepared her soldiers since the royal family wouldn’t listen to an
outsider like me.

“Are you a reincarnator? No, you must be a regressor.”

Tomer strangely misunderstood me now.

“Regressor? As if someone like that could exist.”

“Shin Myungchul was one.”

“Cough.”

I scratched my neck. Shin Jonghak’s grandfather, Shin Myungchul, was the world’s
only regressor. Of course, it had never been confirmed.

“No one knows for sure whether that’s true.”

“It’s more or less a fact.”

“Regardless, I’m not a regressor or anything like that.”

I took out my gun. The 1-2 km distance between Tomer’s mansion and the castle wall
wouldn’t hinder me.

“I can shoot from here. Should I help them?”

“No, leave them be.” Tomer shook her head. “They need real combat experience.”

Tomer’s soldiers overpowered the monsters on the battlefield. Her hellish training
proved quite effective.

“Eh?”

She let out a strange sound. I didn’t even have the time to ask what happened. She
suddenly hugged me and something soft touched my skin.

“Hey, you…”

Tomer unleashed her magic power before I could say anything. It surrounded me
and burnt something off. Then she separated herself.

“What was that? A sudden confession?” I tried acting unfazed.

“Do I look crazy? You had a tracking spell on you.”

“What?”

At first, I thought she lied to hide her embarrassment. I found it hard to accept that
aether couldn’t detect a spell on me. However, Tomer looked serious and I wasn’t the
kind of handsome man who would receive confessions.
“I didn’t notice until up close. It should be Medea’s doing.”

“…”

I suddenly felt a chill down my back. Indeed, Medea would be capable of placing a
tracking spell without me noticing.

“Be careful. It’s not like administrators can’t kill players.”

“Why would she do that? We’re not in a bad relationship.”

“Didn’t you take all her money? Don’t you know Medea loves money the most? Plus,
she ranks in the upper echelons among administrators. Only a few can stop her if she
sets her mind on something.”

I felt a bit nervous since I knew Medea’s personality better than anyone.

“You must’ve gotten on her nerves if she placed a tracking spell on you. Oh, did you
see the craftsmanship tournament? Do you even know what that is?”

I nodded. Of course, I won the grand prize!

“Medea is eyeing the item that won first place.”

My eyes shot open. The Wolf’s Fragrance would soon return to me along with the
first place rewards.

“She is?”

“Yeah. Try to get it for her if you can. She likes receiving gifts and always repays her
debts.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Medea played an important role in the tower. Her Sorceress title wasn’t just for show.
Gaining her favor wouldn’t be disadvantageous at all.

“Oh, I forgot something.”

I told Tomer about the mysterious girl I picked up before leaving. She currently slept
in the 2nd floor guest room.

“A girl? Okay, I’ll take a look.”

Tomer nodded without much thought as I opened the door.

“Ah, geez.”

I flinched at Boss standing right in front of the door.

I opened the door to leave.

“Ah, geez.”

And flinched at Boss standing in front of the door. She simply glanced at me.

“Did you also come to speak with the Ironblood Duchess?”

Boss only glared in silence. She was quite tall for a woman and felt daunting today.

Why is she so upset? Did Jain tell her I would withdraw from the martial tournament?

Boss stood for a while before stretching her arm past me. I felt startled, but didn’t
mind. Then she grabbed the doorknob behind me. KOONG— And completely shut the
half-opened door.

“Boss? Aren’t you coming in?”

“Just now.”

Boss’ lips slightly quivered and she mumbled a question as if speaking to herself.

“Just now. What did you do inside?”

“Huh?” I tilted my head.

“You did something inside.”

Boss repeated. I quickly realized what she meant. She probably witnessed the
strange scene just a moment ago.

“Ah, that was nothing. Wait, were you peeking on us?”

Boss’s shoulders slightly trembled as she frowned.

“Peeking? That’s no way to speak to your boss.”

I simply smiled. “Then why did you come here?”

“What you did just now—“

“She’s my centurion.”

Tomer interrupted Boss and opened the door. Then she softly smiled at Boss.

“Welcome.”

“…Yes.”

Boss greeted her in an unusually brusque manner.

“I’ll have to listen to your report later. I have something else to do.”

Tomer simply walked past us. Boss felt slightly disgruntled as she watched her
disappear.

“…”

“Hmm… Boss, how's your sparring with Tomer going?”

I tried asking. Some time had passed since we arrived on the 8th floor, but their
relationship remained the same. Things would be different if she won at least once.

“We’re now evenly matched, on-par, equal.”

She said several phrases that meant the same thing.

“It won’t be long before I win.”

Seeing Boss like that aroused my curiosity. “Have you been reading a wuxia novel?”

“Mm? What are you suddenly talking about? I did find an interesting wuxia novel.
Should I tell you the title?”
Boss grinned like anyone else recommending their favorite novel and opened her
system window.

“No, that’s okay.”

I declined with a smile, but grew curious about something else.

What did her stats look like now?

I took out the directory.

▷Stats: Variable stats [Strength 10.1] [Stamina 10.5] [Speed ???] [Perception ???]
[Magic Power ???] [Vitality 11]

Question marks indicated that her stats surpassed what the directory could
accurately estimate. Seeing this great progress only deepened my curiosity. What
kind of environment did Tomer experience and what skills did she learn to win
against Boss in this state? I closed the directory.

“Hmm.”

Then I opened it again. This time, I infused it with 0.5 streaks of stigma. Perhaps the
stat limit would increase. Contrary to my expectations, the question marks didn’t
change. However, additional sentences and details appeared as if they had been
burned onto the page.

[Current Emotion – Slightly Annoyed, Curious] [Slightly irritated by the hug and the
word, regressor. Also hungry.] [Wants to read the next chapter of the webnovel, New
Martial World.]

“Oh, by the way, Hajin.” Boss put on a cold expression as I read the directory.

“Kaita was killed.”

“Ah.”

We went silent for a moment. Kaita was killed. Boss repeated solemnly. It didn’t
surprise me. I knew exactly who would’ve defeated him.

Kyaaaak! A shriek suddenly came from downstairs. It sounded like Tomer and we
hurried towards the sound. Tadadada…

“Duchess!”

We quickly arrived and Boss immediately checked for Tomer. It seemed Boss took a
liking to her, but Tomer simply slumped on the floor without any injuries.

“Hey, y-you… This person.” Tomer shuddered as she pointed at the bed where I
placed the assassin.

“What’s wrong… Huh?”

I took a closer look at the person in bed. Her plain appearance had been a disguise
and completely wore off by now. The bare face revealed a person I had seen before.

Araha Von Atalos Diana.

I mumbled with a sigh. “Why is Princess Araha here?”

“Where, where did you meet her?” Tomer asked in a flurry.

“The eastern mountain.”

I opened the directory and examined Araha’s status.

[Current State – Asleep] [I have to catch the thief who stole the Crane Feather Fan… So
sleepy.]

“…”

It looked like she came for the Crane Feather Fan, but how? I glanced at the item in
my pocket and scratched my neck. I had no clue why the princess foolishly came here
alone, but she couldn’t just be brushed off. Maybe she planned to be captured like
this. She was quite smart and ambitious for a 17 year old.

“Will people suspect that we abducted her? She looked different when I placed her
there,” I explained to Tomer.

“Don’t worry. I have an excuse in my mind. She disguised herself, which means she
ran away from home. Everyone knows about the fifth princess’ eccentric behavior.”
Tomer stood up and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“First, tell me what happened.”

I nodded and recounted the events.

***

[3F Prestige, Lv.8 Essence of the Strait’s Hideout]

Kim Youngjin, the tower subjugation team’s chief officer, received a report at their
hideout which could accommodate over 100 people now.

[I would like to inform Chief Officer Kim Youngjin that the mission succeeded.]

The report came over the infinitely multiplying letter. It informed him that Black
Lotus had been defeated, Aileen’s team successfully entered the 9th floor, and the
door to the 9th floor wouldn’t open for a while.

“So?”

Yoo Yeonha silently listened and asked him. Technically, Kim Youngjin was in charge
inside the tower. Yoo Yeonha didn’t want to take that away from him. She held a
superior rank outside the tower, but Kim Youngjin possessed better insight
concerning tower matters.

“Haa.” Kim Yougjin sighed.

“Fenrir succeeded.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded at the solemn declaration. Her thoughts jumbled together and
she felt a headache coming on. However, she didn’t express any of her mixed
emotions.

Chae Nayun stood in the same room and clenched her teeth. Kim Hajin had defeated
the man considered the strongest in the tower. That cruel fact definitely provoked
her.

“…”
Yoo Yeonha continued to quietly think. Things had gotten serious now. Kim Hajin
knew Black Lotus belonged to the Chameleon Troupe and killed him. He meant it as
a declaration of war and would continue to hunt the Chameleon Troupe members.
Perhaps more thoroughly and brutally than she could ever imagine.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”

Chae Nayun suddenly stood up and rushed out of the hideout.

“Ah, Nayun. Again…” Yi Jiyoon mumbled words of concern as she watched Chae
Nayun leave. Yoo Yeonha didn't miss her knowing attitude.

“Again, what?”

“Oh, um. She’s been smoking again lately… Boss.” Yi Jiyoon carefully added the
honorific at the end.

“Smoking? They sell cigarettes here?”

“Yes. People with strange skills began making and selling them.”

“I didn’t see any on the 3rd floor.”

“They're only on the 8th floor. They don’t sell any luxury items on the 3rd floor since
they can sell for a higher price on the 8th.”

“I see.”

Yoo Yeonha scratched her head and stood up with a sigh. Then she chased after Chae
Nayun.

As Yi Jiyoon said, Chae Nayun went for a smoke on the 3rd floor balcony.

"Nayun?"

Yoo Yeonha softly called out. Chae Nayun turned around to face her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, this?"
Chae Nayun shook the cigarette between her fingers and threw it in the portable
ashtray.

"It's nothing. I only smoke 3 a day. I earned a good trait from it too."

Chae Nayun smiled, but didn't look happy at all.

"What kind of traitRelated how?"

Yoo Yeonha leaned against the wall and stared at her. The smile on Chae Nayun’s lips
glowed under the pale moonlight.

"I'm not supposed to tell others, but I'll make an exception for you. I can convert
toxins into magic power."

"Hm? Really?"

"Yep. I got this trait from the curse a while ago. Cigarettes provide a decent source of
magic power. Three a day can easily restore my magic power."

"I see. That's a good trait."

Yoo Yeonha gently looked at her. She felt various emotions as they made eye contact.

"W-What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Honestly, Yoo Yeonha still hoped. Her wish may never come true, but she didn't think
it was impossible. Suddenly, she thought about what her father once asked her. Is it
weak to lean on hope or is it weak to not believe in hope? She didn't answer at the
time because she didn't think one could judge a person's weakness based on their
belief in hope.

"Oh, I heard you became chief strategic officer."

"Yeah."

"Congrats. You're the youngest chief officer in history. That's pretty cool."
Yoo Yeonha still hoped that Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun could smile at each other one
day. That they would end all their misunderstandings, resentment, and hatred. That
all their wounds would heal and they could smile truthfully again. Even if that dream
would never come true…

"Thanks."

Yoo Yeonha thought about her wish under Prestige’s beautiful moonlight.

***

[7F, Game Center]

Tomer asked me to hide while she spoke to the princess, so I went down to the 7th
floor.

"Hmm…”

I took out the directory.

[Directory]

Jin Sahyuk – Current Location: 7F

Aileen – Current Location: 9F

Chae Nayun – Current Location: 8-2F

Kim Suho – Current Location: 8-3F…

Jin Sahyuk also came to the 7th floor, but I couldn’t do anything. No one could kill on
the 7th floor and AlphaGo would warn me as soon as I took out my weapon. I would
turn into ashes before I could even lift a finger.

Tiriring —

Ppororong —

— How does ace-high win in a 4 way pot? Haha, sorry boys… Aces full.
I slowly walked past all the gambling, games, regrets, and happiness. Then I arrived
at the [Upgrade Center]. The most important facility on the 7th floor looked almost
empty, probably because it cost too much and everyone else focused on gambling.
Only one other customer visited and I carefully walked towards her.

"So you're saying each stat boost costs 15,000 TP?"

— That is correct.

The familiar voice spoke to AlphaGo.

"That's way more than what I expected. Here, what’s this individual boost?"

— I will strengthen your intrinsic trait, which is connected to your neurotech chip.

"Mine is way too expensive. Where do I even find 150,000 TP?"

— It is because your trait is perfect.

"Really? Hmm… Fine. You're just a robot, but I like you."

I stood beside the grinning woman.

"You better not think of doing anything stupid to make money."

Jin Sahyuk widened her eyes and turned to face me.

"…!"

She jumped to the side the moment our eyes met. I could tell she had completely
recovered from her quick response.

"Y-You…!" Jin Sahyuk moved her lips as if to say something.

"We'll probably run into each other more often."

However, I spoke first.

"Wherever you are…”

If it's a place where you can die…

"I'll come and find you, so behave properly."

Jin Sahyuk gave me a sharp glance. She mumbled inaudible words and pointed at me
before running away. I took over her spot.

— Welcome, VIP.

"Yeah, good to see you. It's been a while."

— How may I help you today?

"I'm here for the prizes."

I came in first in all but 3 games. The system had sent me a message to retrieve the
prizes.

— Understood. I shall convert your score and show you the list of prizes. Your prize
score is 150 PT.

The robot displayed the list of prizes.

[Prosthetic Limb (Effective Good) — 25 PT] [VIP Room Pass — 25 PT] [Machine
Enhancement Service — 100 PT] [Lucky Macaron]…

Only the machine enhancement service caught my eye.

— You have selected the Machine Enhancement Service for 100 PT. Please submit
what you would like to enhance.

"How about my neurotech chip?"

— It is the latest technology, thus further enhancement is not possible.

"Really? Well then."

I handed the Desert Eagle over. AlphaGo grabbed my gun and examined it in detail. It
showed rare curiosity for a robot.
— What a mysterious machine.

"Can you do it?"

— Yes, but the process will take around half a day.

The situation in Crevon wouldn’t change for now. Monsters still rampaged, but the
9th floor’s calamities had yet to descend, probably because Aileen's team on the 9th
floor somehow held on. I wasn't sure how helpful this gun would be, but I had
already made hundreds of bullets after pushing the Prestige blacksmiths to their
limits.

— I have received the Desert Eagle.

The calamities destroyed 1/3 of Crevon in the original story. I believed I could
change this fate.

"You're the one doing the enhancement, right?"

— That is correct.

"Show me your hand."

I planned on doing my best as I grabbed AlphaGo's wrist and muttered, Scan.

***

[9F, Inside the Door of Calamity]

The sun that lit up the world fell to the west. Aileen’s party stood in the middle of the
9th floor where not a single blade of grass grew.

"I give up. I give up."

Aileen wanted to give up. Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, and Shin Jonghak accompanied her
on the 9th floor. Indeed, challenging this floor with a party of four could only be
called a calamity. Every monster felt like a dungeon boss. Furthermore, the entire
system disappeared and they lost their source of recovering energy and health in
this living hell. Aileen and the others had endured for 18 hours.
"Give up… I really want to give up…”

"Lady Aileen, the calamities will invade the 8th floor if we back down here."

Jin Seyeon comforted her, who drooped like a wet sponge. The reward they received
for being first was [the right to eliminate the 9th floor’s calamities first]. They could
monopolize the 9th floor as long as they wanted. However, they couldn’t leave the
9th floor either. No one else could enter as long as they remained. This right could be
given up at any time, but the 9th floor calamities would escape through the opened
door.

"I know, but…”

Aileen felt somewhat responsible. After all, she had opened the door.

"I can't die here."

"That's true. Well, let’s rest for now. We don't know when the enemy will strike
again."

They silently lay on the ground after all the fighting. The atmosphere calmed after a
long time. Shin Jonghak prepared to sleep and Jin Seyeon took out some beef jerky
along with other food from her inventory. They focused on recovering their stamina
when Jin Seyeon suddenly spoke as she chewed on jerky.

"Perhaps Black Lotus already knew about this situation."

Jin Seyeon proposed an interesting hypothesis.

"No way." Aileen looked a bit afraid.

"No, there's a good chance. Honestly, I've been thinking about it the entire time,” Jin
Seyeon said with a grim expression. "Black Lotus somehow found out about the 9th
floor’s calamities and deliberately blocked the World’s End Bridge.”

Everybody went silent, but Aileen soon disagreed.

"That doesn't make sense. How could he have known? We were the first to enter."

"I don't know, but hasn't Black Lotus been acting strange this entire time?"
Jin Seyeon recited her doubts one by one.

"Black Lotus didn't have to fire warning shots. He should be aware of the risks in
doing so, but he fired them anyways and overlooked those who retreated. That
means…”

Jin Seyeon stopped.

"He didn’t want to kill. He could’ve easily opened the door. It only took us a few
monsters and some traps to get here, so he didn’t block the bridge out of selfishness.”

What Jin Seyeon said made sense and a heavy silence descended. Yi Yongha spoke a
few moments later.

“It’s true that words wouldn't have been enough to stop anyone. Both heroes and
djinns were eager to climb the tower. It does feel like Black Lotus calmed the
madness a bit."

Honestly, Black Lotus helped everyone appreciate and enjoy the tower.

Aileen ruffled her hair.

"So what? We go outside and say sorry, we messed up. Tell everyone that Black Lotus
is actually a cool guy?"

"He does seem kind of cool if what Divine Archer Jin Seyeon said is correct."

"Hey!"

KOONG— KOONG—

The four heard loud footsteps and tensed up. Another monster had emerged from
the distance. It looked like a man with the head of a bull. They all recognized this
mythical monster, a minotaur. Jin Seyeon grabbed her bow.

"For now, let's buy as much time as we can. They’re hard to kill, but they do drop
great items.”

Fighting against strong opponents always improved one's skills. The four reluctantly
moved their tired bodies.
"Sheesh. Okay, okay."

Aileen mumbled and glared at the minotaur.

"Listen, cow."

They had achieved their goal a long time ago. Each player had to defeat at least 2
monsters, so they could go to the 10th floor at any time.

"This spear…”

Only their sense of duty as heroes held them back. Aileen formed a sharp spear out
of magic power. The sparks shook the atmosphere and gathered at its tip.

“Will pierce your heart!"

She shouted as the magic spear wailed. It soared at the speed of light and appeared
moments later through the minotaur's heart as if it had been there from the start.

"Become lightning."

The spear that pierced the monster’s heart grew hot and an electrical current
burned the minotaur's insides. However, it still stood tall and hadn’t died yet.
— Monsters are rampaging in the south side too.

— Monsters are invading from the northern beach.

Tomer sighed as she received reports from her communication crystal.

Crevon’s monsters began to stir. Not only had their numbers tripled, but they also
possessed higher levels than normal. It happened so quickly that players living in
Central Crevon didn’t even notice.

“And the damages?”

— The northern castle is heavily damaged. It hasn’t been toppled, but they’re having
difficulty holding the monsters back.

“Tsk.”

Truth be told, Crevon enjoyed peace for far too long. Tomer heard the last war
occurred 100 years ago. As such, Crevon’s soldiers also grew lax. Of course, demons
had recently attacked. However, they dealt with it in just 3 hours, so Crevon’s
soldiers and nobles only grew lazier and more arrogant.

“What is the royal family’s plan?”

— They plan on dispatching Lu Bu and other generals. They’re also planning on

hiring outsiders. How are the damages on the western front? It must contain more
monsters.

“It’s okay for now, but the monsters are growing stronger.”

Surprisingly, Western Crevon suffered little damage despite bordering the land
transformed by the demon realm. Tomer had hellishly trained her soldiers for the
past 3-4 months. She also used aid from the central government and her personal
funds to upgrade their equipment. As a result, ordinary soldiers averaged level 10
and knights who swore loyalty to her reached level 16. Furthermore, she had
extraordinary guests like Cheok Jungyeong and Jin Yohan who enjoyed fighting.

“I’ll need more funds.”

She ran out of funds to pay the soldiers’ salaries, provide their meals, and reinforce
the castle walls.

— Understood. I will let His Majesty know about the western front’s situation.

“Thanks.”

Tomer turned off the communication crystal and sighed. A soft voice entered her
ears as she pressed her temples.

“Looks like this place is safer than the royal palace.”

Tomer held back from sighing again when she saw Araha lying on the office couch
with a sleepy face.

“Princess, when are you going back?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Pardon?”

“They won’t mind even if someone like me disappears.” Araha smiled. “I’m low rank.”

“No, you have to go back.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel uncomfortable.”

Araha frowned at Tomer’s blunt statement.

“See, even Margrave looks down on me because of my low rank.”

“I am not. I have to deal with the monster attack.”

Tomer’s dukedom sat at Crevon’s western border. She received the Margrave title
along with her own army and always had to be wary of potential attacks because of
the demon realm. Such an environment didn’t suit a royal princess.

“You speak like you’ve been ruling for more than 20 years, Duchess,” Araha muttered
curtly.

“My heart says this is my homeland.”

“Fine, then I’ll return after I get what I came for.”

“You mean the Crane Feather Fan?”

“…” Araha nodded without a word. Another report came in from Tomer’s crystal ball.

— Duchess, Phiunel is here.

The sudden report surprised both of them.

“Phiunel? Why is that old man here?”

“Phiunel?”

— He heard that his savior is here and wanted to express his gratitude.

“Savior…”

Tomer recalled the woman working as a centurion in her army who sparred with her
at least 5 times a day.

“You mean the centurion?”

—Pardon? Um… which centurion are you referring to?

“Let him in.”

Tomer ended the communication and messaged her centurion.

“Where are you?”

— I’m eating.

A dry voice rang out. Boss currently held the official position of dukedom centurion.
They spoke politely in public because of this, but acted casually in private.

“Come find me after you’re done eating. Someone wants to see you.”

***

[7F, Game Center’s Luxury Hotel, 31st floor]

“…”

I opened my eyes to a fancy ceiling. The executive suite was second only to the
presidential suite. I rested for half a day while doing nothing.

“How comfortable.”

Of course, I could’ve rested in my waiting room, but this hotel felt better for lazing
away.

— I will help you shower.

The robots gathered around me after I woke up. I continued looking at the ceiling as
they did what they wanted.

[Crevon just made an official announcement. They’re handing out TP for killing
monsters.] [The monsters are too strong. You’d have to be damn powerful if you don’t
want to die.] [I heard this is all because Black Lotus got killed. Is this true?] [Don’t tell
Crevon citizens that.]

The comfortable bed I lay in changed into a bathtub. Several hands massaged me and
washed my hair as I read the public forum.

“What a party.”

The community turned into a ruckus, but the real calamities had yet to descend.
Aileen’s party lasted longer than I thought.

The Door of Calamity wouldn’t impact players much. They could simply abandon
Crevon in the worst-case scenario. The 9th floor’s calamities could only stay on the
8th and 9th floors. The residential area on the 3rd floor still remained. People
wouldn’t miss Crevon that much since Prestige changed from nearly uninhabitable
slums to a medieval city.

— Shower has been completed.

Of course, I didn’t plan on letting that happen. I got up as soon as the shower ended.
The robots also prepared food on the table. I quickly ate and went out to the lobby.

The 7th floor’s luxury hotel couldn’t be compared to an inn. Most players could never
afford a room here and only administrators visited. Was there one here right now?
Only two rooms existed on each floor. I gazed through the other room’s door.

“You still haven’t figured out who the maker is?”

A woman spoke with someone through a crystal ball. I shuddered as soon as I saw
her. Medea frowned unhappily in the next room.

“Heimdall wouldn’t say?”

I could hear their conversation.

— Yes, he is refusing to talk to us.

“Tsk, fine. What about Aphrodite? She and Helena looked into it as well.”

— It seems neither of them found anything about the maker. After all, none of us can
interfere in the 8th floor’s matters.

“That’s good news, at least.”

I could somewhat guess what they talked about. Aphrodite, Medea, and Helena.
These three administrators all liked luxury items and probably wanted to buy the
Wolf’s Fragrance. Even I had to admit it truly looked like a work of art. As expected of
an item that took all my effort and high quality materials. It probably reached the
pinnacle of a luxury item.

“We’ll talk later. Wait, no, you said the 8th floor was experiencing some trouble,
correct?”
— Yes.

“In that case, why don’t we…”

Medea paused and suddenly looked around. She probably sensed me.

“I’m hanging up now.”

She walked to the door and slowly opened it. I walked away before she could find
me.

“Huh?”

Soon, she found me in front of the elevator. We made eye contact and tilted my head
as though I had just seen her.

“Medea?”

“…”

She glared at me without a word. Her eyes looked somewhat aggressive, but she
soon put on a fake expression and smiled.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here. Did you come to gamble again?”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t gamble anymore.”

“I see.”

Medea slightly clenched her teeth. How scary… Should I make up an excuse and run
away? Medea spoke first while I contemplated.

“Oh right, I’m using the robe you gave me as a consolation prize.”

A faint hostility flickered in her voice. The kind that felt much more threatening than
open hostility.
“Consolation prize? That was a present.”

“I’m no fool. You took off with 300,000 TP and left that robe to appease me.”

“…”

Medea looked at me with a bright smile as I scratched my neck. She might’ve struck
me with a magic spell if we weren’t on the 7th floor. Damn, she got greedy and lost, so
why was it my fault?

“Cough.”

It felt wasteful to give her a present without asking for anything in return, but I had
to maintain a good relationship for Prestige. Plus, I made the Wolf’s Fragrance look
pretty on purpose. It should be the fanciest robe in the tower. Its high level (Lv.10)
also indicated that, but it lacked in practical use.

“I prepared a present for you, Medea.”

I resolved myself and spoke with determination. However, she immediately declined.

“Yeah, no thanks.”

She continued with a twisted sneer. “I don’t need your sympathy or pity either.”

She completely hates me, doesn’t she?

“Cough, well.”

I felt slightly flustered, but it was her loss. Let’s see her face when she sees my robe
with some other administrator.

“What a shame. I worked hard to make it.”

“It’s fine. How good can an item made by someone like you be? I threw away the robe
you gave me after one use.”

I planned on just leaving, but she kept provoking me. Was she also mad that I got rid
of her tracking spell? I started to get angry.
“Really?”

“Yep.”

I smiled forcefully. Ding— The elevator arrived and we got on at the same time.

The awkward silence continued as we descended. Thankfully, the elevator only took
2 seconds to travel from the 31st floor to the 1st floor. Ding— The door opened again
and I set foot outside.

— Hello.

AlphaGo suddenly appeared. Then I realized we hadn’t arrived on the 1st floor. We
came to the administrator’s 17th floor. AlphaGo looked at me and spoke.

— The 7th floor administrator, Simad, has a message for you.

“Huh?”

— Are you the maker of Wolf’s Fragrance?

“Yes, but why?”

“What?”

Medea almost closed the elevator door when her eyes suddenly flashed. My luck
helped me out once again to pay her back for looking down on me. I glanced back
and forth between Medea and AlphaGo.

“Ah, yes. I’m the one who made Wolf’s Fragrance.”

— Administrator Simad would like to buy your work of art.

“But, how did he find out?”

— Simad has been watching over your craftsmanship.

Medea’s eyes widened the more AlphaGo talked. What words should I choose to make
her angrier? While I had such delightful thoughts…
[The first party to enter the 9th floor has given up their right. The Door of Calamity has
opened!]

A flurry of system messages popped up.

[The list of calamities is as follows:] [1. Half-man, Half-cow, Minotaur.] [2. Petrifying
Enchantress, Medusa.] [3. One-eyed Giant, Cyclops.] [4. Living Hive Mind, Chimera.] [5.
Bottom-dwelling Snake, Python.]

[The 9th floor’s calamities will now lead their armies towards the 8th floor.] [They will
drive Crevon’s monsters mad!] [Crevon’s demons will now act more aggressively!]

My expression froze. As expected, two more calamities had been added to the ones in
the original story.

“W-What did you just say? Wolf’s Fragrance? T-Then the gift you mentioned…”

Medea placed her hand on my shoulder, but I brushed it off with a snap of my wrist.

“Yes, but didn’t you say you didn’t want it?”

“No, no, no. But, uh, y-you made that thing? How?”

“Ah, something important just came up, so I have to return to the 8th floor. Sorry,
Medea.”

Honestly, I wasn’t in much of a hurry, but acted otherwise as I ripped the 8th floor
ticket.

“Wait, wait, I…!”

Medea’s voice cut off in the middle. Serves her right for being such a bitch.

***

[The Desert Eagle’s enhancement has been completed.] [Many functionalities have been
added in addition to increased firepower.] 1. Tracking Bullet: Your bullets may now
track the enemy. 2. Self-Tracking: The Desert Eagle will not leave your body. 3.
Exploding Bullet 4. Piercing Bullet
I arrived in Crevon with the enhanced Desert Eagle. Despite such powerful monsters
invading, Crevon’s city…

— Buy some beef jerky. Excellent food for traveling!

— This looks different than the cigarettes I’m used to.

— I hear they modified the design so that outsiders can smoke it. It has a weaker
taste, but is easier to smoke.

— Mom, I’m hungry.

Its citizens didn’t stop laughing and every shop bustled with activity. One wouldn’t
expect such a scene from a country facing a catastrophe. It didn’t feel too surprising
considering its history. Crevon’s government hadn’t told its citizens about the
calamities to prevent mass panic.

“Spartan, Sannuri.”

I summoned Spartan and Sannuri on the streets of Crevon.

— Hiiing!

Sannuri stomped her hooves. Her black fur, mane, and irises made her seem like
darkness itself. Such a horse gathered everyone’s attention as I hopped on.

“Go to my companions.”

— Hiiing!

Sannuri charged forward as my robe fluttered in the wind. Clack, clack… She started
on the ground, but began running on air before I noticed. Only a few horses could air
walk. I arrived at the World’s End after about 10 minutes.

“You’re here, newbie. How flashy.”

Cheok Jungyeong greeted me from a mountain with a clear view of World’s End as I
descended from the sky.

“Hello.”
I fixed my disheveled robe and looked down. The calamities that came out from the
Door of Calamity already claimed their respective territories and formed an
organized army. I bitterly smiled at the scene. It looked like Eastern Crevon had
already fallen.

“What’s our plan?” Cheok Jungyeong asked.

“We’re going to hunt one calamity and immediately go to the 10th floor.”

Aileen’s party should’ve received the reward for being the first to arrive on the 10th
floor. I felt slightly regretful, but I preferred them instead of djinns like in the original
story.

“And after we get there?”

“We start climbing the tower for real. We’ll be the first to reach every floor until the
15th. Hunting one of those calamities will give us a bonus too.”

From now on, climbing the tower alone would be hard even for me. I planned on
climbing as a group while taking all the necessary rewards.

“Hunting those won’t be easy.” Jin Yohan spoke from next to Cheok Jungyeong. He
smiled with the Serpent Spear in hand.

“It’s fine. Don’t look here, but way over there to the left of the canyon.” I pointed to a
small canyon in the distance. One calamity, a large snake, had claimed its territory
there.

“It’s by itself and practically asking to be killed.”

The python was the weakest of the calamities. It should be around level 30 if the
minotaur was at level 40.

“I guess. Cheok Jungyeong, where’s Boss?”

Cheok Jungyeong scratched his head at Jin Yohan’s question. “How would I know?
Boss likes this little guy.”

“Boss will be here soon. I have already messaged her.”

A group of players appeared on the plain not too far away. I pushed my hood down
after spotting Essence of the Strait’s team. Several other groups also arrived. The
English Royal Court guild, Kim Suho’s party, Desolate Moon, Frost Sanctuary, and
various individual rankers including Vast Expanse’s Kim Junwoo. Players who could
call themselves experts gathered one by one.

“Newbie, go out there and strike the first blow.”

“Pardon?” I tilted my head at Cheok Jungyeong’s suggestion.

“It looks like they’ll come together again. What are you going to do if they choose the
same target?”

“Oh.”

As Cheok Jungyeong said, the players discussed how to approach the upcoming
battle. A few of the smart ones should’ve noticed python was the weakest, but they
would have to fight the nearby calamities and monsters if I shot an arrow to start the
battle.

“Before that, give me the thing I asked for.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot.”

Cheok Jungyeong took out several arrows from his inventory. A total of 60 [Lv.5 Dark
Ore Arrows] made from dark ores I bought in the auction house or received through
rolling the random dice.

[You have consumed spirit power to use Lv.6 Synthesis.] [Synthesizing Lv.5 Dark Ore
Arrow with Lv.7 Dark Ore Arrow…] [Warning! The high level items will decrease the
success rate.] [Synthesis has succeeded!] [Warning! The high level items will decrease
the success rate.] [Synthesis has succeeded!] [Warning! The high level items will
decrease the success rate.] [Synthesis has succeeded!]…

Of the 60 arrows, 50 successfully fused with my five Lv.7 arrows and they increased
to level 9. Cheok Jungyeong stared at me.

“It’s interesting no matter how many times I see it. Why did you learn such a weird
skill?”
I lightly smiled and nocked all 5 arrows onto my bow. A sudden question popped up
in my head. Which was stronger between my gun and bow? I no longer knew the
answer.

“I’m starting.”

“Don’t hide. Walk up to the mountain peak and show yourself.”

Cheok Jungyeong pushed me to the top.

“I’m not an attention-seeker or anything. I don’t mind.”

“What use is there in having cool items if you don’t show them off? You’re good at
archery too, so show it off! There aren’t many chances in this vast world to make a
name for yourself.”

“If you say so.”

I’d make some SP at least, so it wasn’t a disadvantageous offer. I grumbled and aimed
5 arrows at the monsters. Then I infused stigma’s magic power into them. Some
players with keen eyesight noticed me before I even released my bowstring. They
pointed and yelled something. This was all Cheok Jungyeong’s fault. I released the
bowstring as the 5 dark ore arrows flew towards the armies of each calamity.
The Guild Alliance and the rankers responded enthusiastically to Crevon’s call for
help. They insisted that they had received a lot from Crevon and shared deep bonds,
but most only wanted the money. All of them gathered at World’s End in the East.

“This is no joke.”

The calamities far exceeded their expectations. Four calamities occupied a vast area
the size of Jeju Island.

Players stared at the legendary creatures from myths: Medusa, minotaur, chimera,
and cyclops. Their overwhelming presence shook the earth and players didn’t dare
to venture any further. They could only watch from afar.

“Huh? What’s that?”

A child-like voice broke the silence filled with tension. It belonged to Yi Jiyoon.
Everybody turned towards her, who simply stared in one direction. Before long,
everyone turned to where she looked.

An archer stood atop a steep mountain and a black lotus engraved on his robe
fluttered in the wind. He aimed his bow at the field below.

“Black Lotus.”

A series of murmurs and laments broke out. Everyone here knew him all too well.
Black Lotus had come back. A wave of panic swept the entire crowd. Everyone
watched as he pulled his bowstring. Some tried to put up a barrier and others ran
away. However, he fired his arrows before anyone could react. Players screamed and
got down on the ground.

No matter how long they waited… the attack never came. Black Lotus didn’t aim at
them. A series of doubtful murmurs could be heard upon this realization. He actually
fired in the opposite direction towards the chimera and a group of monsters near it.
Chwaaa… The arrows flew in different paths and tore up the monsters.

“Wow.”

“Is this… real?”

“What…”

His archery skills surpassed the human domain. The arrows moved in different
directions as if they had intelligence and pierced one monster after the other. One
move killed at least 10 monsters.

Gruooooo!

The monsters roared at the surprise attack. Arrows came flying once again, but the
monsters showed no fear. That's when the players realized Black Lotus came to help
them. They didn’t know why, but they had no reason to be fear him now. The most
simple-minded guilds acted first. Members of the Chinese guild, Empire of Glory, and
the Indian guild, Mumbai Crew, ran to where Black Lotus’ arrows landed. They
finished off the already half-dead monsters to earn TP. Seeing this, other guilds also
rushed in and high rankers had no choice but to participate.

The war finally began.

***

Boss joined us soon after the fight broke out, which looked too disorganized to be
called a war. We rushed towards the python, a giant serpent with a head that slightly
resembled a human. She scattered her bodily fluids and eggs all over the canyon to
mark her territory.

“Can I go in and fight now?”

Cheok Jungyeong asked as he stretched. He acknowledged her as a challenging

opponent by putting more effort into stretching. Arms as big as my thighs and legs as
wide as my body moved about. I wondered what his stats looked like from the size of
his biceps, so I took out the directory to satisfy my curiosity.

▷Stats: Variable Stats [Strength ???] [Stamina ???] [Speed ???] [Perception 10.7] [Magic
Power ???] [Vitality ???]
“…”

I became speechless. Everything except for his perception stat contained question
marks, which meant they all went above 11. He seemed more like a monster than the
python.

“What are you looking at?”

Of course, it made sense since Cheok Jungyeong acquired Secret March, a special skill
that boosted physical stats. He already possessed high base stats to begin with
thanks to his gift.

“Ah, I see.”

Cheok Jungyeong grinned. His gift, Inheritance, allowed him to connect with his
former life as the strongest warrior of Goryeo.

“Our bodies are built differently, so you can never be like me.”

Cheok Jungyeong mistook my gaze for envy.

“It’s not like I want to.”

“Heh, don’t lie.”

“Whatever.”

“Oh?”

“You’re too noisy, Gyeong.”

Boss stopped him as he mumbled in dissatisfaction and retreated. Now, I briefed

them on the mission and gathered all my dark ore arrows.

“She’s pretty tough, so we can’t just do whatever we want. Each of us will play a
specific role.”

Like an MMORPG, a raid required cooperation and strategy. Cheok Jungyeong liked
to play solo and seemed annoyed, but Jin Yohan smiled and nodded.
“I know, I know. We only have four of us though.”

“No, we have seven.”

Sannuri and Spartan appeared next to me like the wind. They also brought Jain, who
had been sleeping.

“Haa… I wanted to rest for a bit.”

Jain got off and tidied her disheveled hair. Finally, we all gathered.

“Well, then…”

I began assigning roles. It would be better to divide a snake that big into different
parts to attack. I placed Cheok Jungyeong in charge of the tail, which was the
python’s vital point. Jin Yohan would take the right side while Boss took the left. I
assigned myself the head.

“We can leave the nearby monsters to Sannuri and Spartan.”

“What about me?” Jain tilted her head.

“You’re quick on your feet, so please assist anyone who needs help.”

“Yaaaawn. Okay.”

We prepared for action as Cheok Jungyeong stepped forward. “So you’re saying I
have to get rid of its tail first?”

“Yes, be careful. She’ll probably shoot poison with her tail. It’ll be hard to block even
with my armor.”

Item levels and monster levels worked slightly differently. Simply put, item levels
held more value. For example, a Lv.3 sword could kill Lv.6-8 monsters. However,
Cheok Jungyeong only had the Lv.6 Infighter’s Leather Armor against the Lv.30
python’s venom.

“No worries. My body is even tougher than this armor.”

The blood vessels in his eyes already started to burst. As a warrior, he only grew
more excited before a fierce battle.

“Okay then. Let’s go.”

Cheok Jungyeong charged. Koong, koong, koong, koong! His footsteps shook the earth
and cracked the ground, sending dirt into the air.

“——!”

He roared and jumped. For a second, he simply flew from the strength in his legs. I
shot my arrows before he landed on the python’s tail. The other members, including
Spartan and Sannuri, quickly chased after him at a speed that almost rivaled my
arrows.

***

[Party, Chameleon Troupe, is the first to defeat a calamity. This news will be shortly
announced.] [You have acquired a calamity core.] [You may now proceed to the 10th
floor at any time.] [Entering 10F.] [Warning! Party play is recommended from the 10F
and above.]

We reached the 10th floor without difficulty and couldn’t see a thing as though our
sight had been blocked. The system also went silent.

“What the heck is this place?” Cheok Jungyeong’s voice filled the air.

“I can’t see anything.” Boss’ voice also echoed out.

However, I could see just fine with my gift, one of the privileges as the original
author. First, I walked up to Boss and grabbed her hand.

“Who are you!” Boss snatched my arm and bent it the other way as I touched her.

“Everyone be careful! Somebody tried to grab me! I caught him, but—“

“It’s me, Boss.”

“Eh?”

“It hurts.”
“Oh, sorry.”

Boss coughed and let me go. I grabbed everyone’s hands one by one and gathered
them. Soon, we formed a line with me leading the way.

“Everyone, don’t let go.”

I said as I tightly held Boss’ hand. A positive answer came from behind. Then…

— Welcome to the 10th floor, the Maze of Insensibility.

A strange voice descended from the sky and shook the atmosphere. We immediately
focused on the administrator’s voice.

— I am the administrator of this floor. I assume you are here to find your way to the
11th floor.

The voice sounded cold and its unpleasant tone gave me goosebumps.

— The way to the 11th floor is simple. You must find your way out of the Maze of
Insensibility.

“Phew…”

I sighed in relief. I had described the 10th floor with less than 100 words in the
original story and worried if things might’ve changed, but thankfully they hadn’t.

— However, numerous traps and monsters will be waiting for you in this maze. You
will lose your senses one by one as you grow closer to the exit. Just like how you lost
your sight.

The administrator briefly paused before continuing. His tone suddenly turned much
friendlier.

— However, I am also aware you are the first to conquer a calamity. I highly respect
individuals like you. Therefore, I have made a difficult decision to allow you to keep
all your senses in exchange for your calamity core.

I sneered in silence. He dared to scheme as the administrator of an insignificant floor.

“No, we’ll just do it.”

— You will regret it. I’ve come to this conclusion after much deliberation. Under
normal circumstances…

“That’s okay. We’ll play fair.”

— Fool. Good luck, then.

The voice abruptly stopped and everything became silent again. The darkness
remained since we didn’t give up our calamity core.

“Hey, I’ve got a question.” Cheok Jungyeong broke the silence.

“Why are these administrators or whatever helping us climb the tower?”

My heart skipped a beat since his thoughtless question pierced the root of my
settings.

“I don’t know, maybe because they’re already dead?”

The answer to his question required further explanation. Take Crevon on floor 8-3
for example. The Atalos Royal Family controlled Lu Bu, Lancelot, and other heroes
from history. However, they didn’t subjugate the demons. This wasn’t because they
pursued coexistence or preferred peace. They simply had no other choice.

A dead man was a dead man. Souls like Lu Bu and Lancelot, who once lived on Earth,
couldn’t move outside their designated areas. Even Lu Bu, who possessed the
broadest sphere of activity, could only move around [8F Crevon Mainland] and some
parts of [3F Prestige].

However, this restraint didn’t apply to administrators. They knew they lived in a
mere tower. Therefore, they wanted to re-establish themselves in the real world on
Earth or simply wished for their soul’s complete extinction. That’s why they helped
or hindered players. We played the most important role in their revival or extinction.

“The hell does that mean?”

“I mean I’m not sure either. Let’s get moving for now.”
We took a step into the dark maze.

“Hold on to the person behind you and don’t let go. I’m pretty lucky, so I’ll make sure
we reach the exit. Just focus on not letting go. Please, Cheok Jungyeong!”

“Ha, you out of your mind? Why are you pointing me out?”

I didn’t answer and began walking. Tap, tap. I could still hear as Boss held my hand. I
proceeded down the path according to my luck.

However, my senses grew more restricted as we progressed. Soon, my sense of

hearing disappeared. Followed by my sense of touch. I could no longer tell whether I
was walking or sinking in a swamp.

Now, I couldn’t help but doubt my sight, the only sense I had left.
I clenched my teeth and walked forward. I felt like I would forget how to face
forward if I turned around. Was this the right method? I didn’t know. The question
itself might be a trap, so I simply kept walking. I exerted more strength into the hand
holding Boss even though I lost my sense of touch some time ago. Soon, the concept
of time also disappeared. I walked for an unknown amount of time with only my
sight intact.

“Haa, haa.”

I seemed to have escaped the maze before I even noticed. The sound of my breathing
returned and I found myself covered in sweat and blood. A scorching pain finally
struck me. I must’ve stepped on some traps while my senses disappeared.

“I think we’re done.”

“I still can’t see… Ah, wait. What’s this? Something’s wrong with my wrist!”

Jain gasped when she came out of the maze. I collected my breath and turned
around.

“Potion, I need a potion Hajin!”

Jain’s hand dangled on her arm. Something had almost severed her wrist in there.

“Haa…”

I sighed and handed her a potion. It felt like we were missing someone as I glanced
around. Someone hadn’t made it. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan stood behind me, but I
couldn’t spot the most noticeable one. Cheok Jungyeong… even after I warned you…

“Wait, Cheok Jungyeong isn’t here.”

“Oh, you’re right. I knew this would happen. That idiot.”

“I’ll go get him. Stay here.”

I agreed with Jain’s comment and prepared to enter the maze again. Boss spoke
while still holding onto me.

“Hajin, I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s better for me to go alone. You should stay here.”

[Warning! It is recommended that you do not re-enter.] [Traveling through the maze in
reverse will result in a huge penalty.] [The 10th floor administrator will act even more
hostile towards you. He has already assigned harsher trials to your party.]

I set a 3 minute timer on my smartwatch and let go of Boss. She tried to grab my
hand again, but her sight hadn’t returned yet.

“Hajin, where are you… grab my hand… listen to your boss…”

She flailed about before falling.

“I’ll be back soon.”

I re-entered the maze. A strange feeling much stronger than before came over me as
I took the first step. I moved my legs forward while trying to keep myself from
throwing up. I continued while not feeling a thing. However, I couldn’t find Cheok
Jungyeong even after a long time. I turned around feeling annoyed and another
strange feeling struck me. Was this me? Was I myself?

— Give me the calamity core and you will easily find your companion.

I snapped out of my stupor thanks to the damned administrator’s voice. I shook my

head resolutely. I think I said something, but I couldn’t hear my voice.

— Fool, you will never escape this place.

The administrator disappeared. Then a holographic window popped up from my

smartwatch. The alarm signaled that 3 minutes had passed. I could start over no
matter what the administrator did.

[You have reversed time.] [You will return to the past 3 minutes ago.]
I used [Time Reversal] for the first time after obtaining the [Clock Hand of Fate]. The
world seemed to shake as an odd sensation enveloped me. Then I went back in time.

“Hajin, I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head at Boss who said the same words. Then I entered the maze once
again. I recalled my previous path and chose another one since I didn’t find Cheok
Jungyeong there. Experiencing this senselessness three times would be enough. I
simply headed to where I felt he would be and ended up finding him with my luck.

He fought against some monster. His battle instincts seemed to work just fine even
with all his senses isolated. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Then I walked up
to him and dragged him away. We left the maze as my timer ran out.

“What?”

Cheok Jungyeong looked confused as I slapped his chest. Thwack! He raised his arms
in surprise.

“Why were you fighting, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“I was?”

“Yes!”

“Uh, I don’t know. Did I?”

I wanted to say something, but an intense pain struck my chest. Koong! My heart
thumped and I helplessly fell as the pain squeezed all my organs. I almost lost
consciousness when Boss and Jain ran towards me. They slapped my cheeks and
shouted, but I couldn’t hear them. Then a system message popped up.

[You have reached the end of time reversal.] [Warning! Be careful of the consequences!]

I laughed inaudibly at the side effects of time reversal. Sure, the skill had charges, but
using it 3 times in a row would probably kill me. Thankfully, the pain slowly faded as
aether activated the Orb of Regeneration.

“Kim Hajin!”
I regained my hearing as Boss’ voice entered my ears.

“Hajin, are you okay?”

Jain also asked. I bitterly smiled and turned towards Cheok Jungyeong. He seemed
sorry and embarrassed as he scratched his head, unsure of what to say. It did feel like
he was reflecting on his mistake.

“This is all because of that son of a bitch.”

I pointed at Cheok Jungyeong with a trembling finger. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan all
looked at him with serious expressions.

***

We breezed through the 11th and 12th floors in the next week. I ended up taking the
rewards that should’ve belonged to Kim Suho, but they weren’t anything special. I
could always give it to him later if he needed something.

The 11th and 12th floors could be repeated multiple times as solo stages. A player
only had to beat it once to climb up, but they could try it again at a harder difficulty
to advance their skills.

“Yaawn…”

We reached the peaceful 13th floor and stayed in a small log cabin with a living room
and one bedroom.

“How high does this tower go?”

“Who knows?” I replied to Cheok Jungyeong’s question. He didn’t say anything else
because of what happened on the 10th floor.

“Really? I think Hajin knows everything.” Jain grinned.

Is Hajin really a regressor? The knowledge and experience he’s shown so far can only
be explained by that…

Boss’ voice suddenly rang in my head.

“…?” I turned to Boss stroking Spartan.

“Ah.”

Spartan’s senses transcended humans. Just now, I heard him reading Boss’ mind
through our connection.

“I’m not a regressor.”

“…!”

Boss shook when she heard me. Technically, I went back in time for 3 minutes, but
that didn’t count. It almost killed me too.

Boss’ thoughts rang in my head again. He can even read my mind because of all his
experiences…

“You’re wrong.”

“W-What am I wrong about? Explain that first.”

“Just know that you’re wrong.”

I shook my head and lay down. A clock ticked from above.

[13F, Area of Rest, 63:23:34]

Tick— Tick—

The goal on the 13th floor was simple. [You will endure a mental trial.]

We could freely rest here for 100 hours, but would experience a horrible nightmare
if we fell asleep.

I stayed awake for about 37 hours. I would’ve probably fallen asleep a long time ago
without any companions.

“Ah, I’m so bored! I’m gonna work out!”

Cheok Jungyeong shot up and Jin Yohan looked at him.

“Wanna spar?”

“Sure, follow me.”

The two of them left and Jain also went to watch. They still seemed full of energy and
could probably stay awake for 100 hours without any problems. However…

“I’m so sleepy.”

I always got all my sleep and also used [Time Reversal] once on the 10th floor and the
12th floor. My condition felt terrible, but we focused on climbing the tower without
rest because Aileen and Kim Suho’s party were both catching up.

“Yaawn.”

“Are you sleepy?” Boss looked at me.

“Yes.”

“You’re the one who said we shouldn’t sleep.”

“I know.”

I already explained to them that sleeping here would result in the worst nightmare.
Rustle— Boss crawled to a drawer in the corner and took out a deck of playing cards.

“Want to play a game?”

“No, I can’t lose, so it’ll only make me sleepier.”

“…”

I thought about sparring with one of the members, but quickly dismissed the idea. I
would surely faint afterwards.

“Auu…”

I spent the next 3 hours in a daze, yawning and looking at the ceiling. Don’t sleep.
Don’t sleep…
“…!”

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling above me. I have to write the next chapter.

“What time is it?”

I picked up my smartphone next to my pillow. It read 6 P.M. Only 5 hours left until
the deadline. I should have more than enough time to finish the chapter.

“Auu, I slept for 8 hours?”

I groaned and raised my body. Despite being in a rush, I never forgot to do my wake-
up routine: browsing the internet on my phone.

— Hajin, are you still asleep?

A voice rang from outside the door. I tilted my head and looked around. Indeed, I was
in my one-bedroom apartment. The bed felt more comfortable than usual, so who
was outside?

Drrk—

The door opened and a familiar figure appeared with the smell of cigarettes. My eyes
widened at the sudden guest.

“Dad?”

“Stop sleeping during the day and get up. I brought you some food.”

Dad’s face looked a bit blurry. I didn’t hear anything about them visiting, but this
wasn’t the first surprise visit from my parents. My vision suddenly turned blurry.

What’s wrong with me?

I rubbed my eyes. Why was I crying and why did my heart hurt so much?

“…jin.”

A soft voice entered my ears.

“What?” I frowned.

“What do you mean what? Get out here.”

“Ah, yes, Dad. Anyways, you said you brought beef?”

I asked in a cute tone as I jumped out of bed. Mom sat in the living room while
cooking the beef.

“Mom.”

I ran up and hugged her.

“You smell gross. Go take a shower.”

She smiled even as she said that.

“What are the both of you doing here?”

“We just had some time. You always order delivery, right? We thought we’d cook you
a home meal. I also brought some side dishes. Go wash your face first.”

“Okay.”

I ran to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink. Then I paused before turning on
the faucet. Mom and Dad came to visit, but there shouldn’t be anything special about
today. Still, something felt wrong for some reason. I slowly raised my head and
looked in the mirror.

“…?”

I was still crying and my hands shook. I couldn’t understand. Why was I crying?
What was wrong with me? Hajin. I thought I heard something.

“What?”

— How long are you going to stay in there? The meat’s done!

“Ah, yes. I’m coming.”

I finished washing up and left the bathroom. A hearty meal sat on the living room
table. I just woke up, but could eat beef any time of the day. I happily stuffed the rice
and meat into my mouth. Just eating with Mom and Dad made me so happy I began
to tear up again.

“Hajin.”

“Yes?”

Dad suddenly sounded serious after I finished a bowl of rice. He usually sounded like
this when he wanted to discuss life with me. I sat up straight and prepared myself for
a long lecture. I could always use my deadline as an excuse if I wanted to escape.
However, Dad said something unexpected.

“It’s time for you to go back.”

I tilted my head. Go back? This was my home and Mom and Dad were here too. Kim
Hajin! A faint shout entered my ears.

“Go back where? Oh, you mean work? Don’t worry. My deadline is in 4 hours.”

“He’s right. He can stay a bit more. You’re the one who wanted to see him the most.”

Mom nudged Dad’s shoulder. She wanted to talk more and nudged my shoulder too,
asking me if I wanted another bowl of rice. Her habits felt all too familiar.

“Yeah, I’ll take seconds.”

“Oh right, Hajin. You should come home at least once a week. You’re not that busy,
right?”

She always said that every time she came over. I normally would’ve said I didn’t have
time because of my novel or I would complain about her always nagging me, but
today…

“I will. Starting from next week.”

I said what I wanted to say, but Dad cut in again.

“That’s great, but you should still go now.”

“The deadline’s approaching, but I still have—”

“No, not that.”

Dad interrupted me. I can just tell my readers something came up and delay the
chapter. I glared at him with that thought.

“Not that, Hajin.”

He smiled bitterly at me.

— Kim Hajin!

A clear shout rang out this time. It filled the entire room.

“It’s time to go back to where you belong.”

“Kim Hajin! Wake up!”

My eyes suddenly shot open. My apartment and everything inside disappeared. I

took a deep breath, but couldn’t see anything with wet eyes.

“Haa.”

Someone sighed in relief and a rough hand softly wiped away my tears.

“You’re up.”

Only then could I see the woman who protected me.

“Was it painful?”

“…”

“You can give up if you want.”

I looked at her in a daze. I seemed to have misunderstood that the most painful
memories would resurface in this place.

“Ah.”
Tears came from the bottom of my heart. The small, yet happy living room I lived in
and the people I loved. Happy dreams could also be sad because they couldn’t come
true. I couldn’t endure this sadness and I covered my eyes. I cried again for the first
time since becoming Kim Hajin in this world. Sounds I couldn’t understand escaped
from my mouth as my heart and body shook.

My crying turned to weeping until an unknown amount of time passed and I finally
regained my senses. I awkwardly smiled at Boss next to me.

“Are you… okay now?”

I nodded with a light sigh. “Ah, how embarrassing. Don’t fall asleep like me, Boss.”

She silently looked at me and her calm eyes flickered with complicated emotions.
“That felt more painful than I thought.”

I placed my hand on my chest. My heartbeat reverberated throughout my entire

body.

“Hajin.” Boss whispered and held my hand. Her warmth enveloped me.

“I’m sorry.”

Her voice trembled as she choked up. What was she sorry about? I looked at her in
confusion. She bitterly smiled and spoke in a heavy tone.

“Don’t be hurt.”
[49:32:15] [49:32:14] [49:32:13]

Boss blankly looked at the clock and turned towards Kim Hajin. He sat on the ground
shuffling cards like an elaborate magic trick. He seemed normal on the outside, but
clearly wasn’t himself.

Boss recalled what just happened. She didn’t know what he dreamt about, but the
image of him muttering to his mother and father became imprinted in her mind. His
sorrowful voice made her heart slightly ache.

“Haaa.”

She sighed in the quiet cabin. Spartan had returned to the waiting room and the
other members hadn’t come back yet. Who knew what they were up to? Boss had no
idea how to start a conversation to break this awkward silence. After much thought,
she turned on the messenger and typed a message.

[What’s up]

“…”

That sounded too unfriendly. [What’s up Hajin.] She tried adding his name and a
period. [What’s up Hajin?] She didn’t like the question mark for some reason. [What’s
up Hajin lol] This one didn’t sound too bad.

“Hmm.”

She agonized over whether to send it, but ultimately decided not to. She turned off
the messenger and simply stared at him again. Should she apologize and ask for
forgiveness?

However, no words came out of her mouth. Anything she said now would be nothing
more than deception, but her heart ached every time she looked at him. She didn’t
know why.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She had killed many people to this day.
Whatever the reasons, they too were all someone’s mother, father, daughter, or son.
She quickly blocked out such emotions.

It was too late to regret it now. That wouldn’t change anything. The people she killed
could never come back and she would continue to kill many more.

— Don't fret over what can't be undone. Do what you can and do it well.

The former Boss once told her. She believed that as well and thought any guilt inside
her had already disappeared, but…

“Boss.”

A voice called her. She raised her head towards Kim Hajin who came over.

“Why are you doing that?”

Only then did she notice her posture, crouched while hugging her knees. I wonder
why. I guess I’m sleepy too. She murmured and bitterly smiled.

“Boss, I’m bored. Do you want to play cards?”

“I thought you didn’t want to.”

Kim Hajin smiled. “I have an idea. You can start with 10 cards and I’ll start with 5.
That way it’ll be funner. Oh, you know how to play poker, right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Then let’s do it.”

“Okay.”

He sat some distance in front of her. She watched him shuffle the deck of cards. Then
she found herself instinctively trying to spot a trick and became slightly disgusted
with herself.
“Alright, I’ll deal the cards.”

Boss felt pleased with her hand. However, over the 37 games they played in the next
3 hours…

“I quit.”

Boss lost 36 times. She held quad queens in the last game, but lost to quad aces. That
was the final straw as she placed the cards down and turned away.

“Man, that didn’t work. How about I get 5 cards and you get 14—”

“I quit.”

“…”

***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

The players gathered in Eastern Crevon. The city had mobilized magicians to
construct a secondary wall just outside the primary wall and built a fortress to
attract players. They provided TP and items as bait. The royal family declared that it
would lend items to players for free and offer TP for every monster killed. They
would completely give away the items if players could destroy all the calamities. The
royal family also offered one of their treasures and 100,000 TP to any player who
could kill a calamity.

“We only got the entrance reward for the 10th floor.”

Aileen spoke with several Guild Alliance members in a restaurant near the eastern
wall. Rachel, Kim Youngjin, and Yoo Yeonha all gathered around her.

“Black Lotus and his gang killed the 5th calamity, python. They also made it to the
11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th floor.”

Kim Youngjin nodded at Aileen’s remark.

“I see.”
During the last 20 days, a series of notifications shocked every player in the tower.

[A nameless party has entered the 11th floor for the first time.] [A nameless party has
entered the 12th floor for the first time.] [A nameless party has entered the 13th floor
for the first time.] [A nameless party has entered the 14th floor for the first time.]

It took them almost a year to climb from the 1st floor to the 10th floor, but only 2
weeks from the 10th floor to the 14th floor. Players argued over which of the two
parties, Aileen or Black Lotus’, had reached those floors first. Today, Aileen herself
ended the debate.

“We spent about 3 entire days on the 10th floor, I think? It was surprisingly difficult.
Right now, we’re on our way to the 13th floor.“

“…”

Yoo Yeonha listened while thinking about something else. She felt a deep sense of
anguish from her delusions. Her train of thought went like this:

The Black Lotus team is undoubtedly the Chameleon Troupe. Kim Hajin will probably
chase them wherever they go, but he isn’t the type to rely on others. However, that’s too
dangerous.

“Then… Senior Aileen… about Fenrir…”

Yoo Yeonha carefully asked. It had been almost a month since she first entered the
tower, but she hadn’t met him yet. Even when she suddenly smelled Kim Hajin while
walking, she only ended up finding Rachel drenched in his smell. It happened again
today. Rachel, completely oblivious, happily asked if Yoo Yeonha came to see her. Yoo
Yeonha couldn’t say no to her smiling face, so they decided to meet Aileen together.

“You’re looking for Fenrir?”

Aileen sulked. Needless to say, the public forum also gossiped about him and her
party.

“He’s not too popular these days.”

It all started with the Black Lotus incident a while back. Black Lotus used to attack
players before the calamities, but switched sides and attacked the monsters when
the calamities invaded Crevon. Of course, the incident surprised everyone. That day,
he killed hundreds of monsters with only 5 arrows and gave people another story to
tell. They started referring to him as the Dark Hero.

“People are probably bad-mouthing Fenrir as much as me. Are you worried about
him?”

“No, he’s not the type to concern himself with such things.”

“Really? Well, I don’t know anything. He seems to do well on his own, so he’s
probably fine.”

Yoo Yeonha seemed disappointed at her remark.

“Cough.”

Rachel quietly stepped forward. I’m on good terms with Aileen, so I’ll try to get her to
talk for Yoo Yeonha’s sake.

“Excuse me, Ail—“

“So you were here.”

The restaurant door opened and someone entered before Rachel could say anything.
They all turned towards the door as a magician similar in size to Aileen walked in.

“Eh, eh?” Aileen widened her eyes at the unexpected encounter.

“Ah, she’s my companion. She said she wanted to meet you, Senior Aileen, at all
costs.”

Yoo Yeonha stood up and introduced her companion, but Aileen remained in a daze.
High heels echoed off the floor as the magician approached them. She barely stood
160 cm tall even with her kill heels and her round face gave off a child-like vibe.
However, the way she walked and her expression exuded the epitome of elegance
and pride.

“Cough.”

Kim Yongjin desperately held back his laughter as Rachel looked adoringly at the
doll-like figure. Only Aileen seemed more serious than ever.

“Aileen.”

Ah Hae-In spoke as Aileen’s jaw dropped.

“It’s been a while.”

Many facilities called talent education centers could be found on Earth. At military
agent academies, children under the age of 11 only took classes until 2 P.M. due to
children’s rights. Private institutions grew in popularity to educate and train these
children during subsequent hours. The Veritas Education Center in Gangnam, South
Korea was the most famous in the world. Both Ah Hae-In and Aileen attended there
while growing up. Aileen first registered at 5 years old and Ah Hae-In entered at 11.

“…”

They shared a long history, but Aileen didn’t offer any greetings and simply
swallowed her saliva. The two had fought to the death a long time ago. Literally, to
the brink of death. Click, click— Ah Hae-In arrogantly approached and sat in front of
Aileen.

“…”

“…”

The two little adults silently stared at each other. It seemed like a staring contest
between cats and dogs. They looked dead serious, but the atmosphere between them
only felt cute and funny to outsiders. Tok, tok.

“…?”

Yoo Yeonha tapped Kim Youngjin’s shoulder for him to take a look at the messenger.
Kim Yongjin pretended to look at the time and checked his messages.

YooYeonhaYeonha: I just received a report about a massive artifact site being

uncovered in Central Asia.

Kim Youngjin slightly widened his eyes before calmly turning off the messenger. He
felt sorry for Rachel, but they had to keep this a secret.
“Senior Aileen, Fenrir will most likely continue to chase Black Lotus. Please tell him
that I want to see him if you happen to run into him.”

“H-Huh? Oh, o-okay…”

Aileen nodded at Yoo Yeonha’s words while studying Ah Hae-In’s expression.

“We have to go now. Please take your time.”

“Huh? G-Go where? You can stay. No, you should stay…”

Yoo Yeonha stood up with the others and they all left Aileen behind. A woman who
had been eavesdropping coldly muttered.

“Idiots.”

Jin Sahyuk felt extremely frustrated. Everyone kept talking about Fenrir going after
Black Lotus or how Fenrir killed Black Lotus. What a joke. She wanted to tell them
like how that barber shouted about the king’s ears in the bamboo forest. [1]

Kim Hajin is Fenrir and Black Lotus, you brainless fools!

However, Jin Sahyuk didn’t tell anyone. Not because she feared Kim Hajin, but
because she simply hated mudslinging. It couldn’t be called revenge.

“How am I going to make 150,000 TP?”

Rather than that, earning TP concerned her more since she wanted to use the
Upgrade Center on the 7th floor. She could easily rob rich NPCs or hunt other
players, but Kim Hajin’s threat kept her in line. She consoled herself by saying that
not just her, but no one in the tower could stand up to him. Ding— A message
suddenly arrived.

Bell: Sahyuk, I heard from our informant that artifacts have been discovered in Central
Asia.

So what? Jin Sahuk didn’t bother replying. Right now, even time spent eating felt like
a waste. She needed to kill monsters to collect TP and use the upgrade center as soon
as possible.
Bell: It looks like the Chameleon Troupe will be there as well. What do you think?

Her gaze sharpened like a blade the moment she read that.

Me: You sure? By Chameleon Troupe, you mean Kim Hajin?

Bell: Probably? You know how I’m acquainted with their boss. I’d say there’s a 90%
chance, but why? Do you want to fight him, so he can kick your butt again?

She clenched her fists. Not inside, but outside the tower. She felt confident in
winning on Earth. No, not confident. She felt sure she would win. Her self-esteem
that sunk to the bottom rose again as she muttered with resentment.

“I’ll bite and chew every piece of…”

“Here are your chicken legs.”

The waiter set down a plate of 20 chicken legs in front of her. Jin Sahyuk took the
legs and tore them apart. Nom, nom. Her eyes shone with fury as she chewed the
tender meat.

***

[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

The Chameleon Troupe decided to halt their climb on the 15th floor. We found
ourselves inside an abandoned warship that looked like it came out of a sci-fi movie.
Cheok Jungyeong and I sat on a bench covered in moss.

“We’re stopping here?” Cheok Jungyeong asked.

“Yeah, we have to go back to Crevon now.”

The other calamities besides the python still remained and continued attacking
Crevon as we climbed. Kim Suho should defeat Medusa soon enough, but not the
remaining calamities like the level 40 minotaur and chimera and the level 45 cyclops.
Furthermore, more calamities besides them still waited on the 9th floor. We simply
skipped the 9th floor by killing a calamity instead of clearing it.

“Oi, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“Ah? Oh, what’s up? Sorry, I’m not used to you talking so casually.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh… Well, I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk to me like that. Haha, I’m sure I’ll get
used to it.”

I silently smirked. Faking a near-death experience proved quite effective, but I

could’ve actually died.

“Um… does it still hurt?” Cheok Jungyeong asked while scratching his cheek.

“I’m somewhat alright.”

I planned to visit the upgrade center again and raise my stats since the time
reversal’s side effects felt too severe. I’d been putting off the painful operation, but I
should raise all my stats by the maximum 3 points.

“What do you mean somewhat? Alright is alright.”

“Whatever.”

I stood up. The 15th floor consisted of one giant machine called [Genkelope’s
Abandoned Vessel]. The warship equaled twice the size of Jejudo and featured sci-fi
phenomena scarier than monsters. We needed to restart the ship to reach the 16th
floor. In short, we needed at least a month to clear this floor.

“Mmm… I’m going back to Crevon. No, before that, to the 7th floor.”

“Gotcha. Then I’m heading back to Crevon first. I need to take care of a fella there.”

Cheok Jungyeong stretched his body. His remark sounded slightly suspicious, so I
asked.

“Why? To avenge Kaita?”

Cheok Jungyeong paused. He awkwardly turned to me, embarrassed that I read his
mind. However, he soon smiled.

“Once a comrade, always a comrade. No matter how stupid you are.”

He probably thought he sounded cool, but it didn’t work on me. For the record, Kim
Suho had already killed Kaita twice.

“Are you gonna avenge him or not?”

“I will, you bum.”

Cheok Jungyeong curled his lips in a pout. I felt disgusted. Why did he act so gross
these days?

“So, I don’t need to do anything today?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m leaving.”

Cheok Jungyeong went down using the crystal stele. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan already
left the tower a while ago. They probably went out to look for Genghis Khan’s
artifacts. It also served as an important turning point in the original novel.

My heart suddenly sank. Chae Nayun would meet the djinn who killed her mother
there. Then should I head there as well? I hadn’t decided yet, but I needed to grow
stronger for Crevon’s sake. I went down to the 7th floor with the crystal stele.

[7F, Game Center]

I passed by the familiar lobby and went straight to the Upgrade Center. The familiar
AlphaGo greeted me as I opened the door.

— Hello.

“Yeah, hi.”

— How may I help you today?

“I’m here to do what I don’t want to do.”

I’d been putting off the stat enhancement operation because it would hurt like your
limbs being severed and put back together.
— Are you referring to the stat enhancement operation?

“Yes. Can you do it?”

— Yes. This operation may be performed up to 3 times. Player Extra7 may undergo
this surgery 2 more times.

“Okay. Then I…”

I planned on enhancing every stat other than magic power and easily paid the
150,000 TP. Then the door suddenly shot open and someone hurriedly entered. I
recognized her as the robed sorceress, Medea.

“Hey, it’s great to see you. I knew you’d come back, so I’ve been waiting for the last
20 days.”

Medea gracefully spoke and approached with a beaming smile.

“You waited for me?”

I played dumb.

“Yes, Extra7. Remember what you said last time?”

“I don’t like being called by my nickname.”

“Oh… Really? Sorry. Then—”

She tried to continue, but AlphaGo grabbed me.

— The operation will begin soon.

“Ah, really? Sorry, administrator. I need to go into surgery now.”

Medea looked at AlphaGo, slightly irritated, but nodded.

“Yeah? Then… I’ll wait until it’s over. Oh, isn’t this expensive? Do you want me to pay
for it?”

“I already paid.”
“…Is that so?”

— Please follow me.

AlphaGo’s mechanical voice pressed me and I followed him while pretending to be

sorry.

Jiing— Kwaaaa— Wiinng—

All kinds of horrible sounds filled the shop.

I came out 4 hours later, overcome with pain. Medea dozed off in a chair as I drank a
few potions to recover my stamina. That setting probably hasn’t changed if she’s this
obsessed with luxury.

“Oh, are you finished?”

Medea woke up and bitterly smiled. She handed me a potion, but placed it back into
her pockets after seeing the empty ones I already drank.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Well. You know, about what you said last time? Something bad happened, so I was in
a horrible mood. First, I’d like to apologize. Simad told me you really did make it.”

I silently listened while reading the notification window that popped up in the air.

[Warning! The calamities in Crevon are now raging!]

“I wasn’t too surprised. I’ve been thinking about how great your craftsmanship is,
but a lot of administrators will visit you from now on. Such a marvelous robe can’t be
found anywhere else. I don’t intend to receive it for free. Of course—”

“Woah!

“What?”

I widened my eyes and screamed on purpose.

“Sorry, administrator. Something important came up in Crevon!”

“H-Huh?”

I left Medea perplexed while I reclaimed my belongings from AlphaGo and took out
the portable crystal stele.

“Let’s talk about this some other time! It’s a huge calamity!”

“W-Wait, kid!”

I felt a sense of deja vu as my body warped.

1. A Korean folklore about a barber who swears secrecy regarding the king’s strange
ears, but yells the truth inside a well and unintentionally spreads it to the entire
world. ☜
The Tower of Wish could be considered a miracle. A tower’s origin and its creation
still remained a mystery. An entity that could bring back the dead, a vast world that
ignored the laws of physics and even the laws of magic, administrators who
maintained this place…

“Haaa.”

The most famous administrator, Medea, currently sighed. A beautifully adorned door
stood in front of her, but she only felt bitter as she opened it. The room beyond
featured several elegant pieces of furniture.

Administrators still recalled their past lives. They all used to be humans and wished
to live as humans. However, they couldn’t fully interact with NPCs and players, so
they created their own private gatherings to display new magic and interesting
artifacts around the tower. Today, Medea came to participate in such a social
gathering.

“…”

From the Ancient Era to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the Modern Age,
everything came together to form a beautiful interior. Each member had decorated
this place with amazing items. However, no one had arrived yet. Medea sat in a chair
feeling dizzy. Only fools ever came early. The five administrators, including Medea,
believed arriving late was quite fashionable and made them seem more like the main
character.

[Phenomenon Realm Gathering]

Medea gritted her teeth at the sign on the wall. In the beginning, administrators
actually discussed what they could do for themselves. Over hundreds of years passed
and now the gatherings were nothing more than political battles.

“Phenomenon Realm…”
She still couldn’t give up her one wish. The Phenomenon Realm. To obtain her body
again after death and return to being human. This 200 year old wish required two
things: fulfillment and state of existence.

Fulfillment referred to one’s achievements like how Medea built an artificial sun over
Prestige. Honestly, she didn’t care about the NPCs at all. After all, they were all dead
souls. Only the living players mattered to her. As such, Medea erected a sun in front
of all the players. That should’ve been more than enough of an achievement.

Her state of existence proved to be more of a problem. One could increase their state
of existence in many ways. It might seem strange, but one such way was through her
beauty. Then why couldn’t they just equip countless artifacts?

The answer was quite simple. The tower’s artifacts were no different than trash to
administrators. Relics left behind after their owners’ deaths. Happily wielding an
artifact only honored the original owner, who would receive an increase in their
state of existence instead of the administrator.

Medea only desired original beauty. She kept a close eye on the [Crevon
Craftsmanship Tournament] for this reason. She believed her hard work would be
rewarded even though dwarves had gone extinct. Then she saw that elegant, original
beauty. She wanted that robe at all costs even if it only slightly increased her state of
existence.

“How should I coax him?”

The door slowly creaked open while Medea mulled over the matter. Four
administrators walked in from the other side: Aphrodite, Penelope, Helena, and
Athena. Athena?

“You came early?”

Medea smiled at Aphrodite’s greeting. The former goddess’ status only belonged in
the past. Now, she was an administrator just like Medea. A hundred years had passed
since they decided on how to address each other.

“Hi.”

“Hello.”
“Have you been well?”

Helena, Athena, and Penelope spoke respectively. They sat in their seats while
chattering as Medea glanced at their attires, which looked no different than what
they wore last time. I guess they can’t improve anymore at this point.

“Oh right, Medea. I heard you’ve been chasing after the player who crafted Wolf’s
Fragrance.” Aphrodite brightly smiled at her.

“I’m not chasing him. You must’ve heard wrong.”

“Oh please. Don’t you know how rude that is? Simad planned to give it to me all
along—”

“By the way, why is she here?”

Medea paid more attention to Athena than stupid Aphrodite. Athena left the
Phenomenon Realm Gathering 100 years ago. She still considered herself a goddess
and viewed everyone else as mere human heroes.

“Is that woman after the robe too—”

“No, not that.” Aphrodite interrupted Medea.

“I want something else.” Athena interrupted Aphrodite.

Did Athena finally suppress her pride as a goddess? She seemed okay with Medea’s
casual way of speaking.

“I want an arrow.”

Medea couldn’t understand what Athena just said. “What? An arrow?”

***

[8F, Crevon Mainland]

I returned to Crevon after leaving Medea. The Atalos Royal Family declared a state of
emergency, advising all citizens to stay indoors. The bustling streets became empty
now.
— Hiinng!

“Let’s go.”

I summoned Sannuri and jumped on her back. Then I faced towards the distant
eastern battlefield while sitting on the comfortable saddle. Thousands of monsters
marched from the east. They didn’t move just based on instincts. Chimera, the
hivemind of monsters, commanded them.

— Hiing.

“Thanks.”

I quickly reached a high vantage point. Sannuri tackled the nearby monsters while
Spartan shot blasts of magic power.

“Well done.”

I stood at the edge of a sharp cliff as Sannuri and Spartan drove away the monsters.
The fierce wind blew past the army of monsters below me.

A few arrows couldn’t deal with such a large number. Dark ore arrows required
stigma’s magic power to display their maximum potential. I could only control 5 dark
ore arrows for about 10 minutes if I used all 4 streaks of stigma.

I checked my number of bullets instead. Due to slowly making them over time, I now
had 300 handgun bullets, 600 rifle bullets, and 90 sniper bullets. Assuming each
bullet could kill 1.5 monsters, that would amount to 1500 monsters.

I suddenly wondered about something while calculating my battle potential. Did I

even need to fight?

— A wave of lightning will rage! Die!

Aileen’s childish voice summoned a lightning storm that swept through a crowd of
monsters.

— Hellfire.

Yi Yongha’s inextinguishable fire also spread from one monster to another, lighting
the battlefield into a reddish-black hue.

— I’ll focus on sniping the liches, spellcasters, specters, and other magic casters.

Jin Seyeon shot down monsters that posed more of a threat. Meanwhile, Shin
Jonghak also put on a fantastic show. Kim Youngjin had obtained the legendary
Azure Dragon Crescent Blade and utilized his Weapon Master gift to its maximum
potential. Kim Junwoo danced through the battlefield with his sword. As expected of
a hunter from the Vast Expanse. Jin Sahyuk fired a flurry of magic weapons amidst
the chaos. Wait. Jin Sahyuk? Was that really Jin Sahyuk? I narrowed my eyes.

“The heck…”

Indeed, Jin Sahyuk sweated among the players and worked hard to defeat monsters.
What is she doing here? I briefly thought about it and concluded she probably needed
TP. After all, she seemed quite interested in the 7th floor’s neurotech chip. I nocked
my arrow and aimed at Jin Sahyuk.

[Warning. Crevon is currently at war. The player you have targeted has joined Crevon’s
war effort as an ally. Killing this player may result in punishment from Crevon.]

She even officially joined the war effort. I didn’t care that much since the punishment
didn’t come from an administrator. Jin Sahyuk seemed to have sensed the danger
with her sharp intuition and suddenly turned around in the middle of battle. Her
eyes scanned the surroundings and soon landed on me. We gazed at each other over
the long distance. Jin Sahyuk gritted her teeth at me. Not long afterwards, her mouth
moved. I couldn’t hear her, but understood what she tried to say.

I’m not doing anything bad right now!

Then she added another sentence.

Don’t shoot. Dammit!

Her desperate shouting made me laugh. Regardless, I released the bowstring.

Chweek— The dark ore arrow shot forward with a sonic boom. Jin Sahyuk quickly
formed a barrier, but it couldn’t block stigma’s anti-magic attribute.

—…!
Her barrier shattered and my arrow dug through her shoulder. She should’ve felt an
unimaginable pain.

— Fuck…

Jin Sahyuk managed not to scream as an absurd thought popped into my head.
Would it be possible to change her too? Like how Shin Jonghak and Chae Nayun
changed? Of course, I didn’t need to test such a hypothetical question. I would still
kill her without hesitation if given the chance, but perhaps I’d been excluding the
possibility of reforming her.

—…

Jin Sahyuk glared at me full of pain and frustration. I could feel her rage from over
here. For now, I didn’t plan on letting her live in peace. I raised my bow and nocked
another arrow, but she suddenly disappeared.

“How quick.”

I refused to let her escape and infused stigma’s magic power into my eyes. Jin Sahyuk
had gotten quite far as she clenched her teeth and held her shoulder. Fortunately for
her, the other nearby players stole my attention: Kim Suho, Venessa Fermun, Paolo
Fermun, Yi Yeonghan, and Chae Nayun.

— Be careful everyone!

They fought Medusa some distance away from the main battlefield. A white aura
emanated from Kim Suho’s golden sword. It looked like the Hwai sword technique
that I gifted him.

— You’re the one who should be careful!

Chae Nayun swung a claymore the size of her body. The powerful strike left a gaping
wound on Medusa and smashed away her minions. They didn’t seem to need my
help, so I slowly lowered my bow.

—!

Then Medusa suddenly screamed and activated her magic eye of petrification.
However, Kim Suho swung his sword and his gift easily severed Medusa’s authority.
The rest of his party remained unaffected. The real problem came from above as
several hundred harpies appeared in the sky.

[Lv.10 Harpie]

— Pieeeek!

Monsters with a human head and a bird’s body. They screamed and spat out venom,
drawing the attention of Kim Suho’s party.

— What are those?

Chae Nayun sent a sword strike into the sky, but the nimble harpies dodged it.

Only Venessa Fermun specialized in long ranged attacks. Kim Suho and Chae Nayun
struck down a few harpies here and there, but that took their attention away from
Medusa. The tide of the battle began to shift, but Kim Suho’s party had to defeat
Medusa today.

“Hmm…”

I raised my bow again without a choice and nocked 5 arrows. They only needed my
help with the harpies. I infused my 3 remaining streaks of stigma into the arrows.
Lightning crackled around the 5 dark ore arrows as I aimed at the chirping harpies.
My bowstring grew tense and the arrows howled until I released them. Then they
flew silently towards their targets.

Chwaaa—

The 5 black streaks pierced every monster in their paths. Soon, harpies rained from
the sky and formed a mountain of corpses.

***

I returned to Seoul since they could all hunt the calamities without a problem. I’d
been going back and forth between the tower and Earth using Spartan’s authority.

“Hajin!”

— Meow.
Evandel and Hayang greeted me at our apartment in Gangnam.

“Have you been good?”

“Uun!”

Evandel grew by the day. She looked like a 5 year old at birth, so she grew quite
slowly. However, her current appearance matched her real age now.

“I missed you.”

“Me too.”

I couldn’t send her to school because of her origin. I would’ve happily entrusted her
to a worthy tutor, but not many could teach her.

I did have one in mind. A magician with ample teaching experience who also used
summons, but I didn’t have a good first impression of Ah Hae-In. From what I heard,
she charged an absurd 5 billion won for a single lesson.

“I came back too late today. What should we do tomorrow?”

Evandel’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“You’ll be here tomorrow too?”

The door opened and Yun Seung-Ah walked in with a grocery bag. Her eyes shone
the moment she saw me.

“Oh, who’s this? The famous Black Lotus killer.”

I almost greeted her before flinching at her words. “Huh?”

“You thought I wouldn’t know?” Yun Seung-Ah smiled mischievously.

“Everyone knows that you killed Black Lotus.”

“Oh…”

That made sense, but that wasn’t why I felt surprised. I looked at Evandel before
looking back at Yun Seung-Ah. I didn’t want Evandel to hear such words like killer or
killed.

“Ah, it means he plucked a flower. Nowadays, Evandel, you’re not allowed to pluck
flowers that aren’t yours.”

“Okay!”

Evandel giggled as she watched Yun Seung-Ah try to save the situation. Then she
grabbed the plastic bag in Yun Seung-Ah’s hand and skipped over to the kitchen. She
enjoyed taking the groceries out.

“This is chicken. This is onion. This is garlic. This is egg…”

She wanted to help with her aunty’s work. I took the ingredients Evandel laid out
and used [Dwarf’s Dexterity] for the first time in a while.

***

Evandel fell asleep with Hayang one hour later after finishing her meal. Yun Seung-
Ah turned off the TV and buried herself on the couch with a yawn.

“Let’s get back to business.”

Genghis Khan’s artifacts had been found in Central Asia. Yun Seung-Ah and I talked a
bit about it earlier while I cooked.

“As you know, those artifacts are causing quite a headache in Central Asia right now.
The association normally would’ve given up since that land doesn’t fall under any
country’s jurisdictions. The surrounding regions belong to djinns and Pandemonium
is nearby too.”

Yun Seung-Ah continued with a serious face.

“Everyone is wondering how this information got leaked. Pandemonium djinns

managed to find out and began building an excavation site around it.”

I already knew everything, but pretended to be oblivious.

“We can’t just watch them take all the artifacts, so the association reluctantly chose
to fight. After all, we’re talking about Genghis Khan’s artifacts.”

Genghis Khan, also known as Temujin, the emperor who founded the largest empire
in history. His empire didn’t last long after his death, but he reached a legendary
status that spread throughout the world. Furthermore, Genghis Khan’s army boasted
greater power than its numbers. As such, an old weapon used by a nameless soldier
could potentially be higher than a low grade artifact.

“Of course, we still have time. From our estimates, they need at least 2 weeks before
they can excavate artifacts.”

Yun Seung-Ah paused and looked at me. “So I was wondering…”

I had a hunch about what she would say next.

“You’re a mercenary.”

“I start at 50 billion.”

I had already prepared a response.

“Hm?”

Yun Seung-Ah slightly jumped back.

“Didn’t you just call me the Black Lotus killer? My value just skyrocketed.”

I smiled at her as she scratched her head with a flustered expression.

[8F Crevon]

Jin Sahyuk hid in a dense forest and even dug a hole in the ground to escape from
Kim Hajin’s attacks. She didn’t have the time to feel humiliated. In a mere minute, she
dug a hole deeper than most underground tunnels and tended her wounds inside.

“Uk!”

Her shoulder injury looked serious. The arrow cleanly pierced it and her right arm
would’ve fallen off if the attack had been 1 cm closer.

Sssss…

A handful of magic power resonated and appeared in front of her as she took out a
potion.

— Hurt again?

Jin Sahyuk glanced towards the voice. It sounded human, but came from a tiny cat.

“Shut up, Bell.”

Bell disguised himself as a cat and wagged his tail.

— You said you didn’t like the mouth, so I changed it to something cute. You don’t
like it?

The cat perked its ears to appear cute. Bell could turn his entire body and parts of it
into magic power. The cat resulted from him reshaping his eyes and mouth. He chose
to be a cat because that was the only animal Jin Sayuk didn’t hate.

“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m not in the mood to talk.”

The cat’s eyes widened. Her remarks sounded quite gentle considering her shoulder
had been shot. Did the cat thing really work?

— Before, you would’ve started cursing by now. Jin Sahyuk, you’ve surely changed!
Or am I just too cute? Meow?

Jin Sahyuk even withstood that stupid remark. She sighed and continued to ignore
the damn cat.

— Do you want me to avenge you?

That question caught her attention. She paused and sharply glanced at the cat sitting
cross-legged.

— I think I can kill him at least once if it’s a surprise attack.

Bell carefully tested the waters.

“Don’t you dare.”

Her curt reply felt expected and unexpected.

Bell smiled. At this point, he thought she would accept help.

“I’ll be the one who kills him.”

However, she hadn’t lost her fighting spirit yet.

— I understand. Take care of that wound.

Bell disappeared into thin air as Jin Sahyuk sighed alone. She reflected on today’s
events while hiding in the serene forest. A single shot almost took her arm off, but
she felt like she had a chance of winning now. She could definitely close the gap in
their abilities.

Jin Sahyuk held a potion in her left hand and twisted the cap off with her mouth.
Pong— She poured it over the wound. Tzzzzz… Steam rose from the point of contact
and the pain felt even worse than the initial shot. Her bloodshot eyes swelled until
they almost burst. She recalled his face while enduring the pain. I want to kill him. I
will kill him myself. With my own two hands, I’ll… She endured with tears streaming
down her face, but never screamed.

A monarch must always be calm and collected on the outside.

She learned that from reading Machiavelli.

***

[Party ‘Kimchipay’ has defeated the calamity, Medusa!]

Kim Suho’s party members sprawled on the ground to catch their breath.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Aiya…”

Was it a groan or a sigh? The indistinguishable sound echoed across the field. They
finally won after 3 hours of desperate struggle. They utilized their advantages until
the end. Medusa’s magic eye of petrification required extreme caution since
petrification would result in eternal death. Medusa knew players could resurrect, so
she would’ve kept them as stones in her stomach.

However, the Sword Saint gift could cut through anything, including the magic eye of
petrification. She became nothing more than a slightly more powerful monster.

“By the way, that was Black Lotus, right?” Yi Yeonghan suddenly asked.

They all harbored the same question despite the victory and joy. They lost the
advantage for a moment in the middle of the fight when hundreds of harpies
appeared. The party planned on retreating or calling for reinforcements, but arrows
suddenly came flying from the distance. The dark streaks appeared out of nowhere
and decimated all the harpies. That magnificent scene of destruction lingered in
their minds.

“Probably. Those arrows definitely belonged to Black Lotus.”

Kim Suho placed his hand on Misteltein and raised his upper body. He looked up at
where the arrows came from and recalled the man standing above there. Did he help
them out of amusement or was this part of his heroism like others believed? Kim
Suho stared at the cliff for a long time feeling slightly confused.
“I don’t like this party name no matter how much I think about it.”

Chae Nayun narrowed her eyes at the system. They initially decided on Kim Chae Fe
Yi with the first syllables of their family names, but Yi Yeonghan needlessly turned it
into Kimchipay.

“It’s funny. It sounds like your dad’s company, Daehyun Pay.”

Chae Nayun clenched her teeth at Yi Yeonghan’s remark.

“That’s nice and all, but this damn system keeps making fun of me.”

Chae Nayun’s system looked like this:

[Kimchipay has defeated Medusa.]

[Nayunjajangman Chi Nayun’s contribution is 14%]

It deliberately wrote her name as Chi Nayun.

“You wanna die?”

Her threats only made the system mock her more.

[Kimchi Nayun’s contribution is 14%]

“Sigh.”

It’s useless to fight something you can’t even see? Chae Nayun lay on the ground as the
others clicked their tongues. As expected of the magic power monster, she still
seemed energetic even after using so much magic power.

“The weather’s nice.”

Chae Nayun looked at the sky. A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she
widened her eyes.

“Wait, didn’t Black Lotus kill all the harpies!”

“What the heck? Somebody’s a little late.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve been saying this entire time that was Black Lotus.”

“Really?”

Chae Nayun awkwardly scratched her cheek. She didn’t pay attention because the
system kept picking fights with her.

“Why did Black Lotus…”

…help us? Chae Nayun mumbled as she opened the messenger. The only person she
recently exchanged messages with was Extra7. He used to be her teacher, but now he
seemed full of mysteries. She kept messaging him because she felt he had something
to do with Kim Hajin. She pulled up their conversation log and examined the last
couple of messages.

Me: Hyung, can we meet? I have a dangerous mission next week.

Me: Not joking, I might actually die lol It’s a super dangerous mission.

Me: Hyung, I want to take lessons from you before I leave.

Extra7 still hadn’t replied to any of them. She smacked her lips in disappointment
when another system notification popped up.

[Rewards For Defeating Medusa] [You have received 2 Effective Good Selector.]
[Effective Good Selector — You may turn a Lv.6 item or lower into an effective good.]

“Oh, what’s this?” Yi Yeonghan shouted.

“Effective good selector? Hey, Suho! Isn’t this really good?”

“You’re right. Lv.6… What should we bring outside?”

Kim Suho smiled and Chae Nayun also beamed as she looked through her inventory.
A ticket that could transform an item into an effective good, which meant the item
could be brought outside the tower. I don’t even have to think about what to bring
outside. Of course, it’ll be the [Lv.6 Jack Churchill’s Claymore] that I’m holding right
now. However, another item suddenly caught her eye.
[Lv.5 Invitation Letter to the Love Room]

If I can use the ticket on this Lv.5 item… Another system notification popped up.

[Return to the royal palace and claim Crevon’s rewards.]

[100,000 TP will be divided according to the contribution rate.]

[The weapon that Kimchi Nayun rented, Lv.6 Jack Churchill’s Claymore, will be
permanently bestowed to Kimchi Nayun.]

“Are you kidding me? Say Kimchi Nayun one more time…”

“Hey, what are you doing?” Yi Yeonghan yelled at her. She turned back and saw
everyone preparing to return.

“Let’s go claim the rewards!”

“Okay.”

Chae Nayun glared at the air and followed them.

***

A peaceful home on a peaceful evening. I patted Evandel’s head as I answered

various questions for the Truth Agency.

“Oh, so something like this happened.”

I’d been receiving lots of requests these days thanks to word of mouth. The djinns of
Destruction wanted to uncover which hero killed their executives. Of course, I had no
intention of accepting their request. I discovered someone familiar again as I
browsed the requests.

“What’s wrong with her?”

[Dear Truth Agency,

This is LadyU from the other day. My request this time is also driven by pure curiosity. I
am incredibly sorry to take up your time with such questions. Then again, my question
is out of sheer curiosity and lacks a specific purpose, so please don’t feel obliged to
accept. And please don’t get upset that my request is a repeat occurrence and kindly
consider it as a silly girl’s immature curiosity…]

Yoo Yeonha and her extremely polite writing. This time, she requested about…

[Are the English Royal Court guild’s vice leader, Rachel, and Jeronimo Mercenary’s
Fenrir, Kim Hajin, lovers?]

“Has she gone crazy these days?”

Perhaps her business mindset always assumed the worst. Still, how far have her
delusions gone? I quickly replied.

[The answer is no. Fenrir Kim Hajin does not have any lover.]

I made myself clear so she wouldn't ask again. Is she going to ask if I like men next?
After I replied… Ding— I received a text from Yoo Yeonha.

[Hey. I just got out of the tower. Tell me your nickname if you’re out too.]

“Hmm.”

I could probably tell Yoo Yeonha. She was close to Chae Nayun, but wouldn’t spill the
beans like Yi Jiyoon.

“Uuunn…”

Evandel began wriggling in my arms. She narrowed her eyes as if having a nightmare
and dove deeper into my arms.

“Cute.”

I smiled and patted her. I surrounded my touch with stigma’s magic power and she
peacefully fell back asleep.

— Hajin. There will be a meeting.

A voice rang in my ears. Boss recently learned this skill called [Magic Power
Transfer]. She figured out how to use it to communicate through the mind. I placed
Evandel in bed and stepped outside.

No stars appeared in the sky outside the apartment complex at 11 P.M. I recalled
Crevon’s sky filled with stars. Boss had purchased an apartment unit nearby that I
recommended a long time ago.

She owned building 101, the largest and most expensive in the entire complex. Its
market price had since gone up by 5 billion. Housing prices always cost a fortune
around here, but the Tower of the Wish increased them even more.

I arrived in front of building 101’s suite #902 and opened the unlocked door. The
house looked empty. Only a single chair stood on the marble tiles covering the
spacious living room. Boss sat in the chair with her eyes closed. She probably tried to
set the mood, but… Click. I turned on the lights first.

“…”

She frowned at me.

“Boss, where’s Jain?”

— I’m here.

A reply came from below. I followed the voice and discovered a small puppy.

“Huh? Is that you, Jain?”

— Isn’t this amazing? I’ve never been so small in my entire life. I feel like I’ve
surpassed my limits after coming out of the tower.

The cute puppy spoke while panting.

“It’s cute.”

— Haha, really?

I turned to Boss again and she looked at me.

“The reason I called you here today is…”

— Central Asia, you know? They found artifacts there. Let’s get to the point quickly,
yeah?

Before Boss could say anything… Jiiiing— Beams of light came out from Jain’s eyes
like a projector. They all picked some weird skills from the tower.

— This is the catalog of core artifacts.

A list of Genghis Khan’s artifacts came up. [Temujin’s Bow] and the [Saddle of Khan]
caught my eye. A desire surged from deep within me the moment I saw them. I never
thought of myself as materialistic, but I felt a strong urge to obtain [Temujin’s Bow] to
use it with the [Dark Ore Arrow]. Of course, I already had the [Blessed Bow of Horus],
but the more the merrier.

— Among these…

“We’ll leave the small fries and take the big ones.”

Boss interrupted Jain, “But Kim Hajin.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head at Boss. She only said one thing.

“You won’t be participating in this mission.”

***

I walked down the streets of 8-3F Crevon with Boss one week later.

“Are you upset?” Boss asked with only two days left until the mission.

“No,” I answered nonchalantly.

I agreed that they didn’t need me in this next mission. The excavation site had
limited space, but a sharpshooter required enough distance to survive. The terrain
didn’t suit me.

“It’s okay. I’ll be training for a while.”

“Yeah.”

We finished talking and continued our walk.

Boss seemed bothered and began muttering to herself.

“It’s not bad to wear your heart on your sleeve when you’re upset. It’s healthier to
openly talk to others rather than piling things up inside. Which book did I read from?
If we fall out over something like this, then that means I didn’t communicate very
well with my subordinate. It’s my fault…”

I thought about covering my ears when I saw Rachel on the other side of the street
with Princess Araha. Rachel left a great impression on the royal family during the
defense against the calamities. She had officially become a royal guard and probably
came with Araha to watch the [Crevon Martial Tournament] today.

“Oh, who are you up against Boss?”

The final round had been put on hold for various reasons. However, the royal family’s
optimism returned after defeating two calamities without many casualties.

“I’m against a man I don’t know.”

“Mm. Yeah? You can go on ahead to the waiting room.”

“Okay.”

A question popped up in my mind as Boss left.

“Ah, Boss.”

“Yes?”

She turned around as if she expected it.

“What’s the nickname of the guy you’re fighting?”

“He’s called Yeokma.”

“Mm, well, good luck. Not that you’ll need it.”

We smiled at each other as she disappeared inside.

“Hmm…”

I decided to look around before the martial tournament began. A lot of powerful
players and nobles came to watch. I spotted Kim Suho and Chae Nayun. Both of them
looked disappointed that they didn’t know this tournament existed.

Who was Yeokma if he wasn’t one of them? Kim Junwoo? I tilted my head. Suddenly, I
felt a sense of uneasiness and quickly took out the Book of Truth.

Who is the Yeokma participating in the Crevon Martial Tournament? A one-

dimensional question like this would use too much stigma, so I asked the Book of
Truth another question instead.

[Is the Yeokma in the Crevon Martial Tournament the person I know as Bell?]

I spent 1 streak of stigma and charred letters appeared over the Book of Truth’s page
5 seconds later.

[Yeokma is indeed the person you know as Bell.]

“…!”

I ran to find Boss as soon as I read those words.

I ran to the packed colosseum. Various events would take place today on top of the
martial tournament’s final match. Finding Boss among the crowd wasn’t easy even
for me.

My vision transformed the moment stigma’s magic power flowed into my eyes. Like a
satellite, I observed the entire colosseum from the sky. I finally found Boss heading
towards her waiting room and chased after her. I ran like crazy and grabbed her
shoulder. She turned around in surprise.

“…”

“…”

We blankly stared at each other. Boss didn’t say anything and I didn’t know what to
say either. I calmly collected my thoughts. Boss might go crazy again if she went up
against Bell.

Would she be able to beat him? I doubted it after seeing Bell’s gift with my own eyes.

He most likely had the Magic Power Body gift. A gift I wrote in my settings book, but
never implemented in the original story because it was simply too powerful.

Boss would never be able to defeat him because of his gift.

“Boss, I…”

After much thought, I decided to try using the [Demon’s Cunning Speech]. It probably
wouldn’t work on someone as strong as her, but how much the target trusted me
also affected the skill. To my knowledge, Boss trusted me quite a lot.

“Why don’t you just forfeit and go to the 15th floor with me? We need to do
something there.”
Unfortunately, the magic power in my words scattered before entering her ears.

“What are you doing?”

Her face froze as she felt what I attempted to do.

“Pardon?”

“What did you try to do just now?”

“Oh…”

I smiled bitterly and scratched my head. What should I say in this situation? Just let
her fight and cause a scene? No, the colosseum had heavy security, especially during
a fight. Princess Araha attended too, so I might get banned from Crevon if I
interfered.

“Ah, well, it’s nothing much. Just something I learned recently.”

I decided to stay with Boss.

“I was going to use a hypnotic suggestion if it worked on you.”

“Hypnotic suggestion?”

“Yes, to tell you to do your best.”

I made up a poor excuse, but it didn’t sound that strange considering our
relationship. A subordinate could worry about their boss.

“I guess it doesn’t work. Alright, let’s go to the waiting room together.”

“Okay.”

I walked to the waiting room with Boss. We sat on the couch in the large room. I bit
my nails while thinking, This battle likely won’t end until one of them dies…

“Ah!”

I suddenly thought of a good method. Stigma’s magic power could last for 30-40
minutes after leaving my body. If I gave Boss an item with the anti-magic attribute…
No, Boss wouldn’t take it given her personality.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue. Then Boss’ black glove caught my attention.

“Boshy, the final will be in 5 minutes.”

“Got it.”

“Wait, Boss.”

I gently held her gloved hand before she got up.

“…?”

Boss widened her eyes at me as I secretly infused stigma’s magic power into her
glove. Obviously, I gave it the anti-magic attribute.

“W-What are you doing so suddenly?”

“…”

“Kim Hajin?”

I needed some time while gradually transferring it.

“I’m cheering you on so you don’t lose,” I murmured to the flustered Boss.

“What?”

“Don’t lose.”

— Ah… We’d like to apologize to all the guests. We’ve just been notified that
participant Yeokma would like to forfeit. Instead, an exhibition match between Boshy
and Lu Bu will take place.

“Eh?”
I blankly stared at the speaker on the ceiling.

“What?”

“You can let go now.”

“Ah, y-yes.”

I hurriedly let go of Boss’ hand.

***

[13F, Area of Rest, 49:03:02] [49:03:01] [49:03:00]

A familiar clock ticked above. Aileen’s party resumed climbing as soon as they took
care of Crevon’s calamities. They quickly reached the 13th floor with the theme of
rest. The quick-witted Jin Seyeon noticed that the challenge was to not fall asleep on
this floor. Currently, they hadn’t slept for over 50 hours.

“Is Desolate Moon doing okay?”

Jin Seyeon asked Shin Jonghak. Everyone forced themselves to talk so they would
remain awake.

“Of course, they wouldn’t be one of the world’s best guilds if they couldn’t do well
without me.”

“Yeah, you sure are great. So… great…”

Aileen mocked Shin Jonghak’s proud reply. She became oversensitive from the lack of
sleep, but also hated heroes from guilds. Individuals or countries owned guilds and
they primarily existed for profit.

“Ah, I’m dying to sleep. I can’t just sit here anymore. I’m going to work out.”

Aileen shot up and skipped over to the room next door. Jin Seyeon turned to her.

“Don’t fall asleep, Lady Aileen.”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.”

“Keep the door open.”

“…”

Aileen glared at Jin Seyeon and left the door half-open. Jin Seyeon carefully observed
her through the gap. Not long afterwards, Aileen began to do push-ups with her
small body.

“One, two, three… uk, eighty-six, eighty-seven… uk, one hundred forty, one hundred
forty-one…”

“Guess I don’t have to worry about her.” Jin Seyeon muttered and faced Shin Jonghak
again. Was it because her brain seemed half asleep? She suddenly thought she
should tell him her true feelings after looking at him. After all, they’d been in the
same party for a long time now.

“Shin Jonghak, what do you think about your grandfather?”

She already knew he felt proud of him. Shin Jonghak was the type to brag about his
family background.

“My grandfather?”

“Yes, hero Shin Myungchul. Many people still honor him for his part in stopping that
calamity.”

“If you’re asking about the twilight of his life… I can only say I still don’t understand
it.”

His reaction surprised her. “Pardon?”

Shin Jonghak closed his eyes and recalled the faint memory of his grandfather.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Apparently, his grandfather’s words came from a comic book about heroes in a time
when heroes didn’t exist yet. His grandfather, Shin Myungchul, deeply carved those
words in his heart. In the end, he saved humanity by sacrificing his life. However, he
had abandoned his grandson who loved and respected him.
“The calamity would’ve been stopped even if my grandfather didn’t sacrifice his life.
After all, the world contains many strong people.”

The hero who tried to carry everything by himself died and the heroes who didn’t
lived. The young Shin Jonghak resented that. If his grandfather sacrificed his life to
save the world, then why did the Nine Stars exist? Where were the other eight?

“Grandfather should’ve lived. He should’ve stayed in this world to do far greater

things.”

His grandfather, Shin Myungchul, was a true hero to him.

“I see.”

Jin Seyeon didn’t ask any further. Shin Jonghak didn’t say anymore either. Silence
filled the air between them.

“Can I ask a more sensitive question this time?”

“Are we playing a truth game or something?”

Shin Jonghak defaulted to his usual sarcastic tone out of fatigue. He quickly realized
his mistake, but didn’t correct himself. Thankfully, Jin Seyeon didn’t mind.

“I guess you can say so. I can answer your questions too if you’d like.”

“Then you can start.”

“What is Nayun to you?”

Jin Seyeon went straight to the point. Shin Jonghak frowned, but that name made
him recall fond memories.

At first, he thought Chae Nayun was the only girl worthy of him. The only family that
suited Jinsung was Daehyun. That was the worthless belief he used to have.

He stopped caring about such things as time went on and learned more about her. He
simply enjoyed the time they spent together and felt like a weight had been lifted off
his shoulders. The world that always seemed grey turned colorful when she smiled.
Everything became brighter.
“She’s just someone I like.”

Because of this, he hated the damned wolf who took away her smile.

“I see.”

“Then it’s my turn next. Do you have family?”

Shin Jonghak asked a sensitive question on purpose. Jin Seyeon hated revealing
anything about her family.

“Of course. My father was also an excellent hero.”

She spoke with a perfectly calm face.

“My mother passed away while giving birth to my younger brother. Then my younger
brother died of an illness at the age of 3.”

“Uh, you don’t have to go that far…”

Shin Jonghak averted his gaze and felt apologetic. Jin Seyeon only gently smiled.

“Oh right, take this.”

She took out a small bead from her pocket.

“What’s this?”

“An effective good. Hold onto this orb and set a goal. The greater the goal, the greater
the reward when you achieve it.”

Shin Jonghak checked the item’s description.

[Lv.??? Orb of Hope] Lv.??? Set Goal: Set a goal you wish to achieve. Lv.??? Achieve Goal:
When you achieve the goal you set, this orb will change into an item befitting the goal.
(Effective Good)

“I obtained two, so I figured I should give you one.”

Shin Jonghak glanced at her, then cheerfully put away the orb. After all, effective
goods were quite rare.

“Thank you. By the way, what goal did you set?”

“…”

Jin Seyeon didn’t answer. He tilted his head at her as she took out her own Orb of
Hope and squeezed it tightly.

“Revenge.”

“…?”

“To take revenge. That’s it.”

Shin Jonghak didn’t expect that. It didn’t suit her at all. Someone who devoted herself
to volunteer work wanted to take revenge?

“I have to meet someone no matter what.”

She would meet that person one day as long as she kept earnestly wishing. Of course,
no one could guarantee a happy ending to their meeting.

“Mmm.”

Koong! Koong! Koong! Koong! A loud noise rang from the room next door. They
turned around at the shocking scene before them. Jin Seyeon muttered with a sigh.

“She must’ve fallen asleep while we weren't looking.”

Of course, Aileen had caused the commotion. She quietly wailed while pulling her
beautiful, white hair. The magic power from her sadness devastated the cabin.

“Um, Lady Aileen?”

Aileen didn’t reply to Jin Seyeon.

“Uaaang…”

She began to cry and her tiny hands slammed into the floor. What could she be
dreaming about? Jin Seyeon ran up to her and held her like a child. Aileen clung to
her arm and cried even louder.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry… Jonghak, do you have anything sweet?”

Jin Seyeon continued patting Aileen’s back. Shin Jonghak took out a half-eaten piece
of chocolate from his pocket.

***

[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

I returned to the 15th floor alone. A dark, eerie scene greeted me. The empty
passageway resembled darkness itself and a water puddle splashed every time I took
a step. Honestly, I felt too scared alone, so I summoned Spartan and Sannuri.

— Hiing.

— Pururu.

“Good. Keep chatting.”

I continued walking while listening to them chat. The 15th floor divided into 6 parts
like hopscotch. I had to complete several quests and expend a huge amount of TP
just to conquer one part. In the original story, I summarized everything by saying
Kim Suho transferred his authority over to an NPC.

“Let’s see…”

I identified the most important part of the vessel using the Book of Truth. [Area 3] on
the right side contained hibernation capsules with NPCs sleeping inside. I could
easily wake them up and order them around.

“Let’s go.”

I ran forward with Sannuri and Spartan. Meanwhile, we sensed several eerie auras
that caused goosebumps to rise on my arms, but I did my best to ignore them.

— Kieeeek!
An alien creature suddenly blocked our path. [Lv.12 Alien Host] Its black carapace
contained holes all over it and venomous fluid dripped from its large claws and tail.
No other word could describe this creature other than grotesque.

“Geez!”

I immediately fired my shotgun. Kwang! The alien turned into several chunks of
meat. Its blood and venom splattered towards me, but aether formed a barrier in
time.

“Collect the venom.”

[You have obtained Alien Host’s Venom Crystal.]

I continued running through the vessel designed like a maze. It didn’t take long to
arrive at [Area 3]. I opened the tightly shut door and walked inside. The alien
creatures outside couldn’t follow me anymore.

“Whew…”

I sighed in relief and wiped my sweat.

— Hiing.

— Pururu.

“What.”

Spartan and Sannuri also entered and seemingly made fun of me.

[Turning on power…] [Activating spatial defense and isolation…] [Only 3% fuel

remaining.] [Fuel may be purchased with TP.]

“Oh…”

This scenery far surpassed modern technology. The floor consisted of some sort of
carbon alloy. Complicated machines for controlling the vessel sat in the center and
oval hibernation chambers lined up around the walls. First, I checked the NPCs
sleeping inside the chambers.
[Grade 5 Navigator Liole] [Unlocking Condition – 15000TP or Quest Key] [This NPC will
follow the player who wakes him up.]

“Mm, it’s the same.”

Thankfully, nothing changed from my original settings. Of course, I didn’t plan on

paying any TP. I took out the [Mystic Key] from my inventory with a smile.

***

[Mystic Key] Lv.7 Unlocking

The Mystic Key became level 7 thanks to all the item experience coupons from
Tomer. I inserted the key into the hibernation chamber and twisted it. As expected, it
immediately opened.

“Huaaak.”

I ignored the navigator who just woke up and continued waking up the other NPCs.
Altogether, I awakened 8 navigators of various grades.

[Grade 1 Captain – Honer] [Unlocking condition – 300,000 TP, Calamity Core, or

Clearing a Specific Quest] [This NPC will follow the player who wakes him up.]

As expected, the captain of the ship couldn’t be woken with just the mystic key.

“Hmm.”

Can you withstand this? I imbued the mystic key with 2 streaks of stigma and jammed
it into the hibernation chamber again. I’ll acknowledge you if you can withstand this.
—Click. The hibernation chamber opened this time.

“Huuaak.”

After Captain Honer, I unlocked the [Chief Technician], [Chief Scientist], [Elite Doctor],
[Army Commander], and many more.

“It’s going to take an entire day to get through everyone.”

I murmured with a sigh and looked around. The NPCs that woke up all stared at each
other in confusion.

***

The Essence of the Strait team looked around their surroundings and waited on
standby inside a state-of-the-art building constructed by numerous magicians and
agents. They constructed their outpost near a Central Asian grassland.

— The association only set four guidelines. First, guilds can only enter with their
permission. Second, guilds are prohibited from fighting each other. Third, guilds
must select their own areas. Fourth, guilds are not to drag out any fight.

Currently, 13 core members gathered inside the outpost’s conference room as Yoo
Yeonha briefed them from a holographic screen.

— Essence of the Strait sent 35 members. Three of them learned a skill called [Mass
Teleport] from the tower, so in case anyone is injured or in danger…

The briefing continued, but Chae Nayun couldn’t focus. She rummaged through her
pockets and didn’t pay attention to Yoo Yeonha.

— Oh right, the highest quality potions have been prepared for all of you, so feel free
to use them however you want. Good luck, everyone.

“What are you fiddling with?”

Kim Youngjin asked Chae Nayun as soon as Chief Strategic Officer Yoo Yeonha
finished speaking.

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to hold it in if it’s a withdrawal symptom from not smoking. Just go
smoke outside.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Chae Nayun scratched her neck and didn’t explain any further. She kept fiddling with
a certain ticket. Kim Youngjin stared at her with an odd look before asking in a nice
tone.
“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Um, what’s up all of a sudden?”

“The 13th floor. I heard you gave up midway.”

Last week, Chae Nayun and the rest of Kim Suho’s party challenged the 13th floor.
However, they had to quit halfway because of Chae Nayun. She couldn’t handle the
happy memories she experienced.

“I heard you cried a lot—”

“B-Bullshit!” Chae Nayun interrupted him.

“W-What? Bull what? You know I’m your superior—”

“I-It’s because you keep saying weird things!” Chae Nayun shouted and shot up.

“Wait, you…”

“I’m going to the toilet!” Chae Nayun quickly ran away.

“Sigh…”

Chae Nayun looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

“I bet that bastard Yi Yeonghan told everyone again.”

What happened on the 13th floor became one of her darkest recent memories. She
had lounged around until she accidentally fell asleep. It didn’t take long for her to
have a nightmare.

Could she really call that a nightmare? A happy future she never dreamt of unfolded
before her. She cried after waking up because of the harsh reality. Her tears wouldn’t
stop and her trembling body wanted to reject the truth. In the end, Kim Suho took it
upon himself to give up halfway.

“Haa…”

Chae Nayun turned on the faucet and doused her head in cold water. Then she
murmured in a teary voice.

“Why did Kim Hajin appear there?”

— Huup! A gasp sounded from one of the stalls. Chae Nayun flinched. Was someone
else here?

“Who is it?”

Chae Nayun quickly ran to the stall with water dripping from her hair and kicked
open the door.

“Hiik!”

She knew the girl inside quite well.

“H-Hi, Nayun…”

Chae Nayun knew she slipped up after seeing Yi Jiyoon. She must’ve heard what I just
said. Should I smack her head real hard and make her lose her memories? However,
doing so wouldn’t solve the problem this time.

— Hey, Nayun.

A familiar voice came from Yi Jiyoon’s smartwatch. She was on the phone with
Essence of the Strait’s Chief Strategic Officer, Yoo Yeonha.
[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

“Ugh, so tired.”

Out of all the NPCs that required stigma to unlock, I first rescued the [Grade 1
Captain – Horner], [Chief Technician – Matt], and [Chief Scientist – Davon]. I still
needed to release 4 more chief rank NPCs, but ran out of stigma.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”

I spent 2 streaks for the captain, 1 streak for the technician, and the last one for the
scientist. I couldn’t even answer their questions afterwards. Who would’ve thought I
would deplete all my stigma outside of battle like this? I looked at them while laying
on the floor. I had carefully created these NPCs even when the settings grew messier.
They could clear all the quests on the 15th floor for me if I simply let them be.

“Is there something wrong with your body?”

“No, I’m okay. I slightly overworked myself trying to deactivate the hibernation.”

“Oh, I see.”

Horner, a promising captain in his early 30s, sighed in relief.

“Actually, we’re from the Genkelope Zone on the 16th floor.”

The NPC began to explain their story. Their crew had been sailing through the
[Tower’s Void] to escape from the demons that took over the 16th floor when
unidentified creatures attacked their vessel. They concentrated all their efforts on
Area 3 and hibernated to wait for help from the future.

“Hmm. So all of you came from the 16th floor?”

“We originally lived on the 15th floor, but another floor came into existence after we
placed our ship in the tower’s void. In any case, we’re the last survivors of
Genkelope.”

“…”

I nodded. The Genkelope Zone used to be an old residential area, but the demons
destroyed it. Demons also grew stronger the higher they climbed. Horner looked at
me with big eyes and continued.

“In addition to Area 3, thousands of people are sleeping in the depths of the ship’s
basement. Other crewmen should be hiding in Area 1 and Area 2 as well.”

“Please help us!”

A young NPC came up to me and bowed before Horner could even finish.

— Please help!

— We beg you!

Behind him, a group of 50 or so NPCs whom I just released also followed. System
notifications popped up in front of me.

[A massive quest has occurred — Recovery and Reactivation of the Vessel] [Extra7’s
database has been registered in Area 3.] [Player Extra7 has been nominated as the
owner of Area 3.] [You may now spend TP to renovate Area 3.] [You may relinquish
these rights at any time.]

I felt pressured, but the ending I wanted also included them.

“That’s exactly what I’m here for.”

The atmosphere grew darker on the 15th floor, which sat in the middle of the tower.
Demons had completely taken over the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors. No dreams,
hopes, or humanity existed there. The stark scenery served as a warning to the
human race in the Tower of Wish.

“Oh, so that means…”

“First, I’ll turn the power back on.”

I did the only thing I could do while lying down: spending money.

[Area 3 Management] [You have spent 50,000 TP to restore 12% of power to Area 3.]
[Power has returned to Area 3.]

Fortunately, I saved up plenty of TP. Still, this ship sucked a lot of money. I wouldn’t
be able to completely restore it even with a year’s worth of profit from Prestige.
However, this ship would probably be worth it. Honestly, I didn’t know for sure since
I skipped the details when writing about it. In the original story, Kim Suho believed
destroying the tower would allow the souls trapped inside to finally rest in peace. He
also wanted to make the selfish administrators pay, so he attacked relentlessly
starting on this floor. The middle and latter half of the tower episodes became a
mess.

“Now, I’ll get serious. Prepare yourselves.”

I began spending huge amounts of TP.

[You have spent 50,000 TP to reconstruct the basic medical facilities in Area 3 — AUTO
BOT has been activated.] [Reconstructing basic training facilities — Shooting Range,
Armory] [Extending basic defense facilities — Barrier Upgrade, Prison Transfer,
Reformation System] [Reconstructing basic sanitary facilities — Bathhouse, Cafeteria,
Dormitory] [Reconstructing basic survival facilities — Food Repository, Artificial
Farms]

Something strange happened in Area 3 as the notifications popped up. Rays of light
shone from the empty ceiling and various facilities appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh!”

“What kind of miracle is this?”

Cafeteria, bathhouse, shooting range, armory, etc. I only spent money through the
system, but the NPCs hailed me like devotees in the face of God.

[The NPCs of Area 3 have accepted you as their savior.]

Area 3 appeared to be half the size of Yeouido and served as the central vessel’s core.
The next step would be to enhance the facilities here and use them to free other
areas such as [Area 1], [Area 2], and the [Hangar].

“You all must be hungry. Please eat first. Then focus on recovery and combat training
for the next week. Tomorrow, the military expert over there…”

I glanced at the hibernation chamber and hesitated. The captain quickly explained,
“That’s Colonel Erenner. He’s an experienced soldier with great combat skills and
excellent command abilities.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll wake him up later. Let’s restore this place step by step.”

I printed a photo through the system.

“This is also for later when the ship becomes stabilized and players like me begin to
appear. If you ever run across someone who looks like this…”

I handed the photo to Horner, who curiously looked at it.

“She’s a beauty. Is she your wife?”

“No, no. There’s no way she’s my wife.”

The most important facility on the 15th floor was the prison. Anyone locked up in
Genkelope’s prison would be placed under system restraint. Of course, I couldn’t
lock up just anyone with the captain watching me, but I could bully at least one
player.

“Lock her up. She’s a criminal by the name of Jin Sahyuk. She’s brimming with
confidence, so she’ll respond if you call her name. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes sir.”

I raised myself with a groan. “Kuuk. I’ll stay here until tomorrow.”

Boss told me to stay out of the mission, but I didn’t think I could.

“Spartan?”

Spartan flew back from his walk with Sannuri and sat on my shoulder. Horner
widened his eyes at the handsome eagle.

“Just tell him if anything happens. We’re connected.”

***

[4 days later, 8-3F Atalos Royal Palace]

Only the chosen could access the sacred garden of Atalos. Rachel trained in this
garden filled with jewel-like buds and soft grass.

“Try to accept the elementals more. Think of it like sprinkling magic power to make
them happy. You don’t control them. You work with them. Remember that.”

“Yes ma'am.”

She became [Princess Araha’s Knight], the biggest rise in status for an individual
player, and found a new elementalist teacher with Araha’s help.

“Then let’s try again.”

“Okay!”

Yuhael, Crevon’s best elementalist, was much more skilled than Shin Yeohwa, Earth’s
best elementalist. The two couldn’t be compared in terms of teaching.

Rachel had suffered much humiliation and distress from her former teacher, Shin
Yeohwa. She truly felt happy when Shin Yeohwa accepted her 4 years ago as a
disciple. Then she found out about the 1 billion won per day tuition fee and her heart
dropped. However, she promised to become a person worthy of such value and
diligently attended the classes.

Shin Yeohwa would get angry over the smallest mistakes and needlessly spend half
of class physically punishing her. At times, Shin Yeohwa would even beat her with a
cane.

For such reasons, Rachel felt depressed whenever she had a lesson and her
motivation gradually waned. The harsh training always wore her out, but she
withstood it all with sheer willpower and became a full-fledged elementalist.
Shin Yeohwa’s envy continued even after their lessons ended. She purposefully
spread the rumors about Rachel and Fenrir, but Rachel didn’t take any actions out of
respect.

“Good job, Rachel.”

Yuhael operated completely differently and genuinely praised Rachel when she did
well. She also mercilessly corrected Rachel’s mistakes when she didn’t do so well.

“You have a real gift. As expected of my student.”

Rachel bashfully smiled at Yuhael’s compliment. This benevolent teacher taught her
the pleasure of learning. That didn’t mean Rachel hated or blamed Shin Yeohwa.
Rachel still considered Shin Yeohwa one of her masters and thanked her like a fool
for developing her skills in the beginning.

“Let’s stop here for today. Any more and you won’t be able to move tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Yuhael patted her on the shoulder as Rachel politely bowed.

“I look forward to seeing what kind of knight will be born when elementals meet
with the sword.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Rest well.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

Yuhael disappeared into the distance with her wind elemental. Her usage of
elementals truly opened Rachel’s eyes.

“Wow…”

Rachel wanted to become strong just like her. Rumors floated around that Lancaster
recently formed a large force. No one knew what he was scheming as he traveled
between Pandemonium and Africa, the land of monsters. Rachel desperately needed
the power to defend against him.
“That’s my knight.”

The sound of applause caught her attention. Princess Araha watched from the corner
of the garden as Rachel walked over.

“Have you been well, Princess?”

“Yeah. I’m having a lot of fun these days thanks to you. I got to see the martial
tournament and theater rehearsals. I would’ve paid more attention to the Crane
Feather Fan if I knew I’d meet you.”

“Hm? Crane Feather Fan?”

“Yep! It’s an incredible treasure that can help you wield elementals, but some ruffian
stole it. Well, that’s a story for another time. Come in. You must be hungry.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Rachel kept a few steps behind. She walked elegantly and her gracious form amazed
Araha.

“Wow, you must really be a princess.”

“Haha.”

“That’s right, do you have a boyfriend?”

Rachel smiled at the girlish question. “I don’t.”

“Then someone you like?”

“I… don’t.”

“Huh? You paused for a second there!”

“There isn’t one.”

Rachel calmly shook her head in disapproval. She didn’t know what it felt like to fall
in love yet. With such thoughts, she casually checked her messenger. Most of the
people she exchanged messages with belonged to the Royal Court guild, but she
recently sent a message to Extra7.

[Hajin, which floor are you on? I’m on the 12th. If you’re nearby, would you like to climb
togethrr? ^▽^?]

He still hadn’t replied. Was it because of her typo? He did seem fussy about grammar.
Rachel pouted and stepped inside the castle.

“Come play pool with me tonight.”

“I don’t see why not. As long as Princess Araha finishes all her homework.”

“Hmph.”

In the palace hallway, portraits of former kings lined up against the wall. Rachel
would always stare at one of the four kings.

[Arthur Von Atalos Pendragon.]

The embossed letters formed a familiar name. England’s legendary hero, King
Arthur, had stabilized Crevon after being resurrected here.

“My great-grandfather is indeed handsome.”

Araha innocently murmured, which Rachel found to be quite cute. Then Rachel
suddenly received a call from her messenger. She excused herself.

“Yes. This is Rachel.”

An urgent voice broke out.

— Vice leader! Genghis Khan’s artifacts have been discovered in Central Asia!

“Huh? W-What artifacts?”

— We found out about it too late. Looks like a battle is about to break out. The
association and other guilds probably worked in secret.

Rachel blankly listened and finally realized why other guild leaders recently avoided
her and many Essence of Strait and Frost Sanctuary members had left the tower.
“I understand. I’ll hang up now.”

Rachel clenched her teeth. Sadness and dejection slowly rose within her. She thought
they had become comrades, but they still treated her like a stranger.

It couldn’t be helped since she belonged to a weaker guild. You couldn’t rely on
others for information. You had to earn it yourself, so she couldn’t blame them. They
could only blame themselves for being weak.

“Haaa…”

She felt quite upset, but inwardly denied it.

***

[Central Asia]

“Everyone on standby.” Yi Jin-ah, Essence of Strait’s vice leader, spoke in the cold
underground tunnel.

“We’re entering in 10 minutes.”

Their team planned to enter through an underground tunnel and would take charge
of the fifth basement. They had earned this site full of artifacts thanks to Yoo
Yeonha’s political maneuvering.

“Everyone, inspect your weapons.”

At Yi Jin-ah’s words, the members all checked their weapons.

“Yi Jiyoon, please confirm your active buffs.”

“Yes! Every guild member has received a physical ability boost and a magic power
application buff. Only Yohei and Shen Yuan received an application boost buff since
their gifts relate to their attributes and only Weapon Master Kim Youngjin received
speed-related buffs.”

“Good. Yi Jiyoon and the healers remain on standby at this tunnel’s midpoint.”

“Understood”
The supporters quickly answered and backed away. Vice leader Yi Jin-ah began roll
call just before the Genghis Khan Grassland Operation.

“The teams will be divided as discussed beforehand. The team leaders will be me,
Kim Youngjin, and Yi Yoonho. Please confirm.”

“This is Kim Youngjin with 11 team members.”

“This is Yi Yoonho with 12 team members.”

“Confirmed. Those next in line after the team leaders, please confirm.”

“This is Shen Yuan, vice leader of Team Yi Jin-ah.”

“This is Chae Nayun, vice leader of Team Kim Youngjin.”

“This is Yohei, vice leader of Team Yi Yoonho.”

“Good. Use the [Multiplying Letter] in case of any issues. Proceed!”

The 35 members took care of formalities and split off to 3 separate paths.
Dadadada… Kim Youngjin’s team entered first and would take charge of the 1 km
eastern tunnel. They went through the tunnel while carefully studying the area, but
didn’t encounter any enemies.

[East, confirmed.]

Kim Youngjin sent a message through the [Multiplying Letter], an effective good they
brought from the tower.

[West, confirmed.]

[North, confirmed.]

Everything proceeded smoothly so far.

“…”

Kim Youngjin nodded to his members and silently approached the artifact excavation
center. They moved as stealthily as possible, but a ray of light suddenly shone on
them.

Doong!

The bright light revealed their surroundings and they calmly faced the enemies.
Their team only consisted of elites who had gone through all sorts of struggles in the
tower.

— I knew you’d come, you vermin.

A husky voice insulted them. The team gazed at the voice hidden in the dark.

“Get ready to fight.”

They all took out their weapons at Kim Youngjin’s order.

— You call djinns the evils of society, but you’re no different from us at the end of the
day.

Koong, koong. Loud footsteps followed. Chae Nayun infused the [Lv.6 Jack Churchill’s
Claymore] with her magic power. Kim Youngjin also grasped the sword once wielded
by an ancient Korean warrior. Soon, dozens of djinns appeared from the dark.

“You’re here to steal our stuff, aren’t you?”

Their leader stepped forward. His hair stretched out like a mane and more hair
covered his chest and chin. He easily stood over 2 meters tall and reminded them of
a lion.

“We’re not here to steal. We’re here to exterminate humanity’s evils.”

“There you go with your shitty sophistry. Hahaha…”

The man laughed with his teeth baring. Then he stopped when his gaze turned to the
woman next to Kim Youngjin. His smile disappeared and he widened his eyes. Chae
Nayun frowned from his gaze.

“You’re lusting after a woman even in this situation? Stupid beast.” Kim Youngjin
spoke to the man in contempt.
“Kuhahahaha!”

The man’s laughter resounded throughout the tunnel and a few guild members
covered their ears. He pointed his huge finger at Chae Nayun.

“You! It’s you!”

“What’s this douchebag saying?”

“Hmm?”

He briefly paused at Chae Nayun’s dull response before nodding.

“Ah, you wouldn’t know me. Haha, I guess I’ll introduce myself. I’m sure you’ll be
happy to find out.”

The man nonchalantly confessed as if talking about the day’s weather.

“I’m the one who killed your mom.”

***

Meanwhile, Bell scouted the area around Genghis Khan’s excavation site from above.
He had turned his body into magic power and swam through the clouds.

His magic power eyes could see through obstacles, so he already finished grasping
the general situation. Essence of the Strait, Frost Sanctuary, and Desolate Moon just
entered one after the other. Creator’s Sacred Grace entered last with only 8 members
and they headed towards the first basement level, the cheapest and most dangerous
site.

“Where could they be?”

Bell continued to search for someone, but gave up 7 minutes later when he couldn’t
spot any signs of them. That meant they already infiltrated with Jain’s gift at least 2-3
days ago.

“Give up, Sahyuk. We’re never gonna find them. Let’s just leave.”

—…
His partner didn’t seem to think so.

“Jin Sahyuk?”

— Shut up. I think I found him.

“Huh? Found who?”

She didn’t answer. He searched again to make sure, but couldn’t find anyone. Jin
Sahyuk replied about 3 minutes later.

— Found you, shitty wolf.

Her voice overflowed with excitement. Bell asked in surprise.

“You did? Really?”

— Haa… Oi, Bell. We’re outside the tower, correct? We’re on Earth?

“We are, but how did you… No, I won’t ask. Instead, leave him alone until he makes
his move.”

— I know, I know.

Her voice trembled as she clenched her teeth. She seems quite excited. Just how far
can Kim Hajin drive her? Bell grinned.

— I have no idea what this bastard is planning.

The voice full of resentment couldn’t wait for revenge.

— But I’ll kill him at the most crucial moment.

“Yaawn…”

I lay belly down on a patch of grass in Central Asia. I left the tower the day before
even though I didn’t plan on joining the scramble. I just thought I should help out if
anything unexpected happened.

The underground excavation site wouldn’t affect my shooting. I added an obstacle-

piercing attribute to my bullets and my anti-material sniper rifle specialized in
piercing objects like helicopters and tanks. Stigma’s magic power further
strengthened everything.

I also took out the [Blessed Bow of Horus] at 5 in the evening. The sun had set early,
so the sky already turned dark. I could activate the [Eye of Horus] for 5 seconds if a
fight broke out. Its authority would grant me an unavoidable lock-on. This ability
bypassed the world’s law of physics as long as I could see my target. My attacks
would hit no matter the obstacles.

I continued observing from a far distance. It took a while to find a hiding place
because of the flat terrain, but I perfectly disguised myself with aether. I would look
no different than a patch of grass if someone observed from above.

“Hmm…”

My thousand-mile eyes captured some heroes beginning their operation.

— Stay quiet and follow me.

Yun Seung-Ah acted as field leader for the first time in a while. Creator’s Sacred
Grace entered the underground excavation site’s 1st floor. Unfortunately, the 1st
floor remained closest to the surface and naturally contained subpar artifacts. They
would only find low intermediate grade artifacts at best. Of course, Creator’s Sacred
Grace happily settled for that. The heavens would be touched by their efforts and
grant them a special gift.
The American guilds, General and Lost Child, currently explored the 2nd floor
beneath them. These two guilds vied for America’s number one spot and would self-
destruct themselves because of it.

Frost Sanctuary explored the 3rd floor and also hired the world’s greatest mercenary
group, Jeronimo. The Chameleon Troupe members mixed within their ranks.

Desolate Moon took charge of the 4th floor. Shin Jonghak arrived late and should’ve
stolen the leader position, but listened surprisingly well to the guild’s designated
leader.

Next, Essence of the Strait on the 5th floor…

“Hmm.”

I subconsciously murmured at the scene. Just now, Chae Nayun’s team encountered
the djinn, Gunyuden. This large muscular man belonged to Satan’s Servants. He also
murdered Chae Nayun’s mother in the past. Gunyuden stared at Chae Nayun and
shouted.

— I’m the one who killed your mom.

***

“I’m the one who killed your mom.”

Those words sunk into Chae Nayun’s heart. Even so, she stayed still because she
needed time to process them. Daehyun had used every method in its arsenal to find
the murderer, yet they came up short. Chae Nayun had accepted the reality that she
would never avenge her mother and already buried that desire deep within her
heart. However, the man in front of her pulled out her pent-up sorrow and
resentment.

“Stay calm, Chae Nayun.”

Kim Youngjin tried to warn her.

“No one could find a single clue about the assassin who infiltrated Daehyun. Such a
light-mouthed fool couldn’t possibly be that assassin.”
Chae Nayun’s face contorted even more despite Kim Youngjin’s convincing words.
She glared with bloodshot eyes at the man who claimed to have killed her mother.

“Hah? No one found a single clue? I told everyone I met about my heroic deed, but no
one believed me. Don’t tell me, did you buffoons think humanity's power could reach
Pandemonium?”

The man took out a large sword that looked more like a sharp piece of rock from a
boulder. Only the word barbaric could describe it. Haaa… Chae Nayun sighed with
rage and pointed her claymore at the djinn.

“Did you really do it?”

The man grinned from ear to ear. “Why, of course.”

“I see… but that’s too bad…”

The corner of her mouth curled up and a stream of tears fell as she forcefully
sneered.

“You have no evidence. I’ve met a lot of guys like you. Djinns all act like having a
death wish is something to be proud of.”

Chae Nayun glared at him with disgust. The man rubbed his chin in thought.

“Don’t try to provoke me and shut your damned trap—”

“Evidence? Mmm… evidence… Ah, wasn’t that corpse missing a thumb?”

“…!”

Chae Nayun’s eyes instantly shook. She whimpered under her tightly shut mouth and
fierce magic power swirled around her claymore. Kim Youngjin and the other
members also covered their weapons with magic power. They naturally grew angry
as well.

“My client told me to cut off her finger for proof. That’s exactly what I did.”

“Y-You fucker!”
Chae Nayun couldn’t hold back anymore. Anyone else would’ve reacted the same.
She shot forward like a bullet and the magic power from her claymore flashed.

“You son of a bitch!”

A large stone sword collided with the claymore. KWANG! An explosion erupted and
magic power dyed the world white.

***

Woong— Yun Seung-Ah briefly paused after feeling a faint rumbling from beneath
her. Then she examined the nearby presences. The djinns standing guard on the 1st
floor hurried down. Yun Seung-Ah turned to her 7 elite members and excitedly
spoke.

“The number of enemies has decreased. We’ll quicken our pace.”

They moved stealthily, but quickly into the 1st floor’s [Area A]. Artifact excavation
sites often consisted of multiple areas. The 1st floor only contained mediocre
artifacts with many smaller areas like ant tunnels. Their investigation showed 6
areas in total.

“The Chameleon Troupe might also be here, so stay on guard at all times.”

Yun Seung-Ah warned them before entering Area A. No one knew about the
Chameleon Troupe’s participation in this artifact scramble, but Yun Seung-Ah felt
certain Jain would come.

“By the Chameleon Troupe, you mean…” Kim Suho asked.

“Yes, it’s the organization Black Lotus belongs to. You know it?”

“Yes.”

Kim Suho nodded. He heard about it from Jin Sahyuk when they coincidentally met
in a Crevon dungeon. Jin Sahyuk told him a certain organization was chasing her as
she ran away. Kim Suho remembered because that was the first time they didn’t fight
after meeting each other.

“I guess it’s not too surprising. Their name is slowly spreading nowadays.”
“…”

Then why was Jin Sahyuk chasing Black Lotus? Kim Suho seriously contemplated that
when Yi Yeonghan asked.

“Black Lotus is here? As a guard?”

“No, the Chameleon Troupe isn’t a djinn organization. Its members are likely all
human.”

That was a problem in itself. Yun Seung-Ah recalled the past Chameleon Troupe.

“In any case, Black Lotus is an archer. He won’t enter such a confined space if he can
help it, so don’t worry too much.”

Yun Seung-Ah stopped talking and held the doorknob to Area A. She looked at Kim
Suho before opening it.

“Don’t spare any djinns.”

She strictly warned him.

“Understood.”

Kim Suho hesitated, but nodded nonetheless. He could still recall memories of his
home world that transformed into the demon realm. Djinns who sold their souls
became no different than devils. An existence without a soul couldn’t be considered
human.

“Then we’re going in.”

Yun Seung-Ah opened the door and the 8 members stormed in. No one spared a
single djinn guarding Area A and they all died without even being able to scream for
help.

Woong— The elite members from Korea’s former rank 1 guild could all sense the
rumbling beneath them.

***
The battle on the 5th floor began disadvantageously. They had 10 members vs 30
djinns and couldn’t easily make up the difference in numbers. Not to mention, these
djinns felt stronger than ordinary ones. However, Essence of the Strait’s heroes used
the skills they acquired from the tower and slowly gained the advantage. Chae Nayun
greatly contributed by holding up their leader alone.

“You’re stronger than I thought.”

Gunyuden swung his stone sword as he murmured in surprise.

KWANG!

Chae Nayun defended the attack and sneered. “Are you sure you’re not just weak?”

“Mmm.”

Gunyuden swung again and finally destroyed Chae Nayun’s qi reinforcement. She
quickly retreated and reproduced another qi reinforcement.

Gunyuden smirked. “I don’t think so.”

“Hmph.”

Chae Nayun smirked even bigger after recovering her qi reinforcement.

“You should’ve cut off my neck if you had such a trick up your sleeve. Watch and
learn, idiot.”

Chae Nayun stretched her sword out. About 10 meters stood between them, a
distance no sword could normally cover. However… Tzzzzz… Magic power rose from
her claymore and formed a giant blade.

“What’s that?”

“—!”

Chae Nayun attacked without replying. The magic power blade absorbed even the
smallest particles of magic in the surroundings as she swung it. Gunyuden took the
blow without difficulty. Crack!
“What’s this?”

A part of the stone sword shattered the moment it touched Chae Nayun’s magic
power. The weight of pure magic power couldn’t be taken lightly. Gunyuden’s face
flickered with unease as Chae Nayun continued with horizontal slashes, vertical
slashes, cross slashes, spin slashes… Her 10 meter blade dominated the entire area.
Gunyuden frantically blocked, but his stone sword broke down with every exchange
and the duel gradually approached its end.

For some reason, Gunyuden seemed too carefree. He smiled as he received Chae
Nayun’s attacks and recalled what she said earlier. You should’ve cut off my neck if you
had such a trick up your sleeve. That’s exactly what he planned to do.

“—!”

A gap appeared in Chae Nayun’s defense as she made a huge swing. Gunyuden threw
a glance to the side and something immediately fell on Chae Nayun’s shoulder.

“What!”

She quickly tried to throw it off, but a sharp pain struck her back and her body lost
all its strength.

“What… did you…”

“Hehehehe.”

The figure that fell on Chae Nayun’s back lightly jumped and returned to Gunyuden’s
side. She glared at him while panting.

“You cowardly son of a bitch.”

“Ah, well, to tell you the truth, it was him. The one who killed your mom.”

Gunyuden smiled and pointed to the short, ugly man snickering.

“He’s my brother, Yudoren.”

“Y-You b-bastard.”
Chae Nayun clenched her teeth. Brother? You damned bastards! She tried to stop the
bleeding with her magic power, but the younger brother’s gift prevented her
bleeding from stopping. Her vision blurred as quickly lost blood.

“Chae Nayun!”

Kim Youngjin shouted. However, the other djinns stopped him. She couldn’t expect
any help, but then she recalled an item as she gasped for breath. Call me if you’re ever
in danger. She recalled that man’s words…

Chae Nayun tried to take something out of her pocket. However, the small man
stopped her. Yudoren threw a knife that pierced her hand, but Chae Nayun didn’t feel
any pain. That wasn’t a good sign.

“…”

She glared at the two djinns as her bloodshot vision blurred. Not now. The sworn
enemies who killed Mom are standing in front of me. I can’t give up now. I can’t… Chae
Nayun unleashed her magic power for one final attack, but did the heavens abandon
her?

Chwaaak!

An arrow descended through the walls and mercilessly pierced her heart. She
blankly looked down at the magic arrow in her body and instinctively knew the
attack had been fatal.

Tears streamed from her face and a light flashed before her eyes. Memories of happy
and painful times appeared. Strangely, she saw Kim Hajin in both memories.

“Ah…”

She slowly closed her eyes.

Maybe it’s better to just die like this. It’s been too painful. My consciousness is slowly
fading now. Right. That’s enough. I tried hard. I tried so hard. It’s okay to rest. Mom
and oppa will understand…

Still, her death didn’t come after 5 seconds. Then 10 seconds passed. Chae Nayun
managed to think again. Wait. It doesn’t hurt?
“What is this?”

***

I received an alert about a settings change for the first time in a while.

[Problem – It doesn’t make sense that a giant wielding a stone sword can assassinate
someone without leaving any evidence.] [Modification – A younger brother with a
different skillset has been added as the assassin, creating a more logical cause.]

“Haaa…”

A strange djinn had been added. Chae Nayun would’ve won if things continued. I
watched everything and raised the Blessed Bow of Horus that could shoot healing
arrows. She could overcome her trauma by herself as long as I healed her injuries, so
I decided not to kill Gunyuden and Yudoren.

The current time read 5:59 P.M. I activated the Eye of Horus with one minute left. My
vision instantly expanded and thin strands of light entered my eyes. This state only
lasted 5 seconds, so I had no time to revel in the mystical sensation. My body moved
automatically.

I looked down at the world. 4 seconds. And set my target. 3 seconds. I released the
bowstring. 2 seconds. The arrow flew through the air. 1 second. It seeped into the
ground and struck the target.

As I watched the results of my action…

“…?”

Killing intent suddenly surrounded me and a familiar figure flew towards me.

“Hey!”

A cold voice called me. I twisted my head and stared at her. Goosebumps
immediately rose on my arms. We stared into each other’s eyes with only a hair’s
breadth between us. Jin Sahyuk covered herself in magic power and grinned.

“You…”
I couldn’t continue as a fist infused with magic power struck my stomach. It easily
broke through aether’s defense. I coughed a mouthful of blood as my body shot back
like a soccer ball. She hurled countless magic weapons at me.

***

The fight inside the excavation site also affected the outside world. Magic power
shook the air and the earth. However, Jin Sahyuk only kept her eyes on one man. He
observed the excavation site under a strange grass-like membrane.

She wanted to charge at him, but held herself back. First, she hid her killing intent
and magic power to enjoy even greater happiness later.

I will crush you at the most crucial moment…

KOONG!

Thankfully, that moment didn’t take long to arrive. The excavation site shook and
Kim Hajin took out a bow. Then he formed a magic power arrow and his eyes turned
blue as well.

Jin Sahyuk’s instincts roared that she should kill him now. She drew out every ounce
of magic power in her body and shot forward. In less than a second, she reached her
prey and smiled at his flustered expression.

“Hey!”

His wide eyes filled her with joy. However, this joy soon transformed into rage.

“You…”

First, she punched his stomach to shut him up. He went flying just like that. As
expected, she could beat him outside the tower. However, she didn’t chase him and
sent her magic power weapons instead.

B-B-BOOM!

The weapons rained on him. One, two, three, four, five… Counting them would be as
pointless as counting raindrops during a storm. Her happiness increased with every
explosion and her body tingled with delight. An electrifying sense of ecstasy traveled
down her spine.

“Haa…”

She finally stopped her bombardment and covered her face with her hands. Jin
Sahyuk staggered from side to side in pleasure. She looked at the man’s tomb
through the gaps between her fingers. Dirt, grass, and a current of magic power
covered him. Her cheeks flushed at the sight. However, this blissful moment only
lasted a moment.

“Did I finish it too quickly? Hmm.”

Jin Sahyuk felt happy with the result, but somewhat regretted finishing him off so
quickly. If possible, she wanted to toy with him more and make an example out of
him.

“…”

Rustle, rustle. Jin Sahyuk’s eyes widened. Rustle, rustle. It sounded like a living
person. Rustle, rustle. Kim Hajin hadn’t died.

“Auugh…”

He survived even though magic power buried him deep underground. His body
suffered various cuts, but he hadn’t died. Then he dusted the dirt and rocks off his
body. Jin Sahyuk felt surprised, but also happy at the same time.

She smiled that her wish had been granted.

“Great, now that’s more like—”

“Wow!” His sudden exclamation interrupted her. Kim Hajin spoke apathetically and
ruined her enjoyment.

“What do you mean wow?”

She frowned at him.

“This is the first time I’ve felt anything like this.”

He continued to mumble incomprehensible things. Did he damage his brain? Jin
Sahyuk created more magic power weapons in the air. Kim Hajin glanced at them
and began to laugh.

“Hahahaha…”

“Did you go crazy?”

“No.” Kim Hajin shook his head.

“I just found it funny. You actually came to find me?”

He sounded full of leisure. Jin Sahyuk almost berated his arrogance when she felt
something with her body. He emanated an overwhelming power. Not magic power or
a magic spell, but something much purer.

“This will be my first time fighting in close range.”

He murmured nonsensically and shot forward. A crater appeared where he kicked

off and a dust cloud rose behind him.

“…!”

Immediately afterward, intense pain struck Jin Sahyuk’s solar plexus. Her magic
power armor instantly broke. Jin Sahyuk coughed blood from the devastating punch.
Her vision blurred and every internal organ throbbed. Kim Hajin’s face popped out
from the dust cloud before the pain even left her body. His wolf-like eyes glowed blue
and his monstrous body easily caught up with her body in flight.

“I told you last time.”

He reached out and grabbed her face. Then he murmured.

“That I’ll kill you if I ever see you.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk blankly stared at him with half-closed eyes.

“That it’ll be the same inside and outside the tower.”

Finally, he made a twisted smile.

“Why didn’t you listen?”

He smashed her body into the ground.

He sent me flying with a mere punch without any magic power, but only pure
strength. I couldn’t understand how. The pain sweeping through my body couldn’t
convince me of that fact.

How?

I learned to not arrogantly let my guard down after my first encounter with him. I
investigated him thoroughly. He was only a sharpshooter from what I saw with my
own eyes and from what others knew. I couldn’t sense the state of magic power from
him that distinguished a master from a rookie. It didn’t look like he practiced any
special techniques either.

That should be the case, so what the hell is this?

Such a thought flashed across my mind as his punch broke my armor and sent me
flying. However, even that thought didn’t last long. He appeared from the thick cloud
and caught up to my body in flight.

“I told you last time.”

His coarse hand clutched my face and stopped my body. I saw him through the gap
between his fingers. His icy glare weighed heavily on my mind and body. Soon, a low
whisper rang in my ears.

“That I’ll kill you if I ever see you.”

His voice filled my head and his grip felt like it would crush me. I tried to raise a
hand, but my body wouldn’t move.

“That it’ll be the same inside and outside the tower.”

His lips curved into a cold smile and my heart stopped for a moment.
“Why didn’t you listen?”

Immediately, he smashed me into the ground. My body felt like it shattered, but this
was only the beginning. His combat technique lacked individuality and
fundamentals. He simply pulled me off the ground and slammed me again on the
opposite side. Then he tossed me to the other side. Like that, I swayed like a
pendulum until he threw me into the air and kicked me.

KOONG!

His kick crushed my ribs and sent me flying through the air. Then he caught up to me
again and punched me in the opposite direction. I didn’t give up on fighting back as
he toyed with me. I formed a barrier and shot my magic power weapons at him.

However, an unbelievable sight unfolded. My magic power shattered the moment it

came in contact with him. Not a single bruise or scratch appeared on his body.
Naturally, he continued beating me without stopping. It hurt and kept hurting. It
continued until the damn end. I clenched my teeth. Why did I have to be beaten like
this?

“GOD— DAMMIT—!”

I shouted while standing and my roar echoed in every direction. He finally stopped,
but my body refused to move. Magic power only focused on recovery when the body
took damage beyond a certain degree. I couldn’t keep fighting anymore.

Thud.

I quickly lost the strength to even stand. He began to approach. Tap, tap. I could hear
his footsteps and tried to move in vain. Did something happen to my head after all
that beating? I suddenly had a terrible thought. I felt scared. Was I going to die? Like
this, for nothing? I thought I would be indifferent in the face of death. No, I couldn’t
die here. Not now. Not like this. I had a wish to fulfill. My home, my country, my
parents, and my loyal subordinates. I…

Words instinctively came out of my mouth before I could finish my thoughts.

“…spare… me.”

My voice trembled as I choked on tears. Then he stopped. I could only see his legs. I
don’t know if I felt glad that I couldn’t see his face, but I desperately stretched my
hand and placed it on his shoe.

“…”

A breathtaking silence descended. I held onto my faint consciousness and spoke

words I never would’ve imagined.

“I’m… sorry.”

I had nothing to be ashamed of anymore with my brain this damaged. Only a single
thought occupied my mind.

I want to live. I… have to live…

***

When Jin Sahyuk’s attack first crushed my body, I thought…

Should I use time reversal?

However, I dismissed it before my body even touched the ground.

Even if I did use it, I would be done for if I couldn’t finish her in 3 minutes. Of course,
I could activate my fate ability after time reversal, but I might also die from a heart
attack.

The side effects from time reversal made my heart feel like bursting and caused all
my stats to decrease by 3-4 points for a day. I assumed the side effects would be
similar for [Fate]. In all likelihood, [Fate] and [Time Reversal] couldn’t be used
consecutively.

I activated [Fate] before any more blows landed. Jin Sahyuk already became my
target during the sunrise in Prestige. My stats suddenly increased by 300% and I felt
an absurd amount of power. The world instantly slowed with only one opponent in
front of me.

“This will be my first time fighting in close range.”

I dashed towards Jin Sahyuk. My body filled with excitement and moved on its own.
Perhaps it moved according to aether.

I sent her flying with a punch. Then chased after her and grabbed her face before her
body could even touch the ground. KWANG! I slammed her body to the ground.
KWANG! I pulled her back up and threw her again. KWANG! I continued smashing her
back and forth. This was my first time fighting in close range, so I might’ve
subconsciously imitated the Hulk that I watched in a movie.

I blacked out for a moment after that.

“GOD— DAMMIT—!”

Her sudden roar woke me up. I stood still and stared at her. She glared with half-
open eyes and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Hmm…”

The battle ended quite fast. I approached the unconscious Jin Sahyuk sprawled on
the ground. Her body still functioned and slowly healed itself. I prepared to kill her,
but words I never expected came out of her mouth.

“…spare… me.”

“…”

My legs stopped as I stared at her. What did she just say? Was I hearing things?

“I’m… sorry.”

Her words sounded even more ridiculous than before. Goosebumps rose all over my
body. I couldn’t comprehend what she just said, so I pretended not to hear it. She
would be better off dead.

I reached out, but stopped. I saw my bloody hands and my subconscious defense
mechanism activated. Even my numbed mind with high perseverance had a limit.
Until now, I had never killed anyone without my weapon. I tried to take out the
Desert Eagle from my pocket.

“Freeze!”
My 3 minutes had already passed and Fate lost its effects. I sensed multiple
presences.

“This is the Hero Association’s Special Task Force! Put your weapon down!”

“What.”

Ten or so elite members of the Hero Association introduced themselves. They

pointed their weapons at me and raised their magic power.

“You guys, move over.”

A woman walked through them in an imposing manner. The short Aileen appeared
and seemed to be participating in this mission as a commander. She made a dramatic
entrance and looked at me.

“What are you doing here?”

“…”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer. My body began to stiffen from the side effects.
Aileen pointed at Jin Sahyuk.

“She’s not a djinn. Why are you fighting her?”

“…”

“It’s also way too intense… to be a quarrel between lovers.”

Aileen mumbled as she looked at the blood between us. Without a word, I lay on the
ground. Aileen frowned at me.

“What should we do?” Aileen’s subordinate asked.

“What do you mean? That’s Fenrir. A guild probably hired him. As for the girl… well, I
don’t know who she is, but let’s just leave these two alone and take care of them.”

Aileen pointed in the opposite direction. Like the Hero Association, the djinns also
called for reinforcements.
“That’s Kim Ohsung, right?”

A slender man caught Aileen’s attention. Kim Ohsung, an executive of Satan’s

Servants, was 3-4 times stronger than Gunyuden.

“Yes, I think you’re right.”

“Then let’s go.”

Aileen glanced at me before walking towards the battlefield. Swirls of blade-like

magic power shot up from her feet. However, she soon controlled the overwhelming
magic power and shouted.

“Listen well! The ground will turn upside down!”

The ground beneath the djinns shot up into the sky. A single sentence reversed
heaven and earth. The man-made disaster caused an entire layer of earth to soar.

— Kuaaak!

— W-What’s going on?

— Uwoah! H-Hold on!

The reverse landslide killed most of the djinns and the pressure from her magic
power crushed the others to death. They didn’t stand a chance against Aileen.

“Woah…”

I wanted to watch her fight a bit longer, but didn’t have the time. I came here in
secret, so why did I encounter so many guests today? Soon, another voice tickled my
ears.

“Were you hiding it or did you learn it from the tower?”

“…”

I turned towards a talking cat.

“It’s just that Sahyuk also learned a pretty good skill. I didn’t think she would lose.”
The cat smiled at Jin Sahyuk on the ground.

“How awful.” I suddenly realized the cat’s identity. The gift, Magic Power Body, could
be used in all sorts of ways. It had to be Bell. I said only one thing to him.

“Take her.”

The cat widened its eyes.

“Really?” I nodded weakly.

“Tell her I was touched by her genuine plea.”

Today, I saw a possibility in Jin Sahyuk. In the original story, she seemed like an
almighty character who could never die. Not even Kim Suho could defeat her. She
actually overpowered him for half the novel. However, that wasn’t the case now. The
cat spoke again.

“You might regret it later.”

I didn’t reply and raised my head to peek inside the excavation site. My fight had
ended and Chae Nayun’s revenge should also be reaching its climax.

— Please spare me.

Gunyuden begged her on the ground. I couldn’t help but chuckle. For some reason,
she experienced the same situation as me.

***

“Please spare me.”

Pft. The man overflowing with confidence a moment ago now lay on the ground
begging for his life. Chae Nayun raised her claymore with a cynical smile.

“You…”

Chae Nayun continued with a stern face. Gunyuden looked at her claymore. The
monstrous weapon still raged with magic power. He assumed the longsword would
penetrate his heart, but it returned to the scabbard on her back.
“Do you think I’m like you?”

“What?”

Chae Nayun took something out of her pocket. They looked no different than
ordinary handcuffs, but could suppress magic power. She placed them on Gunyuden
and Yudoren’s wrists.

“I’ll cut your magic core out and interrogate you thoroughly. I’ll also lock you up in
the djinn prison so you won’t be able to kill yourself.”

“…”

“You won’t be able to die even if you want to, bastard.”

Chae Nayun looked at Gunyuden straight in his eyes.

“…Really.”

“Yep. Look forward to it. I’ll have you spill the beans about that client of yours.”

Thwack! She smacked Gunyuden on the head with her scabbard and he easily passed
out without any magic power. A sudden dizziness overtook her. The world spun and
her vision turned upside down.

“Uwoaah…”

Someone caught her as she fell.

“Ah?”

Chae Nayun looked up amidst her dizziness. At first, a faint hallucination overlapped
with the figure who caught her. The face in front of her undoubtedly belonged to Kim
Hajin. He looked at her with that familiar expressionless look.

“You…”

“Nayun! Are you okay?”

“Yi Jiyoon?”
The hallucination soon disappeared and Kim Hajin’s face became Yi Jiyoon. Am I
going crazy? Chae Nayun returned to her senses and pulled herself up.

“Are you feeling alright? I came here as fast as I could!”

“I’m fine. I already captured these two?”

Chae Nayun finally noticed the man beside Yi Jiyoon. Desolate Moon should’ve been
in charge of the 4th floor, but Shin Jonghak stood there for whatever reason.

“What.”

Shin Jonghak stared at her. Blood and dirt covered his spear and armor. It seemed he
had quite the fight too.

“Why is Shin Jonghak here?”

“…”

Shin Jonghak remained silent at her innocent question. He couldn’t tell her that the
spy he had planted in Essence of the Strait informed him of the situation. The trace
of tears underneath her eyes left him speechless. He couldn’t bring himself to say
what he wanted to say. Instead, he only bitterly smiled.

“I was always here.”

***

The drama unfolding before my eyes depicted a typical scene of youth. Chae Nayun
defeated her enemy, but didn’t kill him. Once again, Shin Jonghak announced that he
wouldn’t give up on her. Soon, Kim Suho would join them too. Their story would
continue without me as always. I bitterly smiled.

“Kim Hajin.”

A cold voice called me. I could barely breathe as I turned around. Boss frowned to
show her anger.

“Ah, Boss. You came?”

“Is that all you have to say? I thought I told you not to participate.”

“…”

We looked at each other in silence. She frowned even more when she noticed I
wasn’t scared of her. I spotted her white, coarse hands underneath her robe.

“Hmm…”

Looking at her hands, I suddenly recalled the ring. I didn’t know why. Was it because
I just saw Chae Nayun and Shin Jonghak? Homer’s Ring sat rotting away inside
stigma’s extradimensional storage without a proper owner.

Should I give that ring to Chae Nayun? The high grade artifact could amplify her
strength and remedy her weakness.

It wasn’t impossible. Like in the original story, Chae Shinhyuk would search for a
fitting artifact and possibly obtain information about Homer’s Ring if Chae Nayun
asked him for help. By chance, he might find my Truth Agency and request the ring’s
location. Then I could coincidentally give it to him.

However, Chae Nayun won today on her own and didn’t end her revenge with
murder. She seemed happy and deserved to be proud of herself.

She probably wouldn’t ask her father for help, especially if it meant depending on an
item.

One day, if she asked for such a thing… if her desire to grow stronger reached me by
chance…

“I’ll make something for her myself.”

Most likely, only I inherited the dwarves’ legacy. An intelligence stat boost would be
impossible, but I could easily reproduce the [Magic Power Amplification] on Homer’s
Ring. I just had to gather the world’s best materials and work 1-2 hours a day for
about 3 months.

“Make what?”

Boss snapped at me. I lightly chuckled. Boss was no less of a magic power monster
than Chae Nayun. Chae Nayun’s magic power capacity only applied to swords, so
Boss wouldn’t be as efficient. However, the ring also suited Boss. She wouldn’t sell it
like in the original story if I gifted it to her.

“Boss, come here for a second.”

“Kim Hajin. I’m not joking. Depending on your answer—”

“I have something…”

Plus, I wanted to appease her.

“…that I want to give to you.”

“Haaa.”

Boss sighed with a sour expression, but approached anyways.

“What?” She squatted in front of me as I forced my creaking joints to move.

“Close your eyes.”

“You weren’t supposed to be here during the mission. You weren’t even supposed to
be nearby. Jain lured in the association and djinns, but if you’re here they’ll be
suspicious that—”

“Hush.”

It didn’t look like she would close her eyes, so I covered them with my hand. Then I
tried to put the ring on her finger, but stopped. Was this okay? It felt weird to directly
put the ring on her. Ring finger, index finger… It just felt wrong, so I opened her hand
and placed it in her palm.

“Here, all done.”

“What is…?”

She didn’t finish her sentence. I smiled softly and looked at her. Boss stood as if time
had stopped. She stared at the ring with a half-opened mouth and didn’t even blink.
“…”

Like that, the owner of the ring changed. Of course, I might regret this decision later,
but Boss’ expression made it worth it today.

“How is it? I picked it up on my way here.”

I felt more than satisfied.

Late at night, Boss returned to the Chameleon Troupe hideout for the first time in a
while and jumped in bed. Then she stared at the ceiling in a pose that resembled
Dracula. She stared for a long time before taking something out of her pocket and
flashing it against the light. The platinum ring sparkled. It looked rather ordinary,
but its effects couldn’t be considered that at all.

Why did Kim Hajin give this to me?

Of course, he said the artifact suited her. Boss accepted it, but still felt conflicted.

She sighed, but resolved to wear the ring. [High Grade Magic Amplification] was a
top-tier effect that could hardly be found. She thought about which finger to wear it
on.

“The finger that hurts.”

One finger still felt her pain.

“…”

Nine of her fingers felt coarse and wrought with scars and calluses. Not even magic
could heal them. Nowadays, women who planned to become heroes often received
special care from a young age. Boss, of course, wasn’t ordinary and never
experienced such things.

However, one of her fingers felt different. Her left pinky didn’t have any calluses and
had never been severed. It didn’t have any scars either. As such, biting this finger
always hurt. Boss placed the ring on this finger and the ring automatically changed
its size to snugly fit.

“Mmm.”

My ring. A gift I received. Boss lay in bed and stared at the ring on her pinky. A small
smile emerged on her face.

***

The Guild Alliance and the association won the battle, but lost the war. They didn’t
suffer a single casualty, but djinns took over 60% of the artifacts. The association
estimated they could retrieve at least 50%, so they considered this a loss. However,
not all guilds failed. Creator’s Sacred Grace came out as one of the biggest winners.
They discovered 8 expensive artifacts that included Temujin’s hat and leather armor
as well as other valuable clothes.

“Well done, Suho.”

Kim Suho and Yun Seung-Ah smiled at each other outside Pyongyang’s exclusive hero
hospital. Yun Seung-Ah usually seemed stressed, but genuinely smiled today.

“It’s all thanks to you, guild leader.” Kim Suho bowed.

Yun Seung-Ah stroked his forehead and he blushed at the light physical contact.

“We’re much better off now. You can expect a huge bonus. I plan to give you one of
the artifacts.”

“Huh? No, I—”

“Just take it. It wouldn’t have been possible without you. Really, how did you dig up
so many artifacts in just a minute?”

The sword didn’t specialize in digging, but the Sword Saint gift severed the
connection between the artifacts and the ground, allowing them to pop up like
inflatable balls underwater.

“Haha…”

Kim Suho laughed bashfully at Yun Seung-Ah’s praise.

“You can go now. You want to see your friends, right?”

“Yes.”
“Then I’ll get back to work. I have to report the artifacts, talk to the Association,
and… well, I just have a lot to do.”

Kim Suho smiled and saw her off. He returned to the hospital after her car
disappeared. Then he immediately went to visit one of his friends. He heard Chae
Nayun’s voice as soon as he entered.

“What? It wasn’t you?”

Chae Nayun stared at Yi Jiyoon in shock with bandages wrapped around her head,
neck, and arm.

“Of course not. I came after Team Leader Youngjin notified me. I didn’t shoot any
arrow at you.”

“Really? Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. You said you healed as soon as the arrow struck you, right? My healing
factor can’t instantaneously heal someone.”

“Then who was it? Other than you, who—”

Kim Suho walked in and sat on a chair. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Huh?”

They both turned towards Kim Suho.

“Oh, if it isn’t Creator’s Sacred Grace who hit it big.”

Chae Nayun narrowed her eyes jokingly. Rumors already spread about their
achievement. Kim Suho laughed and played along.

“I heard Essence of the Strait obtained some good artifacts too.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t as satisfactory considering that was the 5th floor.”

“Didn’t your guild find a female horse and a male horse?”

“Oh? How did you find out?”

Four fledglings entered Chae Nayun’s room as they talked about their guilds’ haul.

“Um, senior!”

“Hello!”

“How is your body?”

“I hope your injuries aren’t too serious!”

Essence of the Strait’s apprentice heroes came to visit. Chae Nayun narrowed her
eyes at the third year cadets from Cube.

“Why are all of you here?”

“We’re here to see you! We heard you got injured!”

“Thanks, but I don’t like things like this. Don’t come next time.”

“Yes! Understood!” They placed their get-well gift on the ground and stared at her,
but didn’t leave.

Chae Nayun spoke with a sigh, “Fine. Screw off if you don’t want me to beat you up.”

“Hehe… Yes! Understood!”

The four fledglings happily left after the harsh words. Kim Suho tilted his head at the
confusing scene.

“Who are they?”

“I don’t know. They like it when I curse.”

“Huh? No way.”

“Yes way. I think my personality is growing worse because of them. They won’t listen
at all if I tell them nicely. I can’t do anything since they always visit whenever I leave
the tower. I’m afraid they’ll eventually follow me into the tower. Scary kids…”

Chae Nayun grumbled, but secretly enjoyed it.

“Oh, what happened? Tell me.”

“Was it 3 months ago? I left the tower for a bit and the guild assigned me to take care
of these apprentice heroes.”

They went on a mission together and got into an argument with a foreign guild’s
hero about a monster corpse. That hero kept blabbering on, so Chae Nayun got
pissed and cursed him out.

“Oh, oh, that incident in Europe, right? Those kids probably thought you looked
really cool. Didn’t you used to curse a lot anyways?” Yi Jiyoon added.

“Nevermind that. Kim Suho.”

Chae Nayun sipped on a cup of coffee. “Can you get in touch with him?”

“…”

Kim Suho felt the weight of her words.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

“What if I can?”

“Who knows, but I’ll have to meet him at least once eventually,” Chae Nayun
murmured.

Yi Jiyoon kept fidgeting next to Chae Nayun, but Kim Suho asked anyways.

“What if you do meet him?”

“Well…” Chae Nayun continued after a bit of thinking.

“We’ll probably fight until one of us dies.”

Her voice sounded lonely and Kim Suho bitterly smiled. He wanted to ask, Just how
bad did you two break up to want to kill each other? However, he refrained from doing
so.

“Be sure to tell me if you meet him.”

Chae Nayun strongly requested.

She felt confident after overcoming one of the traumas etched in her heart. If they
met again, she felt like she could face him and ask about the truth.

“Okay.”

Chae Nayun shot up. “I’m going to Yeonha now.”

She went off to find Yoo Yeonha holed up somewhere. Chae Nayun felt like she knew
where to look. Yoo Yeonha should be waiting for her guild members in surgery.

— Koong!

She swung the lounge door open. The door made a dull thud and seemed locked, but
Chae Nayun saw Yoo Yeonha’s familiar figure inside. She seemed to be eating cup
noodles.

“Cough, cough. Pfft.”

Yoo Yeonha spat out the noodles as Chae Nayun entered. She wiped her mouth as if
nothing happened and slowly looked up.

“Mmm, you’re here, Nayun.”

Chae Nayun laughed at Yoo Yeonha’s nonchalant act. “You’re eating ramen?”

“H-Hm? Ramen? What, what ramen?”

Yoo Yeonha told a strange lie. Chae Nayun pointed at the cup noodles on the table.

“You were just eating that.”

“Oh… this?”

Yoo Yeonha stared at Chae Nayun, then at the cup noodles, then back at Chae Nayun,
then the cup noodles, then Chae Nayun, then the cup noodles… In the end… Tak! She
flicked her hand and swiped the cup noodles away. Chae Nayun dumbfoundedly
looked at the mess all over the floor.
“What are you doing?”

“Ah, this?” Yoo Yeonha stared at the food she just spilled.

“Why did you do that?”

“Mm? Uh… Oh, what’s this?”

Yoo Yeonha suddenly yelled as if she just noticed the cup noodles on the ground.
Chae Nayun narrowed her eyes. “Are you joking?”

“Cough, I’m your boss, you know. You’ll be punished if you talk to me that way.”

“…”

Chae Nayun chose to forget what she just saw and walked up to her. The cup noodles
disappeared without a trace by the time Chae Nayun sat in a chair. Yoo Yeonha
undoubtedly did something with her magic power.

“Do you need something, Nayun?”

“I’m waiting for my teammates too. How are the surgeries going?”

Yoo Yeonha grinned. “Good. Everything’s fine. No loss of limbs or magic power.”

Chae Nayun nodded with a sigh of relief. She felt glad no one suffered any grave
injuries. Then she brought up a lighthearted topic.

“Oh right, what’s up with that scandal?”

The first news she saw after leaving the tower involved Yoo Yeonha in a relationship.
According to the report, Yoo Yeonha was dating Lorain, the son of the multinational
corporation, Lesrain.

“It’s bullshit. I’m already taking legal measures.”

Chae Nayun nodded at Yoo Yeonha’s reaction. “Yeah, I guess we’re both a long way
from dating anyone.”

“Hmm? I’m already in a relationship.”

Chae Nayun instantly widened her eyes at Yoo Yeonha’s comment. “What? With
who?”

Yoo Yeonha smiled. “With work.”

She meant it as a joke, but Chae Nayun didn’t get it.

“Who’s Work?”

“Eh?”

***

Yoo Yeonha left the hospital and called someone after all the heroes successfully
underwent surgery. Tiriring—Tiriring— The phone continued to ring and just when
she worried he wouldn’t pick up…

“He, hello?”

— Yeah, what’s up?

Kim Hajin’s indifferent voice rang out. Yoo Yeonha sighed in relief as soon as she
heard his voice.

“You haven’t been picking up or replying to my texts. What have you been up to?”

— All kinds of things. I’m resting now though.

“…”

All kinds of things. He sounded like he was hurt. A lot. Yoo Yeonha sighed.

“Don’t do it.”

— Don’t do what?

Kim Hajin pretended to be oblivious.

“You know what I mean.”

— Huh? What do you mean?

“I already heard you killed Black Lotus.”

— Oh, so?

Does he take me for a fool? Yoo Yeonha glanced around and continued in a whisper.

“I know you’re chasing after the remaining Chameleon Troupe members.”

This time, Kim Hajin didn’t say anything. It probably meant she hit the mark.

“It’s too dangerous alone. So—”

— No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not chasing after anyone.

“Huh?”

Yoo Yeonha shut her mouth. For a moment, she wondered if everything was all in her
head.

“Really?”

— Yeah. I killed Black Lotus because Aileen requested it. It’s not like I’m chasing
after the Chameleon Troupe for personal reasons.

“What floor are you on? Let’s meet and talk inside the tower.”

— Then meet me on the 15th floor.

Yoo Yeonha’s voice went up a tone.

“What? You’re already that high up? So you are chasing after them!”

—… I’m not. Anyways, get to the 15th floor. I’ll come looking for you then.

“Hnnng… I still think you’re lying, but okay.”

Yoo Yeonha wanted to talk with him more since he didn’t answer any of her
questions. However, Kim Hajin seemed busy and she had things to do as well.
“Don’t do anything too dangerous.”

— I don’t do dangerous jobs.

“Yeah, yeah. If anything happens… just call me. I’m hanging up.”

— I’m telling you, nothing hap—

Yoo Yeonha hung up and called someone else.

“Hello.”

A cold, icy voice came out of her mouth, completely different from the soft tone she
just used.

— Yes, um, Team Leader Yoo, I hope you saw the apology letter I sent…

“No.”

— Pardon?

“I read it. That’s my reply.”

Suhanmoo Corporation used to be one of Essence of the Strait’s subcontractors that

became a medium-sized company in developing new technologies thanks to their
guild’s funding.

However, Suhanmoo secretly sold their technology to a foreign company when their
contract neared its end. Yoo Yeonha felt dumbfounded when found out one of her
subcontractors acted like a foolish industry spy.

“You have two choices.”

— I’m sorry, but please, Team Leader.

“You can walk into your grave on your own or watch yourself be placed in it.”

Yoo Yeonha’s Falling Blossom guild discovered their secret trade. She immediately
tied their executives to Korea by banning them from traveling and freezing their
funds.
— T-Team Leader, I have children! I…

Yoo Yeonha hung up as the man desperately yelled.

“Haaa…”

She bitterly sighed. Essence of the Strait didn’t show mercy to traitors and
thoroughly repaid any debts. Today, that rule would be kept once more, but she felt a
sense of emptiness and grew lethargic.

Then two heroes at a bench caught her eye. They embraced each other under the
setting sun and locked lips.

“Oh my.”

Yoo Yeonha clicked her tongue. For some reason, her eyes continued to stay on them.
The couple’s tongues began to intertwine… gulp. One tongue attacked the other,
almost like two whips. Gulp. Yoo Yeonha swallowed her saliva at this lewd scene.
Then her secretary’s limousine stopped in front of her.

“Sorry for being late.”

“Y-Yes?”

The secretary quickly came out and opened the back door.

“N-No, it’s fine.”

Yoo Yeonha forced herself not to look at the couple after getting inside.

***

[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

I rested for about 4 days with Evandel before returning to the tower. Then I powered
up the ship, awakened the NPC soldiers, and reinforced their military power with TP.
After all that, I gained 43 heavily armed soldiers.

“Area 3 has returned to normal operations. Fixing the self-powering system seems to
have done the trick.”
Currently, the ship’s captain guided me around. Area 3 now seemed like a place
where people lived and the NPCs felt grateful.

“Now, we would like to initiate the plan to save humanity.”

“…”

“Of course, that’s as long as the Ship Commander allows it.”

I glanced back at Horner. I had become the Ship Commander.

“Are you confident?”

“Yes, we’ve trained for it many times. We’ve recovered to our peak physical
conditions thanks to eating well and everyone is full of enthusiasm.”

“Mm, then go ahead. I’ll allow it. You can use as much TP as you want.”

I had to keep spending to climb up. Some guests finally arrived.

[Three people have entered Area 3.] [Player PhantomThief] [Player Goryeo’sStrongest]
[Player Hurabono] [They have been confirmed as the Ship Commander’s comrades. The
entrance will be opened.]

Area 3’s management system opened the door with a mechanical voice. Cheok
Jungyeong, Jain, and Jin Yohan all walked in.

“You’re here?” I smiled at them.

“Yep, we just arrived.”

Jain took off her robe and curiously looked around the futuristic Area 3.

“Wow, it’s like I’m in a sci-fi movie.”

“Where’s Boss?”

“She said she had something to do.”

“Hmm.”
“Oh right, Jain. How many artifacts did you steal?”

I’d been dying to know.

“I wasn’t too greedy. Just half of what the djinns uncovered. I brought a bow for you
too.”

She probably referred to [Temujin’s Bow]. For the record, I planned to synthesize
[Temujin’s Bow] with the [Blessed Bow of Horus]. After all, I didn’t need two bows.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I should be the one thanking you.”

Jain proudly displayed the bracelet on her arm. I made it for her using the materials
she gave me. She already had a ring and a necklace, so I used the 21 jewels to make a
small bracelet. The strap contained moon ice stone, which looked even more
beautiful than gold. Naturally, the materials alone easily surpassed 20 billion won.
With Dwarf’s Dexterity, it became priceless.

“So, what are we doing today?” Jain asked with a big smile.

“We’re going to the 16th floor.”

“Now?”

“Yes, we can go up whenever we want.”

Area 3 had a hangar with flying vehicles that could travel through the tower’s void.
We would see the true demon realm after reaching the 16th floor.

“Sounds good to me!”

Cheok Jungyeong smacked his chest like a gorilla. I smirked and called the captain.

“Horner.”

“Yes, the spacecrafts are ready.”

“We’ll be using them soon.”

We should be able to easily climb to the 19th floor with this. It shouldn’t take more
than 2 weeks. However, things would get more difficult from the 20th floor. Like
Crevon’s multiple floors, the 20th-23rd floors were all connected. I prepared to lose
at least one life.

“I’ll lead the way.”

I followed Horner as the other members trailed behind.

***

Horner and the military strategist Erenner met 30 minutes later after Ship
Commander Extra7 left with his comrades.

“Ship Commander said he would unlock the hibernation chambers as long as we

opened the pathway.”

“Yes, but the question is how to open the pathway.”

“It’s simple. We just have to dig through it.”

“Alien hosts are living underground.”

An alarm went off as Horner and Erenner discussed their next move.

[A being with a high state of existence has entered the vessel.] [A being with a high
state of existence has entered the vessel.] [A being with a high state of existence has
entered the vessel.]

“What?”

“Someone with a high state of existence?”

NPCs in the ship froze at the unexpected message. However, Horner and Erenner
quickly moved to the control room and checked the cameras. They saw two women
walking towards Area 3. Two robed beings with extraordinary states of existence.
Medea and Athena had appeared.

“Aren’t they administrators?” Erenner asked.

“Yes, but why are they here?”

Administrators couldn’t enter other floors without the permission of that floor’s
administrator. However, the 15th floor wasn’t an official floor with an administrator.

“I’m not sure, but it looks like we’ll have to open the door.”

They felt afraid, but Horner quickly came to a decision.

Ssssk—

Medea and Athena walked in with veils covering their faces. NPCs recognized them
by their unique magic power and shivered in fear. To them, administrators weren’t
kind existences.

“Hello, everyone,” Medea kindly asked the NPCs.

“Is player Extra7 here?”

I didn’t know the official name of Spacecraft A7102. Nevertheless, I boarded it with
my comrades. Horner asked if I knew how to pilot it and I nodded with confidence. I
never drove anything like it before, but my [Lv.6 Driving] gave me mastery over all
kinds of vehicles. Even without it, I could become one with any machine through
[Algorithm].

“I can have someone accompany you if you aren’t accustomed to flying it.”

“No, I’m okay. Scan.”

I checked the percentage. A 43% consolidation meant my gifts had mostly recovered
by now. My abilities inside and outside the tower should sync once I cleared the 20th
floor.

[Lv.5 Yggdrasil’s Blessing has enhanced Lv.8 A7102.]

I applied a blessing to the spaceship. I called it my 2 stage consolidation.

“Oh, this is?”

Horner seemed half-confused and half-surprised at the spaceship’s sudden changes.

“See? I’m good at anything with machines, so don’t worry. You can focus on saving
humanity or whatever you want to do.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Horner left feeling relieved as I sat in the driver’s seat. I looked at the controls and
grabbed the wheel. Aether flowed out and wrapped around it. Then it spread
throughout the spacecraft and instantly connected my body to the machine.

[Aether has connected to the spacecraft.] [Algorithm has activated. Performance and
efficiency have improved by 40%.] [Lv.8 A7192 will now move according to your will.]
My eyes widened from the image projected on my retina. Endless darkness lay ahead
with faint specks of light. I shouted as the spaceship began to move.

“We’re taking off.”

The trio looked around the spaceship and shuddered.

“H-Hajin. You sure you know how to handle this?”

“Of course.”

“Hey. Hey. Um, you know, that dude who just left. Who was he again?”

“Horner,” I briefly answered Cheok Jungyeong.

“Yes, him. Can’t we just ask him to do this?”

“No.”

I refused and started the engine. Shoooong— The spacecraft launched from the
hangar and fuel erupted from its lower section with an intense explosion. However,
the ship’s interior remained silent. Currently, I applied 3 types of reinforcements to
this spacecraft: my Random Consolidation System, Algorithm, and Yggdrasil’s Leaf. It
became much stronger than most battleships.

“Wow. Look outside.”

The trio calmed down once the shuttle entered its main orbit. They looked out the
window at the vast celestial bodies.

“Oh, that circular thing over there is the 16th floor? This is cool.”

“You’re right. The land is shaped differently from Earth.”

“So beautiful.”

Cheok Jungyeong, Jin Yohan, and Jain expressed their admiration.

“That’s right. Jain, how are things in Prestige?” I suddenly asked.

“Prestige?”

Jain’s footsteps resounded over the tiles. She sat next to me in the passenger seat.

“It’s like a metropolis now.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yep. They have pubs, restaurants, buildings, shopping malls, and lots of other stuff. I
heard a player is even raising livestock there. They’re also in the process of driving
the demons out.”

This overwhelming progress couldn’t be compared to the original story where

everything other than the residential area would’ve been destroyed by now.

— A hostile presence has appeared.

The spaceship’s mechanical voice suddenly warned us. Something that looked like
fruit flies flew towards us. I recognized them as gargoyles, monsters controlled by
demons.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Don’t worry about them.”

Such events occasionally popped up. I took out the ship’s hidden weapon. I didn’t
know whether it was a laser, a cannon, or a machine gun. However, it annihilated the
gargoyles with a few shots.

“Oh, they were nothing.”

“Yep.”

As expected, even a basic vehicle grew absurdly strong after several reinforcements.

We chatted and admired the view as we headed towards the 16th floor. [Genkelope
Zone], the disc-shaped planet with orange soil, looked like a flattened Mars.

Shuuuu…
The spaceship moved swiftly and landed on a remote corner of the planet.

[16F – Demon Realm Colony, Genkelope] [Team Chameleon Troupe has entered the
16th floor for the first time.] [The reward for first entry is the Special Skill Acquisition
Book – Lv.2 Atmospheric Whirlpool.]

The door opened and we set foot on Genkelope.

“…”

We fell silent for a moment and simply stared at the overwhelming scenery. Cheok
Jungyeong broke the silence first.

“Well, this is one hell of a scenery.”

The 16th floor looked frightening. The towers in the distance had beating pulses like
a living thing and the tree in front of us had a disgusting eye embedded in its trunk.

“Ugh, so creepy.” Jain shuddered at the grotesque view.

“We don’t have to clean everything here up, right? Hajin?”

“Right. It’ll take us at least 5 years to completely clean this place.”

The 16th floor couldn’t be compared to the [5F, Materialized Demon Realm]. There,
demons at least looked like humans, but only monsters in the literal sense existed
here.

“So what exactly do we have to do?” Cheok Jungeyong impatiently asked.

“Ask the system.”

How can we reach the 17th floor? I asked the system first.

[Each demon on the 16th floor will carry a random map piece. Defeat them to collect
these pieces and form the map that leads to the 17th floor.]

***

[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

“Tsk. So even you guys don’t know when he’ll be back?”

Medea frowned.

“Yes. He left without any promise of return.”

Horner calmly answered even in the presence of administrators. Medea glared at

him, but he politely endured her gaze. Soon, the administrator heaved a deep sigh.

“Damn it. One thing after another. I’m so annoyed!”

Athena flinched at her swearing. She placed a hand on Medea’s shoulder.

“You, watch your language.”

“Well, you’re in the same situation as me.”

“I can wait.”

“Oh, really? I feel like just yesterday when you refused to even talk to me because of
your so-called divinity. Now you’re willing to wait for a mere human? Oh, how much
you’ve changed!”

Medea taunted her, but Athena only clenched her teeth. She also felt embarrassed
about her arrogant past self. Athena’s silence brought Medea back to her senses.

“Sorry. I’ve been chasing after him for 2 months. Please understand.”

“It’s fine.”

“Anyways, you guys.”

Medea pointed at Horner and Erenner. She wanted to punish the cocky pair for
seeing her outburst, but decided to hold her tongue. If Extra7 favored these NPCs,
harming them would only make him despise her.

“We can stay here until Extra7 returns, correct?”

“Yes, we don’t mind, but—”

“We don’t mind either. Surely you heard administrator Athena say she would wait for
him?”

“It’s as she says.”

Athena nodded. Horner had no choice but to welcome them. The mere existence of
administrators should keep alien creatures away from Area 3.

“Then I’ll show you to the best rooms in Area 3.”

Horner led the two to their most luxurious rooms.

***

Team Chameleon Troupe began seriously climbing the tower. On day 1 and day 2,
they encountered bizarre-looking enemies. One looked like a lighthouse and another
looked like a water strider, a mantis, and a deep sea fish. We defeated those demons
and stitched the map pieces together.

From day 3 to day 6, we consulted the map and arrived at the tunnel that led to the
17th floor. Then we realized the tunnel itself was the [17th floor]. The 17th floor
required us to dig through the clogged tunnel ourselves. Countless monsters and
demons appeared, but we easily overpowered them.

From day 6 to day 8, we dug through the tunnel and arrived on the 18th floor, a
dense forest in the demon realm. Even a simple misstep could cause us to lose our
way for eternity due to the illusions, so I led the group.

From day 8 to day 10, we escaped the woods in just two days and arrived on the 19th
floor. We proceeded deeper and deeper into the demon realm… Like that, we cleared
the 16th-19th floors in 2 weeks. I momentarily returned to Crevon after receiving
notifications about the calamities raging again.

I lived up to Fenrir's reputation for the first time in a while. With half of the 2000
bullets I collected thus far, I killed more than 2000 monsters. The combination of
[Random Consolidation System], [Algorithm], and [Aether] transcended my weapon
into something greater than a gun. The assault rifle’s precision annihilated endless
hordes and players once again praised the name Fenrir. I earned 350 SP and 100,000
TP from my reputation.
 ***

[20F The Hollow of Ordeal - Doppelgänger]

We returned to the 20th floor. It looked remarkably different from the 16th-19th
floor, which boasted huge areas. This hollow cave contained several small rooms,
each with a nameplate that read Conquer.

“Oh, so you’re saying there's another guy just like me in this room?”

Cheok Jungyeong only guessed half-correct. As the 20th floor’s name suggested, a
doppelganger waited for each player beyond their respective doors. We had to
simply fight and win. A coming-of-age cliche that seemed both simple and complex.

“Before we enter, how are we going to split the skill books?” Cheok Jungyeong asked
while smacking his lips. Currently, we waited for Boss to join us. We cleared each
floor as a team, so she could come to us whenever she wanted.

“How many skill books did we get?”

“Nine. Six are special skills, two are unique skills, and one is an ultimate skill.”

“Hmm… Then divide them among yourselves if there’s anything you want.”

“Yeah? I’ll take this and this.”

Cheok Jungyeong chose a unique skill book and a special skill book. Jain chose a
special skill book and the only ultimate skill while Jin Yohan chose the remaining
unique skill book and a special one. Most of them were passive skills related to magic
power or physical strength.

“Get ready if you’re finished.”

Woong—

The crystal stele in the center resonated. The cave shook and a beauty appeared.
Boss finally arrived with her long, dark hair.

“Oh, Boss. You’re here.”

“Boss, I missed you.”

“…”

Boss silently examined each of us: Cheok Jungyeong, Jin Yohan, Jain, and me. I
thought her shoulders slightly trembled when she looked at me, but I probably saw
wrong.

“So this is the 20th floor?” Boss nodded.

“Yes, this is the 20th floor.”

“You climbed a lot in such a short period.”

I smiled. Personally, I felt curious about what Boss had been up to for the past two
weeks, but didn’t ask.

“It would’ve taken only a week with you around. Well then, shall we go?”

I disbanded the party.

[Team Chameleon Troupe has been disbanded.] [You may only challenge the 20th floor
as an individual.]

Each of us stood in front of a door. Ten doors existed, but they all held the same
function. Only a limited number of players could take this trial at a time. Cheok
Jungyeong took the last door, Jin Yohan stood next to him, and Jain went to the
middle. Boss wandered around before standing next to me.

“Be careful. Just remember the doppelgangers aren’t very experienced with our
skills”

“Okay.”

“See you alive!”

Cheok Jungyeong shouted and grabbed the doorknob. Kiiik— I slowly opened mine.
The doppelgangers were only the first in a series of challenges on the 20th floor.
Things would only get more difficult from here.
[Warning! Please be extra careful!] [Death will be eternal from the 20th floor!] [You
will only have one life!]

“What?”

The heck is this? I glared at the system, but the truth sunk in when my smartwatch
vibrated.

“Haa…”

This felt quite shitty, but I had grown used to these situations. A rewritten setting
wouldn’t change no matter how much I complained. At least I could resurrect twice
thanks to my unique skill. I felt more concerned about the others than myself. I
stepped inside and closed the door. A man suddenly appeared. He stared into the
space with his back turned against me. His appearance from behind looked like
mine. No, he was me.

“Hi.”

He turned halfway around. His sideways appearance felt slightly unfamiliar. The face
I had only seen in mirrors now stood there. Surprisingly, I didn’t look too ugly. My
body seemed quite sturdy too.

“What’s up?”

I shrugged, but the other me responded unexpectedly.

— Who are you?

I frowned at the somewhat stern remark. Was that how I sounded? The
doppelganger was supposed to imitate my way of talking, acting, and even my habits.
Did another setting change?

“Who am I? You should already know. After all, you’re me and I’m you.”

—…

The other me didn’t answer. He looked at me with an expression I would never wear.
Only then did I feel a sense of unease. Something felt wrong. I wasn’t the type to look
so serious. Don’t tell me… A terrifying thought crossed my mind.
“Hey.”

—…

The other me didn’t answer. His gloomy eyes filled with determination and his frown
made him look even sharper. All of these characteristics gave off a somber,
melancholic vibe. My head began to hurt as I looked at him. We both went silent as
time passed and a dark fog surrounded us. My unsettling suspicion grew into a clear
sense of intuition. The other me finally asked after a long time.

— You are me?

I became convinced. The doppelganger must’ve realized it too. We could be different

people. I clenched my teeth.

“You…”

I agonized over whether or not to ask, but ultimately had no choice. He was the only
person who could define me in this world.

“What’s your name?”

The doppelganger didn’t answer and only stared. I reflected in his eyes and we
looked exactly alike.

“I said what’s your name?”

I asked again and he sighed.

— Kim Chundong.

“What?”

— My name is… Kim Chundong.

— My name is… Kim Chundong.

The man who looked just like me spoke. I couldn’t fathom the depth in his eyes. Kim
Chundong. Hearing that name felt like a hammer striking me in the head. I became
speechless and all sorts of thoughts popped up, but the other me spoke first.

— And who are you?

I could easily answer that question. I was undoubtedly Kim Hajin, who wasn’t
supposed to exist in this world. After all, I took over Kim Chundong’s life as an
irregular.

— I don’t think you’re me.

His sentence woke me up. He knew he wasn’t a doppelganger of me.

“You know what situation we’re in…”

—…

He closed his eyes and shut his mouth. This didn’t change the fact that we had to
fight. However, I wanted to ask him something more ordinary.

“Hey.”

He opened his eyes again and we looked at each other.

“What did you do last night?”

He tilted his head in thought. Then he groaned and pressed his temple.

— I can’t remember. A portion of my memory is blocked.

“Is it?”

I wanted to ask for one simple reason. If this really was Kim Chundong, then last
night for him should be around 4-5 years ago.

— For some strange reason…

Suddenly, he began to examine his body: shoulders, hands, face, stomach, and legs.
He touched himself and tried various poses before widening his eyes.

— My body feels stronger than before.

“…”

He probably meant before I came to this world. I wondered how he was doing and
wanted to talk more.

“I want to ask, what did you want to do? You would’ve entered Cube soon. Did you
have a goal or anything?”

— I don’t know.

Thankfully, Kim Chundong cooperated with me. He seemed somber, but actually
gentle on the inside. It didn’t surprise me since he regularly volunteered.

— At the time… there was something… something I wanted…

“Something you wanted?”

— I can’t remember well… uk!

He suddenly clutched his head and knelt in pain. By the looks of it, he suffered from a
severe restriction in this place. I sighed and looked up. Why did the Tower of Wish
place Kim Chundong in front of me?

I knew why, but I wanted to ignore it. The tower hadn’t acknowledged me as a being
of this world.

“Do you know why you’re here?”

— I do. It’s written in front of me.

“What does it say?”

Kim Chundong coldly smiled.

— It says I can replace you if I kill you. That I, the doppelganger, can become the real
one.

Goosebumps rose on my body, but I quickly changed the topic.

“Not that.”

I wanted to ask about something else.

“I’m asking about how you became me and I became you.”

—…

Kim Chundong remained silent. We stared at each other, our identical appearances
reflecting in our eyes. Soon, he spoke.

— I know you replaced me.

“How?”

— I just do. It’s not something I can explain.

“Then what do you plan to do now? Are you going to kill me?”

Kim Chundong maintained a calm expression.

— I don’t want to live by killing someone.

“Hmm?”

— It wasn’t a life I wanted to keep living anyways.

Kim Chundong laughed inaudibly and it touched me in a strange way. It didn’t just
move me. His words resonated with my very soul and I widened my eyes.
[Warning! Synchronization has increased by 5%!] [Warning! Your synchronization with
your doppelgänger has increased!] [Warning! A portion of your doppelgänger’s
emotions has transferred to your subconsciousness!] [Warning! You may experience
dangerous side effects if your synchronization reaches a high level!]

I shook my head and got rid of such thoughts. Then I calmed myself with a deep
breath and looked at him.

“You.”

The system warned me, but I still wanted to ask more questions. This might be our
only chance, so I didn’t want to have any regrets.

“Do you know about the Kwang-Oh Incident?”

Kim Chundong flinched.

— I do.

“How?”

— That’s easy. It was a huge incident that occurred the year I was born. I figured I
could be a victim, so I investigated.

Kim Chundong bitterly smiled.

— Around 3-4 years ago, I found out about something big behind that incident.
However, nothing changed even after that. I couldn’t do anything without any power
or money.

Sssk… He took out a sword that made a sharp ring.

— We have to fight now. I’m bound by the system.

I raised my gun.

— One day, we’ll meet again.

“Really?”
— Yes, but do me a favor before then.

Kim Chundong pointed his sword at me and an ice attribute magic power seeped
from his blade.

— I want you to find out…

I quietly listened.

— How my life got so twisted and who caused the solitude that rejected my
existence.

With that, he charged forward and my surroundings grew cold.

Click—

I easily overcame the bone-shivering cold with aether and transformed the Desert
Eagle into an assault rifle. The world slowed in bullet time as I pulled the trigger.

***

[15F – Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

Aileen’s party, Aileen and Kids, finally arrived on the 15th floor after much difficulty.
The 13th floor caused them the most trouble. Aileen usually slept a lot, so she
couldn’t stand not sleeping for 100 hours.

“Where the heck is this?”

She quickly erased the dark history of wailing like a kid and bursting into tears. They
now stood on the deck of a vast space vessel.

“It seems to be a spaceship of some sort.” Jin Seyeon replied from next to her.

“Well, I can see that.”

A spaceship that looked like it came out of a sci-fi movie. Aileen couldn’t get used to
how different this floor looked. Of course, she knew the tower wouldn’t present
anything familiar.
“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Their party always used the same formation. Aileen, the smallest but strongest,
stood at the front. The rest followed in order from Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, and Shin
Jonghak. They walked slowly while looking at the 15th floor’s mystical scenery.

“Oh right, I heard Suho’s party cleared the 13th floor too.” Jin Seyeon suddenly
recalled.

“Did they?” Aileen replied while thinking, I thought they wanted to focus more on
protecting Crevon than climbing the tower. I guess they can balance both.

“I heard they also killed the chimera.

“What, really?”

Aileen finally showed a hint of surprise and frowned at Jin Seyeon like she seemed
unhappy.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that their second one?”

“That’s right.”

Black Lotus’ party killed the first calamity, python. Then Kim Suho’s party killed the
second calamity, Medusa. Aileen’s party couldn’t beat the minotaur at first and
barely escaped using the return scroll Kim Hajin gave them. They finally won after a
second time.

“How did they defeat the chimera?”

“Well, we all know Suho’s gift is a cheat.”

He could cut through anything with his top-tier gift.

“Ah, but Fenrir is quite strong too. You’ve seen him before, right? How he decimated
all those monsters with his gun?” Yi Yongha interrupted their conversation.
“Yeah. How did he even get all those bullets?”

“Who knows? He has a gun-related gift, so wouldn’t he be able to make them too?”

“I guess?”

Fenrir recently decimated an entire field of monsters in Crevon. The community still
talked about his feat from that day.

“You’re right, Yongha. He really is something. Who would’ve thought he would bring
his gun into the tower with a black ticket?”

KOONG! An explosion erupted and strange creatures popped out from the floor tiles.
One, two, three, four… at least 20 of them. Aileen crossed her arms and frowned.

“Ew, what are these guys?”

Horrifying and grotesque couldn’t aptly describe them.

“They seem to be the enemies on the 15th floor, but their appearance is a bit…”

Jin Seyeon prepared her magic power and Shin Jonghak also raised his spear. Aileen
almost activated her Spirit Speech when an overwhelming magic shot up.

“…?”

The surroundings instantly turned white and snow blew around them. A simple ice
magic, but its power wasn’t simple at all. All the alien creatures turned into ice
sculptures before shattering into tiny pieces.

“What?” Aileen and the rest became dumbfounded.

“Are you okay?”

A woman ran up to them. Clearly, she had cast that powerful, wide-range ice magic.
However, they all froze when they saw her.

“Eh?” Aileen recognized her.

“Medea?”
The 3rd floor’s administrator appeared in front of them. Why was she here and not in
Prestige? As Aileen pondered…

“Aaaah!” Medea suddenly screamed in frustration. Then she glared at the frightened
party.

“Dammit! When is he going to get here?”

She stomped away while yelling about something incomprehensible. They simply
watched her leave with question marks above their heads.

***

[20F, Hollow of Ordeal – Station of the End]

I came outside after defeating my doppelganger. Nothing had changed. I remained

Kim Hajin.

“…”

I looked at the gun in my hand. With this, I’d just killed a man who looked like me.

[You have conquered the 20F’s doppelgänger trial.] [You have obtained Guidance of the
Foolhardy Mist as a reward.] [Be careful! Your comrades might have been devoured by
their doppelgängers.] [Be careful! You are currently at 7% synchronization.]

The synchronization began at 5%, but increased to 7% as we fought. I didn’t know

what caused it, but small changes would occur if it kept increasing.

“Huuu…”

I sighed and looked at the scenery outside. An empty train station under the thick
darkness with a grey railway that stretched endlessly to the left and right. I stood in
this vast emptiness and couldn’t find anything else.

Kiik…

A door opened and a familiar voice entered my ears.

“Where the heck is this?”

Cheok Jungyeong appeared full of injuries, but he seemed extremely happy. He
approached me with a big smile. More doors began to open. Jin Yohan, Jain, and Boss
all came out in that order. They had defeated their doppelgangers, but my eyes
naturally fell on Boss. Her fight seemed the most intense as she panted against the
wall. I turned to the empty station again as a system alert popped up.

[Welcome to the 20th floor’s residential area, Station of the End!]

“What? Residential area?” Cheok Jungyeong furrowed his brows.

“This place is a residential area?”

The lights came on as he spoke. The surroundings lit up and revealed shops, inns,
benches, and a ticketing office.

“Oi, Kim Hajin, looks like we’ll have to go to the ticketing office first.”

I shook my head. This station would lead to the tower’s final part. We couldn’t board
with just a single ticket.

“The train has to get here first. We have plenty of time before then.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Ask the system.”

[This station’s train runs in 3 month intervals.] [You must wait 61 days, 16 hours, and
33 minutes for the next train.] [At least 100 guests must be present to board.]

“…?”

The system’s information surprised me. The last condition that required at least 100
guests didn’t exist in the original story.

“Huu…”

Well, it wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened. I looked at
Boss, who already came quite close before I noticed.

Yoo Yeonha had said the Chameleon Troupe killed Kim Chundong’s parents.
Furthermore, the sketch she showed me of the person who brought Kim Chundong
to the orphanage resembled Boss. Boss should know who killed Kim Chundong’s
parents.

“…?”

She suddenly looked at me. Boss seemed to have felt my gaze and brushed her hair
back.

“Boss.”

“W-What’s wrong?” She coughed after hearing my serious tone and replied.

I looked at her and continued.

“It looks like we can’t go any further.”

It might not be a discussion to have right now. It definitely wasn’t. Perhaps because
of the synchronization or Kim Chundong’s request…

“Can we talk alone for a moment?”

I couldn’t wait.
[20F, Station of the End]

“Can we talk alone for a moment?”

I couldn’t wait any longer. Boss curiously tilted her head.

“About what?”

“…”

I didn’t answer, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Okay, speak.”

“Not here. Come with me for a second.”

“Hmm? Why?”

I grabbed her wrist before she could continue. Boss’ eyes widened for a second and
blankly stared as I pulled her towards a cafe.

“Wait, are you…” A needless suspicion crossed her mind.

“I’m not the doppelganger.”

“…”

We paid for our seats and sat facing each other at a table. No one said a word in this
empty cafe. My suspicions would only grow if I didn’t settle it today, so I cut straight
to the point…

“Boss, would you like some coffee?”

…Or not. The circumstances weren’t right. The timing also felt off. I needed to
establish some conversational flow first. Otherwise, who in the world would answer
such an abrupt question?

“Coffee?”

“Yes, it’s my treat.” I forced myself to smile and brushed my sweaty hair from my
forehead.

“I’d like an Americano.”

“Okay, I’ll order that.”

I pulled up the automated window at the table and ordered an Americano. Then I
continued.

“Ah, that’s right. Boss, what did you get from defeating your doppelganger?”

Boss looked at me suspiciously. “…The Orb of Speculation.”

“Oh really? What does it do?”

“I’m not telling.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’re going to ask me to give it to you.”

“Ah, when did I ever… cough.”

Well, I did take all her first place prizes from the martial tournament. I even took the
emotion potion that she didn’t want to give away. I continued talking about unrelated
things for the next 45 minutes and never got to the point. I kept hoping for the right
moment like an idiot.

***

[8-3F, Crevon’s Eastern Wall]

Hordes of monsters poured into Crevon every day after the door to the 9th floor
opened. Players held them off until now, but they began departing Crevon to climb
the tower as the war prolonged.

The upper echelon of Crevon’s royal family grew distressed at their weakened forces.
However, a rookie suddenly rose to prominence in today’s battle. Calling her a rookie
didn’t suit her skills.

“How long can you maintain your summon?”

Crevon’s restless minister of defense asked. He pointed at the creature beyond the
castle walls. This summon, which resembled a turtle, stood like a mountain and its
grayish, sturdy skin seemed hard as a rock.

The turtle yawned now that the battle had ended, but it moved more agile than
anything else while fighting. Sometimes it tackled the enemies with its gigantic body
and destroyed their formation. Other times, it opened its mouth to launch a frost
breath that froze every enemy.

“A summon that powerful must be difficult to maintain.”

“He can stay permanently if certain conditions are met.”

Ah Hae-In lightly answered. She had recovered half of her abilities through steady
efforts like training and meditation. Now, she could summon a high rank summoned
beast.

“Permanently?”

The minister of defense didn’t dare to believe her so easily. Crevon contained 7 magic
academies that functioned similarly to Earth’s magic towers. A few players had
already been admitted and summoning magic was one of the most difficult fields.

“I can keep him out all day if you place a mana stone near the Black Turtle that I can
connect to.”

Like the Azure Dragon, the Black Turtle belonged to the 4 cardinal guardians from
oriental mythology. This mythical creature ranked in the middle among high ranked
summons. It was the weakest among the cardinal guardians, but Ah Hae-In grew
close to the Black Turtle ever since she summoned it for the first time in her early
20s.
“Oh! That’s truly amazing!”

“Haha, not at all.”

“In that case—”

“You can talk to me about the details.”

Yoo Yeonha smiled and intervened. She had been quietly listening and stepped up
when she sensed the negotiation had proceeded to the next step.

“We’ll need to discuss the terms in detail from here. After all, we’re not volunteering.”

Her words sounded gentle, yet purposeful. The minister glanced at Yoo Yeonha
before studying Ah Hae-In’s expression, who nodded in agreement.

“Mn, I understand. Then let’s head inside the royal palace for further talks.”

“The Atalos Royal Palace… It’ll be a great honor.”

The minister lightly chuckled at Yoo Yeonha’s remark. Soon, a carriage from one of
Crevon’s most famous brands, Benlek, appeared with 3 excellent steeds as strong as
300 ordinary horses.

“Please get in.”

“We’re leaving now?”

“Why, of course.”

Yoo Yeonha and Ah Hae-In entered the carriage. The interior was at least 3 times
more spacious than its appearance thanks to spatial expansion magic. Naturally, the
ride felt quite comfortable as well. The two women sat side by side and stared out
the window. The carriage rode off smoothly as Yoo Yeonha contemplated what to
bargain and Ah Hae-In checked the community. A thief who learns to steal late is
scariest. This proverb perfectly described Ah Hae-In, who had never used social
media on Earth.

AhHaeInHaeIn: Player Plabo is… so hilarious… lol… I thought my… belly button… would
burst… like plop! Lol
Yoo Yeonha watched Ah Hae-In write the above comment and a thought crossed her
mind. She looks like a teenager, but is actually in her thirties.

“Um, Duchess Ah Hae-In.”

Kim Hajin had once asked Yoo Yeonha about something in passing.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

If she knew a teacher who excelled in summoning magic, but could also keep a secret
and seemed honest. Back then, she didn’t know anyone like that. After all, someone
strong couldn’t possibly be honest. However…

“Do you have any plans to take a disciple?”

“Disciple?” Ah Hae-In frowned at the sudden question.

“Yes. I know it’s a bit sudden, but the thought just popped up in my mind. Oh, it’s not
a big deal or anything. It’s just that a friend of mine told me he found a very
promising magician.”

“…”

Ah Hae-In didn’t answer and simply stared out the window. Then she wistfully
leaned against the glass. She looked like a cute little girl from a bystander’s point of
view. Okay, she doesn’t want to. Yoo Yeonha decided to give up without much thought,
but Ah Hae-In suddenly muttered.

“I don’t accept disciples.”

“Mm. I understand.”

Yoo Yeonha backed down without hesitation, but Ah Hae-In kept glancing at her.
Then she realized Ah Hae-In wanted her to ask.

“Can I ask you why if you don’t mind?”

“Haa…” Ah Hae-In faked a sigh with a distant look on her face. “I used to have a
disciple.”
She recalled the past 10 years ago when she looked even younger than now.

“That disciple became a djinn.”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha simply nodded. It happened quite frequently. Devils always tempted
magicians engrossed in research. For this reason, the law required demonic energy
sensors in every magic tower and also in the homes of 5 star or higher magicians.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“No problem, but just how talented is this magician for you to ask me?”

“Well, according to my acquaintance… this magician could rival you in 5 years.”

Kim Hajin said no such thing, but Yoo Yeonha simply wanted to provoke her.

“How impudent.” Ah Hae-In only smiled.

“Yes, well, that’s quite nonsensical.”

I guess it didn’t work after all. Most magicians above 7 star would’ve taken the bait out
of pride. The carriage continued in silence for the next 5 minutes.

“What’s your friend’s name?” Ah Hae-In suddenly spoke while faking nonchalance.
Yoo Yeonha suppressed her budding smile.

“Pardon? Oh, that’s a secret. He’s entitled to his own privacy.”

“…”

Ah Hae-In nodded without any words. The 8 star magician on the verge of 9 stars
rested her chin on a hand as if reflecting on Yoo Yeonha’s words.

“Pft, 5 years?” she sneered and continued to murmur.

“In 5 years… Interesting.”

Yoo Yeonha smiled from next to her. It looked like she succeeded in granting his
request once again.

***

[Player Extra7’s Waiting Room]

Four hours had passed since the 20th floor’s incident. I lay in bed and thought about
Kim Chundong’s existence and how I had replaced him. In the beginning, I thought
nothing mattered since this wasn’t my life. Perhaps that was the correct stance. After
all, we were separate individuals.

“Is it because of the synchronization?”

My encounter with Kim Chundong today changed my views. I didn’t want to blame
everything on the synchronization. After all, shouldn’t I at least be held responsible
for borrowing his life?

My heart sank at the same time. Kim Chundong told me we would meet again and I
intuitively felt that would be my end. One day, Kim Chundong would take over again
and I would return to my original Earth.

“…”

I stared at the ceiling. The Earth where I lived for 26 years with my friends, my tiny
one-room apartment, my novel on hiatus, my pen name, and my beloved parents. I
was a true extra there, nothing but an ordinary person.

I had a lot more in this world after almost 6 years. Money, strength, authority, honor,
and…

Boss: Hajin

Boss’ message arrived at the right moment as the depression almost swallowed me.

Me: Yes?

For the record, other guests also came to my waiting room: Jain, Jin Yohan, Cheok
Jungyeong, Boss, and even Kaita. I assumed they would all be throwing a party in the
living room.
Me: Did you not drink? I heard Kaita brought some good wine.

Boss: I don’t like alcohol.

I smiled since I knew Boss loved drinking. She would never get drunk, but she
enjoyed the taste of ripened alcohol like a true connoisseur.

Boss: What are you doing?

Me: I’m about to sleep.

Boss: Mmm. I see ㅋ-ㅋ

It seemed she learned how to use emoticons. Of course, she couldn’t be compared to
a real expert, the blonde British princess. I looked around to find Boss.

“Hmm?”

She lay in bed in the guest room next door while tapping on the messenger. She
claimed to not like alcohol, but a bottle of wine that Kaita brought sat on the drawer
beside her bed. She also had a slightly faded orb on her lap.

“That must be the [Orb of Speculation].”

Did she use it already? I examined it with my smartwatch.

[Lv.??? Orb of Speculation] Restore a past you have experienced for up to 60 minutes.
Through speculation, you may induce even the most unimaginable truth. May be used
twice.

“Boss, did you already use the Orb of Speculation?”

Boss: No, not yet. I’m going to use it later when I need it.

I smiled at her lively tone and knocked on the wall. Boss flinched while tapping on
the messenger and looked at where the sound came from.

“Are you not going to sleep?”

— Phew. You scared me. I will soon. How about you, Kim Hajin?
Her voice sounded gentle.

“I’m going to bed now.”

— Mmm… I see. I’ll stop messaging you then.

“Okay.”

— Good night.

I closed my eyes comfortably thanks to her voice.

Let’s forget about all these complicated thoughts and just sleep in peace…

***

I decided to head down to the 15th floor the next day. We couldn’t challenge the 20th
floor, so I wanted to develop [Genkelope’s Vessel], which could be used to challenge
the floor later. However, when I arrived at Area 3…

“What’s this?”

Something strange had occurred. Five administrators came to visit me here. From
the looks of it, they all seemed to be after the Wolf’s Fragrance.

“You can’t measure the value of Wolf’s Fragrance with TP, so—”

“He already agreed to give it to me.”

Simad, the 7th floor’s administrator brought some kind of robot with him to
negotiate and Medea interrupted him as he spoke.

“You haven’t reached the 21st floor yet, right? That’s my floor. I’ll help you out.”

The 21st floor’s administrator, Seriko, also came down. Starting from the 20th floor,
around 3-4 administrators occupied each floor. Seriko sat at the bottom of this
pecking order.

“I would like to know your name.”

The fourth administrator, Andromache, spoke. She threw seductive gazes at me, but I
simply ignored her. Athena, the fifth and last administrator of the 23rd floor, simply
stared at me.

Blah blah blah—

Blah blah—

I sighed as they spoke all at once. Their voices naturally contained magic power and I
grew nauseous just listening.

I took out [Wolf’s Fragrance] from my inventory when I couldn’t bare the suffering
any longer. Everyone stopped talking once the beautiful robe appeared. Gulp. Only
the sound of swallowing could be heard.

“That’s right. Tell them. You wanted to give that to me, right?”

Medea asked with an expression full of anticipation, but I ignored her and began
calculating. Based on their offers, the administrator fit to own the [Wolf’s Fragrance]
was… Simad, the 7th floor’s administrator. I handed the robe to him.

“Huh?”

Medea spat out a single syllable as Simad smiled.

“Good choice.”

“However, I want an item in exchange.”

“An item?”

“Yes.” I told him about the idea that just crossed my mind.

“Isn’t there a high performance AI on the 7th floor?”

“There is.”

“Help me transfer the AI to this ship that needs it.”

“Hmm?”
Simad began to think while Medea reeled as though she would collapse. Simad
glanced at her and quickly decided. He wanted to claim the robe before she did
anything unexpected.

“Fine, but you still can’t receive the Upgrade Center’s service for free since it's a
privilege unique to the 7th floor.”

“No problem. I just want the AI installed on this ship.”

“Then the pact is sealed.”

Simad took out a tiny machine that looked like a phone. He made a call and a large
portal appeared in front of him. Another robot came out from the portal holding the
chip.

“This is the AI chip.”

“Thank you.”

I received it from AlphaGo and handed the Wolf’s Fragrance to Simad. Thud— Medea
collapsed on the floor the moment our trade ended. She couldn’t withstand the
dejection and her own wrath.

“I, I… for a month… here… wasted my state of existence…”

Medea spoke nonsense in her shock as Simad looked satisfactorily at Wolf’s

Fragrance.

“Good deal.”

With that, he left through the portal.

“You’ll regret this. Prepare to die on the 21st floor.”

“You have made the wrong choice.”

Seriko and Andromache also returned to their floors. Only Medea and Athena
remained. First, I handed the AI chip to Horner.

“Horner?”
“Yes, Commander.”

“Plug this into the vessel.”

With this AI chip, [Genkelope’s Vessel] would completely recognize me as its owner.

“Yes, I will see it done.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaakkkk!”

The scream could’ve shattered glass. Horner and I covered our ears and turned
around.

“W-What was that?”

“You, what were you thinking!” Medea jumped and charged at me.

“Pardon?”

“You said you’d give it to me as a present. You, you bastard!”

“You said you didn’t want it.”

“T-That’s… b-because of you, I wasted a month’s worth of my state of existence!”

Medea probably considered the Wolf’s Fragrance hers from the start. An
administrator’s state of existence also gradually diminished if they left their floor for
too long.

“You, don’t you dream of setting foot in Prestige ever again—”

“I planned on making you something new. A better one.”

“You goddamn bastard! Better one? What bet… ter…?”

The red-faced Medea stopped for a moment. Blink blink. Then she tilted her head in a
daze.

“A better one?”
“Yes. I got this from winning the craftsmanship tournament.”

I showed her Hephaestus’ Chisel. Flinch. Medea’s whole body shook.

“I could make even prettier clothes with this. Oh, but what did you just say to me?
Goddamn bastard?”

I pretended to be offended and folded my arms.

“Hmm, I don’t consider myself a bastard at all, much less one damned by God.”

I stared at Medea, who blankly looked back. Then she put on a strangely humiliating,
yet submissive smile.
Medea lost her cool for a moment when someone else stole the artwork of her life.
However, she quickly regained her calm, straightened her dress, and smiled
modestly. Honestly, her drastic change in attitude felt quite scary, but such a reaction
didn’t surprise me. Medea never acted normal even in the mythology where she
came from.

“I’ll be expecting it then. Thank you.”

Medea politely spoke before leaving. I accepted her request to make a dress after
hearing about an upcoming meeting for administrators. Naturally, she would
compensate me for it. I should receive about half of Prestige for one dress. On a side
note, Athena also left and said she would return in 2 weeks to privately discuss
something.

“Now that the burden has been lifted off our shoulders… Horner? Erenner?”

“Yes, Commander. The pathway to the hibernation chambers has been secured.”

“Then let’s go.”

I went to the underground pathway with Horner, Erenner, and several NPC soldiers.
We arrived at a place with hundreds of hibernation chambers after about 20 minutes
of walking.

I took out the [Mystic Key] and simply unlocked the 200 or so hibernation chambers
in the room.

“Now, lead them to [Area 3].”

While I gave Horner and Erenner their next order…

[Welcome, player Extra7.] [APG 982, the AI assigned to oversee Genkelope's Vessel,
greets the Master. I have been connected to your smartwatch for convenience.] [Power
has returned to normal operations in Area 3 and Area 1.] [You may take control of Area
1 by hacking its command system.]

“Please proceed, but don’t hurt the people inside.”

Aileen’s party commanded Area 1, but they couldn’t take advantage of it so I decided
to take over instead.

[Understood.] [Hacking has commenced…] [Hacking completed. Area 1 has been

synchronized to Area 3.] [Video of Area 1 will now be projected.]

— Eh, what? All of you, look! Something’s strange!

— Huh? What do you mean?

— Look!

— Area 1 now belongs to Master? What’s this?

— W-What? What are you talking about? I just spent TP to power it up!

Aileen angrily shouted after someone stole from her again. I made a mental note to
pay her back later and glanced at Horner.

“I delegate some of my authority to Horner here.”

[Understood.]

“Horner, many players will be arriving soon.”

“Yes.”

“Most of them will be summoned to Area 1’s deck, so make them go through a
security check and separate them as needed.”

Then I handed Horner a notebook.

“What’s this?”

“This is, um, what should I call it?”

I made a strategy guide for floors 16-19 since I didn’t know how many would die
climbing head-on. Using this book as a reward could also power up the vessel in the
long run.

“It’s a strategy guide that players would kill to get. Make them do whatever you want
and reward them with this.”

“Yes, understood.”

***

I returned to Earth for the first time in a while. However, Spartan accompanied me
this time. He recently awakened a new trait called the Authority of Existence, which
allowed him to follow me outside the tower.

“How’s the outside world? Is it better?”

— Pururu.

I entered my apartment with the satisfied Spartan. As soon as I opened the door,
tadadada— the sound of footsteps rang out and Evandel appeared. She looked at me
with a bright smile and paused when she saw Spartan on my shoulder.

“Uwoaaah… a big bird!” Her eyes and mouth widened to the size of ping-pong balls.

“Evandel, do you want to play with him?”

“I can?”

“Of course.”

I handed Spartan to Evandel and sat on the living room couch. A couple of yawns
escaped before I turned on my smartwatch.

▷Stats: Variable stats [Strength 10.6 (+5.400)] [Stamina 10.135 (+5.865)] [Speed
14.625 (+1.375)] [Perception 14.925 (+1.075)] [Vitality 10.605 (+4.395)] [Magic Power
4.55]

Gift ▷[Master Sharpshooter] [High-intermediate rank] [Spirit attribute] [Evolving]

[Grade 3 – Proficiency EXP: 83%] ▷[Young Dwarf’s Dexterity] [High-intermediate rank]
[Illusion attribute] [Evolving] [Grade 5 – Proficiency EXP: 23%] ▷[Random
Consolidation System] [Low-intermediate rank] [Spirit attribute] [Evolving] [Grade 3 –
Proficiency EXP: 83%]

Physique (2/3) ▷[Magic Dysfunction Physique] — Energy Conversion’s upper limit has
increased to 16 points. ▷[Medicinal Memory Physique] — Stat-related medicines have
greatly lost effectiveness because your stats have drastically increased.

“As I thought…”

My stats only went up by 0.6 points excluding the artificial stat boosts from the
Upgrade Center. Thankfully, my speed and perception further increased after I used
the [Stigma Crystals].

Of course, I used to worry about getting even one stat above 10 points back in Cube. I
had come a long way since then. I should be near the upper ranks of high-
intermediate rank heroes with reinforcements like stigma, aether, skills, and the
medicinal memory physique.

Tiriring—

Yoo Yeonha messaged me just as I grew bored.

[I found a summoner magician as a teacher like you wanted.] [It’s the 8 star magician,
Ah Hae-In.] [It was quite hard to get her, so contact me as soon as you see this.]

“Ah Hae-In…”

I looked at Evandel. “Birdy, birdy.”

— Pururu.

“Play with me… please?”

— Pururu.

Spartan flapped away as Evandel chased him. He turned and glared every time
Evandel tried to touch him.

“Sowwy…”
I smacked Spartan’s head after seeing the dejected Evandel.

***

A clear sky on a beautiful spring day. I met Ah Hae-In at the underground training
room with Evandel.

“I’ll arrange the best conditions available.”

As expected, the 8 star magician Ah Hae-In immediately recognized Evandel’s true

identity and made an offer after seeing her command an army of spirits.

“No, that won’t do.”

She wanted to entrust Evandel to the best from the Magic Tower and Hero
Association. Evandel would be placed under careful observation and management.
Obviously, I rejected that.

“This child isn’t human. She needs to be dealt with more strictly.”

Ah Hae-In saw through Evandel, but nothing more.

“No, Evandel is human.”

“…”

Ah Hae-In looked at Evandel again. The little girl wore a magician’s hat and cutely
waved around a wand. Soon, a smile emerged on Ah Hae-In’s face.

“She can also become a disaster.”

“Does she look like a disaster?”

“…”

“To me, she looks like the opposite. She’ll help against the disaster that will befall
humanity.”

Ah Hae-In’s expression suddenly turned cold. “What do you mean by that?”

I remained silent, but she continued, “Speak. What disaster do you think will befall
humanity? The public perceives that Earth is in its most prosperous time, especially
with the Tower of Wish.”

Disaster would befall humanity. Honestly, an enraged Kim Suho should’ve already
destroyed the Tower of Wish by now. However, 10 floors still remained and Kim
Suho had changed. The third episode would arrive before the tower collapsed and
worried me the most.

“Do you know about it, Duchess Ah Hae-In?”

“I asked first.”

Ah Hae-In sounded serious. I knew she had close ties with the association, so she
should already know. I briefly met her gaze and turned towards Evandel.

“An existence that is neither human, monster, nor djinn.”

Ah Hae-In’s eyebrows twitched.

“Whether it naturally resulted from evolution, mutation, or someone artificially

created it… I don’t know.”

I continued solemnly, “However, I do know it is far craftier than humans and even
more heinous than djinns.”

The third enemy slightly differed from demons and djinns. I glossed over the details
in the original story, so I couldn’t predict the co-author’s changes.

“You’ve heard the legend, right? About the humanoid monsters living in Central
Africa.”

“…”

Those words hammered the nail in the coffin and Ah Hae-In bit her lips. “Jeronimo’s
information network reaches that far into Africa?”

“It’s Fenrir’s information network.”

“I see.”
This great calamity would destroy the entire Middle East and a third of Europe. With
Evandel’s help, this international catastrophe could be greatly reduced.

“Even knowing that, you don’t plan on revealing that child’s existence to the
association?”

“No, not yet. Not until the time comes.”

“Hmm…” Ah Hae-In closed her eyes and pondered. Tick— Tick— Tick— The clock
ticked dozens of times before she eventually nodded.

“Fine, but that child’s talent is far greater than you think.”

Ah Hae-In pointed to Evandel dancing with Hayang after training.

“You said 5 years?”

“Pardon?” What 5 years? Ah Hae-In continued as I tilted my head.

“In 3 years… no, 2 years will be more than enough for her to surpass me.”

“Oh, really?”

How amazing. I nodded and asked, “So, can you teach her?”

“Are you doubting my abilities?”

“No, it’s just that Evandel doesn’t use magic power.”

Evandel commanded the power of spirits, a power unique only to her.

“I know, so don’t worry.”

Ah Hae-In put up two fingers. “Two days a week. I’ll come to teach her here for 12
hours. The price will be—”

“Would you like TP or Earth’s currency? Ah, I can give you tower items too if you
prefer.”

“Eh?”
Ah Hae-In seemed taken aback as I continued with a smile.

“It’s grown quite common with how famous the tower became. Players inside the
tower trade with stuff outside too.”

“Right, I heard. In that case…”

Ah Hae-In took out a contract. Yoo Yeonha liked to use this black paper and probably
gave it to her.

“How does 50,000 TP every 2 weeks sound?”

“That’s fine.”

“You must have a lot.”

“I have well over a thousand times that amount if you’re talking about my assets.”

Ah Hae-In narrowed her eyes at me. I simply smiled and stood up from my chair.
Now, I should introduce Evandel to her new teacher.

“Hmm?”

However, Evandel wasn’t there. Spartan and Hayang also disappeared. Ah Hae-In
spoke as I looked around.

“They just left.”

“Oh, they did?”

“You should pay more attention to your kid… Tsk, tsk.”

Ah Hae-In focused on writing the contract and I found Evandel’s smartphone on the
ground while I waited. Smartwatches replaced smartphones in this world, but
children still found the bigger device easier to use. Curious, I picked up her phone
and unlocked it. A green search engine popped up with the following search history:

[england] [wat is england] [enland pincess] [England princes] [rahel] [rachell] [rachel]

“…”
I suddenly felt bitter seeing Evandel’s search history about Rachel.

“Huu…”

Rachel often appeared in the media as a well-known person. She even appeared on
the news this morning. She grew up as England’s princess, became a top ranker in
the tower, also served as a Crevon royal guard, and seemed to be the most talented
elementalist in history. Korean forums always talked about her beauty, so it would be
surprising if Evandel hadn’t seen her. She probably looked Rachel up every day.

“Here.”

Ah Hae-In finally handed me the contract. I glanced over it and immediately signed.

“Then I’ll send the 50,000 TP to Yoo Yeonha.”

“Got it.”

“Let me go get Evandel.”

I left the training room and quickly found her. Evandel sat on a swing at the nearby
playground while watching something on her smartwatch.

“Evandel?” I called her with a smile. Startled, she waved and quickly covered her
smartwatch’s hologram screen.

“He, hehe. You’re here, Hajin. Hajin?”

She didn’t run up to me and awkwardly covered the screen. I approached her first.

“Hajin, I…”

“It’s okay.”

I kneeled in front of her. She didn’t know what to say as we made eye contact.

— Princess Rachel just returned from the Tower of Wish and has been garnering
more attention due to her talent as an elementalist…

A news broadcast rang out from Evandel’s smartwatch. I gently embraced her.
“I promise I’ll let you meet her if you train hard and wait.”

***

I fell into an abyss after that day’s defeat and the conviction in my heart shattered.
Humiliation filled me as I recalled how I begged him to spare my life. He appeared in
my nightmares every night and I could only shudder like a rabbit in front of his cold,
beast-like eyes.

The fundamental basis of my self crumbled from this trauma. A sense of helplessness
swallowed me and only emptiness remained. I spent most of my time just lying in
bed after that incident. I had never experienced such humiliation or defeat before. I
always found excuses for my failures and reasons to gloat about victories. Before I
knew it, I had grown into an insufferable loser.

I began to do what I had to after this late realization. I put in effort like my life
depended on it. For the first time, I exhausted my mind and body to learn what effort
meant. The days slowly grew where I felt a sense of accomplishment. My body still
shuddered uncontrollably whenever I thought of that day. However, I finally obtained
the chance to start over after falling off a cliff.

***

[2 Weeks Later, 15F – Genkelope’s Restored Vessel]

Bell, Jin Sahyuk, and Rumi waited for approval to enter a spaceship filled with
players.

“Are you feeling better now?” Bell asked, but Jin Sahyuk simply snorted. Bell liked
this change in attitude. Jin Sahyuk always spoke with action rather than words, but
she had grown quieter and more thoughtful. This suited the future world’s strongest
much better.

— Next guest.

After all, who would’ve thought Jin Sahyuk could ever wait in line? This represented
a simple, yet major change.

“It’s our turn.”

“I’ll go first.”

Rumi approached and entered the ship after less than 10 seconds. Jin Sahyuk went
next. She casually walked up to the security, but something felt off. The employee
who saw Jin Sahyuk flinched and quickly placed his hand under the table.

“What’s wrong?”

— Please wait a moment.

“For what?”

— Please wait a moment.

“What?”

Jin Sahyuk frowned at the strange discrimination. Koong, koong! Suddenly, 8 heavily
armed soldiers surrounded her.

“What’s this?”

A system alert popped up.

[You have been marked as a criminal on the 15th floor. All stats have decreased by
70%.]

“What? Criminal? I, I just got here! I…”

— Capture her!

The soldiers charged before she could voice her complaints. Jin Sahyuk couldn’t
resist with her reduced stats. She could only glare unwillingly as they restrained her.

“Why me? Why me!”

— You are under arrest.

“What? Why the hell am I being arrested? Hey! Let go of me!”

— You are under arrest.

“But why? I’ve never even been here before! I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re
making a mistake!”

— You are under arrest.

“Y-You fuckers! Oi, Bell! Do something!”

Jin Sahyuk saw Bell talking to a man behind him in an attempt to not get involved.
She found the sight familiar and naturally misunderstood.

“Bell, don’t tell me… Fuck, Bell! Is this your doing?”

— We will render you unconscious if you do not remain silent.

“Just let go of me, dammit!”

Jin Sahyuk struggled to get free, but she couldn’t do anything. They didn’t even need
to restrain her with magic-restricting handcuffs.

“Bell, you son of a bitch!”

Bell looked at her and thought, She looks just like an injured beast.

“Bell! Bell—! Beeeeell—!”

The soldiers dragged her away as she continued to yell. Bell faced her and mouthed,
It’s not me.

“What do you mean it’s not you? Then help me!”

Bell ignored her and returned to talking to the person behind him. It would be
dangerous if the same thing happened to him.

“Aaaaaaak! Why are you doing this to me?”

Jin Sahyuk struggled like crazy. The rage from being wronged surged from her heart
to the point of tears.

“Why? Why me, why me, why me…”

— You are under arrest.

“Arrest my ass! Let go of me, fatass! Let go! Let gooooo!”

Soon, reinforcements arrived and dragged away the exhausted Jin Sahyuk.

“Why, at least tell me why. Please, at least let me know the reason…”

Bell whispered as she slowly disappeared, I’ll rescue you later.

— Next guest.

“Ah, it’s me.”

— Player confirmed.

Bell slightly worried, but he seemed fine.

“Whew, what a relief.”

He looked around in astonishment after entering the spaceship. The place looked
like a residential area with burger joints, sushi restaurants, and Korean food stalls.
They even had neon lights above as advertisements.

“Oh, is this that strategy guide?”

A familiar voice rang out and Bell glanced in that direction. He spotted Essence of the
Strait’s rankers, Chae Nayun and Kim Youngjin.

“Yep, take a look and pass it to the other guild members.”

“Wow, thanks! I heard it isn’t easy to get this. How did you do it?”

“I cleaned up the monsters in Area 5’s basement. It was quite difficult.”

“Mmm, then are we going to the 16th floor right away?”

“Yeah.”

Bell smacked his lips at Chae Nayun, Chae Jinyoon’s younger sister.
She would’ve made a good sacrifice too. Should I have gone with her instead?

Chae Nayun felt his gaze and turned around. They made eye contact and he faintly
smiled. Then she frowned and simply turned away.

“Haha… how cute.”

Bell smirked and went back to looking around the ship. He couldn’t find the person
who came in before Jin Sahyuk.

“Ah, where’s Rumi? Geez, these girls sure like to go off on their own.”

Bell simply shrugged. He wasn’t the type to interfere in someone’s private life and
players could also revive several times.

“Well, I guess I’ll visit the prison first.”

Bell sighed and headed towards Jin Sahyuk’s new home.

***

Someone dragged Rumi to a dark alleyway while Bell and Jin Sahyuk had a relatively
peaceful time. The ship’s guards had taken Jin Sahyuk, but a much more dangerous
person took Rumi.

It’s been a while, Rumi.

A cold voice rang out from the shadow that pulled her away. That existence alone
stifled her.

I told you, right? That I’ll kill you if I ever see you again.

“W-Why should I die?”

You betrayed Boss with Bell.

“You’re right, but Boss wasn’t as good of a person as you think he was.”

The magic power pressing down on Rumi instantly grew stronger.

“W-W-Wait! You know about it too! The Kwang, Kwang-Oh Incident!” Rumi hurriedly
shouted. Even a single death caused one to lose their skills and Rumi knew about the
importance of skills.

“Boss was the one who organized that mission.”

Rumi brought up a sensitive topic to survive. However, the shadow only dug deeper
into her skin. Rumi knew she couldn’t expect a peaceful death from the woman in
front of her. She shuddered in pain as she shouted.

“He took you out to test your abilities and that’s where you met the current seat of
black for the first time! As a murderer and a victim!”

The magic power paused. Rumi inwardly sighed in relief thinking she had found a
way out.

“That’s right. I know all about it. Let me go if you don’t want me to tell him. I’ll revive
anyways if you kill me.”

Rumi tried to threaten her.

The shadow flickered in the air and a faint voice spoke.

Rumi.

“W-What?” A gut-wrenching pain engulfed her.

Who do you think I am?

“Ah, aak… W-wait…”

There’s no room for negotiation.

As a shadow blade prepared to dismember the girl… Tiriring. A sound unbefitting

the situation rang out. The pain surrounding her disappeared as Rumi curiously
turned around.
Tiriring— A sound unbefitting the situation rang out. The pain surrounding her
disappeared and Rumi curiously turned around. The shadow that suffocated her still
stood there with her hair flowing like a ghost and her eyes staring into space. It
looked like she just received a message. Was she typing a reply or something? The
pause only lasted for a moment.

“Kyaak!”

The blade that stopped came back even larger and Rumi realized this woman didn’t
intend on keeping her alive.

“You… You should also know… that the current seat of black… Fenrir is a time bomb.
More people will dig up his past as he grows famous and your relationship with him
will come to light.”

Rumi continued to persuade her rather than beg for her life.

“The day will come when you… ultimately have to decide between the former boss…
and the current seat of black.”

The results would be unavoidable. Will she seek forgiveness from the seat of black by
insulting the man whom she followed or will she finally kill the seat of black?

“Let me guess. Between the dead and the living, you will choose the dead again.”

The shadow didn’t reply. Rumi clenched her teeth and cursed amidst the pain and
rage that sprang from imminent death.

“You will, for your boss, end up plucking the lotus…”

A blow landed on her spine as she spoke her last words. Her body immediately
turned into a current and disappeared. Rumi had now died once and the barrier that
enveloped them scattered. The back alley returned to silence and only a single
shadow stood alone.

Boss’ head strangely hurt. What she just heard unexpectedly shocked her. When did
she become so weak?

“Haa…”

She sighed and turned on the messenger.

[Boss, come to Area 3 at 9. Let’s have breakfast together]

The message that just arrived came from Kim Hajin. I should’ve turned the
notification off. She murmured inwardly and recalled Rumi’s last words. You will, for
your boss, end up plucking the lotus. She shook her head and brushed it aside.

“There’s no way…”

Such an ominous curse wouldn’t come true.

“That I would betray you.”

You may betray me, but I could never betray you. She disappeared into the darkness
with a whisper.

***

[15F, A Fancy Restaurant in Genkelope’s Vessel]

“Does that mean you already purchased the 20th floor tickets, Miss Aileen?”

“You could say that. Yes, I did.”

Aileen proudly declared as she stuffed herself with dessert pudding. Kim Suho and
Yoo Yeonha sat in front of her with Shin Jonghak on the side. The four met by chance
today.

First, Kim Suho ran into Yoo Yeonha on his way to a local ramen restaurant. Yoo
Yeonha also planned on heading to the ramen restaurant, but pretended to go to the
nearby fancy restaurant instead. Kim Suho tactlessly tagged along and the pair ran
into Aileen and Shin Jonghak.
“All four members of my party have their train tickets. All first class. Oh, none of us
are doppelgangers, so don’t worry.”

Aileen recalled the day she fought her doppelganger on the 20th floor. Spirit Speech
didn’t work on another Spirit Speech user of the same level, so their fight turned into
a brawl. The two Aileens tried to demonstrate awesome combat techniques. Papapa!
They stretched their short limbs, but they simply fought a catfight where they pulled
each other’s hair out. Aileen defeated the doppelganger with all her effort.

“A battle with a doppelganger… Sounds difficult.” Kim Suho carefully listened to the
details.

“It’s difficult, but not impossible. The doppelganger is less experienced with skills, so
you should use them at the right moment.”

Shin Jonghak had been quiet until now and explained.

“What’s this? You’re giving him advice now, Jonghak?” Yoo Yeonha softly remarked,
but he didn’t reply. He only moved his fingers swiftly as if texting someone.

“Mmm…”

Yoo Yeonha casually shrugged and turned away from him.

“By the way, was the 15th floor like this from the beginning? I heard it used to be a
mess,” Kim Suho curiously asked Aileen.

“Yeah. Everything looked like a mess.”

Tak. Aileen finished the pudding and set her spoon down. The waiter arrived with
the main dish just in time.

“This vessel is divided from Area 1 to Area 9.”

Aileen ignored the steak in front of her and continued.

“Area 1-6 have been restored to their normal functions. The alien creatures still
inhabit and control Area 7-9. You’ve probably seen them. It’s hard to miss those
gross-looking things.”
Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha both nodded.

“At first, those guys crawled around everywhere. Then a bunch of NPCs suddenly
came and stole Area 1 from us. They also brought an AI from somewhere and
changed the ship into this. Originally, I owned Area 1.”

Aileen pouted and glanced at the pudding in front of Kim Suho. He didn’t like sweets,
so his pudding remained untouched.

“Aren’t you going to eat that?” Aileen had been after it for a while now and finally
asked.

“Ah, no.”

Kim Suho handed Aileen the pudding. Only then did Aileen pick up her spoon again.
Squish, squish— She placed a big spoonful in her mouth and slightly shuddered.

“This flavor is different from mine.”

“Did you receive a proper reward?”

Yoo Yeonha asked as Aileen happily murmured.

“Hmm? Ah, I did.” Aileen nodded and took out some kind of black card.

“This is the VIP card for the 15th floor. Anything here can be used with this card and
everything is free other than a few exceptions.”

Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha widened their eyes at it. Aileen puffed out her chest
triumphantly.

“I’ll pay for the food today, so don’t you worry.”

“Wow. Thank you.”

“Hurry up and come to the 20th floor. The train needs at least 100 passengers to
start.”

The restaurant door suddenly opened and two men in neat suits approached their
table. Tak, tak. They politely called a certain person’s name as everyone in the
restaurant curiously watched them.

“Are you player YooYeonhaYeonha?”

“Pardon?”

They unexpectedly picked her out as she tilted her head with a fork in her mouth.

***

I invited Yoo Yeonha to the VIP Room in Area 3 since I promised to meet her once she
arrived on the 15th floor. I also had an appointment with Athena today.

“Where are we? You must’ve made it big.”

Yoo Yeonha pouted as she entered the VIP room built just for me. I didn’t have to
move a finger in this luxurious room full of convenient features. The AI did
everything on its own.

“We finally meet in the tower.”

“First, take a seat. Have you eaten?”

“I got dragged out halfway.”

Yoo Yeonha grumbled and sat on a nearby chair. I stood up and headed to the
kitchen.

“What are you doing?”

“You said you didn’t eat yet.” I planned on making a special ramen just for her.

“Just wait a bit.”

Dadadada—

My hands moved at an undetectable speed. She sighed and watched me remove the
heads from anchovies to make a sauce.

“I see what you’re trying to make, but I already told you I don’t like that type of food.”
“Isn’t it about time you became honest?”

“Rather than that, what’s your nickname? Add me as a friend.”

Yoo Yeonha pulled up her friend list. I briefly paused after transferring the sauce to
the boiling water. My nickname, Extra7. Can I tell Yoo Yeonha? I wondered and soon
gave in.

“Extra7. Add me.”

“Eh? That’s you?”

It looked like she already heard of me. I glanced at her surprised face. I didn’t know
how, but I could guess. I probably didn’t need to worry too much since Yoo Yeonha
could keep a secret.

“You’ve heard of me? Where and how?”

“Yes, though not in detail. Nayun told me herself. I’m probably the only one she told.
She said Extra7 saved her. Your nickname is quite famous. I heard you came first in
the first tutorial.”

“…”

I silently nodded. Meanwhile, the ramen finished cooking and I placed some noodles
in a bowl for her. Suddenly, Yoo Yeonha asked, “Is Nayun still the one for you? You’ve
been watching her from afar.”

Her voice, filled with bitterness and envy, made me pause. I recalled the past. How
did I feel about Chae Nayun? I probably felt… affection. I was still human and lonely.
Humans lived by relying on others and ceased to be human if they didn’t rely on
anyone. Back then, I wanted to be human.

“I don’t know.”

I only said that much and Yoo Yeonha didn’t ask anymore.

“I have an appointment, so I’ll head out. Add me as a friend and have some ramen.
Also, take this.”
I handed Yoo Yeonha the black express card that could be used in almost every
facility on the 15th floor.

“Eh? How do you have this?”

“This ship belongs to me.”

I replied with some gusto.

“W-What? Don’t lie—”

“I’m leaving now. You can relax here for tonight.”

“Wait, hold on…”

I left the puzzled Yoo Yeonha and stepped outside. However, I only took a few steps
before I discovered the administrator Athena nearby.

“Oh, Athena. Right here.”

“Greetings.”

“Yes.”

I glanced back before we got down to business. Yoo Yeonha sat alone at the table and
stuffed her face with ramen. Slurp slurp— She gobbled everything up. It looked like
she had been enduring with superhuman patience while talking to me.

“My business is simple. Barter.”

“Huh?”

“That’s right. I want one of the black arrows you used last time.”

“Ah, those?”

Of course, the Goddess of War would want them.

“I put a lot of effort into making them.”

I crafted them after hundreds of synthesis and setting modifications, so I didn’t plan
on giving them away.

[Lv.11 Athena’s Moonlight Arrow]

“You can have this in exchange.”

I took out the [Lv.9 Dark Ore Arrow] the moment I laid eyes on Athena’s arrow. Items
over level 10 belonged in a league of their own. They became much more powerful
and… Well, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. I still had 4 left even if I gave one
away.

“Thank you. This is all I needed.”

I exchanged a dark ore arrow for Athena’s moonlight arrow and examined it
thoroughly as soon as I received it. The moonlit shaft and the arrowhead looked as if
someone carved them from a meteorite. Of course, it looked more beautiful than my
dark ore arrow.

“I shall have another talk with you in the future. Please stay alive.”

“Oh, I will. Thanks to this.”

I even followed Athena to see her off.

***

[20F, Station of the End]

— It looks like we’re approaching the end.

— Right, this place is called Station of the End.

— One year is a pretty long time.

— What will happen to the tower once we finish climbing? Will it still be here?

— I hope so. A person dear to me is here.

— He’s going out with an NPC, leader.

— Hey, NPCs are real people.

Three weeks later, a crowd of passengers waited for the train to arrive on the 20th
floor platform. Desolate Moon, Essence of the Strait, Frost Sanctuary, Rothschild,
Empire of Glory, and the English Royal Court Guild. Kim Suho, Yi Younghan, Kim
Junwoo, Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Kim Hakpyo, etc. It looked like a couple of hundred
people at a glance.

“So tense.”

I took a quick look and muttered. Most players in the top 500 had gathered here. Did
I hand out the strategy guide too easily? I felt a little scared.

“Hey, doesn’t your body feel itchy?” Cheok Jungyeong asked as I glared at him.

“Haa. Didn’t I tell you fighting on the train will get you immediately kicked out?”

“I know. I’m aware. It’s just… itchy. It’s so itchy. I have to give it a good scratch.”

Cheok Jungyeong sulked and began to scratch his lower back. “Oh, I heard two more
Chameleon Troupe members arrived. Kaita already died twice too.”

“What the hell is that Kaita up to? He’s always dying. Pathetic.”

Jain mentioned something familiar. The fight between Zurahan and Kim Suho had
been slightly delayed, but the Ordinary People’s Alliance that plotted to take over
Prestige finally went under 2 weeks ago.

— The train to the 21st floor will be arriving soon. Everyone, please step back.

The 403 rankers on the platform nervously formed a line and the 4 Chameleon
Troupe members also came together.

— The train to the 21st floor will be arriving soon. Everyone, please form a line to
board.

I designed this train to quickly end the tower arc. It could take us straight to the 26th
floor, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down since a lot had changed.

— The train is now arriving!

Chwaaa! A loud cry rang out. The train swallowed every sound as players on the
platform watched the huge piece of iron storm across the tracks. It almost
completely covered the sky and finally arrived on the other side. Then it released a
trail of steam.

Kiik.

The train came to a stop and silence filled the station. The crowd waited for the right
moment. Tzzzz— The train door opened as if to meet their expectations and an NPC
attendant who looked like a mannequin appeared.

— Welcome, players. Please enter the aisle marked on your ticket. Aisle 1 is for Class
A. Aisle 2 through 4 is for Class B… First, Class A may board the train!

Team Chameleon Troupe belonged to Class A. We entered Aisle 1 together and I

could feel the competitive glares from other players on our backs.

— Ticket has been confirmed.

The attendant checked our tickets as we moved to Class A’s VIP suite. We had the
privilege of keeping an entire compartment to ourselves.

“Wow. It’s big.”

“The train features space expansion magic as well. There should also be things like a
sports field and a club.”

“I’ll definitely visit the club later.”

Jain grinned and sat on the sofa. I took a seat nearby and glanced at Boss. Just
looking at her made a part of me uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but stare even
though she simply sat there. The synchronization probably affected me more than I
thought.

“Hajin, why do you keep stealing glances like that?”

“Huh?”

“Boss, he keeps glancing at you. He must like you.”

“…”

Boss raised her head at me with an expressionless look. She continued to stare
before saying just one thing.

“Don’t.”

“Ah, yes.”

Meanwhile, the boarding process finished and all doors slammed shut. We sat more
comfortably now that we didn’t have to mingle with other players. Cheok Jungeyong
lay on a bed, Jin Yohan browsed a magazine, and Jain and Boss looked through the
community together.

Then suddenly…

— Uwoah! Oh my! We just checked and noticed a total of 403 passengers on board!
That’s so many! I am truly happy as the captain. Yes, I am!

A frivolous voice rang out.

— We’ll hold a special event to commemorate this occasion: the Mystery Shuffle!

“W-What’s this?”

— Starting now, your seats will be randomly switched. Rest assured! Your name,
face, and nickname will all remain hidden under the Veil of Anonymity! Oh, of course,
others may remove your veil and you may remove it yourself!

What the heck is happening? I shot up like a spring.

— Please be careful! Remember the 20th floor! The doppelgangers who have taken
over the original owners’ bodies will attempt to take your lives.

“What…”

— However, we too despise the doppelgangers! We only want players as passengers!

Therefore, we’ll offer prizes to players based on the number of doppelgangers they
defeat. The prizes are… 2 ultimate skill books and 3 unique skill books!
I wanted to say something regarding the unexpected event, but the view before my
eyes suddenly changed.

— Now, all players will be summoned somewhere else between Aisle 3 and Aisle 8!
The time limit for this event is 36 hours!
Team Aileen and Kids also had a compartment to themselves and carefreely enjoyed
their privacy. Shin Jonghak trained with his spear in the huge reception room while
Yi Yongha slept on one of the beds.

“I wonder what’s going to happen.”

Aileen only considered the train as an exciting event and not something that could
determine their life or death. Only Jin Seyeon seriously thought about it and carefully
studied the pamphlet that came with their Class A ticket.

“According to this pamphlet, the train will stop on each floor once. Players won’t be
able to just sit and do nothing. It says they’ll need to pay an appropriate price…”

Tiriring— A sudden ringing interrupted Jin Seyeon and she raised her eyebrows.
Then she saw Aileen holding a plate of chocolate cake after purchasing it. Aileen
awkwardly coughed when they made eye contact.

“Right, right. Oh, also, look at the size of this train. It’s huge! I just received a message
that it’s full.”

“You mean… this train has other NPCs riding on it too?”

“Possibly. Also, 403 players came here. Mostly rankers who displayed their abilities
in Crevon. Have you heard some djinns also teamed up with demons?”

Jin Seyeon understood what Aileen wanted to say. “Something might happen in
Crevon without all the rankers.”

“Yep, exactly. So the question is, how many rankers will be disqualified on this train?
Oh, you still have the calamity core, right?”

“Yes.”
Aileen’s party obtained a calamity core from killing the minotaur. Jin Seyeon used it
to differentiate players from doppelgangers. The calamity core throbbed when it
neared anything the tower classified as a calamity. It became quite handy on the
upper floors.

“Then it’s fine. We aren’t the type who would be disqualified so easily and we aren’t
attached to Crevon.”

“Hmm…” Jin Seyeon nodded and wondered about the doppelgangers.

“Lady Aileen, how did the fight with your doppelganger go?”

“Eh?”

“I’m just wondering.”

Aileen recalled it with a fork hanging out of her mouth. The fight with her
doppelganger 3 weeks ago…

— This magic power spear will pierce your body!

Aileen shouted, but the doppelganger fought back.

— No! That’s not going to happen! The opposite will!

Then the real Aileen struck back.

— No! It’s going to be the opposite of what you say is the opposite!

— What does that even mean, you idiot? My physical stats will now receive a 100%
buff—

— No, that doesn’t make sense. I command it with my Spirit Speech. That cannot
happen!

— You! Eat dirt!

—Yeah, no. I won’t!

“An elegant and proud battle took place.”

Aileen summed it up with a single sentence. Spirit Speech users rarely fought each
other because it always turned out like that.

“Eh… I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

— Uwoah! Oh my! We just checked and noticed a total of 403 passengers on board!
That’s so many! I am truly happy as the captain. Yes, I am!

A cheerful voice rang out from the speaker above.

***

— You have been relocated to a random seat!

My body traveled through space with a strange sensation. I didn’t worry too much
since I could see through everyone’s identities.

“Oh.”

I found myself in Aisle 8’s last compartment, but it didn’t seem any worse despite
being farther away from the special compartment. It looked bigger than all the other
modern special compartments put together.

“…”

A central hallway divided it in half with four couches on each side. Eight players
found themselves transferred here after the announcement. At first, I couldn’t see
their faces or their figures until I focused. Then I could see them clearly with my gift,
Observation and Reading. Kim Hakpyo, Jin Seyeon, and a ranker I didn’t know
occupied the left half of the compartment. The right half contained three unknown
rankers and…

“What’s going on?”

A girl with a bob cut looked around with wide eyes. Right, Chae Nayun also
teleported here and her hair looked redder than before. It seemed she dyed it since
the last time I saw her.
“This event is supposed to give skill books, right? I wasn’t paying attention.”

“We’re supposed to kill the doppelgangers, but how the hell are we supposed to tell
them apart?”

“Don’t they just want us to fight to our deaths?”

Each player voiced their opinion and Jin Seyeon proudly stepped up after they each
took a turn.

“Um, hello, everyone. Why don’t we introduce ourselves?”

I immediately shot up. Everyone’s eyes fell on me as I grabbed the doorknob that led
outside. Clunk, clunk. Unsurprisingly, the door didn’t open.

— All eight individuals must agree before the door can be opened.

Staying here didn’t seem like a good option, so I wanted to look for the other
Chameleon Troupe members. That seemed impossible for now. Could I use the
mystic key to force the door open? Even if worked, the other players would probably
chase me and I wouldn’t be able to beat Jin Seyeon and Chae Nayun with my physical
stats.

Let’s just sit until the matter is resolved since they can’t recognize me anyways. I came
to a decision and returned to my seat.

“You in a hurry? Hehe.”

Kim Hakpyo snickered while Chae Nayun stared at me. She shouldn’t know my true
identity, but her stare pressured me nonetheless.

“Now, now. Don’t go anywhere and let’s talk.”

Jin Seyeon took control of the conversation and grabbed my wrist.

“Are you a man?”

I put on an act.

“What answer are you looking for?”

I didn’t answer her question. Jin Seyeon smiled in satisfaction and released my wrist.

“We should focus on finding out which among us are doppelgangers no matter your
name or where you come from. Please, let’s sit together and talk.”

“What’s sitting together going to accomplish?”

Kim Hakpyo complained and crossed his arms. I wished the Veil of Anonymity
worked on me so I didn’t have to see his smug face.

“I know an easy way to distinguish doppelgangers from players,” Jin Seyeon

confidently declared.

Fighting her would only draw suspicion. Even doppelgangers would go along with it
and figure out her plan before doing anything. As such, the eight individuals in the
compartment sat in a circle. Chae Nayun coincidentally sat next to me, but I didn’t
mind too much. I remained calm as ever.

“So what’s this easy way?” Chae Nayun asked.

“It’s simple.”

Wiing— Jin Seyeon fiddled with something and pulled out a table hidden in the
ground. Then she took out eight scrolls and placed them on top.

“What’s this?”

“Scrolls?”

“Exactly.” Jin Seyeon smiled.

I quickly checked the scrolls’ information with my smartwatch and realized what Jin
Seyeon intended.

“However, they’re not simply just scrolls to doppelgangers.”

“Mmm.”

Kim Hakpyo also figured out her plan and nodded. The five remaining individuals
had no clue and waited for Jin Seyeon to explain.
“These scrolls can only be used by players.”

“Ah!”

Everyone understood the plan after a single sentence. It sounded rational and well
thought out.

“I’ll take off my veil to gain your trust as the person who came up with this plan.”

Jin Seyeon took off her Veil of Anonymity and revealed her silky, long hair along with
her dazzling beauty. Then she smiled at me.

“Whoa, it’s Senior Jin Seyeon…”

The surprised exclamation came from Chae Nayun.

“Now, pick up a scroll and check its description. You’ll see that it states only players
can use them.”

The items they took out would be masked from others as long as players wore the
Veil of Anonymity. Jin Seyeon revealed herself, so everyone could read the scrolls’
item descriptions.

“She’s right. That’s exactly what the scroll says.”

“Then do you agree?”

“What’s there to argue about? Anyone who says no will be a doppelganger.”

As expected of an Evil Society executive, Kim Hakpyo boldly tore his scroll in half.

“Listen well. You aren’t forcing me to do this. I’m doing it out of my own volition.”

He tore the scroll in half without even checking its description. I had to admit, he
sounded pretty cool. Plop! Unfortunately, he transformed into a frog.

— Ribbit. W-What? Ribbit. The fuck is this?

Kim Hakpyo stuck out his tongue in anger after turning into a cute, green frog.
— Ribbit. Y-You… Ribbit. Say something if one of the scrolls had such an effect! Ribbit.

“You should’ve checked the description first.”

— Ribbit. Are you fucking with me… Ribbit.

I went next and picked an ordinary scroll to avoid any accidents.

“I’ll go next.”

Rip— I tore it in half and returned to my seat.

“I’m next.”

Chae Nayun stood up and easily finished the task.

Another ranker I didn’t know went next. Five people underwent the checkup.
However, three refused to stand no matter what.

— Ribbit. Looks like we have our answer. Ribbit.

Even a frog could understand the situation. I didn’t know any of the three rankers.
The compartment door could only be opened through unanimous agreement, so the
doppelgangers only had one choice. Their magic power began to surge.

“Dammit!”

They all charged at the same time, but not all rankers stood on the same level. Chae
Nayun and Jin Seyeon ranked in the top 30 and Kim Hakpyo also boasted a similar
strength.

“What?”

For some reason, they all charged at me since I stood far behind everyone else.
Whish— One of them swung his fist and it multiplied in the air. I didn’t have time to
admire this strange skill with ample magic power behind it.

“Why me?”

“—!”
I blocked the fist with aether’s help and prepared myself for close combat. Aether
took control of my body as my arms stretched and my waist bent like a machine. It
didn’t take long for us to take care of the doppelgangers with the advantage in
numbers and power.

“Kuuk!”

Jin Seyeon finished the job with her arrow.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t hurt and didn’t complain either, but Chae Nayun kept staring at me.

“Can’t you see that I’m not hurt? You stole my kill!” I had no choice but to curtly
shout back.

“…”

Jin Seyeon’s cheeks slightly puffed up.

“What.”

“No, nothing. My apologies.”

Eventually, Jin Seyeon bowed in apology and I awkwardly coughed.

“By the way, how did hero Jin Seyeon know that doppelgangers couldn’t use scrolls?”
Chae Nayun asked.

Jin Seyeon smiled and shook her head. “I didn’t know. I’ve never tested it and I
wouldn’t be surprised if they could.”

“Eh? Then…”

“You can call it a bluff, huhu. I’m not sure it would’ve worked if the doppelgangers
acted smarter and bolder.”

My admiration for Jin Seyeon only grew after hearing this. Even as the original
author, I didn’t know if doppelgangers could use scrolls. The situation had never
come up and I never bothered to write more than necessary. Of course, I knew
another clear-cut way to tell doppelgangers apart. Doppelgangers couldn’t return to
Earth.

“Then can we open the door now?” Kim Hakpyo asked. He had turned back into a
human before I noticed.

“Sure, but let’s stick together since we don’t know what happened in the other
compartments. There might still be a doppelganger among us, but the probability is
low. I’ve been watching everyone’s expressions and no one hesitated to tear their
scroll in half—”

“I get it, so open the door.”

Kim Hakpyo walked up to the door as Jin Seyeon nodded.

“Does everyone agree?”

“Yes.”

The door opened and we came out of our compartment.

[Aisle 8]

The pathway connecting compartments on trains usually looked quite narrow.

However, the pathway for this train resembled a lush forest far bigger than any
compartment. The dirt floor made it seem as if we stepped into another world and
we could even hear the sound of running water like a stream.

“Where should we go next, Jin Seyeon?”

“I’m not sure. We should figure out how to open the door to the pathway.”

“Hmm. Oh, oops, there’s a rock here.”

Kim Hakpyo kicked a rock under his foot. Whoosh… The tiny rock carrying his magic
power drew an arc and entered Aisle 8’s ventilation window. Immediately
afterwards, Kim Hakpyo switched places with the rock.
— Hahaha! So long, retards!

His voice rang out from the ceiling. The four of us became dumbstruck, especially
me. I wondered why the charismatic villain who shined in the latter half of the novel
kept acting like that.

“…”

“What skill is that?”

“It’s called phase shift if I recall correctly. I think I know who he is. Anyways, let’s just
do things our way since we don’t have that skill.”

We walked forward with Jin Seyeon in front. Unknowingly, I found myself next to
Chae Nayun again. I couldn’t help but glance at her from time to time. Chae Nayun
also looked at me and I quickly dodged her gaze. However, her eyes remained on me
for a long time. Minutes passed in this uncomfortable silence.

“Oh, look at this flower.”

Chae Nayun suddenly squatted to the ground. Her action didn’t surprise me. I simply
glanced and continued onwards. Honestly, I just wanted to run away like Kim
Hakpyo.

Tak— Chae Nayun suddenly snatched my wrist and it felt like time stopped.

“What?”

“Ah, um…” Her lips moved slowly and this moment felt like a year.

“Do you know what flower this is?”

Thankfully, she only asked a simple question and I sighed in relief.

“Just check the item description.”

“I can’t see it.”

I furrowed my brows and looked at the flower.

[Lv.1 ???]

Did the Veil of Anonymity block out such information? I checked it with my
smartwatch instead. It turned out to be a forget-me-not.

“It’s a forget-me-not.”

“Ah, so this is a forget-me-not. You’re quite knowledgeable…”

“Let me go now.”

I tried to run away since Jin Seyeon and the other ranker already left into the
distance. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to smoothly escape with
the mystic key.

“Let go.”

Chae Nayun refused to release me no matter how much strength I exerted.

“What are you doing?”

I stared at my wrist and slowly looked up. There, I saw her staring straight at me and
my heart trembled. My eyes slightly blurred like a camera lens losing focus.

“W-What?”

“No, nothing.”

Soon, her grip weakened and I shook off her hand. Then a quiet voice rang out.

“I just thought you seemed like someone I knew.”

The faint voice entered my ears and shook my heart. I stood still for a moment. She
continued since I became speechless.

“Are you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but don’t make things up. We can’t see our
faces or tell our voices apart with the Veil of Anonymity, so that’s a meaningless
question.”
I cut her down and turned back. However, her next words froze me before I could
even take a step.

“Kim Hajin.”

My heart turned numb the moment I heard my name and my mind blanked. I didn’t
even suspect whether my veil had been taken off or if she obtained some kind of
authority.

A suffocating sensation simply overcame me and a whimpering voice finally burst

the thick silence that only contained my beating heart.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“…”

I swallowed and tried to calm my trembling body. Then I silently turned around and
faced her. She shouldn’t be able to see, but still recognized me.

Soon, Chae Nayun took off her veil. The presence of a veil didn’t matter to me.
However, she must’ve felt determined to do so.

Then she glared at me full of confidence and suspicion. Her gaze pierced right
through.

“It’s you.”

We both matured since the last time we met, but I hadn’t prepared any words for our
eventual reunion. No, perhaps I did, but I could only muster pitiful words now.

“How did you recognize me?”

“You think I wouldn’t?” Chae Nayun strangely laughed. “I spent all these years
thinking about you half the time.”

Tears began to fill her eyes, but they didn’t fall as if they had frozen.

“You always look at your watch whenever something happens.”

So that’s how she found out. I drooped my head and smiled bitterly.
“Your strange actions, manner of speech, the tiniest habits, and the way you
breathe…”

The metallic sound of a sword unsheathing rang out.

“I remember them all too well.”

I could see my completely expressionless, completely black reflection in her eyes. I

should show myself at least. I smiled bitterly and placed a hand over my face. Then I
pulled off what felt like a mask and the veil shot up into the sky.

“Hey.”

I spoke.

“It’s been a while.”

In front of me stood Chae Nayun.

He wanted to say a lot. He should’ve said something, but didn’t know where to start.
He expected this and didn’t plan on running forever. However, he never prepared any
excuses.

“It’s been a while.”

He finally offered her a plain greeting. She wanted to pour out all her feelings, but
her thoughts became jumbled. She needed time to sort them.

“You’re goddamn right it’s been a while.”

She looked at the man she used to like. The lump of emotions in her heart, the
affection she held for him, the questions, and her hatred all violently mixed. Then the
icy clang of her sword split the awkward atmosphere.

She pointed her longsword at him, against the man who once told her, A sword suits
you better than a bow. His indifferent face, engraved in her heart, now appeared at
the end of her blade.

“I have… a lot of questions to ask.”

She wanted to sound nonchalant, but the lump in her throat prevented her from
doing so. She hated how her voice shook.

“…”

He looked her straight in the eye. He never told her a lot and couldn’t. Not in the past
and not now. It might seem like he changed, but he hadn’t. He still felt scared and lost
between two worlds.

“I’ve thought about it every night.”

She raised her sword because she knew that. Her magic power surrounded the blade
and a torrent of magic power raged in every direction.

“Sure, I’m not the brightest, but I still can’t figure it out even after all these nights.”

A line of tears ran down her cheek.

“I still don’t understand.”

She didn’t say much. Thousands of sentences condensed into one and overwhelming
emotions became trapped.

“So, tell me yourself in a way that I can understand.”

She held up her determination along with her sword.

“Speak.”

“…”

He understood her, but knew from his deep contemplation and mental anguish that
he could only say one thing right now.

“Wait.”

This cowardly remark.

“Wait for what?”

She laughed. For a moment, she simply became dumbfounded. Life had been hard on
her. She never felt alive and no longer had a reason to live. She thought about taking
her own life, but decided to wait for him to tell her the truth one day.

“You’re going to run away again?”

She clenched her teeth. Chae Shinhyuk could’ve comforted her sadness. Her father
prepared to abandon everything, even Daesung, for her sake. She could’ve consulted
Chae Joochul when rage blinded her. Her grandfather would’ve found Kim Hajin and
torn him apart. However, she refused all those options and endured alone. She
carried everything on her shoulders: her rage, sadness, affection, and hatred. All so
she could hear the truth from him someday.
“I’m not running away.”

He calmly answered in his familiar voice.

“Then take your weapon out. I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to.”

He took out his gun and she nodded.

“Be serious or I’ll kill you.”

She coldly muttered and lowered her longsword. Sssss… Immeasurable magic power
blazed from her like vapor. She prepared to strike at any moment.

“You shouldn’t have said what you just said.”

She leaped forward and sincerely intended to kill him. The magic power in her sword
viciously changed shape.

Tzzzzz…

The blade burned as it headed towards his side, but aether’s barrier blocked it. The
formless aether absorbed her magic power through extraction. However, she didn’t
have time to be surprised and continued swinging. Once, twice, thrice… Only her
emotions fueled the series of reckless attacks. They couldn’t be called sword
techniques. She continued to slash so he wouldn’t notice the tears streaming down
her cheeks. Her attacks poured like rain, accompanied by explosions.

Koong, koong, koong, koong…

Suddenly, she heard a low groan and held her breath.

“…!”

She saw a man whose face distorted with pain beyond her vision blinded by tears.
His body looked tattered and she realized he hadn’t fired a single bullet. She blankly
stared at him and her thoughts wouldn’t continue. Her hands shook, but why? Was it
because she hurt him? Soon, she tightened her grip again.

“You coward!”
This time, she didn’t keep any distance between them. She frantically charged at the
man who continued to lie to her even now.

KOOOONG!

The sword swung straight at him with immense power. He raised his arm to stop the
blade. Crack— His arm snapped in half despite aether’s defense.

“Why!”

She yelled and kicked him in the stomach. This sent him flying and the sight of him
clutching his chest on the floor looked pathetic. However, he crawled back and stood
in front of her again. She hated that, so she jumped at him with her sword. Their
hands intertwined and so did their bodies. The ground beneath them turned into a
puddle and finally…

“Haaa…”

She breathed heavily and looked down at him. He lay under her, worn out, and next
to the sword in her hand. The fight had ended, but the aftermath still enraged her.

“You son of a bitch.”

Her voice trembled and she grabbed him hard by the collar.

“You think doing this will make me forgive you? By just letting me beat you up? You
bastard…”

A thought crossed his mind as he watched her murmur full of resentment. I can
never be forgiven nor can I apologize. At least, I can spare one death for her. He felt
relieved by the thought and also disgusted at himself.

“…”

“Do you even know what happens to me when I think about you?”

Her cry continued.

“My chest feels tight and my heart hurts. I want to see you, but I can’t. I want to meet
you, but I don’t. I want to trust you, but I don’t. I want to hate you, enough to kill you
with my own hands, but I can’t do it. You hurt me so much that I want you by my
side. Just what did you do to me…”

She picked up her sword from the ground and raised it high. Now, his heart lay at the
tip of her blade. One thrust and their ill-fated relationship would end, but that fact
made her hesitate. Death would be absolute on the 20th floor. Even so, I…

“I can kill you. I can!”

She cried as if asking him to dodge while looking down at him. Kim Hajin’s eyes fixed
on her.

“—!”

A beast-like cry rang out as she thrust down.

Crack!

Silence descended after the storm of emotions. Haa… Haa… Her small, thin breathing
filled the empty space.

“Fuck.”

She let go of her sword and collapsed. Her forehead touched his warm chest.

“There’s no way… I can kill you…”

The longsword hadn’t penetrated his heart, but the ground instead. She trembled in
his arms and cried.

“You cowardly son of a bitch…”

A raspy sound emerged from her throat. The slight tremor that touched his body
almost broke him and shook his heart.

***

Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon stood in front of the sixth door in Aisle 8. An unknown ranker
accompanied her. This ranker, a man, kept glancing at her as if he had something to
say. Then he finally decided to speak out when she grabbed the doorknob.
“Um, the other two disappeared.”

“Really?”

Jin Seyeon pretended she hadn’t noticed and glanced back. Her vision stretched into
the distance and she saw the pair in the middle of a violent brawl. Kim Hajin and
Chae Nayun both revealed themselves.

“Hmm.”

Jin Seyeon had already discovered their identities. As the Divine Archer, she could
dismantle a number of the tower’s traps and kept an eye on the pair even as she
walked.

“Wait a minute…”

Since she already peeked at them, she decided to do it thoroughly. She focused magic
power into her eyes that turned blue. Now, Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin reflected even
more clearly on her retinae.

“Mmm, I see.”

She heard about Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin’s relationship from rumors.

I want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it. You hurt me
so much that I want you by my side…

The rumors seemed wrong from the looks of it. Those emotions felt far too deep for
a relationship that ended as a fling.

“…”

She quickly glanced to the side. Fortunately, the ranker only vaguely sensed what
happened through the obvious clash in magic power and the sound of air being cut.

“It looks like they’re busy, so let’s move along.”

The man couldn’t listen in on them, so Jin Seyeon decided to stand down. She wanted
the skill book and prioritized reuniting with Aileen.
 ***

I lay still and couldn’t tell how much time had passed. It could’ve been a moment or a
very long time. I came back to my senses when I heard footsteps approaching.

“…”

What approached me like the wind soon became a shadow. The dark shadow took
the shape of a human and silently stared at me covered in blood and barely
breathing.

“Boss.”

She stretched her shadow before I could say anything and her shadow blade stopped
just behind Chae Nayun’s head on top of me. Boss looked at me with eyes filled with
rage.

“Put it away,” I briefly told her.

“…”

She silently gazed at me and an unexpected staring contest began. Soon, she
withdrew her killing intent as I placed Chae Nayun on the ground. Chae Nayun fell
asleep after crying and left me quite distressed. Boss looked at her.

“Who is this woman?”

I stared at Chae Nayun sound asleep with blood and tears on her face. Suddenly, my
past mistakes came back like a sharp blade to my heart. I swallowed a sigh and took
my robe off.

“3 years.”

I made up my mind after seeing her today. Only 3 years remained in the original
timeline. I originally planned to let her hate me until then, but now I decided
otherwise. I realized too late that hating somebody required too much. Unknowingly,
I had put Chae Nayun through tremendous pain. Even if we couldn’t come to an
understanding and return to what we were, even if it was already too late, I would
try from now on, so…
“Wait just 3 years.”

I bent down and placed my robe over Chae Nayun’s cold body. Using stigma, I cooled
her head, which felt hot after she used too much magic power. Then I adjusted her
into a more comfortable position.

“Kim Hajin.” Boss called me and I looked up at her.

“What happened?” she asked worriedly.

“…”

I shook my head and stood up. No one would find Chae Nayun in the last
compartment of Aisle 8, so I left her there and walked away. Boss followed me in
silence. She seemed to be wondering about what happened, but I felt too exhausted
to explain. My body told me to lie down just like Chae Nayun instead of moving.

“That woman.”

I looked for a place to rest when Boss broke the silence.

“Is she precious to you?”

“…”

Why did she want to know that? I clutched my burning head and felt feverish. I
needed to find a place to rest rather than answer a nonsensical question. Fortunately,
we arrived at the next compartment and I opened the door with the mystic key. We
didn’t find anyone inside, so I sat sluggishly on the couch.

“Kim Hajin.” Boss sat next to me and called me.

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s nothing. Looks like I wasn’t being considerate. Rest well for now.”

“…”

When I saw Boss step back, slightly sullen, something inside me wavered. My heart
throbbed and my entire body shook. This compulsion came from an unknown origin
and nameless emotions. I forced my exhausted body to move as if it wasn’t mine and
stared at her.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“I, um, know.”

“Know what?”

A single sentence came out of my mouth.

“You were the one who brought me to the orphanage.”

My vision suddenly darkened and my consciousness blurred. Then I collapsed and

fell forward.
— Isn’t this Chae Nayun?

She heard a familiar voice while sleeping under a comfortable blanket. Startled, her
eyes shot open.

“Uwoah!”

She saw the two familiar faces in front of her.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t believe you fell asleep here.”

Yi Yeonghan and Kim Suho looked down at her and laughed. They didn’t hide their
faces, so she didn’t know whether the Mystery Shuffle ended or they voluntarily took
off their veils.

“What are you guys doing?”

“What do you mean? The shuffle is almost over, so we’re looking for our teammates.”

“Oh.”

Chae Nayun collected her breath and looked around. Nothing but desolate shrubbery
and weeds surrounded her. What happened felt like a dream.

“What’s up with that robe?” Yi Yeonghan pointed and asked.

Chae Nayun tilted her head.

“What robe?”

“The one on top of you.”

“What are you talking about…”

Chae Nayun looked and saw the cloth covering her. This mysterious robe felt soft as
silk, yet tough as armor and light as a feather.

“W-Whoa, it’s a level 7 item!”

“Eh?”

Chae Nayun checked its item description after hearing Yi Yeonghan’s excited cry.

[Lv.7 Robe Crafted by Master Craftsman] Lv.7 Shock Absorption, Lv.6 Resizing, Lv.6
Magic Power Resistance, Lv.6 Haste Seal, Lv.5 Low Grade Magic Power Amplification

Seeing this level 7 robe reminded Chae Nayun that what happened wasn’t a dream.

“…”

She recalled a faint memory from this robe.

— Wait just 3 years.

Kim Hajin softly whispered to her groggy consciousness before a warm healing
energy enveloped her.

“Hey, where did you get this? Do you want to sell it to me? Why don’t you trade it for
mine?”

“Shut it.”

Chae Nayun pushed Yi Yeonghan away and stood up.

“That robe doesn’t suit a longsword user, but it’s perfect for a brawler!”

Chae Nayun glared at the blabbering Yi Yeonghan before wearing the robe.

He said to wait three years, but I’m not going to keep waiting. I’ll uncover the truth
even if I have to use my family’s power. Then I’ll find you again and return this robe.

“I’m telling you, it’s perfect for a brawler! I’ll give you my entire savings. My. Entire.
Savings. Oh, I also have an effective goods selector that I haven’t used. I’ll add that on
top!”

“Geez, go away you leech.”

***

I opened my eyes to a fancy red ceiling with gold embroidery. It looked like the
special compartment’s ceiling.

“You’re up?”

A husky voice woke me from my drowsiness and I turned to the side. As expected,
Cheok Jungyeong stood there.

“Argh, my head.” I clutched my throbbing head and asked, “What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

Cheok Jungyeong held up a book.

[Lv.1 Ultimate Skill Acquisition Book – Energy Blast]

From the looks of it, the Mystery Shuffle had ended.

“You slept through it, weakling.”

“Oh, you got the energy blast?”

Everyone knew this skill from a certain cartoon show. It sounded simple, but
couldn’t be underestimated. Energy blast used energy, which included magic power
and physical power. This high rank skill fully deserved to be called an ultimate skill
and could display heaven-shaking power depending on the user.

“Why, you want it?”

“No, you should learn it.”

Someone like Cheok Jungyeong perfectly suited it. I couldn’t imagine what kind of
devastation his energy blast would cause.
“Me?”

“Yeah, it’ll be amazing in your hands.”

He glanced at it and shook his head.

“It doesn’t suit me.”

Then he placed it in his inventory despite his words. Soon, he might be shouting,
Energy Blast!

“Ah.”

I recalled how I fainted. Of course, I remembered what I said to Boss. She must’ve felt
shocked to instantly knock me out. I probably couldn’t make up an excuse either and
quickly raised my body.

“Where’s Boss?”

“Outside.”

“Outside?”

“On the balcony.”

Cheok Jungyeong pointed towards the right corner of the special room. The special
compartment featured 3 bedrooms, a living room, and a balcony.

“Mmm…”

I looked at the door with the sign that read, [Balcony]. Boss stood beyond that door
and stared at the scenery outside. I slowly walked over. Knock, knock— I observed
her reaction, but she didn’t move even after a long time. Knock, knock— I opened the
door without waiting for her the second time.

“…”

Boss sat on a stool by the balcony and watched the night sky. I carefully sat next to
her and looked at the same scenery. The moon hid behind the dark clouds and not a
single star shone. She stared into total darkness.
“Boss.”

I called her, but she didn’t reply.

“Boss.”

I called her again.

“I’ll keep calling until you answer.”

“…”

Only then did her shoulders flinch. She asked while gazing at the sky.

“What?”

She spoke a single word, but I could sense her distress and carefully chose my words.
Then I asked about something ordinary first.

“How long did I sleep for?”

“About a day.”

“Hmm.”

That’s pretty long. I murmured to myself and looked out once more. The scenery
changed along with the moving train. The sky remained dark, but a mystical
landscape unfolded below. We passed by illusory scenes that couldn’t exist on Earth.
This train would climb until the 26th floor. From there, it would be Kim Suho’s turn
to shine. The rest of us would probably struggle to kill even a weak underling. The
upper floors existed solely for Kim Suho, the holy sword user and the true hero who
followed the path of righteousness.

As I thought about the future scenarios, Boss suddenly asked while faking
nonchalance.

“Do you remember what happened before you fainted?”

Her voice contained a hint of anguish and I silently nodded.

“How long have you known?”

“It’s been some time.”

“…”

Boss fell silent. It looked like she couldn’t say what she wanted, so I tried to answer
the question in her heart.

“On the 20th floor, my doppelganger told me to find the cause of my loneliness. It
deeply resonated with me.”

The synchronization with Kim Chundong affected my subconscious. Of course, I

didn’t plan on explaining that to Boss.

“I see.”

“Yes, and… the Kwang-Oh Incident.”

A single star appeared in the sky when I brought up that event.

“I must be its sole survivor.”

A strange sensation came over me. It didn’t feel like I said those words. I stopped
talking for a moment because of this sensation and stared into Boss’ eyes.

“…”

I had stayed by her side for a long time now. We shared all sorts of feelings and
experiences, so I understood what she might be feeling. She felt scared. Boss rarely
ever seemed flustered, but she seemed scared right now.

I could guess what had happened from this tiny reaction. It fit the plot I knew as well.
Boss probably killed Kim Chundong’s parents. My body began to heat up as my
thoughts reached that conclusion. A spark blazed inside me. However…

“No matter what Boss did in the Kwang-Oh Incident…”

These weren’t my feelings. This world wasn’t a novel and I wasn’t just a character. I
was Kim Hajin, not Kim Chundong. As such, I refused to accept those feelings.
“I won’t hate Boss because of it.”

I simplified many things into one sentence. I didn’t blame her for killing Kim
Chundong’s parents. I didn’t care if that came off cold. I planned to push forward
even if it seemed forced. I no longer wanted to lose the relationships I built.

“Boss must’ve been young back then too.”

I grabbed her small hands with both of mine. They trembled and felt cold.

“So don’t feel guilty about it.”

Boss tried to pull away, but I didn’t let her. I tightly squeezed her hands. Then I
unleashed stigma’s magic power. Sssss… My magic power softly rose and healed Boss’
hands. Two streaks of stigma flowed out and erased her scars and calluses. Boss
widened her eyes at me.

“I want to ask you one thing though.”

I looked her in the eyes.

“What’s your name?”

I demanded the greatest trust she could offer.

“…?”

Was it too sudden? Boss stood blankly in a daze. After a long time, she asked with a
quivering voice.

“N-Name?”

“Yes, I’ll keep it a secret from the others.”

I vaguely recalled Bell saying her name. I already knew it too, but I wanted to hear it
directly from her.

“T-That’s so sudden…”

Boss looked at me with trembling eyes and turned towards the lone star with
determination.

“Byul.”

“Byul? It’s a single character?”

Boss silently nodded and I smiled.

“It’s a pretty name.”

“No.”

Boss hesitated. Did she want to tell me her last name too? I looked back at her. Huu—
Boss took a deep breath and quietly told me to keep this an absolute secret.

“My last name is…”

“Yes?”

I couldn’t hear well because she mumbled too softly.

“What’s your last name again?”

Boss sighed.

“It’s Yi…”

Her full name was Yi Byul. [1]

“It’s an ugly name, right?”

I would probably write, Yi Byul grumbled, like in a novel now that I knew her full
name. Of course, I never reached this point because I stopped writing.

“No, it’s a pretty name.” I faintly smiled.

“Then, Yi Byul?”

“Don’t.”
“I’m Kim Hajin.”

Boss furrowed her brows. “Do you think I don’t know that?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“It’s just that… I don’t want you to forget.”

The dark clouds disappeared and a white moon shone on us. Under the cold
moonlight, Boss’ hair looked disheveled and she had dark circles under her eyes. Just
how much did she suffer in a single day? I felt sorry and formed a comb with aether.

“Let me comb your hair. It’s been a while.”

Boss nodded and entrusted herself to me. I stood behind her and gently combed her
long hair. However, her body still seemed stiff as she agonized over her guilt.
Suddenly, I had a mischievous thought. It might seem rude, but we were technically
the same age. She could take a joke, right? I cleared my throat and whispered into
her ear.

“How is it, Byul?”

To my surprise, she reacted strongly like a fish out of water. Her movements felt too
powerful for a mere fish, but that’s what it looked like.

***

[Four Days Later, 8-3F, Crevon’s Eastern Castle Walls]

Crevon’s situation turned for the worse after most rankers left for the upper floors.
The outer walls had fallen with fewer players fighting the more powerful monsters.
To make matters worse, the Atalos Royal Family also suffered from internal political
strife during this time. The crown prince had been poisoned and killed.

“Soldiers, line up!”

Even in such a situation, Rachel did her best as Crevon’s special army commander.
She healed wounded players and soldiers with elementals, defended against large-
scale attacks with barriers, and shot out sword strikes left and right. Without Rachel,
monsters would’ve already reached the heart of Crevon.
“Things aren’t looking good. We’ll have to abandon the outer post.”

Ah Hae-In advised and prepared to recall her divine beast. The Black Turtle
performed magnificently, but the endless waves of attacks exhausted it. If this
continued, they would be defeated in a matter of time.

“…”

Rachel clenched her teeth and resented the current situation. She posted several
times in the community for help after someone assassinated the crown prince. The
Atalos Royal Family faced a state of emergency, but no rankers made a move despite
the debt they owed to Crevon. Furthermore, even non-ranking players raced to the
20th floor after finding out about the unique and ultimate skill books.

“Commander Rachel.”

Ah Hae-In spoke again. However, Rachel shook her head.

“Our efforts would be wasted if we can’t protect this place. Monsters will reach the
city and cause a massacre if we don’t receive reinforcements from the west, the east,
or the royal family. At least half the eastern side will be destroyed.”

“…”

Ah Hae-In couldn’t say anything. The girl always shouldering responsibilities also
tried to carry the weak’s burdens without realizing her own age. Ah Hae-In didn’t
know whether to call Rachel immature or overly mature. She sighed as Rachel
opened the messenger and quickly typed a message.

[Hajin, Crevon is under threat…]

“…”

However, she stopped before sending the message. She already received too much
from him and didn’t want to inconvenience him any further. Rachel turned off the
messenger. No, she tried to turn it off.

“Ah!”

To her dismay, she accidentally clicked the [Send] button instead. I wasn’t even
finished writing… The endless flood of monsters gave her no time to correct her
mistake. She swiftly called her elementals and a life-and-death battle ensued. About
15 minutes later, a huge shadow descended from the sky.

“…?”

This shadow covered the entire eastern castle wall and blocked out the sun. All the
soldiers including Rachel looked up.

“What is that?”

There, they saw a monstrosity.

— Genekelope’s Support Battlecruiser: Operational.

A giant vessel shot up in Crevon’s sky.

— Commencing airstrike on Ship Commander’s command.

Artillery appeared on the ship’s deck. Rachel couldn’t tell if it was a friend or foe, but
sighed in relief when the vessel rained fire upon the monsters. Dudududu… It didn’t
fire mere magic bullets, but cannon shells and lasers with highly concentrated magic
power. The fruit of science and magic easily swept away the 8th floor monsters.

***

The train continued running. Other events took place after the Mystery Shuffle, but
most didn’t require players to participate. During this time, I stayed in the special
compartment and focused on crafting Medea’s dress. Before I noticed, the train had
arrived on the 21st floor.

[21F, Card Kingdom]

Everything on the 21st floor’s residential area required the power of cards. I made
this place as a homage to a certain cartoon where cards materialized and came to
life. The train would stay here for 4 days, so I went on a quick tour.

[Pinnacle Grade Card Shop]

First, I visited the Pinnacle Grade Card Shop with Cheok Jungyeong, who itched for
some excitement after staying on the train for so long.

“Do we have to buy something like this?”

The luxurious shop displayed countless cards inside. Cheok Jungyeong furrowed his
brows at them.

“Isn’t it fun?”

[Players will require cards to remain on the 21st floor.] [Certain cards will provide
many uses.]

I grew curious about how the co-author materialized the brief notes in my settings
book and decided to make the best of my time here since the train would stay for 4
days.

“Random card box? Wow, another random box? This goddamn world.”

What Cheok Jungyeong said instantly grabbed my attention.

“Random box?”

I ran up to him with sparkling eyes.

[Grade 1 Random Card Box] [Price – 40,000 TP] [Contains 4 cards of intermediate
grade or above. Players may only buy a maximum of 5 boxes!]

I found a way to gamble with my luck.

“Give me 5 of these.”

“What? Five?”

I ignored Cheok Jungyeong’s remark and paid 200,000 TP. Then I sat at a table in the
shop and prepared to open them.

“Crazy, you’re crazy. You actually paid 200,000 TP for these?”

“Shut it. Don’t come crying to me about being jealous later. Now, let’s see…”
I slowly opened the boxes.

1. Yi Byul means farewell, goodbye, parting, etc. ☜

Chwaaaa… Golden beams of light shone from the random box when I opened it.

“Woah, he must’ve got something good!”

The nearby NPCs exclaimed as I examined the contents.

“…”

I froze from just the first card. On this floor, all cards ranked from 1 star (lowest) to
8-9 stars (highest). I received an 8 star for my first card.

[Bahamut’s Red Dragon] [Monster] [8 Star] Will summon the Red Dragon of Bahamut
to attack your opponents. ● 7 star Attack ● 7 star Defense ● The Red Dragon can defeat
any opponent whose attack and defense are lower than its own. ● May be summoned 3
times.

This card allowed me to summon the Red Dragon. I could probably throw the card in
the air and the dragon would appear on the spot. It looked good at first, but didn’t
seem very useful on second thought. Light attribute dragons like the Light Dragon or
the Azure Dragon would come in handy, but the Red Dragon couldn’t do much in the
tower arc’s latter half.

“What is it?”

Cheok Jungyeong grew curious after I looked inside without saying anything.

“I said what is it?”

I ignored him and examined the other cards. The rate must’ve been extremely low
because I only drew 4 other 8-9 star cards with my luck. However, one of these four
caught my attention.

[Card Conversion] [Active Card] [8 star] Effective Good ● You may convert a total of 10
items into cards regardless of their level and type. ● Converted items may be treated as
effective goods and can materialize anytime and anywhere. ● Once an item is
converted, it will remain a card forever.

This 8 star card glowed a golden color. An active card that could turn any item I
owned into cards. Most importantly, the converted items would be treated as
effective goods. It functioned similarly to the [Mysterious Pouch] from Kedrick, but I
could turn up to 10 items into effective goods.

“Damn, you’re going to have all the fun by yourself?”

Cheok Jungyeong’s grumbling didn’t bother me. I took out two [Lv.9 Dark Ore Arrows]
and the [Lv.11 Athena’s Moonlight Arrow] from my inventory. Then I immediately
used Card Conversion on them.

[Please set your card activation gesture before you use your card.] [This unique gesture
may only be set on the 21st floor! Only a player who has reached the 21st floor may
activate cards!] [Please set a motion or make a short sound.]

They have something like this? I briefly thought and decided on a finger snap. Snap—
I snapped my fingers and a strange current shot up from the card. It enveloped the 3
arrows and turned them into cards.

[Lv.9 Dark Ore Arrow (card) Effective Good] [Lv.11 Athena’s Moonlight Arrow (card)
Effective Good]

“Huh, what’s that? Hey, shop owner! Give me a random box too.”

Cheok Jungeyong stepped forward with a laugh after what I did. He purchased a
random box for 40000 TP while I continued to check my cards.

[Last Moonlight of the World] [Active Card] [8 star] Effective Good ○ A fragment of
moonlight from the end of the world cut off by the last knight. It contains a special
effect for swords. ● Light attribute Infusion (Enhancement) ● Technique Infusion:
Moonlight Slash

[Miraculous Teahouse] [Space Summoning] [8 star] Effective Good ○ A mysterious

teahouse that can never be found when looking for it and only appears when one is not
looking. It sells tea with miraculous effects. ● Will summon the mysterious teahouse to
a place of your choice. ● May be summoned 3 times.
[Story of a Legend on the Mural] [Person] [9 star] Effective Good ● Part of a legend will
manifest to assist you.

Only these four along with Card Conversion seemed useful. The rest could be
categorized as trap cards, one-time weather converters, or monster summoning
cards. Still, they had 6 stars on average.

“God dammit, did they scam me?”

I turned towards the cursing. Cheok Jungyeong looked at a card the size of his finger
and shook in discontent. I gave all my leftover cards to him out of pity. Then I
received a call on my smartwatch.

— Ship Commander, the mission has been completed. I have sent the battlecruiser to
obliterate the 8th floor calamities.

“Good job.”

I felt extremely satisfied. The battlecruiser set out from the 15th floor and
annihilated all the calamities thanks to the revolutionary floor teleportation
technology that GenphaGo, the Genkelope’s Vessel’s AI, developed about 2 weeks
ago. The development cost almost a million TP. I had to invest not only my profits
from the vessel, but also some of my private assets. It proved to be worth it in the
end.

“Oh, how are other things going, GenphaGo?”

— Research on starlight laser to convert light from a star into a laser beam is 50%
complete.

GenphaGo (Genkelope + AlphaGo) still had a lot more to offer after developing floor
teleportation. I nodded in satisfaction.

— We will need another million TP soon.

“R-Really? Uh, I got it.”

It would soon begin the money talk, so I quickly ended the call.

“Oi, what exactly can you do with these stupid cards?” Cheok Jungyeong asked as he
gathered the cards I gave him.

“They also have dungeons and missions here. Didn’t you read the pamphlet?”

“Did you think I would?”

“…”

In the original story, I summarized the 21st floor in 3 sentences. I didn’t plan on
staying long, but this place seemed quite interesting solely based on its settings.
Players could enter dungeons and defeat monsters to turn them into cards. Then
they could summon these monsters and adventure together. Didn’t that excite
everyone’s inner child?

“There’s also a tournament.”

A nameless NPC approached us.

“Whaaaat? A tournament? With these cards?” Cheok Jungyeong doubtfully asked.

“Yes. A tournament called the Local Fighter is held in the kingdom’s 8 provinces and
the winners will participate in the grand final at the royal palace. The prize money is
100,000 TP and 1,000,000 TP for the grand final.”

The NPC came over to tempt us. Even Cheok Jungyeong widened his eyes at the prize
money.

“1,000,000 TP…”

I could participate with Spartan’s help. Spartan recently awakened another authority
called teleportation and I should easily win while traveling back and forth during the
competition period.

“The winner will also receive a skill book related to cards.”

The shop door opened as the NPC finished speaking and a cute, childlike voice
flowed in.

“Wow, this tastes so good. I’ll make sure to buy some more before we board the train
later.”
The voice belonged to Aileen with Jin Seyeon beside her. Aileen held a chicken
skewer while Jin Seyeon browsed the pamphlet.

“First, we’ll need to purchase some cards here.”

“Why?”

“It looks like they’ll be useful later.”

“Hmm… Yeah?” Nom, nom. Aileen finished chewing and continued.

“Are you sure the final floor is the 30th floor?”

“Shh. Miss Aileen, your voice is too loud.”

“Why do I need to be quiet? There’s nothing you can do even if you know.”

So they already figured that out. I stood up from my seat.

“Let’s go, Cheok Jungyeong. We’re leaving through the back door.”

“…”

Cheok Jungyeong glared at Aileen in discontent, but reluctantly stood up too. He said
just one thing after we got outside.

“Why do I want to pick on that brat whenever I see her? Just seeing that hamster girl
makes me irritated.”

***

[Essence of the Strait, Seoul, South Korea]

Yoo Yeonha immediately went back to work after leaving the tower. Her performance
became faster and more accurate than ever before thanks to her new special skill,
[Thought Circuitry]. It only took half a day to finish what used to take 2 days. Fresh
ideas also kept popping up in her head.

At times, she acted as cunning and sly as a fox. At others, she seemed as bold as a
tiger. Essence of the Strait firmly consolidated its position as the number 1 guild and
its subsidiary companies and affiliates like SH Agency, Essential Armory, Essential
Research, Essential Pharmacy, etc. also thrived as well.

“Haaa.”

She could feel the entire world watching Essence of the Strait now. Yoo Yeonha set
down the newspaper with a sigh. Several magazines and newspapers lay on her
desk.

[Goguk Times’ Person of the Year — Yoo Yeonha]

For starters, the biggest media outlet in the world selected her as their Person of the
Year. Countless magazines featured her beautiful face on their covers.

[Gyeongcheon’s Top 100 Richest People in the World]

Gyeongcheon’s public reputation in economics couldn’t be rivaled and they also

included her in their list. Essence of the Strait’s stock price skyrocketed and Yoo
Yeonha legally inherited a few of her mother’s real estate. Naturally, the amount of
wealth she possessed became astronomical.

[Essence of the Strait’s Chief Officer Aims for World Supremacy] [Yoo Yeonha, Korea’s
Amazoness] [Essence of the Strait, the Most Respected Guild and Corporation in the
World] [How did Essence of the Strait’s Global Team Capture the Hearts of Japan and
Europe?]

The media busily sucked up to her, but the article she just read belonged to another
category.

[Violet Times] [Featured Article VII. Fenrir, the Lotus Killer] Not long ago, the
sensational news that Fenrir killed Black Lotus became talk of the town inside and
outside the tower. The wolf’s ferocity with a gun delivered a huge shock to us all…
(Omitted)… Fenrir, known as the tower’s greatest beneficiary, is currently held in check
by the media and guild cartels. No hero wants to be killed by a mere gun. They don’t
want to degenerate into soldiers like during WWI, WWII, the Korean War, or ordinary
people. They don’t want to feel threatened by a magic bullet that costs a mere 200,000
won each. However, a bullet that penetrates their hearts will not be disrupted by their
status or strength. At least, Fenrir’s bullet won’t.

The Violet Times’ information agency featured an article about Fenrir. It outlined
Fenrir’s strengths in a detailed, yet terrifying way and ended in a sarcastic tone that
presumed heroes would continue their shameful acts in fear of Fenrir.

“Tsk.”

She knew about the Violet Times’ anti-guild bias, but an article like this? It would
definitely start a fire if there wasn’t one already. Anyone would notice it on the front
cover.

“Sigh…”

Fenrir became a genuine celebrity now. Thanks to his new status, his past
assassinations of djinns and the fact that he had received a djinn hunting license
from certain nations like the USA became publicly disclosed. Yoo Yeonha rubbed her
temple as she looked over the articles on her hologram.

[Fenrir single-handedly destroyed the Salomon Djinn Cartel.] [The ultimate death
sentence… his bullets can strike even from a 10 km range. Magic barriers and any type
of physical defense become useless against him.] [Fenrir’s longest range has been
reported to be 14 km.] [Fenrir’s past achievements… the traces of a monster…]

Many articles like these became popular nowadays. Not only djinns, but even heroes
feared Fenrir since many acted no differently than djinns. People assumed Fenrir
would also start targeting corrupt heroes once the tower concluded.

“Ssp.”

Yoo Yeonha presumed the same as well. If Kim Hajin held a grudge, it would be
against people rather than djinns.

Tok, tok—

A knock interrupted her train of thoughts. Yoo Yeonha immediately got rid of the
newspapers and threw the energy drink she’d been saving into the trash.

“Come in.”

The whole cleanup only took 2 minutes. She tidied herself and invited the guest.

Kiik—
“Team Leader Yoo Yeonha.”

“Hmm?”

An unexpected guest entered. Chae Nayun faintly smiled and couldn’t hide her
determination. She walked in and stood in front of Yoo Yeonha.

“What’s up, Nayun? I thought you were in the tower.”

“I’m here to hand this in.”

Chae Nayun presented her with an envelope that read… Leave of Absence.

“W-What’s this?”

“It’s exactly what it looks like. I’m taking some time off.”

“Eh? Why?”

Yoo Yeonha’s question held no ulterior motives. She simply wanted to know why, but
the answer sank her heart.

“I’m going to start a serious investigation.”

“Investigation?”

“Yes, about the incident involving my brother. I feel like I’ve been trying to manage
everything on my own for too long. I’m thinking about asking other family members
for help as well.”

Her brain froze the moment she heard those words. Even [Thought Circuitry] became
useless. She quickly regained her senses and reached a conclusion.

The Chae Family hid Chae Jinyoon’s body because it contained evidence that he
became a devil host. They blamed djinns for the incident and neglected to perform a
thorough investigation. They probably wouldn’t help in Chae Nayun’s investigation
or they might blatantly deceive her. However, only Chae Nayun could discover the
entire truth as the Chae Family’s only heir and the apple of Chae Joochul’s eyes.
Perhaps only she could burrow deep enough into those secrets without being
threatened by Chae Joochul.
“Nayun.”

Yoo Yeonha finished thinking. She would lend her the tools Chae Nayun needed. With
these tools, Chae Nayun would uncover the truth by herself. The most crucial
evidence would be Chae Jinyoon’s body hidden somewhere.

“What?”

Of course, she worried about how Chae Nayun might react after learning the truth.
However, she must’ve grown strong enough to make this decision. She should be able
to withstand however cruel it might be.

“I want to help.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine on my own—”

“I’ll lend you the best informants from Essence of the Strait. You can even use magic
contracts to shut them up.”

Yoo Yeonha quickly glanced over the list of names. First was…

“Kim Hosup. He’s the most valuable agent in this day and age where technology is
everything.”

His annual salary alone amounted to 50 billion won. He also received other bonuses
like games and anime before they came out in the market. Kim Hosup truly served as
the foundation of Falling Blossom. Still, Yoo Yeonha didn’t spare a single thought
before handing him over.

***

[The Train to the 26th Floor]

We passed the 22nd and the 23rd floors. Honestly, we didn’t even know since the 5
of us went to my waiting room instead of staying in the train compartment.

“How come Hajin’s waiting room feels so comfy?” Jain asked in a drowsy voice as she
lay on my specially crafted couch.

“I put in a lot of effort to decorate and improve this place.”

I explained and turned my attention towards the finished dress.

[Lv. 13 Medea’s Violet Dress]

I crafted this level 13 dress from violet silk and jewels, both of which Medea loved.
This masterpiece achieved level 13 solely based on its beauty with the combined
help from aether’s aesthetic eye, Young Dwarf’s Dexterity, and stigma’s magic power.

“Wow, it looks so pretty. Giving it to that crazy woman seems like such a waste.”

“Well, I’ll be receiving a lot for it.”

“Yeah, I never imagined she would agree to give you 40% of Prestige.”

I smiled at Jain and called Spartan, who flew over and sat on my shoulder. “Take me
to the VIP conference room on the 15th floor.”

“See you soon, Hajin.”

“Be safe.”

I nodded to Jain and Boss before teleporting away.

[15F, Genkelope’s Vessel]

I returned to the 15th floor with the excited Medea in front of me.

“Y-You’re here? I’ve been waiting for you.” Medea smiled and nervously approached.

“Uh, yeah. Let me show you the dress first.”

I displayed the dress in the air using stigma. It looked stunning even to me. A piece of
art that seemed too beautiful to wear fluttered in the air. Medea became completely
bewitched.

“This, this is my dress…”

“And your side of the deal?”

“Here.”
Medea handed me a piece of paper while mesmerized. This contract specified that
she would hand over 40% of Prestige to me.

[Would you like to activate the contract?]

Of course, I clicked yes. Ssk, ssk. I heard a strange sound and looked back. There,
Medea hurriedly took off her clothes to try on the dress. She seemed completely
possessed and I averted my gaze. However, I still had eyes behind my head.

“Wow…”

Medea joyfully exclaimed after she finished changing. I looked back and my heart
almost stopped. Indeed, she deserved to be called the enchantress from mythology.
Medea looked exceptionally beautiful in my dress. It didn’t overshadow her and
formed a wonderful synergy instead. Her state of existence lit up like a halo.

“How is it? Am I pretty?”

I faked nonchalance and nodded.

“I love the name more than anything. Medea’s Violet Dress…”

With this, the phenomenon realm isn’t far away. Medea clenched her fists in joy.

“Well then, everything’s taken care of, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait a moment. Allow me to inform you of an interesting piece of news since you’ve
bestowed such a marvelous dress to me. I reckon you’ve heard that someone
murdered Crevon’s crown prince?”

She became even more polite than before even though I had already handed her the
dress. I began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Did she also expect me to make an
accessory to compliment the dress?

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“The 5th princess planned it with Lu Bu.”

“…”
It surprised me, but that made sense. Only the 5th princess Araha and the
treacherous hero Lu Bu possessed enough ambition to commit such a crime.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You seem to sympathize with NPCs.”

Medea grinned.

“I’ll take that into account, but I’m almost at the 24th floor so I can’t spare the time to
deal with that. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yes, I wish you luck. Please return safely.”

Medea saw me off like a noble as she held her dress and bowed.
— Plucas? Already?

A voice flowed into my groggy consciousness. My eyes shot open after hearing an
unexpected name. The current time read 5:45 A.M. I lay on the couch in the train’s
special compartment and shared senses with Spartan to keep a close eye on anything
happening inside.

— Yes, it seems he’s gone through the first awakening.

— Hmm… so we’ll finally see a devil with our own eyes. It’s earlier than I thought.

Kim Hakpyo spoke with his loyal subordinate, Silasen. They mentioned something
about… a devil. I bit my lips. The story’s 3rd phase dealt with humanoid monsters
while the advent of devils and Earth’s demon realm transformation belonged to the
fourth and final phase. It seemed the final phase had accelerated judging from Kim
Hakpyo’s remark.

— Do we have a place prepared?

— Yes, he’s staying in a temple we built, but he can’t leave for now. It looks like he’ll
need more time to overcome the world’s rejective force.

Silasen replied as he typed a message in the air. I peeked at it with Spartan's eyes.

[34°51’15.4” N 128°43’50.2” E]

These coordinates most likely led to the temple.

— I see.

— What do you plan to do?

— Why ask? I’ll simply follow the Lord’s orders.

Kim Hakpyo leaned in his chair. Their conversation ended and I cut off my senses
with Spartan.

“Hmm…”

I swallowed a sigh and pondered. The first devil already manifested and I knew its
location. I had to kill it with the god-slaying Misteltein bullet.

However, one thing worried me. Would a single bullet be enough to kill him? The
Desert Eagle became extremely powerful with all its upgrades, but the opponent was
a devil and I had limited bullets. I took out the Book of Truth after thinking about it.

[The god-slaying bullet will be able to extinguish the rank 50 devil Plucas if his physical
condition falls below 15%. This percentage will rise by 5% per streak of stigma spent
on the bullet.]

The Book of Truth answered my question. At my full power, I would need Plucas’
physical functions to fall below 35% to kill him. It would have to fall below 50% if I
used overclock and converted my life force into stigma. I understood why a devil
couldn’t be extinguished so easily. To devils, the concept of death and being
extinguished differed. A dead devil could always resurrect, but completely
extinguishing its existence required a very special method or Kim Suho.

“A helper…”

I needed a helper. At first, Kim Suho and Boss came to mind. However, the devils
couldn’t find out about Kim Suho yet. They would undoubtedly try to kill anyone
who could threaten them. I had to wait until Kim Suho grew stronger, but I couldn’t
ask Boss either. Her magic power attribute was darkness, the worst match against
devils.

“Ah.”

One individual popped up after mulling over my options. He possessed enough

power to suppress a devil alone and could also safely escape if he caught their
attention. I thought of Chae Joochul.

Currently, I could communicate with him through my Truth Agency. Chae Joochul
would surely express interest because of the devil that descended into Chae Jinyoon.
If I could get him to move…
Tiriring— Tiriring—

The train notified its passengers that 6 P.M. had arrived and the captain’s cheerful
voice rang out.

— Has everyone had fun? In 9 hours, we will arrive on the 24th floor! The 24th floor
will be a huge desert!

The 22nd and 23rd floors consisted of a deep ocean while the 24th floor featured a
desert as large as the Sahara.

— It’s full of tricky monsters like scorpions, mummies, guards, Anubis, and the
Sphinx. However, it also contains amazing opportunities for players! You will receive
a hefty reward if you find a desert oasis!

I stood up and stretched. Sannuri would shine on a desert floor. Most horses would
be useless, but not her. I knew how to locate oases and Sannuri could easily take me
there. Getting the rewards should be a piece of cake.

Kiik— My bedroom door opened and Jain walked in.

“Hi, Hajin.”

She just finished bathing and sat on the couch with slightly wet hair.

“Did you hear about the 24th floor just now?”

“Yes, it’s a desert.”

“Right? I wonder what the rewards are.” Jain murmured with interest. She probably
wouldn’t leave the train since she detested the heat.

“It’s probably just another skill book. Most likely an ultimate skill.”

“Mmm… I already have one, so I guess I don’t need to go.”

I expected that and grinned.

“You’re going, right?”

“Of course, I need to fill out my ultimate skill slot.”

The time finally came.

“Oh right, did Boss finish learning all her skills?”

“Nope. She always struggles with making decisions. You remember Phiunel, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That old man gave everything he owned to Boss, but she’s still wondering what to
learn.”

“Hmm.” I should help her pick out some skills.

“Ah, right!” Jain clapped her hands and shot up.

“Hajin, are you going to continue your mercenary work after you leave the tower?”

“Mercenary work?”

“Yep, you got several licenses to kill, so it would be a shame to waste them.”

To be more precise, I received licenses to kill djinns. They permitted some illegal
activities while killing djinns as long as those actions seemed reasonable.

“I’m not sure.”

I only killed djinns because of requests and not out of any sense of duty or anything.
It didn’t make the story progress any smoother. The djinns I killed could all be
considered extras that didn’t stand in the main plot’s way. The more I thought about
it…

“It doesn’t sound bad.”

Why didn’t I think about it until now? I looked at the item in my inventory.

[Lv.11 Directory]

I could achieve all sorts of wonderful things with the directory and the Book of
Truth.

First, I could kill any djinn who played an important role in the future. I felt confident
in killing even executive ranked djinns with a single magic bullet now.

Second, I could also kill any human who would become a hindrance in the future. For
example, I could assassinate the National Assembly’s corrupt members or the Hero
Association’s corrupt executives. Of course, I would accomplish this under Black
Lotus’ identity. Even an ordinary child would suspect me if I used a gun.

“I’ll continue killing djinns.”

At this point, killing someone with a gun or bow didn’t bother me. I calmly murdered
like a machine without any feelings.

“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing much.”

Jain’s tone suddenly changed. “It’s just about time the Chameleon Troupe got
serious.”

“Serious?”

“Yep.”

A few complicated settings had been added, but the Chameleon Troupe’s core
mission and goal hadn’t changed.

“It’s time to steal Pandemonium’s throne.”

Jain declared our original goal.

“Pandemonium?”

“Yep. We, as humans, will rule over Pandemonium. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Will that be possible?”

“Why not? Djinns naturally submit to those who are stronger.”

Jain muttered with a dangerous smile. Then I received a message on my smartwatch.

— Jin Sahyuk has escaped.

It came from GenphaGo.

“Huh? How?”

— Someone helped her. We immediately issued a warrant for her arrest, but she
seemed to have escaped to the 8th floor. Should we chase after her using floor
teleportation?

“No, it’s fine.”

Floor teleportation cost 100,000 TP each time and I already achieved my original
goal.

“Just prevent her from going beyond the 15th floor.”

— Yes, understood.

Jin Sahyuk should give up on climbing the tower now since she couldn’t go any
further.

“Good work, GenphaGo.”

***

[8-3F, A Famous Restaurant In Crevon]

Jin Sahyuk ran straight to Crevon’s restaurant as soon as she escaped with Bell and
Rumi’s help. She lost weight after being detained for so long and sucked in food like a
vacuum cleaner. Steak, pork chops, fried rice, spaghetti… they all tasted like godly
dishes compared to the prison porridge.

“Kuaaa.”

She leaned in her chair after finishing 13 dishes in just 20 minutes. Then she happily
rubbed her stomach and slammed her fist on the table when she recalled her
humiliating prison life.
“Why does that guy hate me so much?”

Bell told her she had been arrested because of Kim Hajin. She almost fainted when
she found out he owned the space vessel.

“You picked a fight with him first.”

“…”

She didn’t have anything to say. It happened a long time ago, but she did start it. Jin
Sahyuk felt wronged and chugged a glass of water.

“So, what’s your plan now? Are you going to find Kim Hajin and fight him again?” Bell
asked.

Jin Sahyuk shuddered the moment she heard that. Kim Hajin objectively stood at the
top of the tower. He possessed incredible strength and the authority to order NPCs
and even administrators. He could be considered a king in the tower. As such,
fighting him here would be impossible.

“Not inside the tower,” Jin Sahyuk murmured in a small voice.

“So you’re going to fight him outside?” Bell asked in a teasing tone.

Jin Sahyuk glared at him. She had yet to overcome the trauma from her previous
defeat outside the tower. She thought it would disappear over time, but it only grew
worse recently. She often experienced nightmares and her body trembled at the
mere thought of him.

“You fucker.”

“Haha.” Bell chuckled as she cursed.

“Once, once I grow stronger… I’ll f-fight him again, so d-don’t annoy me!” Jin Sahyuk
stubbornly shouted.

She planned to work hard in Crevon to strengthen her unique trait at the Upgrade
Center while Kim Hajin busily climbed the tower.

“With your current mindset, I don’t think you can beat him no matter how strong
you become. Look, you’re even stuttering.”

“…” Her eyes filled with resentment towards Bell.

“Think of it as punishment for all the people you’ve killed.”

Jin Sahyuk couldn’t ignore those words.

“Shouldn’t you die soon if this is punishment for what I’ve done?”

She spat at Bell, but he only smiled.

“I told you, you’ll be the one to kill me. I raised you knowing that. My punishment is
raising the person who will kill me.”

“Yeah right, like you raised me.”

“Haha.”

Bell laughed. Then he suddenly looked behind Jin Sahyuk and his expression
stiffened. This caused Jin Sahyuk to tilt her head.

“What crap are you pulling now—”

“Kim Hajin, why are you here?”

Jin Sahyuk’s body immediately froze. Her stomach churned and cold sweat appeared
on her back. She politely clasped her hands and trembled. Haa, haa, haa… The fear
engraved in her heart rose and made it hard to breathe. Her vision blurred and her
head spun.

“Bell, geez! He’s just kidding, Sahyuk. No one is behind you.”

Rumi informed her too late.

“Uweeeek!”

Jin Sahyuk vomited everything she just ate. Even Bell felt surprised at the sight.
Uweek, uweek, uweeek… Jin Sahyuk gave Bell the most ferocious glare after emptying
her stomach. Bell looked amazed after seeing all the tears and snot flowing down her
face.

“You son of a bitch…”

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t know it was this bad.”

A waiter quickly arrived to clean it, but Bell simply unleashed his magic power and
burnt away Jin Sahyuk’s vomit.

“I didn’t think you would be this scared. Want me to order more food?”

“Screw off, bastard. I don’t fucking need it. You motherfucking piece of shit…”

Jin Sahyuk spat out all the curse words she knew as Bell listened through it all with a
smile. He suddenly raised a finger when Jin Sahyuk felt appeased.

“Shhh!”

“Shh, my ass! Try that again and I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Alright, alright. I promise I won’t do it again.”

He wanted to pinky promise, but kept that to himself since his finger would likely get
chopped off.

“Fucker, bastard, son of a bitch, you crazy motherfucker.”

Jin Sahyuk crossed her arms and grumbled. It looked more like sobbing and Bell
sighed as he watched her.

“Don’t get angry or scared from now on. Just lay low and continue to grow. I
promised, right? My gift will become yours.”

I’ll give my gift to you. Bell demonstrated his gift and said those words to entice Jin
Sahyuk. She decided to follow him for this reason.

“Just wait.”

He could only pass on his gift with one method.

“Until you can kill me.”

Clang— The restaurant door opened and a new customer walked in. Bell looked up
with a smile, but his expression quickly turned cold.

“…”

“Hah, you think I’d fall for that again—”

Bell quickly covered her mouth. However, it seemed too late as he frowned. Rumi’s
expression also darkened beside him. Sahyuk finally understood the situation. It’s
real this time. Not even Bell would pull the same trick twice in a row. He even began to
activate mass teleport and his serious attitude caused her to stiffen.

“Sahyuk.”

“…”

She faintly nodded at his serious tone. Bell looked into her eyes and continued.

“I’m kidding this time too.”

“…”

“Pft.”

Rumi burst out laughing and hammered the last nail in the coffin. Steam began to
rise from Jin Sahyuk’s pale face.

“You two pieces of shit!”

Jin Sahyuk leaped forward like a savage beast.

***

[24F, Desert]

The train stopped on the 24th floor at 3 P.M. Over a hundred players remained on the
train since it would remain there for a week. Jain, Boss, Cheok Jungyeong, and Jin
Yohan all returned to Earth. Meanwhile, I set out to explore the desert floor.
“Let’s go.”

— Hiing.

I rode on Sannuri for the first time in a while. Then I took out the Book of Truth after
galloping through the field of sand.

“Let’s see…”

I wanted to ask a simple question: Is there an oasis within 10 km of my location?

[No oasis could be found within 10 km.]

“Hmm, let’s keep going Nuri.”

— Hiing.

I just repeated the same thing after that. I stopped every 10 km to ask the Book of
Truth and continued. After about 50 kilometers…

[An oasis has been found within 10 km of your location.] [Location…]

“There we go.”

I only spent 1.5 streaks of stigma to find an oasis with my luck. I planned on heading
over when I suddenly felt several presences behind me. They felt familiar as well.

“…”

I turned around and spotted a man wearing a turban. I recognized his face and
silhouette. My novel’s main character, Kim Suho, finally appeared again.

“Eh?” Kim Suho widened his eyes at me. Then he cheerfully waved.

“Hajin!”

He ran towards me while shouting as I hopped down from Sannuri. It took him less
than a minute to reach me and he bashfully smiled.

“It’s been so long, Hajin.”

“Yeah.”

Perfect timing since I had something to give him too.

“Suho, I have a present for you.”

“Hajin, this is for you.”

He also had the same thought and took something out from his pocket. We
momentarily paused and looked at each other. Then we laughed and I handed him
my present first.

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“A card that’s perfect for you.”

“Ah, you bought cards on the 21st floor too?”

Kim Suho accepted it without much thought, but his eyebrows twitched when he saw
it.

“8, 8 star? H-Hajin, this is an 8 star card. I think you gave me the wrong one.”

“No, that’s correct. It’s for a sword. Plus, it has a light attribute, so it’s practically
made for you.”

I placed my hand out.

“Now give me yours. You have a card for me too, right?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah but…”

Kim Suho hid the card behind his back as I asked with a faint smile.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, it’s just… there’s too big of a difference with what you gave me…”
“It’s fine, so let me see it.”

He took a few steps back when I reached forward. He seemed extremely

embarrassed from his flushed face.

“It’s fine.”

“…”

“Don’t be embarrassed and give it here.”

I’m not embarrassed. I’m just sorry. Kim Suho murmured as he handed me his card.

[Echo of Silence] [Active Card] [6 star] ○ Will apply the following effects on
sharpshooting weapons. ● Silent Shot: Your weapon will not produce any sounds upon
firing. ● Silence: The target’s magic power will become partially sealed.

“H-How is it?” Kim Suho nervously asked and I smiled.

“Great. It’s perfect for me.”

His tense face finally loosened. Jiing— A beam of light descended from the sky.

“What?”

Kim Suho and I quickly raised our weapons at the unexpected teleportation skill.
However, we simply tilted our heads at the person who appeared.

“Senior Seyeon?” Kim Suho muttered dumbfoundedly.

“Hi.”

Jin Seyeon briefly greeted him before turning towards me. Then she stared at me like
I secretly hid something. After a brief moment, she held out her hand.

“Hello, Fenrir.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m your fan.”

“Excuse me?”

Her words surprised me. My fan? Jin Seyeon smiled and showed me her nickname
and the community group she joined.

[JinSeyeon’sArrow] – Fenrir Club Member #3

“Fenrir Club? What’s this?”

“It’s like a fan club. A stylish, unique gunman has captured my heart.”

I felt a strange sense of incongruity from her words. What she told me consisted of
half-truths and half-lies, but I couldn’t discern them. I hid my suspicions and casually
asked.

“Who’s the #1 fan?”

“Ah, it’s a player by the name of CaptainBritain. Do you know who that is?”

“…” Obviously, I knew and awkwardly coughed.

“Why are you here?” Kim Suho asked after they exchanged greetings.

“Because I saw you,” Jin Seyeon briefly replied.

“Huh?”

“I saw you, so I came.”

She turned towards me again. I nervously smiled and felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Haha…”

I found it hard to believe she was my fan, especially since I used the same excuse
before. I knew about Jin Seyeon’s good nature, so it didn’t hurt to trust her.

“Are the two of you looking for an oasis?” she suddenly asked.

“Yes.”

“Eh? Ah, that’s right.”

Kim Suho appeared slightly flustered when Jin Seyeon spoke politely.

“Mmm. Then may I accompany you?”

“Uh…” I hesitated since I knew exactly where to find them. I didn’t mind splitting the
reward with Kim Suho, but hesitated about sharing it with Jin Seyeon.

“I don’t need the reward. I simply wish to help out as a fan.”

Jin Seyeon added as if she read my mind.

“Ah, then, if that’s alright with you…”

I had no problems with that. I nodded and hopped on Sannuri. “Let’s go find the
oasis.”

— Hiing.

“Follow me.”

I ran ahead with Sannuri and the two of them followed. It took us about 30 minutes
to reach the oasis. I took a few detours on purpose while pretending to look around.

[Congratulations! You are the first to discover an oasis. The reward has been doubled!]

A giant pool of water sat in the center of the desert. It represented the origin of life
here and supported many plants and animals that occasionally stopped by. We stood
in front of it, so it definitely wasn’t a mirage.

[50000 TP has been awarded to Extra7 and two other players.]

“Eh? I also received 50000 TP.”

We immediately received the rewards and Jin Seyeon took out 5 bills worth 10000
TP each.

“No, that’s okay. Please keep them. The real reward is probably something else.”

I had a hunch that it couldn’t just be TP. An oasis in the middle of nowhere definitely
felt suspicious. I also believed in my luck.

“Hajin, where are you going?”

“Hold on.”

I approached the oasis and placed my hand in the water. It felt cool, but I didn’t have
the time to enjoy it. I activated [Lv.8 Synthesis], which neared the max level of 10.
Then I slowly absorbed it as the surface splattered and its volume dwindled.
However, my spirit power ran out after I reduced it in half, so I added stigma’s magic
power. Synthesis became much more efficient and aggressive.

“Woah…”
“Wow. You’re amazing, Fenrir. Clap clap clap.”

Jin Seyeon’s cheer sounded quite scripted. I compressed every drop of the water into
the size of a soccer ball.

“Found it.”

An altar stood at the bottom of the oasis and a treasure chest sat on top. I
approached without any hesitation. Click— I inserted the mystic key and turned it
180 degrees. The chest easily opened with a book and armor inside.

[Lv. 1 Ultimate Skill Acquisition Book – Complete Understanding of Spirit Power] [Lv.11
Imhotep’s Leather Armor]

***

[Busan, South Korea — Haeundae]

Meanwhile, Chae Nayun purchased a vacation home in Busan with the money she’d
been saving along with her guild salary. She chose Busan for no particular reason
because she kept suffering from headaches in Seoul. A change in environment might
help, but that turned out to be wishful thinking. Even in Busan, she rarely had the
time to enjoy the scenery or look after herself.

— Here is the related information.

“…”

She regularly had video calls with the diligent informants Yoo Yeonha prepared. They
sent her several reports a day and she became completely occupied trying to make
sense of them.

“Is this information related to that incident?”

— Yes.

Chae Nayun could see the informant’s face, but the informant couldn’t see her. She
went over the reports that Kim Hosup sent.

“…”
Chae Nayun carefully examined them with every cell and neuron in her brain. She
tried to make sense of the thick and complicated report, but always said the same
thing in the end.

“Summarize it.”

— Yes.

The informant continued as if he expected this.

— We’ve found many suspicious details surrounding Chae Jinyoon’s murder. It’s
suspicious that so many suspicious points exist…

Someone had murdered Chae Joochul’s grandson. Such a case should’ve already been
resolved. However, someone quietly called it off after it caused an initial stir.

— Several conspiracy theories exist about this case.

“Conspiracy theories?”

— Yes.

Chae Nayun didn’t know because she stopped looking at the internet after that day.
To be more precise, she completely cut herself off from society. After all, she
immediately went away to Baekdu Mountain after her 2nd year at Cube.

“Explain.”

— Investigators detected a demonic energy storm of high density at the murder site.
A witness also confirmed the huge energy.

It broke her heart to imagine what her brother went through. He must’ve felt scared.
Chae Nayun forced herself to listen. It felt gut-wrenching, but she continued.

“Right.”

She found out that much by herself, but nothing beyond that. Strangely enough, her
father remained silent and even scolded her whenever she wanted to investigate the
incident.
— As you know, demonic energy shares a similarity with magic power in that they
both contain something called a signature. We can learn how many people were at
the scene by analyzing the demonic energy at the site.

Chae Nayun also learned about this at Cube. Something about how magic power
functioned like fingerprints.

— According to investigators, they only found one demonic energy signature at the
scene. Nonetheless, the prosecutors concluded that a djinn group kidnapped and
murdered Chae Jinyoon. Two theories explain why.

The informant slowly continued so even Chae Nayun could understand.

— The first theory: djinns murdered Chae Jinyoon. Chae Joochul officially announced
this to the public, but one question remains. Djinns prefer to operate in groups, so
why did they only detect one demonic energy signature?

“No, that’s wrong. It couldn’t have been a djinn group.”

Chae Nayun interrupted the informant. A djinn might’ve helped, but Kim Hajin
certainly wasn’t one. He would’ve given off a djinn’s unpleasant aura and she
would’ve noticed with her exceptional instincts.

“Cross that out and give me the next theory.”

— The next theory sounds even more bizarre.

“What is it? Tell me.”

One of the two theories became invalid, so the remaining one should be closer to the
truth. However…

— Chae Jinyoon became a djinn. That’s the theory.

Chae Nayun’s heart sank the moment she heard those words.

— The theory states that Chae Jinyoon became a djinn and the association
intervened to dispose of him.

Chae Nayun didn’t say anything. She stopped thinking as if a plug had been pulled.
— An operation on this scale would’ve required several djinns. However, they only
detected one demonic energy signature at the scene. Also, no signs of demonic
energy could be found at the hospital where they kidnapped Chae Jinyoon.

“Don’t—”

Chae Nayun clenched her teeth and interrupted. Countless words lingered in her
mouth and she suppressed all the curses filled with rage.

— Pardon?

“Don’t say things like that.”

She shouldn’t get angry or blame the informant. He didn’t even know her identity.
Chae Nayun sighed.

“That’s impossible, so look at things from a different angle. For example, a combined
organization of humans and djinns? Something like that.”

— Yes, understood.

“Okay. Good work. As for your performance-based bonus…”

Chae Nayun put in quite the effort to secure a limited edition copy of ReOrient Nox, a
game released in 1992. She only managed to secure this artifact after using all her
connections and paying 1.5 billion won. She sent the game data over to the
informant.

“Here it is.”

— Huk! This is… the famous Reorient Nox-chan.

“Continue your good work.”

— Arigato! I’ll do my best!

The call ended with the informant gasping in surprise.

“Haaa…”
Everything became silent as Chae Nayun sighed and buried herself in a chair. She
couldn’t properly speak from the shock.

“Why would anyone on the internet come up with such bullshit?”

That person deserves to be sued. How could anyone even imagine that my brother
became a djinn? He was the most righteous in the world. Smarter, cooler, better
looking, and stronger than me…

“Ha, that shit ruined my mood.”

Chae Nayun turned on her computer to play an MMORPG called Leaf Story to prevent
herself from growing depressed. Pa! Pa! However, she turned it off after only 15
minutes. Most games felt boring now after the Tower of Wish. She had more fun
hunting monsters, collecting items, and leveling up in the tower. She managed to
slowly live again thanks to that fun.

“Mnnn…”

Chae Nayun stretched in her seat and noticed the slip of paper on her desk. Invitation
Letter to the Love Room.

“Hmm.”

This ticket could summon any player on Earth or in the tower. She had brought it out
with her after turning it into an effective good.

“I guess it’s useless now.”

Something felt fishy about Extra7, but he used to be her teacher and also saved her
life. She wanted to sincerely thank him if they ever ran into each other.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll have the chance to use it in the future.”

Chae Nayun muttered and placed the letter inside her drawer.

[1:36 A.M.]

It grew quite late as she lay in a huge bed, but her mind wouldn’t settle. Chae Jinyoon
became a djinn… It sounded just as ridiculous when she thought about it again.
“…”

However, if that was true… in a one in a million chance that her brother became a
djinn… not willingly, of course, but if someone had forcefully coerced him with his
life on the line… Then maybe what Kim Hajin did was…

“No way.”

It always felt more convincing to assume Kim Hajin only pretended to have killed her
brother. Kim Hajin couldn’t create something like a demonic energy storm.

“Damn it.”

She muttered and shook her head. Then she picked up the bottle of sleeping pills
next to her bed. Tak, tak, tak— She emptied it into her mouth. This amount would
kill an ordinary person, but barely put a superhuman like her to sleep.

“Haaa…”

She sighed and lay in bed again. Soon, the familiar sense of drowsiness crept in.

***

[26F, True Demon Realm]

The train passed through the 21F Card Kingdom, 22F Deep Sea Abyss, 23F Crescent
Moon Sea, 24F Dream-seeking Desert, 25F Bridge to the End, and finally reached its
destination.

— This is the destination, [True Demon Realm]. Our train does not operate beyond
this point.

Only 73 of the 403 rankers remained. The tower’s final chapter would begin from
here on out. This place became a top-ranker-only zone, so to speak.

— Please look to your right. That is the Demon Realm Tower where the demon king
resides.

The captain sounded much more serious than usual, so I turned to the right as
instructed. A dark fog covered the ground and the tower’s silhouette stood beyond. A
tower inside a tower.

The 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th floors all connected with the 30th floor as the last. At
the tower’s peak, Kim Suho would have to decide with the final administrator.

— Ordinary attacks do not work on true demons. Only the light attribute will injure
them.

I checked the Desert Eagle’s attributes.

[Ice attribute 6%] [Light attribute 4%] [Darkness attribute 2%] [Fire attribute 1%]

Light attribute 4%. This meant the damage done by 25 bullets equaled 1 bullet. On a
side note, I acquired the ice attribute after killing the doppelganger with my Desert
Eagle. From now on, Kim Suho would have to take the lead. I could only assist. Of
course, I also had a secret weapon.

[Lv.11 Athena’s Moonlight Arrow] ○ Lv.11 Light attribute Destructive Power ○ Lv.11
Refraction of Moonlight: This arrow will multiply when it is reflected under moonlight.
○ Lv.11 Armor Penetration ○ Lv.11 From Dark Moon to Crescent Moon: The amount of
magic power condensed in the arrow will be amplified.

I should be able to defeat true demons with this too, but I never got the chance to
add [Remote Control] to it like my dark ore arrows. Sure enough, I needed a
whopping 1500 SP to add that option. That didn’t surprise me considering the
arrow’s high level and incredible power. However, I shouldn’t postpone it. I might
miss the right timing if I waited any longer. I sighed and turned on my smartwatch.

[Lv.1 Remote Control] [1500 SP will be used. Would you like to save?]

My luck got to work as I clicked save.

[Lv.1 Remote Control is increasing…] [You have achieved Lv.4 Remote Control.
Congratulations!]

“Mmm.”

I felt satisfied now. The special compartment door opened and Jain and Boss
appeared.
“Phew. That certainly took a while. How many months did we spend here?”

Jain mumbled and sat next to me. Boss leered at her in discontent.

“Oh, Hajin. Is it true the 30th floor is the last? We only have 5 floors left?”

“Yes, but things will get challenging from here on out. You heard the captain, right?”

“Yep, it’s pretty disappointing. Why does everyone who doesn’t have the light
attribute have to suffer? Is the tower favoring good guys or what?”

Jain smiled despite her grumbling.

“You don’t look very disappointed.”

“Well, no.”

“You aren’t? Then why did you decide to climb the tower?”

“Hm? Oh, because it looked fun. I would’ve quit halfway if it wasn’t.”

Jain smirked and Boss also sat next to me. Suddenly, Boss swung her hair.

“My hair is a mess.”

Boss muttered to herself as I thought about the Tower of Wish. As Jain said, the
Tower of Wish felt fun. Players could explore a fantasy world and everyone could
earn rewards based on effort, unlike other towers.

“My hair feels like a lion’s.”

“…?”

“I can’t possibly go out looking like this.”

Boss bounced her hair towards me again. The smell of her shampoo snapped me
back to my senses.

“Do you want me to brush your hair?”

“Hmm. If you want to.”

“Okay, okay.”

I jumped to my feet and began brushing her hair. She softly sighed and lay on the
sofa as I moved the aether comb. Boss genuinely enjoyed it.

“She’s so cute… Oh right, Hajin.” Jain handed me some documents.

“What are these?” I asked while brushing Boss’ hair.

“You told me you planned on hunting djinns, so I made a list of possible targets.
They’re all at least team leaders and the prices on their heads are huge.”

I received the documents with one hand. As expected, the list only contained
notorious executives of djinn groups.

“How did you manage to put this together?”

“I made it inside the tower. So many people here would do anything for TP, probably
because they can revive even after dying.”

“Ah… Okay, thanks.” I placed the documents in my inventory.

“I’ll get rid of everyone on this list within a month.”

“That list contains 200 djinns.”

“Then I’ll make it two months.”

A thought crossed my mind as I continued to brush Boss’ hair. Hunting djinns meant
I would gain their attention. Not only would I expose myself to danger, but also my
family. I only had two family members in this world, Evandel and Hayang.

“Hmm…”

I needed to move them to a safe place before a full-scale hunt. I couldn’t rely on the
association or the magic tower. It had to be a place where Evandel felt safe and
comfortable. Someone suddenly popped into my head like electricity.
The person Evandel wanted to meet most, Rachel.

If possible, I wanted to tell Rachel about Evandel too. I would have to tell her
someday even if Rachel didn’t want to know. How would she feel about a witch who
looked just like her?

“All done.”

I tended Boss’ hair to perfection. She hesitated as if wanting more, but soon got up. I
turned on the messenger and pulled up my message log with [CaptainBritain].

I still worried, but I already promised Evandel. Even now, she should be training
hard for the day her wish would come true.

Me: Rachel.

I had to make a decision now. I sent Rachel a message and she soon replied.

CaptainBritain: Yes?

“Huuu…”

I took a deep breath and thought about what to say. Ultimately, I decided to be
straightforward. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Me: Let’s meet on Earth next week.

CaptainBritain: Eh? Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t. Crevon is in a dire situation right now. It’s
worse than the Imjin War.

“She even knows about the Imjin War?”

Several countries required Korean history as a subject these days. It became more of
a common sense topic after Korea became a world power. Many also considered the
Korean War one of the most important wars in history.

Me: It’ll be quick.

I typed a response, but sent another one since it didn’t seem like enough.
Me: I heard you’re Fenrir’s number 1 fan.
Me: I heard you’re Fenrir’s #1 fan.

She took 5 minutes to reply after that.

CaptainBritain: What do you mean? Lol??

I could tell how nervous she felt from her text and smiled.

Me: I heard it from the Divine Archer. I’m sure you only said it to get closer to her.

I could imagine how it all went down. Rachel likely couldn’t say anything to Jin
Seyeon when they first met. She probably only stared out of admiration. Then she
finally worked up the courage to ask Jin Seyeon for her nickname before they split.
Rachel always sent long text messages despite not being able to say anything in
person.

CaptainBritain: You met hero Jin Seyeon?

Me: Yes, she told me in person.

It must’ve shocked her since she stopped replying. I called Spartan while I waited. I
needed him to go on a mission while I returned to Earth.

“Spartan.”

— Pururu.

“You can see the handsome guy I’m thinking of, right?”

I pictured Kim Suho in my mind. Silky brown hair, clear eyes as deep as the ocean,
and well-defined facial features. His appearance simply looked overwhelming.

“His name is Kim Suho. Keep an eye on him.”

— Pururu.

Spartan seemed reluctant, but nodded nonetheless. He matured a bit and acted more
obediently now.

“Good boy. Oh, right.”

I went into the auction house just in case.

[Auction House]

My auction house grade reached the highest tier thanks to all the used items I sold
(CaptainBritain was my #1 customer). However, I rarely bought items since I could
simply craft them. That said…

[Search: Transparent Cape] [A total of two items have been found.]

I couldn’t perform enchantments. Adding my desired magical effects to items took

too much time among other things. As such, I had to buy enchanted items.

[Lv.6 Transparent Cape] [Current Bid – 11,000 TP] [Buy Now – 35,000 TP] [Time until
auction ends – 3:13:23]

I clicked to buy now since I had more than enough money inside and outside the
tower.

[You have purchased the Lv.6 Transparent Cape]

With my dexterity, it only took 10 minutes with a pair of scissors to make it fit
Spartan. He looked quite cute with his new cape.

“Escape immediately if you’re in danger, okay?”

— Pururu.

“Good boy.”

Next, I glanced at my messenger. Rachel still hadn’t replied, so I looked for another
item in the auction house.
[Search: Special Skill Acquisition Book – Enchant] [A total of zero items have been
found.]

“Geez, when is this going to appear?”

I couldn’t tell if it was rare or if someone had already bought it. This skill perfectly
complemented my overgeared concept.

“Should I try rolling more dice?”

[Random Dice], the bonus skill I obtained from the black ticket, had now grown to
level 6. Nowadays, I didn’t expect much from the daily dice I rolled since I didn’t lack
any items at the latter half of the tower.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to try. Please give me enchant.”

I took out 4 dice from my inventory and rolled them while thinking about the
enchant skill. All four dice became skill books. Of course, the chance of receiving
enchant would be incredibly low.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at one of the skill books.

[Lv.3 Special Skill Acquisition Book – Four Colored Enchant]

“It worked?”

It name sounded even better than the normal enchant.

“I just had to roll my dice? Why am I so dumb?”

[Lv.3 Four Colored Enchant] ○ 1. Reinforced Magic Infusion: You will enchant magical
effects more effectively. ○ Lv.2 Four Colored Attributes: Up to 4 attributes possessed by
the user may be infused into an item.

I used the skill book right away. Suddenly, the train began to slow.

— We have arrived on the 26th floor. Everyone, please be prepared.

The captain’s voice rang out as I received a message.

CaptainBritain: Let’s meet next week…

She sounded out of energy for some reason.

***

[26F, True Demon Realm]

Kim Suho got off the train as thick fog and violet earth greeted him.

“An unimaginable monster lurks here.”

Kim Suho read the sign at the train station out loud.

“Hey, are you going to keep climbing?”

Yi Yeonghan asked while trembling from next to him.

“The Fermun siblings left and even Chae Nayun went back home, so why do you
insist on continuing?”

The Fermuns had some family problems and left on the 24th floor saying they would
return soon. They most likely left to fight the monsters currently in Italy.

“I have to keep going.”

“Why? It’s not like the tower will disappear if you wait. It’s fine to take some time
and get stronger.”

Yi Yeonghan seemed afraid of going any further.

“Well… it’s just that…”

Kim Suho stared at the Demon King’s Tower in the distance without the slightest hint
of hesitation.

“I feel like I have to climb it.”

He felt a strong urge whenever he looked at it. Perhaps it contained the reason why
he came to Earth.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’d you say?”

“Oi!”

A familiar voice called out to them. It turned out to be Aileen, the Human Dragon.

“You’re alone, right? Wanna come with us?”

“Um, hello? Can’t you see I’m right here?”

Slightly offended, Yi Yeonghan pointed at himself. However, Aileen only looked at

Kim Suho.

“I saw you, but I didn’t think you’d climb any further for some reason.”

“No, I will.”

Yi Yeonghan grabbed Kim Suho’s arm. He wouldn’t fear anything if he could be a part
of Aileen’s party. Kim Suho snickered to himself.

“I’m going with Suho. We’re a set.”

“Well, sure. So, are you coming with us?”

Kim Suho almost nodded when he saw Shin Jonghak glaring at him from the side.

“Ah, he’s okay with it too.”

Aileen pointed at Shin Jonghak and shrugged. Like she said, Shin Jonghak didn’t
oppose the idea. This confused Yi Yeonghan. Shin Jonghak didn’t complain about
forming a party with Kim Suho? Did he get eaten by his doppelgänger?

“Then I’d love to.”

Kim Suho nodded and a system alert popped up.

[Aileen and Kids have invited you to the party.] [Would you like to accept?]

Kim Suho clicked yes and the two became party members with Jin Seyeon, Shin
Jonghak, Aileen, and Yi Yongha.

“Good choice. As I thought, you know when to grab a rope. I heard you have a full
light attribute.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hehehe, I like it. Kid, have you thought about joining the Temple of Justice?”

Aileen happily laughed when she heard about Kim Suho’s 100% light attribute magic
power.

“No, that’s…”

Koong, koong, koong. A giant walked out of the train with oppressive footsteps.
Aileen naturally turned towards him and furrowed her brows.

“It’s him.”

Those two words carried many meanings. Most rankers wouldn’t dare to touch this
man. However, Aileen walked over to this steel giant. Cheok Jungyeong also noticed
her bold approach.

“Oi.” Aileen stood in front of the man at least 60 cm taller than her.

“What do you want?”

His deep voice rang out. Aileen found it hard to look up at him, so she lifted herself
with magic power. She rose to eye level with Cheok Jungyeong while standing on a
fluffy cloud. He simply stared at her.

“What, you want me to headbutt you? Your skull and brain will explode at the same
time.”

“Shut it. Tell me where Black Lotus is.”

Cheok Jungyeong frowned. “Black Lotus?”

“That’s right. Did you think I was interested in you?”

“Why are you asking me about him?”

“Hah? Do you think I’m stupid? You two belong to the same group, so hurry up and
tell me before I use Spirit Speech.”

What an unreasonable woman. Did her brain stop maturing in exchange for Spirit
Speech?

Cheok Jungyeong sighed and thought about it. “You’ll be able to meet him if you keep
climbing the tower.”

“What?”

Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Kim Suho, and the rest all seemed interested in what he just said.

“Right, since he’s always watching all of you.”

“Us?”

“Is that a warning?”

Jin Seyeon interrupted them. It didn’t sound like a bluff. With Black Lotus’ abilities,
his arrows could strike their necks at any time.

“No, that guy… I don’t know why, but he wants you lot to clear the tower.”

“Pardon?”

“What does that mean? Explain.”

“Hmph, stop bothering me and screw off. Especially you, damned brat.”

Cheok Jungyeong glared at Aileen.

“Brat?” Aileen’s greatest complex had to do with her height. Magic power blazed
above her head, but Cheok Jungyeong only grinned and clenched his fists.
“Lady Aileen, please calm down.”

“Players have no reason to fight at this point.”

Jin Seyeon and Kim Suho stepped in front of her. Even then, Aileen continued to glare
at Cheok Jungyeong for a long time before cutely snorting.

“Hmph, I know. Guys like him probably can’t scratch a hair on demons because they
lived such dirty lives. I suggest you return to Earth if you don’t want to die.”

“Haha.”

Aileen’s honest criticism applied to most players, but Cheok Jungyeong immediately
proved it false. He condensed a ball of magic power in his palm. Guoooo— A blue
energy ball resonated in the air. Other attributes mixed with it, but its main attribute
appeared to be light.

“What does this look like?”

“The heck is that?”

“Don’t get over your head, kid.”

Cheok Jungyeong put away his energy blast. Then he walked past Aileen’s party and
left the train station. Tak, tak… He walked into the 26th floor’s forest by himself
while receiving attention from numerous rankers. His back exuded heroism and
confidence.

“Ah, right!”

Cheok Jungyeong suddenly shouted. His voice rang out like thunder as he turned to
look at Aileen’s party one last time. He felt like he said too much about Black Lotus.

“You have to defeat me first if you want to find Black Lotus.”

“What?”

Aileen’s party interpreted his words differently. To them, his words meant even an
oppressive brute like him obeyed Black Lotus. They already knew black represented
the strongest color in the Chameleon Troupe. Cheok Jungyeong disappeared into the
forest while Aileen’s group worried about Black Lotus keeping an eye on them.

“We should go too. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yes.”

Aileen’s party stepped towards the 26th floor and took a different path than Cheok
Jungyeong.

***

[Earth, Evandel’s Underground Training Center]

I went to the underground training center as soon as I returned. Ah Hae-In paused

their lesson and walked up to me. I couldn’t help but ask.

“How is it?”

“She’s already at the level of a 6-7 star summoning magician.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, but that’s only in summoning magic. The number of summons she can handle is
only a bit less than me.”

“…”

That meant Evandel could compare to a 6-7 star in terms of technique, but a 7-8 star
in terms of quantity.

“That’s amazing.”

“It’s beyond amazing. It’s extraordinary, especially that wolf and tiger.”

A wolf, the boss of canines, and a tiger, the boss of felines. The black-maned Fenrir
acted aloof like a solitary samurai and the golden great tiger seemed imposing like
the sovereign of a battlefield.

“Those two are growing stronger along with Evandel. They’re at high-intermediate
rank for now, but it’s only a matter of time before they reach high rank.”
“I see.”

“I couldn’t tell back then, but it looks like you raised her well.”

“Cough.”

Evandel and I spent a long time together, but I didn’t think I raised her well. In my
mind, her natural potential and the high class items I gave her increased her growth
rate.

Ah Hae-In rubbed her chin.

“She looks like someone no matter how much I look at her.”

“Like who?”

“Rachel. I met her not too long ago.”

I smiled. Like Ah Hae-In said, they definitely looked alike. It wouldn’t be wrong to call
her a miniature version of Rachel. The younger Evandel looked cuter while Rachel
looked more pretty than cute.

“Evandel?”

She lay on the floor with Fenrir’s tail as a pillow, but immediately shot up when she
heard me.

“Un! Hajin, I trained really hard! Really, really hard!

She ran into my embrace.

“I know, I heard. So I was thinking…”

I whispered into her ear. I still felt hesitant, but had to do the right thing as her
guardian.

— Let’s go meet Rachel.

Evandel froze. She finally spoke a single word after a while.

“…Really?”

I nodded. Still, she looked at me with wide eyes without being able to express her
feelings.

“Really, really?”

“Of course. I told you, right? I’d let you meet her if you trained hard.”

“Really, really, really?”

“Yes, but in exchange…”

I held up my index finger.

“Promise me one thing.”

***

[England, Merseyside]

I arrived in England with Evandel and Hayang. We toured around for a day and I
taught Evandel about England’s knight culture. She ran around all excited until 11 at
night.

“Evandel, are you going to sleep now?”

We returned to our hotel after an entire day of fun.

“…”

“Evandel.”

She fell asleep with Hayang in her arms. Now I had to do my job. I took out the list of
djinn executives that Jain gave me. One of them lived here in Merseyside.

[England, Merseyside – Crook Levin]

Crook Levin led the Slaughtering Annihilation, a djinn group specializing in human
trafficking and cannibalism. I asked the Book of Truth for his current location.
[53°32’35.5” N 3°05’34.8” W]

After receiving the coordinates, I opened the hotel window and jumped out. The
height from the 15th floor didn’t affect me at all. Tak. I lightly landed and took out
the [Dwarven Supercar], which I had converted into a card. I snapped my fingers and
it materialized out of thin air. The huge vehicle stood out, but I also enchanted it with
a magical effect.

“Convert.”

I muttered and the snowmobile began to restructure itself into a motorcycle. I added
this function using SP like how the Desert Eagle could change forms. Then I hopped
on and activated the next enchantment.

“Dark travel.”

I made this enchantment from mana stones and the essence of darkness I extracted
from dark ores. My body and the golden motorcycle melted into the darkness. Our
forms grew translucent like a fog as though we had become part of the darkness
itself.

I stepped on the accelerator. Chwaaa… The motorcycle drove through the night and I
reached Crook Levin’s location in just 5 minutes. I arrived on the outskirts of
Merseyside, at the basement of a suspicious building. Crook Levin and Slaughtering
Annihilation carried out their human trafficking here.

— This guy looks delicious. Save him for later.

I transformed the Desert Eagle into a sniper rifle. I only needed a single bullet for
him since no obstacles could hinder me. It didn’t matter that they operated
underground. I only needed to pull the trigger.

“…”

I wasn’t in any danger of being found out. My gun no longer produced any sounds
when firing. I pulled the trigger and the bullet shot forward in silence.

— No, no, that guy is fucking useless. Just kill…

He never finished his sentence. I didn’t stop there. I shot every djinn with Crook
Levin. Bullets rained from the sky and phased through the ground. My attacks defied
the laws of physics and killed all of them underground before they could even react.
Soon, the building’s basement became empty since djinns didn’t leave behind any
corpses.

***

I visited the city with Evandel the next day. We planned on meeting Rachel at 6, so I
wanted to play with her before to lessen her nerves. I planned a course that included
the amusement park we couldn’t go to yesterday, a 3-star Michelin restaurant, Big
Ben, Buckingham Palace… We had fun touring and finally stopped at our final
destination, the British Museum.

“Uwoaah!”

I didn’t know Evandel liked museums so much. She ran around excitedly as I smiled
and followed. I checked the time at 5:45. Only 15 minutes left until the promised
time. Evandel and Rachel would soon meet in this museum.

“Huuu…”

My heart pounded the more I thought about it. I felt nervous and grabbed Evandel’s
hand. She also squeezed my hand with a shy smile. Then…

“Hajin?”

Someone called my name and time seemed to stop. Evandel and I both froze. I took a
deep breath to calm myself. The voice that tickled my ears and that familiar perfume
undoubtedly belonged to her. I just had to act natural… natural…

I slowly turned around. As expected, Rachel stood in front of us.

“Hello, Rachel.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

She looked at me.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

It took her a moment to realize I held onto someone else’s hand. Her eyes naturally
fell on the child next to me, who looked just like her. The child also looked up at
Rachel with beautiful eyes that carried a hint of fear, but also excitement and
happiness. Evandel hoped for something as they stared at each other.
[Tower of Wish 26F, True Demon Realm]

Team Aileen and Kids found themselves lost in the [Forest of Bewitchment], one of
the demon realm’s regions. A week had passed since they first set out on their
journey, but they still remained miles away from the [Demon King’s Tower] in the
distance.

“I’ll admit… I’m exhausted.”

Even Aileen grew tired. Every demon they ran into felt like a boss monster. They just
fought for an entire day after a pack of demons appeared.

“It certainly is difficult that only light attribute attacks work.”

Jin Seyeon wiped the sweat from her forehead. They won against the 13 demons, but
Shin Jonghak and Yi Yeonghan realized they couldn’t overcome the limits of their
attributes and returned to the [21F – Card Kingdom] to purchase light attribute
weapons and enchant cards.

“You aren’t so bad.”

Only 4 members remained as Aileen looked at Kim Suho. During their last battle,
Aileen contributed 50% while Kim Suho contributed 30%.

“My attribute is just suitable for fighting demons.”

“It’s not only matter of suitability. With your abilities, you’ll be promoted to high
rank in no time. No, you’re already on that level. Don’t you think you could probably
win against that self-proclaimed master rank archer over there?”

Kim Suho slightly smiled.

“No, you’re too kind.”

“Cough. Anyways, Lady Aileen, where do you think Black Lotus is?”

Jin Seyeon finally decided to ask the question she had been wondering for a while
now. Cheok Jungyeong said Black Lotus always kept an eye on them. However, Black
Lotus hadn’t helped or attacked them yet.

“I don’t know. He’s probably watching us from somewhere.”

Aileen looked at the sky without thinking. Suddenly, she spotted an eagle flying
across the demon realm. Wow, an eagle. So eagles live in a place like this too? Aileen
continued to watch in amazement when a sudden realization struck her.

“Huh?”

The other members looked at the sky too after her strange reaction.

“What’s the matter?”

“Isn’t he kinda weird?”

“Um…”

“Look, over there.”

Jin Seyeon and Kim Suho focused on the eagle. Soon, they realized what Aileen
meant. The eagle wore a strange cloak that looked man-made. Kim Suho spoke first.

“A pet bird? Doesn’t it look like he wants us to follow him?”

“You think so too?”

Kieeek— The eagle cried out as if he agreed with them.

“Look at that cloak he’s wearing. It looks better than mine… Hmm? Wait a minute.”

A thought crossed Aileen’s mind and she whispered in a daze.

“Does Black Lotus own a pet bird?”

“I haven’t heard any rumors like that, but that bird sure does look like he belongs to
someone. It also looks like he’s wearing armor beneath that cloak. A well-made black
armor.”

Jin Seyeon observed and replied to Aileen.

Aileen looked at the eagle and bit her nails.

“Black… so that means…”

“Yes, I think you’re correct, Lady Aileen.”

Jin Seyeon continued with a stern expression.

“Black Lotus is calling us.”

Everyone fell silent and blankly looked at each other. Then they nodded and began
chasing the eagle.

***

“Am I dreaming?”

Rachel finally managed to say. She felt so surprised she suddenly spoke in English. I
could also deduce one more thing from her vacant look: Rachel hadn’t forgotten
about Evandel.

This wasn’t their first time meeting. Their first encounter happened a long time ago
during the final week of our freshman year at Cube. Evandel still resembled an
almond and suddenly hatched during the exam. She clung to Rachel right after and
the first thing Evandel said back then was… Mommy.

“You’re not dreaming.”

I told her and signaled Evandel.

“Uuuuu…”

Evandel had been waiting forever for this moment. She stepped forward and
probably summoned the most courage in her entire 4-5 years of life.
“H-He, Hello…”

Evandel placed her hands on her stomach and bowed. Rachel blinked a few times at
her before turning towards me.

“Hajin, Hajin?”

“Yes?”

I tried to remain calm, but the regret flooded in. What could Rachel possibly be
thinking when faced with a child who looked like her? Did I act too selfishly under
the pretext of caring for Evandel without any consideration for Rachel’s feelings?
However, what Rachel said next shocked me so much I forgot about all these
concerns.

“Did you come back from the future?”

“Pardon?”

I became speechless and began feeling slightly guilty. I did know the future, but not
anymore. From here on out, a future I didn’t know would unfold…

“Future?”

“Am I wrong? T-Then where did this child come from?”

Rachel grew all flushed as she pointed at Evandel, who continued to introduce
herself.

“My name… is… Evandel…”

She recited the lines she had practiced dozens of times. I made Evandel promise one
thing before we came here: to approach Rachel slowly so Rachel wouldn’t feel
pressured.

“Huh? Oh, um… H-Hello.”

Rachel also bowed to Evandel. Her eyes shook as though an earthquake had
occurred. Evandel continued introducing herself.
“My name is, is, Evandel.”

“Ah, um, yeah…”

“Evandel… I’m Evandel… My friend is Yun Haeyeon. My kitty is Hayang…”

She repeated the same lines in a panic. Rachel took turns looking at Evandel and me,
unsure of what to do.

“I’m Evandel, I’m…”

I should definitely tidy things up here.

“Uh, the thing is—”

“Princess?”

Rachel’s bodyguard suddenly appeared. The tall Caucasian man bent forward and
whispered in her ears.

“Yes?”

— Last night…

He muttered in English. The two seemed to calm down thanks to the bodyguard, but
Evandel began to glare at him standing next to Rachel. Her show of jealousy looked
quite cute.

***

We arrived at Buckingham Palace 20 minutes later. The royal family palace appeared
just as beautiful and elegant as all the pictures and films.

“Well then.”

Rachel led us to the reception room with no one else inside. She glanced at Evandel
beside me before continuing on. Sparkle, sparkle— Evandel looked at her with
adorable eyes. Rachel couldn’t help but slightly smile. That seemed like a good sign.

“Cough. So the pet seed you had back then in Cube became…”
“Yes, that seed is all grown up now.”

I introduced Evandel, not as a witch, but a fairy. A witch could only be called a witch
if she was raised to be one, but who could possibly call the current Evandel a witch?

“She’s absolutely not from the future.”

“…”

Rachel went silent for a moment and her face turned red as a tomato. I had no idea
what she thought. Even her ears turned red. Cough. Rachel cleared her throat and
continued.

“Right, but honestly… I find it hard to believe. How can a fairy hatch from a seed?”

I scratched my neck. It’s not that I didn’t understand her, but as Sherlock Holmes
once said: When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the truth.

“There’s no other explanation.”

“No, rather than a fairy born from a seed, it’s more probable that you, from the
future… the future…”

It seemed the future theory totally hooked her. However, she couldn’t finish her
sentence because it sounded too absurd. I tried to direct her away from the sci-fi.

“Come on, what you’re saying makes even less sense. If Evandel is from the future,
then there’s no doubt you’re her mother, but what about the father? Who’s the
father?”

“Ah, Hajin, can I call you daddy now?”

“Huh?”

We both froze at Evandel’s innocent remark. Only vacant stillness and a heavy
silence followed. Suddenly, Rachel narrowed her eyes at me with a doubtful look. I
shook my head in denial, but her cheeks flushed red again.

“No, this is… Anyways, I’m telling you the truth.”

Rachel stared at me for a long time before turning to Evandel.

“You said your name was Evandel?”

Evandel had been waiting for this one question.

“Yes!”

Rachel gently smiled at her.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I wanted to meet you for a long time.”

She certainly kept the promise she made to me about keeping her distance and
slowly approaching Rachel. She seemed all grown up now and I suddenly became
emotional.

“Umm… I see. Hold on a minute.”

Rachel turned on her smartwatch and began typing on the hologram keyboard. Soon,
my watch vibrated.

[I have a lot of questions, but I’ll let it slide for now.]

I guess she wanted to communicate through the messenger to avoid accidentally

hurting Evandel’s feelings.

[Is it true you brought her here because she wanted to see me?]

[Yes, but that’s not everything. Evandel’s talent could save not only England, but the
entire continent in the future.]

I calmly replied and Rachel’s eyebrows twitched.

[My child is?]

[Your child?]

[Sorry, I mean Evandel is?]

“Hajin, what are you doing?”

“Oh, sorry. Something just came up.”

I patted Evandel on the head and typed back.

[Yes, even magician Ah Hae-In admitted Evandel would surpass her in 2-3 years. She’s a
summoner fairy with a never-before-seen talent.]

Evandel’s creations would play a huge role in the story’s third phase just around the
corner. They would save hundreds, thousands, or maybe even hundreds of
thousands.

“Hajin?”

“Oh, by the way, things have gotten better for your guild, right?”

I began talking, so Evandel wouldn’t grow suspicious.

“Yes, everything is going well.”

The English Royal Court guild seemed to be on the rise these days thanks to the
Tower of Wish. They sold TP for won, a key currency used on Earth.

Of course, half of the guild’s profits went straight to England’s state coffers that
currently faced an economic crisis. However, Rachel invested the other half back into
the Tower of Wish. She purchased more entrance tickets to increase their guild
members inside.

“We were short on won and in debt just 3 years ago, but things have settled down
now.”

“Mmm.”

I felt sort of weird. Originally, it should’ve been the dollar and not won that caused a
problem.

“Oh right.”

Something crossed Rachel’s mind and she texted me again.

[The djinn massacre last night. Was that you?]

I nodded and texted back.

[Yes. From now on, I plan to mop up djinns instead of monsters.]

[Isn’t that too dangerous? Especially Slaughtering Annihilation. They’re basically a

beehive. That’s why we couldn’t do anything…]

“I can deal with whatever comes my way. I’m not too worried, except for this girl.”

I placed a hand on Evandel’s head as Rachel looked at her and they both smiled at
each other.

“I wanted to ask if you could allow her to stay here for 2-3 months.”

I patted Evandel’s head. As I said before, the Royal Palace served as an impenetrable
fortress against djinns. It contained a myriad of magic and also possessed a certain
authority.

“That’s fine with me, but I’m not sure how this child would feel…”

“I’m okay with it!”

Evandel energetically replied. However, her expression turned into a frown upon
realizing something.

“Oh, but then I won’t get to see Haeyeon…”

“You said Haeyeon was your friend?”

Rachel kindly asked as Evandel nodded.

“Yes… but… I don’t have to see her!”

She chose Rachel over her friend. Poor Haeyeon.

“Don’t worry. We can also invite your friend here.”

“Ah, r-really?”
“Of course.”

I watched the mother and daughter happily chat and turned on my smartwatch.
Then I skimmed over a few articles on Fenrir. Rachel and Evandel had already left the
reception room by the time I accessed [Violet Banquet].

“Did they go for a walk?”

I sat alone and looked at the [Truth Agency]. Of the numerous requests, the one from
Chae Joochul stood out the most.

[●NOTIFICATION● Daehyun’s Chae Joochul is awaiting your reply.]

Chae Joochul tasked me with a mission: to deliver any information regarding the
existence and location of the humanoid monster. He probably planned to capture it,
dissect it, and use it for research.

“Let’s see.”

Right now, I intended on offering him something different. Kim Hakpyo had
mentioned the coordinates for the devil, Plucas.

[Reply from the Truth Agency] [We lack information about the humanoid monster.
However, we confirmed the existence of an unidentified being from a conversation
between two djinns. We are not certain it has any connections to the humanoid
monster, but the djinns described it as being neither monster nor human. The location
of this being is as follows…]

I attached Plucas’ location along with a sentence to provoke Chae Joochul.

[P.S. The djinns referred to that being as a devil. The devil is currently locked inside a
temple and cannot escape.]

***

A picturesque house in perfect harmony with nature sat halfway up on Kumgang

Mountain. It matched an immortal, someone who had also reached an otherworldly
state of harmony with nature. Chae Joochul, the only immortal in East Asia,
particularly liked this house. Even now, he became completely engrossed in
Kumgang Mountain’s scenery and elegance.
[Rampaging Fenrir: The Massacre of Slaughtering Annihilation…]

Chae Joochul breezed through the Violet Times indifferently: the Tower of Wish, the
humanoid monster, and Fenrir. All this sensational news only appeared ash gray to
him.

“Chairman, the Truth Agency has replied.”

His secretary suddenly appeared and Chae Joochul quietly placed the newspaper
down.

The Truth Agency.

Nobody knew them 5 years ago, but their name became synonymous with truth now.
They hardly replied, but when they did, they always told the absolute truth. The
Truth Agency had established authority over several conglomerates.

No courtesy, no reply.

Most complied with this rule, which could come off as arrogant. Even the head of
Youngsun, the rank 7 conglomerate in the world, personally wrote his letter of
request with poor typing skills and wrinkled hands in hopes of receiving a reply
quicker.

Interestingly, such requests actually received faster replies. After the news spread,
many old folks went as far as sending handwritten letters. Those at 80 years old
personally grinded ink sticks and wrote letters with brushes.

“And the information?”

“It’s very detailed, but slightly different from what we expected.”

“Different how?”

The secretary began to summarize the Truth Agency’s reply.

“They didn’t find a humanoid monster, but an existence called a devil.”

“Devil?”
This word slightly aroused Chae Joochul’s curiosity. Was he simply curious or under
the influence of an instinctual desire for vengeance because of his grandson? Chae
Joochul couldn’t tell. He could no longer recall if he ever loved his family. He once
self-deprecatingly referred to his condition as a dementia of the senses, but no
longer felt regret or sadness about it. His condition still seemed hundreds of times
more graceful than losing all power and falling so low as to become a legend of the
past like all the other Nine Stars.

“A devil…”

Chae Joochul muttered and looked at his secretary, who knew exactly what he would
ask and handed him a copy of the Truth Agency’s reply. Chae Joochul studied the
coordinates on the paper.

[34º51’15.4” N 128º43’50.2” E]

Whish… An icy breeze came through the window and rumpled Chae Joochul’s hair
and beard ever so slightly. He raised his head and looked at the scenery outside. His
deep gaze contained the vast mountain and an unforeseen passion emerged within
him. He didn’t show any signs of excitement, but the mountains seemed to be
whispering something. The devil was calling for the immortal. Chae Joochul felt
stimulated for the first time in a long time.

***

Several djinns began carrying out illegal activities near a port in England where
containers from Korea arrived.

“We’ve finished the cleanup.”

The djinn group, Bandits of Despair, just murdered every security guard in the
dockside area.

“A-108, B-103, C-73, and D-63.”

Team leader Jeffrey pointed at 4 containers addressed to the Royal Family guild from
Essential Armory.

“We’ll only take these four.”

The djinns moved in sync at Jeffrey’s command. First, they smashed open the sealed
doors and checked the weapons inside.

“I heard Fenrir was hunting djinns recently, but nothing’s happened so far. Well, we
are different from those savages at Slaughtering Annihilation.”

The vice team leader, Autumn, spoke. Jeffrey watched the scene without answering.

“Everyone’s talking about Fenrir in the djinn community. It’s so stupid, leader.”

“A-108 is finished.”

Fenrir’s indiscriminate attacks on djinns had gone on for a week now. The entire
djinn community cursed him and sent hateful messages. This phenomenon resulted
from rage and fear.

“He probably can’t even last a punch from leader. Nothing to be scared of.”

“B-103 is finished.”

Autumn, glued to Jeffrey, kept running his mouth as if to cast off his fear. He wouldn’t
have participated in this mission if it wasn’t for Jeffrey and would’ve been whining by
now without him.

“Oh, by the way, leader. Is it true you beat the crap out of a high-intermediate rank
hero? You’re amazing.”

He believed Jeffrey could overpower Fenrir. Even the famous Wicked tried to scout
Jeffrey.

“Humans are such weaklings…”

Autumn’s chatter continued as the container doors exploded one by one.

“Those Slaughtering Annihilation guys deserved a good beating. I’m ashamed to call
myself a djinn because of them. How can they fall so low as to eat human… flesh…?”

A small change occurred at the dockside and only darkness remained.

I stood at a harbor with a salty smell in the early morning. Fierce screams and magic
power clashed here just 5 minutes ago, but now it grew quiet.

“Haaa…”

I took a deep breath to calm the spirit power coursing through my body.

The ocean wave brushed against the harbor and the cool wind caressed me. Soon,
my beating heart slowed and I opened my eyes.

No one remained in the empty harbor after I killed the dozens of djinns.

“It deserves to be called an ultimate skill, that’s for sure.”

I muttered in surprise and checked the ultimate skill’s description again.

[Lv.2 Ultimate Skill – Complete Understanding of Spirit Power] ○ 1. Limit Break: Upon
activation, all skills will become level 11 for 5 minutes. ○ 2. Ultimate Peak: Upon
activation, the efficiency and realm of your spirit power will reach its peak for 5
minutes. ○ 3. Passive Purification: Will purify your spirit power as time passes.
Cooldown: 3 days

Like my unique skill, my ultimate skill was an advanced self-buffing skill known as
an avatar type. Fortunately, its side effects felt far less intense than my unique skill. I
became flawless in both offense and defense after activating it. It gave me an
unlimited amount of spirit power and left no holes in my defense since Lv.11
[Extraction and Permanent Materialization] could absorb every attack. My offense
became equally overpowered. With a strengthened [Algorithm], the destructive
power of my bullets increased exponentially and the spirit power also reinforced
aether’s functions.

I didn’t fuse spirit power with magic power like most players. This ultimate skill
especially benefitted me since I relied on skills and aether. I didn’t even come up
with it either. My luck must’ve had something to do with it again.

Wiing—

My smartwatch vibrated with a video call from Yoo Yeonha.

— Hello?

Her face popped up on the hologram screen when I picked up.

“Yo, it’s been a while. What’s up?”

— Where are you? It’s kinda dark.

“Me? I’m at a harbor.”

I raised my smartwatch and showed her the scenery.

“I just stopped some djinns from robbing Essential Armory’s cargo.”

— Really?

“Yep, do you know Jeffrey?”

— Yes, I do. The association has a bounty for him. Isn’t he a brown rank djinn?

The Hero Association assigned ranks to djinns as well. A brown rank djinn’s bounty
should be worth around 1-2 billion won. Brown ranks usually equaled high-
intermediate rank, grade 3-4 heroes in strength. That aside, I found it surprising Yoo
Yeonha knew him. After all, hundreds of brown rank djinns existed.

— What about Jeffrey?

Yoo Yeonha’s expression turned serious after I smiled without answering.

— J-Jeffrey is there too?

I shook my head.

“Not anymore.”
— You killed him?

“Yep.”

—…

Yoo Yeonha stared at me with a dumbstruck expression. I scratched the back of my

head and changed the topic.

“So, why’d you call?”

— Oh right.

Yoo Yeonha nodded.

— It’s about what you asked before. About the humanoid monster.

“Oh, did you hear something?”

Information about the humanoid monster couldn’t easily be found even with the
Book of Truth, so I asked Yoo Yeonha to look into rumors.

— Yes, it seems something similar has been found in Pandemonium.

Yoo Yeonha sent me a picture with a hard-to-identify silhouette. However, anyone

could tell it didn’t belong to a human with its tall height and thin body.

“Is this a picture or a video?”

— It’s a paused video.

“Play it.”

The video resumed with something running on the ground. Even the Thousand-Mile
Eyes couldn’t capture its speed.

“Can you slow it down?”

— This is already 0.01x speed.

“…0.01x?”

— Yes.

That served as enough of a clue for me. Only one monster could casually display such
speed. Kurukuru, a humanoid monster that resembled a praying mantis. It had
glowing scythes for front legs and a pair of lightning-speed wings. It looked more
like an insect than a human, but undoubtedly possessed intelligence. One couldn’t
look down on it just because it looked like an insect.

Its wings could exhibit hypersonic speed and its front legs could sever any physical
matter. No one could match Kurukuru in this world when it came to assassination
and speed. Frankly speaking, he could be called the third phase’s middle boss.

— This footage came from yesterday. This creature supposedly killed dozens of
djinns in Pandemonium before moving south.

“Thanks.”

— I’m also wondering about something.

Yoo Yeonha suddenly turned serious and rested her chin on her hands.

“What are you doing?”

— Do you think humanoid monsters exist?

“Huh? Oh, well, I’m sure we’re hearing about them because they do.”

I felt more surprised about Kurukuru being in Pandemonium. Did it appear first
because of its speed?

— No, that’s not what I meant. I think the creature from the video might be a new
type of djinn.

“It’s not that, so don’t worry.”

— No, it’s dangerous to rule out the possibility. Think about it. As you go up the
Tower of Wish, demons begin to look more non-human. We might be seeing
something similar. Our response should change depending on whether we’re facing
djinns or monsters…

I yawned as I listened to Yoo Yeonha’s theory. Smart people felt tiresome sometimes.
They didn’t believe things easily and tried to extrapolate other possibilities from the
smallest details.

— What do you think?

“You’re definitely wrong.”

I firmly answered. Yoo Yeonha pouted, but I knew for a fact. Later, djinns and humans
would join hands to defeat humanoid monsters, so they couldn’t be a new type of
djinn.

“I’m right.”

— That’s what you always say.

Yoo Yeonha didn’t seem like she would give up any time soon. Luckily, I could
persuade her.

“Did you forget I used to be rank 1 in theory?”

— Ah.

Winning a Nobel Prize will be a piece of cake if Kim Hajin remains in academia.

She recalled the words of their Cube professors and went quiet.

“You might not know something I know, but there’s no way I don’t know what you
know.”

— Then you should’ve looked into it yourself.

Yoo Yeonha crossed her arms and grumbled.

“Just don’t argue with me if I say I’m sure about something. I wouldn’t say anything
harmful to my partner, would I?”

—…
Yoo Yeonha silently stared at me before nodding.

— Fine. I’m hanging up now. I have work to do.

She hung up just like that. I sent her a message while smirking.

[Continue looking into this matter. I’m trusting you.]

She quickly replied.

[I will, but don’t trust me too much. I’m not a kind or trustworthy person.]

Haha. Is she sulking? Maybe I should make her a set of pajamas later. I thought to
myself when my smartwatch suddenly rang again.

[★Ready★] [Chameleon Troupe, gather!] [Let’s devour Pandemonium♡]

Jain alerted the Chameleon Troupe that their wish to conquer Pandemonium would
soon begin.

***

[Busan – Chae Nayun’s Mansion]

Recently, Chae Nayun lived a life buried under documents. She never read even in
Cube, but now she tried her best to understand all sorts of complicated texts and
realized something. What seemed impossible became possible if she put enough
effort. She felt like she had grown smarter after all this reading.

— The case files will be sent through Violet Banquet’s secure system.

“Okay.”

However, that feeling only briefly lasted. Every time she felt like she understood
something, a new piece of information arrived and complicated the matter.

— This case file contains key information regarding the incident.

Kim Hosup managed to hack a grade 1 confidential document labeled the Chae
Jinyoon Case File. He spent an entire month hiding his tracks to obtain his reward,
ReOrient Nox.

“Y-Yeah, good job.”

Chae Nayun accessed her Violet Banquet account, the only platform that couldn’t be
hacked. From there, she received the case file that Kim Hosup sent.

“Huuu. I guess I’m not sleeping tonight either.”

Chae Nayun muttered as she looked at the document.

[Chae Jinyoon Case File]

Her heart pounded as she laid eyes on it. To think she asked someone to hack the
association’s database. The past her could never have imagined such a thing. She
never had someone like Kim Hosup in the past, but her father also would’ve found
out and immediately stopped her.

“…”

[Download complete.]

She couldn’t help but feel afraid of the document. Will I see oppa’s corpse? Am I going
to see the detailed report of what happened that day? Will I be fine after that?

“No.”

Chae Nayun clenched her teeth. In for a penny, in for a pound. She would take the
risks even if this opened Pandora’s box. It had to be done no matter how painful the
results.

“Huu.”

She took a breath to collect herself and slowly opened the file.

“Hmm?”

Her determination disappeared as she checked it. Only tiny black letters filled the
white pages. She had never read such complicated jargon before and expected a
summarized report like in the movies. The actual case file left her dumbstruck.
“…”

It took a moment to snap out of her stupor. Then she slowly turned the 239 pages for
a picture. Page 1… 33… 48… 63… 129… Finally, she came across the picture on page
169. It showed Chae Jinyoon’s corpse.

“Ah…”

Her heart dropped when she saw it. Tears and curses surged from within. Chae
Jinyoon’s corpse didn’t even have a face. Nothing existed above the neck. She finally
realized why her father and grandfather refused to show her the corpse. Chae Nayun
bit her lips and felt an insurmountable rage rising from the depths of her heart. She
clenched her fist until they bled. Why? Why did it have to be so cruel?

“Eh?”

However, she felt something off. A strange feeling flickered in her while looking at
the picture.

“This…”

Her intuition told her this corpse didn’t belong to Chae Jinyoon. It couldn’t be Chae
Jinyoon. It looked too different and unfamiliar. She examined it closely to confirm her
suspicions.

“Wait.”

Soon, she discovered the source of her strange feeling. This corpse didn’t have
something that should be there if it really did belong to Chae Jinyoon.

About 15 years ago, Chae Jinyoon suffered an injury while protecting her from a
sudden monster attack. While Chae Nayun cried and apologized, Chae Jinyoon said
his injury would only leave behind a scar of honor. However, this corpse didn’t have
that scar.

— Is something wrong? If the information isn’t right, then…

Chae Nayun hung up. She couldn’t listen to anyone else right now. Her heart wildly
beat and a piercing headache struck her.
“This…”

Chae Nayun murmured as she stared at the picture.

“This isn’t oppa.”

She could determine that much. Someone had switched the corpse.

***

[Central Asia, Pandemonium]

This lawless zone had no rules or regulations. Only djinns who gave up being human
inhabited this wilderness. The Chameleon Troupe arrived in this place imposingly.
Other than Cheok Jungyeong, who busily explored the tower, every member showed
up.

“…”

Boss stood in front of all the members. However, she didn’t say anything. Jain would
explain the plan. Boss only set the mood.

“It’s nice to see you all.”

Boss spoke and I looked at her hand. She wore a ring on her left pinky.

“Cough.”

She felt my gaze and hid her left hand.

“Today, we will take the first step to achieve our goal.”

Boss began her speech.

“We will settle the humiliation we suffered for dozens of years. Pandemonium will be
ours and the victims’ screams will become a requiem for the previous boss. We will
regain what once belonged to us!”

I didn’t know, but the previous boss played a huge role in Pandemonium’s creation.
Satan’s Servants seemed to have stolen control after his death.
“Everyone, thank you for believing in me and following me until now.”

Boss finished her speech. She didn’t say much, but she had a certain charm for
grabbing the masses’ attention. The other members looked at Boss with touched
expressions.

“Now, I’ll brief all of you on the plan.” Jain stepped out and continued.

“As you all know, the de facto leader of Pandemonium is Satan’s Servants. After the
former boss’ death, they held onto Pandemonium’s sovereignty.”

Jain’s voice resounded.

“However, djinns will be djinns in the end. They don’t like anyone sitting on their
heads, so I have made some preparations. Like I always say, war is 90% planning and
10% execution. Pandemonium’s djinns should be happily killing each other right
now.”

Sparking fire, leaking information, spreading rumors, persuading, betraying, etc.

With her gift, Jain already finished all the necessary preparations.

“Back to the main point. Our goal today is Pandemonium’s eastern region.”

Satan’s Servants broadly divided Pandemonium into four cardinal regions.

Furthermore, they placed djinn groups that swore loyalty to them in charge of each
region. These groups further split their territory to those who swore loyalty to them.
As a result, Satan’s Servants’ influence became especially weak in the eastern region.

“We will take over a quarter of Pandemonium in one day.”

Jain announced as if the Chameleon Troupe had already won. She never started a
fight that couldn’t be won. Instead, she always won first and then started the fight.
These simple tactics gave Jain confidence in all her decisions.

***

Everything went according to Jain’s plan.

— We notified the djinn groups that agreed to cooperate with us. Silver, turquoise,
and green will join Dark Moon Society, which holds influence in the eastern region,
to destroy the djinn group, Proclamation of Darkness.

The war began with the help of Dark Moon Society. It seemed they fully defected to
Chameleon Troupe’s side over the past several years after the incident with me.

Seat of silver, Kaita. Seat of turquoise, Setryn. Seat of green, Jin Yohan.

The above three joined Dark Moon Society to demolish the groups that favored
Satan’s Servants.

— Violet, indigo, and blue should create a scene in the west while the plan is in
motion in the east. You only have to catch their attention.

Seat of violet, Droon. Seat of indigo, Yoo Kyunghwan. Seat of blue, Khalifa.

The above three began a huge attack with djinns we hired beforehand. They
destroyed pubs, brothels, casinos, and other huge sources of income. Then
subordinates of Satan’s Servants arrived to suppress them. Droon, Yoo Kyunghwan,
and Khalifa perfectly caught the attention of Pandemonium’s upper echelon.

— It’s only a matter of time before they find out what we’re up to. Satan’s Servants
rule this place, so they’ll find out we’re after the eastern region. That’s when Boss
and black will come out.

Boss and I would snipe the djinns. I shot down the djinns flooding to the eastern
region with my arrows. [Temujin’s Bow Blessed by Horus] and the [Lv.11 Athena’s
Moonlight Arrow] perfectly countered djinns. A white flame engulfed them until they
scattered into dust as soon as the arrow touched even a single hair.

— We should take care of this in half a day. No, we have to finish it during that time.
The eastern djinns hold lots of grudges against Satan’s Servants. They think the
western region is favored.

Jain set the time limit to half a day. As she said, the fight reached its climax around
that time.

— Black’s role is the most important. Executive djinns are surprisingly scared for
their lives. They’ll be too scared to come out if you shoot them from their blind spots,
so start powerfully.
Executive djinns refused to appear and the eastern region’s ordinary djinns happily
joined us to rebel. Of course, Dark Moon Society led them.

— We won’t have much else to do if all goes according to plan. We’ll have won the
fight before it even begins. Satan’s Servants will have no choice but to give up the
eastern region no matter how powerful they are.

Time passed and the sun began to set. We started at dawn and it now came to a
close.

“Well done.”

Boss stared at me under the sunset. Her bitterness and resentment seemed to have
lessened after we completed a part of our goal today.

“You too, Boss.”

It deeply moved me as well. [The Chameleon Troupe conquered a part of

Pandemonium.] It felt like just yesterday that I wrote this sentence in my novel. Now,
I personally participated in this historical battle. Of course, we had only
accomplished one-fourth.

Suddenly…

“…?”

The world slowed as bullet time had activated on its own. My senses captured the
movement of the wind and I could see something crawling out of the ground. Crunch!
Dirt and pebbles shot up as a strange creature rose.

— Kurururu, kurururu.

A bipedal insect emerged. Kurururu, kurururu. I didn’t know why it appeared now,
but the creature growled its name and shot towards Boss. It left behind a clear
afterimage and transformed into a beam of light. A sonic boom erupted from behind
it.

Kwaaaa…

Boss stared at me as the creature charged forward and I couldn’t react either. The 2
meter insect traveled faster than a ballistic missile. In the blink of an eye, Kurukuru
arrived in front of Boss and raised its scythe-like front leg.

Kiiiik…

The chilling sound of Kurukuru’s scythe piercing Boss’ heart rang out. Kurukuru
moved fast even in bullet time and Boss couldn’t react. No one could react to it. I
designed its blade so it couldn’t be avoided.

An alert popped up in front of me.

[Kurukuru – A humanoid monster that can reach hypersonic speed for 3 seconds by
drawing out its internal energy to the limits.] [Settings Change – Its strength has been
modified to 9.2/10 as a boss-level assassin in the third phase.] [Settings Change –
Kurukuru’s intelligence has been increased and it can make deals with humans and
djinns.]

I stared at the settings changes and used time reversal before Boss’ body split apart
any further.

The time that passed reversed like the speed of light.

Boss returned from the dead, Kurukuru hadn’t arrived from underground, and the
sunlight still warmly shone on us. I returned to the past by 3 minutes. Immediately, I
looked to the side.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

Thankfully, she still stood next to me. However, my heart beat like crazy and my
breathing refused to calm.

“What’s wrong?”

I grabbed her wrist.

“W-What? K-Kim Hajin? Why are you grabbing my h-hand—”

Boss spoke in a fluster, but we had to get away as soon as possible.

I grabbed Boss’ wrist.

“W-What? K-Kim Hajin? Why are you grabbing my h-hand—”

Boss seemed flustered, but I didn’t care. We needed to escape now.

I jumped to a nearby roof with her.

“Kim Hajin!”

Boss shook my hand off after our flawless landing. She looked more shy than angry.

“You should at least explain.”

“Boss, transform.”

“What?”

We didn’t have much time left. I urged her to use her Yaksha transformation.

“Hurry!”

The difference before and after her transformation was huge. Her physical strength
doubled at least and her magic power more than tripled. Not even Kurukuru could
take Boss out with a single attack in her transformed state.

“…”

Boss tilted her head, but complied nonetheless. Her eyes turned red and the shadow
armor around her thickened. Only a minute had passed.

Rumble…
However, I suddenly felt a huge vibration from the ground. Soon, bullet time
activated again. Did aether’s transcendent senses somehow feel how the flow of time
had changed? It happened much earlier than before and I seemed to have
underestimated Kurukuru.

Kwaaaa!

Something shot up from beneath the building and pierced through the center as it
leaped up. It severed the steel frames, destroyed the stairwells, passed through
dozens of floors, and instantly reached the rooftop.

Debris flew in the air, but floated without scattering. Only Kurukuru freely moved in
this world where time stopped.

However, the circumstances had changed this time. Boss, in her Yaksha state, could
read its movements. She unleashed her magic power to obstruct Kurukuru and crush
the insect charging at her.

“…?”

Kurukuru’s movements seemed off this time. It attacked to the left towards me
instead of Boss. It had switched its target in a split moment.

Fear struck me and I quickly tried to use my ultimate skill, but Kurukuru’s scythe
reached me before I could even bring out any spirit power.

This looks bad.

Aether formed a barrier in front of me. However, Kurukuru’s scythe simply phased
through it. Its glowing scythe only aimed at the physical body. This lethal weapon,
combined with its lightning speed, couldn’t be avoided or stopped.

Crack—

Soon, its blade pierced my heart. Time flowed slowly, but the pain arrived fast. I felt
it even in the most remote corners of my body. I fell back and my consciousness
began to fade. The sounds of the world drifted away as I collapsed with open eyes.

The last thing I saw was Boss aiming her magic power at Kurukuru.
 ***

[England — Buckingham Palace]

Meanwhile, Rachel looked at the child on her lap. Zzzzz…

Just where did this child come from? She thought to herself as she stared at Evandel
sound asleep.

Kim Hajin said Evandel came from a seed and also explained why she looked like
Rachel. She perceived Rachel as her mother because she had been fed Rachel’s blood
as a seed.

Of course, Rachel found it difficult to believe. She also resented the fact that he only
revealed this child to her now after 4 years.

“Unnn…”

None of that mattered anymore. Rachel felt calm and could set aside any
responsibilities or burdens with this child next to her. Just looking at her brought a
sense of affection that emerged from deep within Rachel’s heart. This feeling must
be happiness.

Rachel smiled and stroked Evandel’s forehead. The child’s soft skin, golden hair,
pretty eyelashes, and sparkling blue eyes… everything about her felt lovely to Rachel.

“People will think she’s your daughter.”

Rachel raised her head towards the familiar voice. Ah Hae-In smiled and continued.

“Then is the father Kim Hajin?”

“Cough.”

Rachel couldn’t answer. That would be the case if she had to pick a mother and
father, but she didn’t want to go that far. Maybe she could take their current
relationship a bit further. Ah Hae-In cut off her excessive thinking.

“I assume you’ve heard from Kim Hajin.”

“Yes, I heard you were in charge of Evandel’s training.”

She felt surprised when she first heard about it from Kim Hajin, but it only felt
natural after she witnessed Evandel’s talent. Rachel caressed Evandel’s cheek.

“Please, don’t be too harsh on her.”

“Huhu. Harsh? You don’t know how devious that child can be.”

“Pardon?”

“She’s probably wide awake right now. She’s pretending to be asleep so she can stay
by your side as long as possible.”

Rachel lowered her gaze towards Evandel. Next to Evandel’s tightly shut eyes, a
stream of cold sweat fell from her temple.

“…”

Rachel pretended not to notice and raised her head.

“You see? She’s awake.”

“No, she’s sound asleep.”

Rachel shook her head as Ah Hae-In narrowed her eyes.

“You’re becoming more like a child yourself.”

Haaa… Ah Hae-In’s sigh lengthened. Rachel stroked Evandel’s head and looked at the
clock. She would have to go to work soon at eight.

“Going to work?”

“Yes.”

Rachel chose to travel between Crevon and Earth every day to be with Evandel.
Monsters and calamities usually appeared at late hours, so she stayed in Crevon from
8 P.M. to 8 A.M.
“How’s the situation in Crevon?”

“It’s not much better.”

Rachel sighed. She worried just as much about Crevon as she did about Evandel. The
ordeal would only be over after they defeated all 9 calamities and shut the calamity
door.

“No, actually, things did improve a bit.”

They did experience one positive change.

“Is it about the new knight you mentioned before?”

“Yes.”

Rachel nodded. A new player recently joined the royal knights.

“She specializes in large-scale warfare.”

Rachel smiled at the thought of her new junior who seemed to be twice as strong as
any other knight in the order.

“She would’ve easily become a ranker if she continued climbing the tower. I’m
thankful for her.”

Becoming Crevon’s knight held several advantages, but also disadvantages as well.
The royal family had them sign a contract with this specific clause: I will not abandon
Crevon to climb the tower.

“Mmm, and what did you say her name was?”

Ah Hae-In asked and Rachel lightly replied.

“It’s Shin Jahyuk.”

***

[8-3F Crevon, Atalos Royal Palace]

“Ah-choo!”

Jin Sahyuk sneezed while drinking her tea. Is someone talking about me? She wiped
her nose and picked up her teacup.

“So it’s true Kim Hajin attacked Pandemonium?”

“Yes, that’s the rumor, Knight Shin Jahyuk. The news is completely fresh, only 3 hours
old.”

Bell answered sarcastically, but Jin Sahyuk kept her cool. Sarcasm and teasing barely
bothered her anymore after suffering all that shame and humiliation. Letting her
pride go was hard at first, but easy the second time.

“Sahyuk, how’s your TP situation?”

“I’m almost there.”

She currently had a total of 100,000 TP. Just a little more and she could finally
enhance her unique trait.

“You’re not gonna learn any skills?”

“I can’t keep my ultimate or unique skill since I died once already.”

Jin Sahyuk also thought skills other than ultimate and unique skills seemed boring,
so she didn’t learn any.

“Mmm. That’s true. You and Rumi each died once.”

Bell nodded and drank his tea.

“Wow, this tastes good.”

The royal family’s Lv. 5 black tea tasted surprisingly sweet.

“I’m gonna take some of these with me. Huh?”

Bell suddenly felt a strange sensation like an electric jolt through his body. It didn’t
come from his intuition, but his [Basic Skill – Tracking]. His expression immediately
turned serious.

“What?” Jin Sahyuk asked with a teacup in her hand.

“Sahyuk.”

When she heard his solemn voice, she immediately thought, This bastard is trying to
fool me again.

“Don’t you dare…”

Jin Sahyuk began, but still glanced back. Of course, Kim Hajin hadn’t appeared. She
also checked the windows to be certain, but everything remained the same. Her face
distorted into a devilish look.

“Didn’t I tell you not to pull any tricks on me?”

“You still have that bead I gave you last time, right?”

However, Bell still sounded serious. Only then did Jin Sahyuk realize he wasn’t joking.
She crossed her arms and asked.

“What bead?”

“That thing I gave you before.”

“What, the cat bell?”

“Yeah, that.”

[Lv.6 Cat Bell]

This item allowed its owner to monitor a target’s physical state no matter their
location. The bell would glow blue if her target, Kim Hajin, showed up. It would also
glow red if the target’s condition became dire. Bell got this whopping Lv.6 item for
her so she could sleep in peace.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Take it out.”
Jin Sayhuk frowned, but did as he said. The bell, originally transparent, had turned
black. Bell realized what happened the moment he saw it. It bewildered him at the
same time. He hadn’t expected this at all. Why, why so suddenly?

“What the heck. It’s all black now. What does that mean?”

It hadn’t turned red or blue. Bell replied to Jin Sayhuk in a daze.

“I think… Kim Hajin just died.”

“Wha, what?”

Jin Sahyuk felt even more surprised. Her fingers around the teacup loosened and the
cup spun in circles as it fell to the floor. Clang— The fragments and the tea inside
splattered all over the carpet, but both of them couldn't care less.

“Wha— What the hell are you talking about?”

Jin Sahyuk glared at him and continued.

“Why, why would that son of a bitch die?”

She found it impossible. Someone strong enough to finish her with one punch had
died? That didn’t make any sense. If he died, Jin Sahyuk believed it would be by her
hands. So how?

“Are you messing with me again?”

“No, I’m telling the truth this time. Look, the bell turned black.”

“Wha— explain so it makes sense. W-Why is that bastard suddenly dead?”

Jin Sahyuk shouted, but Bell didn’t answer. He hadn’t expected this either. Kim Hajin
didn’t look like the type to die so easily.

“Fuck!”

Jin Sahyuk swore as she opened the player shop and quickly purchased an [Earth
Return Ticket]. Did he really die? If so, then who killed him? Which bastard killed her
sworn enemy? Jin Sahyuk tore the ticket in a hurry to find out.
 ***

[Essence of the Strait, Chief Strategic Officer]

Yoo Yeonha worked as usual on a peaceful afternoon when she suddenly received a
video call.

— It’s not oppa.

Chae Nayun immediately said when she picked up the call. Yoo Yeonha’s heart sank
when she heard those words.

“Sorry?”

However, she quickly regained her calm. Chae Nayun progressed much faster than
Yoo Yeonha had expected. Naturally, Chae Nayun would recognize (or not recognize)
her brother.

“What are you talking ab…”

— I saw the case file. The corpse in the picture wasn’t oppa. Someone replaced his
body.

“No way.”

— It’s true. Trust me. I’m confident.

Yoo Yeonha widened her eyes to appear surprised, but already knew all this. Kim
Joongho, the forensic pathologist in charge of the case, had replaced Chae Jinyoon’s
body. Chae Shinhyuk had ordered him to cremate Chae Jinyoon’s body, but he kept it
hidden instead.

— The forensic pathologist in charge of this case was someone named Kim Joongho,
but I can’t figure out his location.

Yoo Yeonha had tried locating Kim Joongho too, but he went completely off the radar
after the case. The informants she sent after him had all been annihilated by Chae
Joochul.

“Really?”
— Yeah, he disappeared after my brother’s case. Even Kim Hosup couldn’t find him,
so I plan on looking for him myself.

Even Chae Joochul wouldn’t be so heartless as to kill his only granddaughter. Perhaps
only Chae Nayun could find this pathologist.

“Can you do it?”

— Yeah, his last known location is somewhere near the Himalayas. I think he’s hiding
in the mountains. I already purchased a portal ticket.

“…”

— Once I leave, I probably won’t be in touch for a while. I called to tell you that.
Huhu.

Chae Nayun smiled bravely on the screen, but seeing her friend like that only gave
Yoo Yeonha a heavy heart.

— Ah, it’s my turn. I gotta go. Bye.

Chae Nayun hung up before Yoo Yeonha could say anything. She could only see the
portal to India through the screen.

“Haaa…”

Yoo Yeonha deeply sighed and stared at the blank screen.

***

[Pandemonium, Eastern Region]

A brief brawl took place in front of the sunset. It only lasted a minute or so. The
battle of speed ended and Boss stood in a daze with an insect arm in her hand. She
appeared victorious, but the arm didn’t feel like a trophy. She managed to sever one
of its arms, but couldn’t finish it off.

“…”

She turned towards the crumbling building. The setting sun’s glow had already faded
and a man lay on the road in darkness. However, he could no longer be considered
alive. Everything from his shoulders to his pelvis had been cut in half, including his
heart. He had undoubtedly turned into a corpse.

“…”

However, she couldn’t give up hope. She couldn’t accept that he became like that.
That he had died. It all happened in an instant and everything still felt like a dream.

She walked with faltering steps. Her legs didn’t move as she intended. She almost fell
multiple times, but finally managed to arrive in front of him.

Reality looked even crueler up close. His body had been split in half and the blood
had already drained from his body. She looked at him in a daze and collapsed.

Nothing came to mind. Only her hand moved on its own. Her left hand with the ring
he gave her touched his forehead.

His skin felt cold, so cold. This absolute coldness scared her. Her fear transformed
into a pain that tore her heart apart.

“Ah…”

She trembled in agony. Is the past repeating itself? Losing someone only to realize he
was… precious to me?

Suddenly, her vision blurred. Only then did she realize the tears streaming down her
face.
Boss wiped her eyes as the coldness spread through her fingertips. She became
confused at her tears and could still see Kim Hajin beyond her hands. He had already
died, but it didn’t feel real because it happened so quickly. However, she knew it had
actually happened because she experienced this feeling before when the previous
boss died.

“…”

Suddenly, regret overcame her.

It didn’t have to be today. It could’ve been tomorrow or the day after, but I insisted on
today. I pulled Kim Hajin into the Chameleon Troupe and thought of him as nothing but
a tool to avenge the previous boss. Is this my punishment?

Something inside her crumbled. The emotions she held back finally burst. She could
no longer hold back the torrent. She buried her face in his cold chest as dried blood
touched her forehead. Scenes that couldn’t return flashed before her.

Times Kim Hajin joked with me, his affectionate combing, the words he said as he gave
me a ring, the days his intellect and maturity calmed me… He protected me, but I
couldn’t protect him. I, his boss, couldn’t do anything to help him.

She closed her eyes and cried in a pitch-black world, trembling without a sound.

“Mmm.”

A strange voice rang out in her distress.

“Boss?”

A familiar voice that could no longer be heard. Kim Hajin called me in my

hallucination.
“Move over, Boss.”

The auditory hallucination grew clearer and sounded too real.

“I said move over.”

Boss raised her head after hearing his voice again. Kim Hajin stood there with a
straight face. He even slightly grinned.

“What…”

Was I dreaming? Was this all a dream? If not, how much of it was real? Did I dream
that Kim Hajin had died?

Something even more unbelievable occurred. Golden light began to shine from Kim
Hajin’s body. Boss took a step back and watched intently.

Something impossible happened. The two severed halves of his body came back
together, his broken bones and torn flesh healed, and the drained blood re-entered
his veins. Boss doubted her eyes even though she witnessed it firsthand.

“Sigh… what a shame to use up a life here. Are you okay, Boss?”

The resurrected Kim Hajin smiled at Boss. She stood in a daze as the insect arm
dangled in her right hand.

“…!”

Soon, she tossed away that insect arm and jumped into his embrace. She hadn’t done
so on purpose. Her body moved on its own. She tightly embraced Kim Hajin and
clearly felt his existence in her arms. His beating heart told her he had returned.

***

[Central Africa, Underground]

Humanity lost Central Africa to monsters a long time ago. They couldn’t survive the
harsh environment and abandoned most of Africa. Then monsters took their place.
The law of the jungle where the strong devoured the weak prevailed. The continent
that once contained dozens of countries returned to wilderness.
“So you lost.”

However, human language could be heard in this land with no humans. The one
speaking only looked human. His name was Orden. He called himself the monster
king and founded a country of monsters in subterranean Africa. The vast
underground city spread far like an ant tunnel and grew into a giant colony. Orden
had reigned as king for a long time. Monsters formed a hierarchy under his rule and
they birthed new monsters through numerous research and experiments. Humans
called them humanoid monsters, but Orden called themselves neo-humanity.

— Kururu, kuru…

A strange-looking insect muttered dejectedly in front of the sovereign on a throne.

The insect resembling a human kneeled like a knight serving his lord.

“You lost your right arm.”

The king’s gaze fell on the insect’s right arm and it flinched in shame. It had lost the
Scythe of Light bequeathed to him by the monster king. The scythe couldn’t easily be
made and couldn’t be recovered anymore.

“Do not worry, Kurukuru.”

The king stood from his throne and approached Kurukuru. His footsteps, infused
with magic power, resonated with the atmosphere. Kurukuru didn’t know what to
do.

Soon, the king placed his hand on Kurukuru’s severed arm. The insect humanoid felt
slight pain and gratitude for it. A new arm sprung from where the king touched him.
Like before, the arm resembled a sharp scythe. It looked different from the Scythe of
Light, but shone with a fierce, metallic luster.

“This is the best metal that can be found underground. It can’t be compared to the
Scythe of Light, but it should withstand human magic power.”

— Kuru, kuru.

The subject expressed its gratitude for the king’s benevolence. Orden faintly smiled
and returned to his throne. The subject, still kneeling, didn’t dare look at the king’s
back.
“Now, let’s hear your story.”

The king’s voice rang out imposingly.

“Kurukuru, who did you lose to and how?”

The subject felt great shame at being unable to complete the king’s order and recited
what happened 5 minutes ago.

***

The Pandemonium invasion successfully concluded. Cheok Jungyeong’s return

played a huge role. No one knew what he had been up to inside the tower, but he had
grown even stronger and decimated the remaining djinns in the eastern region.

The quick-footed giant possessed instincts surpassing a savage beast. Cheok

Jungyeong truly resembled a monster from the depths of hell with his ultimate skill,
energy blast.

“Haaa…”

The Chameleon Troupe arrived at a hideout the Dark Moon Society had prepared.
However, I didn’t have time to rejoice at all. The fact that Kurukuru appeared meant
the next great calamity would happen soon. As expected, the third phase ended up
coinciding with the Tower of Wish.

Something else felt uncomfortable. I turned to the side and spotted Boss staring
intently at me.

“Boss, you can go now. Please leave.”

“…”

She acted like this ever since our fight with Kurukuru. Boss forced me to lay in bed
and refused to leave.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…”
She didn’t reply to any of my questions and only continued staring.

“Fine, fine.”

I scratched my neck and lay back down. Only then did Boss sigh in relief.

I raised my upper body again and her worried expression also returned.

“…”

Then I began a staring contest with Boss.

“…”

“…”

We stared at each other for 5 minutes in silence. Finally, Boss opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you as your boss, but you ended up protecting me
instead.”

For the record, I told her about my unique skill that included the 3 minute time
reversal and resurrection.

○ Body Reversal: Will activate when your physical body dies. Your physical body returns
to its state 10 minutes before your death. (1/2 uses left).

Body reversal, the Clock Hand of Fate’s third ability, activated when my physical body
died and returned it to 10 minutes before my death. I told Boss because she wouldn’t
let me alone otherwise, but she continued to stay anyway.

“I’m fine, Boss.”

“I’m not fine.”

“Don’t worry about what happened too much. We ended up getting this too.”

I held up Kurukuru’s right arm that Boss gave me. The Scythe of Light reflected the
moonlight from the window.
“What use is that?”

“What do you mean? This is an amazing weapon.”

It looked a bit gross at the moment, but it could compare to most mythical grade
weapons once I cleaned it and made a new weapon out of it.

“Do you want to use it?”

“…”

Boss shook her head. Tiriring— I received a message from Jain.

[I think it’s because of what happened in the past. Boss will be fine tomorrow. She
might even kick her blanket tonight in regret.] [Ah, don’t forget to film her.]

Film her? That sounded like a great idea. I raised my smartwatch. Tiring— Boss
immediately flinched.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Filming you. I won’t stop until you leave. You know what to do if you want to keep
your dignity as the boss.”

Boss fell into thought before jumping up.

“Good.”

“Tell me if anything happens.”

She finally left. I could still see her guarding the door outside with my eyes, but Jain
appeared and dragged her away. I sighed as they went away.

“Huuu…”

Now I could relax in peace. I lay back down and checked [Violet Banquet].

[You have received a reply from Daehyun’s Chae Joochul.]

Four days ago, Chae Joochul notified the Truth Agency that he would hunt the devil
known as Plucas. Naturally, I sent a drone to Plucas’ temple to observe the situation.
However, that didn’t concern me at the moment.

“You’re dead.”

Kurukuru, you son of a bitch. How dare you kill me? I’ll send this world’s most tenacious
and powerful enemy after you. I began to furiously type.

Whish—

The wind suddenly blew as I completed my sentence. It didn’t feel that strange
except I had kept the windows closed.

“…?”

I raised my head and felt surprised.

“What?”

There, I saw an unexpected guest by the windowsill. Deep navy hair and eyes
flickering with dangerous magic power. Jin Sahyuk clicked her tongue at me.

“That surprised me. Why are you here?”

“I heard you died, but you’re alive and well.”

“What did you say?”

I frowned. How did she find out that I died?

“Did you come to get beaten up again?”

I didn’t want to fight her in my current state, but I kept up the façade.

“No, no, I’m not here to fight. Some piece of shit idiot said you died, so I just came to
see… see you. You know him, right? Bell, t-that son of a bitch lied to me.”

Thankfully, I scared her off. She pretended to be fine, but couldn’t even meet my eyes.

“We can fight if you want.”

“I, I told you I’m, I’m not here to fight.”

“Stop stuttering.”

“I just wanted to sp… spit on your corpse if you did…”

I smirked. Right, this Jin Sahyuk felt more familiar. I suddenly recalled an episode
from the original novel where Jin Sahyuk cooperated with Kim Suho to defeat a devil
while saying she would be the one to kill Kim Suho.

“It’s true. I did die. I just came back to life afterward.”

“You what?”

“It’s my skill.”

Jin Sahyuk’s face contorted. What kind of overpowered skill is that? She grumbled and
glanced at my body.

“There’s someone who can kill you?”

I didn’t answer her and suddenly had a strange thought.

Did the co-author leave her as the final boss or did he change her into a neutral
character that could be persuaded?

This felt like an important question. Even Kurukuru had grown stronger. Jin Sahyuk
could become an ally as powerful as Kim Suho if enemies stronger than Kurukuru
could appear at any time. I asked her to find out.

“Hey, why do you live?”

“What? Are you picking a fight with me?”

Jin Sahyuk looked at me dumbfoundedly, but flinched and turned away again. I
simply grinned.

“People have their own reasons for living. I’m asking what’s yours.”

“I didn’t come to hear bullshit. I’m leaving.”

“Already?”

“I confirmed you’re still alive. It’s great to know you can revive. That means I can kill
you multiple times.”

Jin Sahyuk tried to run away. However, I extended aether and grabbed her wrist. I felt
like I wouldn’t have another chance if I let her go. Jin Sahyuk would continue to avoid
me and a huge fight would surely break out if we met again in the future. This time, I
asked in more detail.

“Do you want to return home?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk paused, but didn’t answer. I had no choice but to throw more bait.

“To Plerion?”

Immediately, she stiffened. Her body froze and her magic power turned cold. Jin
Sahyuk creaked her head towards me. Shock and suspicion filled her eyes.

“D-Don’t tell me… you’re a transmigrator too?”

I smiled and shook my head.

“No.”

“Don’t fuck with me!”

Jin Sahyuk suddenly yelled. Damn, what if Boss hears you and rushes over?

“Answer me! How do you know the royal family’s name?”

“We can talk about that later when we have the chance.”

“You humiliated me this much knowing that?”

Jin Sahyuk’s tone changed. She approached and grabbed me by the collar.

“Explain!”
“You might die if you don’t let go right now.”

Five seconds until Boss arrived. I raised my hand and counted down with my fingers.
Five, four, three, two… However, I seemed to have touched a nerve with the royal
family’s name and Jin Sahyuk refused to back down.

When I finally finished counting…

— Purururu!

Spartan’s signal suddenly rang in my ears. That meant something had occurred on
the 27th floor.

“Explain…”

This woman kept shouting in my face, but I ran out of time. Spartan forcefully
summoned me back into the tower.
[27F - Demon King’s Tower, 1F]

Space warped and I found myself in a different world. The transfer felt sudden and
intense. I shot into the sky and fell straight to the ground. Nausea kicked in, but I
didn’t feel much pain. Soon, I regained my composure and opened my eyes.

“I’m inside the tower.”

I could tell from my clothes. The robe I wore in the tower replaced the pajamas on
Earth.

Kuuu…

Suddenly, I heard a groan from behind. I glanced back to find Jin Sahyuk and grasped
the situation. Spartan’s unstable summon must’ve dragged her along and she
became a cushion under me.

“Cough.”

I let her be and stood up. We had arrived in some sort of dark cave. Where am I? I
thought until I heard Spartan’s cry.

Purururu—

Spartan flew over and landed on my shoulder.

“What happened for you to call me so urgently?”

— Purururu, Purururu.

Spartan only rubbed his head against me without answering. Seriously, what
happened? He usually acted so cold.
“What, what is it?”

— Purururu, Purururu.

“Okay, okay, explain. You have to explain first.”

Spartan rubbed me two more times before sharing his vision. What happened to
Aileen’s party unfolded before my eyes. I watched everything from beginning to end.

“They’re locked up in jail?”

— Pururu.

Spartan nodded. Aileen’s party lost to some demons and had been imprisoned. The
witch who served as one of the demon king’s closest advisers devised a plan. Spartan
tried to contact me, but suddenly lost connection. He could only think of one reason
why that happened. His owner had died.

He wanted to deny it, but no other explanation existed. Spartan cried in sorrow until
all his tears dried up. However, Spartan realized his connection came back after
crying his eyes out and brought me here as soon as he noticed.

“Were you that sad?”

— Pururu…

Our eyes met after I learned the entire story. I could feel Spartan’s emotions and his
sparkling eyes looked especially adorable today. I hugged Spartan for the first time.
He hugged me back with his wings too.

Our touching reunion would’ve lasted longer except…

“You.”

A woman with disheveled hair staggered up. Jin Sahyuk finally regained her senses.

“Ah, but why did you bring her here?”

— Pururu.
I pulled her in by mistake and ended up using too much magic power.

Spartan replied.

“The royal family’s name… how do you know it?”

Jin Sahyuk was still obsessed over Plerion.

“Ah, that bastard Kim Suho must’ve told you. That low life.”

I watched Jin Sahyuk mutter to herself when…

— Wiing.

My smartwatch vibrated and I glanced at the screen.

[Problem – Jin Sahyuk possesses both pride and dignity as a member of the royal
family. However, her actions and mindset in the original story felt too carefree and
immature.]

[Settings Change – As a defense mechanism, Jin Sahyuk sealed away her pride as
royalty. One might say she has a split personality.]

Did I mention Plerion too early? A trivial change had occurred. I sighed and looked at
Jin Sahyuk.

“I didn’t learn it from Kim Suho.”

“What? Then how doth thee knoweth thy name?”

She even began speaking like royalty. I shrugged and answered.

“I told you, I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

The Plerion Royal Family once ruled the continent, but tragically fell. Its 9 year old
prince (I mean princess) had to endure much hardships when demons invaded their
kingdom. They had no choice but to seek refuge in a different world on Earth.

Of course, the final boss’ backstory contained more than that. I put more effort into
making her than Kim Suho, but the results didn’t live up to my expectations.
“Just wait and don’t forget. I know what you don’t know.”

I kept this a secret from her until now because I thought it might be useful as a
psychological attack. After all, weakening a villain with words proved to be a famous
cliche.

“You—”

She would probably call me impudent next. I abruptly approached her and stared
into her eyes with our noses almost touching. Jin Sahyuk almost shouted at the top of
her lungs, but suddenly fell silent.

“…”

I kept staring without a word. I didn’t even need to intimidate her. I simply stood
there and Jin Sahyuk grew afraid on her own. Her eyes blinked, her lips quivered,
and she dropped her gaze.

“A-Answer now. Right now…”

She managed to finish despite the fear.

“Spartan, can you send her back now?”

I ignored her and looked at Spartan. He nodded and flapped his wings.

— Pururu.

“No, no! Wait a second, Kim Hajin! Were you the advisor? Or maybe the prophet…”

“See you later. Take your time thinking, okay?”

Something sucked away Jin Sahyuk’s body and Spartan forcefully transported her
back.

— Pururu…

I handed the Orb of Regeneration to Spartan, who suffered from using his authority
too much.
“Should I not have told her?”

I began to regret after sending Jin Sahyuk back. I might’ve spoken too rashly.

“Oh well…”

I had stopped writing during the fourth phase. Soon, the story would enter the
unknown. Jin Sahyuk’s past would surface anyways towards the end.

I felt frustrated thinking about the end. What would happen to me once everything
concluded? The existence called Kim Hajin, who intruded into this world…

I looked at my smartwatch.

▷??? — Will unlock after the main story ends.

One clause remained unknown. My last hope of returning to Earth, but did I still
consider it hope?

— Purururu.

Spartan clung to my shoulder and interrupted my gloomy thoughts.

I snapped out of my daze and took out my bow.

[Temujin’s Bow Blessed by Horus]

I used [Card Conversion] to turn it into an effective good and brought it along. It
should serve me well in the Demon King’s Tower. I also took out Black Lotus’ entire
wardrobe: an assassin-like robe, a mask, and red contact lenses.

“Mm, mm. Ah, ah.”

The mask’s voice alteration worked flawlessly. After that, I concentrated magic
power into my eyes. My field of vision stretched and I could see the entire 27th floor.

— Damn it. This is so annoying.

I discovered Aileen first. She sat inside a room that looked somewhat like a prison.
Steel bars surrounded her in every direction, but the room featured a bed, a sink, and
even a shower.

“Ah.”

The demons locked them up in the Colosseum. A society of demons existed within
the Demon King’s Tower and their king invented the Colosseum as a sport to
entertain them.

— Dammit. I can’t even run away because of the others.

Aileen aimlessly wandered in the gladiator room while muttering to herself. Then I
took a peek at the others.

— I’ll be putting other members in danger if I escape. First, I’ll figure out how to
contact them.

Jin Seyeon carefully planned her next move.

— I need a way, a way to escape with everyone…

Kim Suho seemed to be contemplating.

— Ah, I miss my wife.

Yi Yongha simply lamented about something else entirely.

They delayed their escape because they all worried about each other. However, they
shouldn’t have assumed they could break out so easily.

“Things could’ve been worse.”

Fortunately, I recalled the Colosseum episode fairly well. I even knew how to clear it.

Then I thought about Boss. She probably worried sick that I disappeared, but
Spartan couldn’t use teleportation anymore. I would have to find my way back to the
Demon King’s Tower if I left with a ticket.

“Spartan?”

I took out a slip of paper and wrote a short message.

[Boss, I’ll be in the Tower of Wish for a while. No worries.]

“Just send this note to where I came from. You can do it, right?”

— Pururu.

Spartan nodded energetically.

***

[Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam — Seoul, South Korea]

Yoo Yeonha built a mansion for herself in the middle of Gangnam. This 230 square
meter building stood 4 stories high and contributed to her independence plan. Yoo
Yeonha felt happy about finally having a place of her own.

“Excuse me, please be careful with that furniture?”

“Yes!”

She had hired movers to transport her belongings. Of course, it would’ve been faster
to move them using spells or skills, but she would rather spend the extra money than
risk her valuables being discolored.

“Especially that bed over there. Please be extra careful with that bed.”

“Haha, leave it to us.”

“Don’t laugh and be serious. Can’t you tell I’m being serious?”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

They transported the tightly-wrapped bed up from the ladder truck below. Yoo
Yeonha kept biting her lips out of anxiety that they might drop it.

“All finished!”

“Phew…”

Fortunately, the bed arrived safe and sound. She went down to the second floor to
confirm it in the bedroom. The third floor served as her living space and the second
floor would be an office designed just for her.

“Huhunhuhuhunn.”

Yoo Yeonha hummed to herself at her desk. The chair from Kim Hajin blissfully
surrounded her. She had used it for a long time now, but it only felt better every day
and became her third most treasured possession. As a side note, her bed came in
second and her guild placed first.

Tiriring—

Happiness enveloped her when her phone suddenly rang. It came from ♥Dad♥. Yoo
Yeonha smiled and picked it up.

“Hello.”

— Hey, sweetie.

It sounded like her father had drunk a few drinks with his friends. Yoo Yeonha
usually hated that, but decided to let it go for today.

— You know daddy’s promotion ceremony is in three days, right?

In three days, Yoo Jinwoong would leave his mark in history and become a master
rank hero.

“Of course, I remember. You don’t even need to ask.”

— You have to come. If you don’t, I’m going to run out in the middle of the ceremony.

“Of course, I’ll be there.”

— Okay. I trust you, daughter. You know I’m super proud of you, right? Ah, hey, hey.
No, you don’t get to talk to my daughter. Go away!

She suddenly heard other voices from the other side. Yoo Yeonha asked them to take
care of her father and hung up.

“Huhuhum…”
Everything went well recently. Yoo Yeonha felt pleased and looked around the silent
office. The room felt a little lonely, but it would feel just right with her secretaries.
Maybe she could get a pet.

Tzzzt—

She pondered over the two wonderful choices when a call suddenly came from one
of her informants.

— Master, this is urgent. Just now, we spotted the humanoid monster from before in
Pandemonium.

Kim Hajin had wanted information about this. Yoo Yeonha sat up and cleared her
throat.

“Is this from a witness or do you have physical evidence?”

— I have physical evidence. We managed to record a short clip of the monster with
our nearby drones.

“Mmm.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded in satisfaction. Dispatching hundreds of stealth drones in

Pandemonium paid off.

— A wave of magic power damaged the recording halfway, but the important part
remains intact. I’ll send it over now.

“Okay.”

The call ended and she received the video file. Yoo Yeonha took out a can of Coke
from the refrigerator and played the video. Pssh— She opened the can and prepared
to take a sip.

“…?”

However, the video had already ended.

“That’s it?”
The video only lasted 3 seconds. She took a sip of the Coke and played it again.

“Just what is…”

The drone sensed abnormal vibrations and zoomed in on a rooftop. There, an event
the naked eye couldn’t capture took place.

An unknown being shot up like a rocket through the building and destroyed it along
the way. Then the being pierced someone’s heart on the roof. The video immediately
ended after a blast of magic power struck the drone.

“Hmm…”

As expected of an elite informant, she also received a second clip 1000 times slower
than the first. She played the second video and began her in-depth analysis. Even
then she could barely catch a glimpse of the being. Just how fast is he?

“Huh?”

Yoo Yeonha initially focused on the humanoid monster, but her gaze soon shifted
elsewhere. She no longer looked at the humanoid monster, but at the person whose
body had been split in half by the monster.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

She felt a sense of incongruity and quickly rewound the clip. The nameless victim
wore a hood, but the wind blew it off when the monster approached. That face
looked extremely familiar.

“This…”

She found it impossible and rewound the clip once again. Then she stopped the
moment it revealed his face and zoomed in.

“Ah…”

She couldn’t say anything. Her hand began shaking over the mouse.

This… this can’t be true. Why is he in Pandemonium? Did he think he could defeat the
humanoid monster by himself? Or was he chasing after the Chameleon Troupe and
accidentally ended up in Pandemonium? Whatever the reason, this is…

Yoo Yeonha wrapped her hands around her head and replayed the clip. She
concentrated on that exact moment.

“This… man…”

A feeble voice came out from her mouth as she rewatched the scene in a daze. The
results remained the same no matter how many times she rewound the clip and
upgraded the video quality. Worse, it only became clearer. She could never forget
that person’s face and name.

“It’s… Kim Hajin.”

At this point, she couldn’t do anything anymore. Her hands violently shook as she
picked up her smartwatch and called Kim Hajin.

[The recipient cannot be reached at this moment…]

The cruel dial tone confirmed his absence. Yoo Yeonha called again.

[The recipient cannot be reached at this moment…]

And again.

[The recipient cannot be reached at this moment…]

She continued.

[The recipient cannot be reached at this moment…]

The indifferent voice from the dial tone resounded throughout her empty office. Yoo
Yeonha kept calling over and over.

***

[27F – Demon Colosseum, Gladiator’s Room]

“Sigh…”
She had been trapped in this cell for 3 days. How did this happen? Jin Seyeon sat on
the bed and recounted the events over the past few days.

It all started with Black Lotus’ pet bird. It successfully led them to the Demon King’s
Tower. Then they stopped Aileen from trying to enter right away and took a break for
the next 3 days. They rested well and recharged with potions, scrolls, and useful
cards. The party wanted Yi Yeonghan and Shin Jonghak to rejoin them, but neither
felt ready yet so they decided to enter the Demon King’s Tower by themselves.

At first, they thought everything would go smoothly. However, they soon fell into a
trap that forcefully disbanded their party and couldn’t contact each other. Some sort
of magic probably caused it.

Jin Seyeon believed in her comrades even though she became stranded. She believed
they would regroup if she continued to climb. However, a witch appeared with
hundreds of demons and showed her a crystal ball. It reflected an image of Yi Yongha
locked in a cell.

Jin Seyeon had no choice but to comply after they threatened to kill her comrade. Yi
Yongha would always brag about his kids to them. Those kids certainly didn’t
deserve to lose their father.

“Haa… I shouldn’t act rashly.”

Jin Seyeon took a deep breath. She already checked everyone’s status. They would
surely meet again if they stayed alive.

— Human Jin Seyeon, it’s time.

A heavy voice descended from above. Jin Seyeon sighed as a demon guard appeared
in front of her cell.

“Follow me.”

The one-eyed guard undressed Jin Seyeon with his eye. The way he touched her as he
dragged her out felt even more horrendous.

She barely managed to refrain from shooting an arrow at him.

“You better not be lying about releasing me once I achieve 10 victories.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll certainly keep our word. We will release you if you achieve 10
victories.”

“You’ll be the first one I kill once I get out of here.”

“Do as you wish, if you can.”

The one-eyed guard smirked. I'll release you after 10 wins.

They probably did plan on releasing her, but everyone had different definitions of
release.

Jin Seyeon followed the guard and arrived at the Colosseum’s right entrance. The
guard spoke from behind the door that led to the arena.

“Your opponent is a newcomer who just arrived yesterday.”

“Newcomer? You mean he’s a human?”

“You’ll see.”

“Hmm… I do have an idea of who he might be.”

Jin Seyeon recalled the huge man, Cheok Jungyeong.

— Your patience will be awarded! Now, let the banquet of death begin!

The door opened with a fiendish yell and a deafening roar flooded in from the other
side.

Jin Seyeon entered the arena with a frown. The handcuffs around her wrist came off
and the guard handed her a bow.

She looked at her opponent on the other side.

“…?”

However, she soon tilted her head. The silhouette approaching didn’t match her
expectations.
“That man…”

He looked slender rather than big and wore a black robe embroidered with a golden
lotus. He also wore a black mask and held a black bow. He clearly didn’t intend on
concealing his identity.

“Don’t tell me…”

Jin Seyeon’s eyes widened.

She knew this man all too well. The strongest archer in the Tower of Wish, the
Chameleon Troupe’s current seat of black, and perhaps who she wanted to meet
most. Black Lotus had finally appeared in front of her.
The Colosseum filled with excitement and madness as Jin Seyeon stared at the man
in front of her. Her eyes couldn’t see through his disguise. Black Lotus’ mask
somehow deflected her gift.

— The victor shall survive and the loser shall die! Enjoy the humans’ fight to the
death!

A demon voice loudly announced.

Jin Seyeon raised the [Lv.7 Munjong’s Bow], an artifact she obtained while climbing
the tower. She aimed the bow at Black Lotus, a Chameleon Troupe member deeply
involved in her parents’ deaths. She couldn’t let go of her resentment and an ember
of hatred sparked inside her once again.

— Fight!

However, her resentment became a trifling matter compared to her comrades’ lives.

— Fight, human gladiators!

Jin Seyeon regained her composure as her opponent also raised his bow. They didn’t
have the leisure to talk things out. Magic power condensed around the Divine
Archer’s bowstring and Black Lotus also nocked an arrow.

Jin Seyeon worried they wouldn’t be able to satisfy the demons’ expectations. The
audience cheered, but a battle between sharpshooters didn’t look exciting. A single
arrow always determined the fight.

Sharpshooters couldn’t attack if they only dodged and couldn’t dodge if they only
attacked. As such, battles between sharpshooters usually ended with one attack that
contained all their magic power. They didn’t use any fancy maneuvers or clash
against each other like in comics.
Two arrows would make contact in a split second and one would crumble. The
remaining arrow would simply crush its target.

Kiiik—

Jin Seyeon pulled her bowstring and compressed her magic power. Her magic arrow
caused a fierce wind that sucked in all the noise from the Colosseum.

As she prepared to fire inside her raging storm of magic power…

— Don’t think about winning.

A clear voice rang in her head.

“…?”

Jin Seyeon’s eyes widened.

Black Lotus just used mental transmission, a technique to deliver thoughts to

someone else’s mind. Most heroes couldn’t perform this feat with magic power.
However, Black Lotus’ mental transmission felt flawless. His message didn’t contain
the slightest noise and smoothly rang out. Jin Seyeon had never experienced such a
clean mental transmission.

— Don’t fire if you want to save your comrades.

Black Lotus continued. He already knew about their situation.

Jin Seyeon’s hands briefly shook, but she quickly focused again.

To believe or not believe. Jin Seyeon didn’t ask such a question. She wouldn’t gamble
with Black Lotus using the lives of her comrades.

— Don’t you want to save them?

Jin Seyeon tried to cut off Black Lotus’ mental transmission, but she couldn’t. What
kind of a monster is he? She inwardly laughed and felt the overwhelming difference in
power.

— I will say this one last time. Don’t fire if you want to save your comrades.
Black Lotus’ words echoed in her mind. Even so, Jin Seyeon continued to perfect her
magic arrow. A brilliant light shone from her bow.

— Is that a light attribute arrow?

A dry, emotionless voice resounded in her head.

— A foolish choice.

With a sneer, Black Lotus also unleashed his magic power. It came together like
water and formed something like a harpoon.

— It would have been better to use a null attribute.

“Stop talking!”

I will not let myself be shaken by you! Jin Seyeon shouted and released her bowstring.

Pzzzzt…

White sparks crackled as her arrow flew. The current of light set the ground ablaze
and melted the air. As the arrow captivated everyone’s attention…

“Eh?”

Jin Seyeon finally understood what Black Lotus meant.

Light couldn’t lose to darkness. Fire couldn’t incinerate it and no frost could freeze it.
It could only be devoured by a greater light.

Jin Seyeon saw a brilliant torrent of light clash against her arrow. She couldn’t help
but laugh. Is this how a firefly felt in front of the sun?

Black Lotus’ arrow also contained a light attribute. The white harpoon he shot
extinguished her arrow.

“Haaa…”

Her arrow crumbled and Black Lotus’ arrow continued flying towards her. Jin Seyeon
clearly witnessed her defeat.
Soon, Black Lotus’ arrow exploded in front of her. It swept her away and she tumbled
multiple times on the ground. However, she didn’t feel much pain as though her body
had undergone anesthesia. Was this because of his light attribute attack?

— Don’t worry. You won’t die.

Black Lotus’ voice rang out once again as her consciousness faded.

— You’ll only fall asleep for a moment.

Tak, tak. His footsteps sounded in her groggy mind.

“It’s far from true death.”

This time, he spoke out loud.

“Sleep tight.”

Jin Seyeon fainted after hearing those words.

***

“Whew.”

I sighed after confirming that Jin Seyeon closed her eyes. I used 4 streaks of stigma at
once and even applied a complex property like suspended animation. My body felt
sore all over.

“At least I won.”

With this, I proved my theory that not even Jin Seyeon’s magic arrow could defeat
Athena’s Lv.11 Moonlight Arrow. The results became obvious once she used a light
attribute arrow.

“Great fight, human dog.”

The demon guard walked up to me. The three-eyed guard patted my back as he
praised me.

“Congrats on your first victory. Is there anything you want?”

I glanced at the demon. His black, white, and red eyes all curved into a smile. I
wondered which one to look at and pointed to Jin Seyeon’s body.

“This corpse.”

“Hm?”

“Give me this corpse.”

“The corpse?”

I nodded. A hint of suspicion surfaced on his face. He looked between me and Jin
Seyeon while radiating demonic energy.

Crack— A black blade pierced Jin Seyeon’s stomach.

“…”

However, she didn’t react at all since I placed her in a state of suspended animation
with stigma’s magic power.

“I can’t give you the corpse. All corpses have to be carried to the morgue.”

“Then let me carry her there.”

“Hmm… fine.”

The prison guard didn’t say no. I picked Jin Seyeon up and placed her on my
shoulder.

— Kueeek!

— Kuhahaha! Amazing! That was great!

The fight ended rather quickly, but the demons seemed to enjoy it.

I could understand why they felt so thrilled. Two sources of light, that could be fatal
to them, had clashed. By human standards, it would’ve seemed like a bloody brawl.

— I’ll remember your name! I’ll come to see you again next time!
— Uhahaha! Fun, that was fun!

I left the Colosseum while following the prison guard and arrived at the
underground morgue.

“Huhu…”

The prison guard looked at me with a lustful smile.

“I’ll let you borrow the corpse for only one day.”

“What?”

I felt like I understood what he implied. What humans considered unacceptable only
seemed like a normal fetish to them.

“You can leave now.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll leave. Take your time.”

I held myself back from frowning in disgust. He seemed to be acting considerate and
even locked the door on his way out. Well, I should thank him for that.

“…”

I quickly took out a potion after glancing through the door to check that he had left.
Then I poured it on Jin Seyeon’s injury. Tzzzt— White vapor rose as her wound
closed.

“HOT!”

An unbearable heat spread from my wrist. I glanced down and saw my smartwatch
on fire.

“W-W-What!”

I tried to put it out, but a sharp pain immediately struck my upper arm. It felt like
swirling an iron nail inside your body.

“Shit, this…”
This pain felt familiar by now. Soon, a series of messages popped up.

[A streak of stigma will be added.] [It will become easier to use stigma.] [You may now
use Settings Intervention and Information Reading without a medium.] [You may
now…]

The good news arrived at the wrong time and place.

“Uhuuuak!”

The pain in my upper arm traveled to my brain. An unexpected cry came from my
mouth and I could no longer bear the pain. I collapsed while holding onto my arm.

***

The Chameleon Troupe temporarily used a building as their main base.

“Our little Boss. Was it that hard? Your skin’s gotten all dry.”

Jain acted cute while holding Boss’ cheeks. Boss simply glared at her.

“I have many ways of killing you, Jain.”

The coldness in her voice caused a jolt of electricity to run down Jain’s back. She
quickly let go and coughed.

“It wasn’t that hard.”

Boss bashfully added. Of course, she worried despite her words. Kim Hajin had
suddenly disappeared while lying in bed and a strange woman had replaced him.

“Right? I had it hard. I almost died trying to stop you.”

Jain stopped Boss from blasting magic power because she recognized that woman.
Then the woman got up and quickly ran away. Boss prepared to destroy the entire
world to find out what happened until they discovered Kim Hajin’s letter.

“Hajin always knows what he’s doing, so don’t worry too much about him. Instead,
we should focus on getting revenge. We can't let the insect who killed Hajin live,
right?”
Boss nodded at Jain’s words.

“Of course.”

“Oh right, is Hajin okay? I heard dying in the tower caused some pretty significant
side effects.”

“…”

Boss didn’t reply. Kim Hajin didn’t mention anything about his death. It seemed like
he didn’t want to think about it. Boss concluded that after staying with Kim Hajin for
a long time. He didn’t like recalling painful things and hated talking about his
feelings. No, he acted like it wasn’t allowed. Boss blamed herself because of what she
did in the past. He would have no choice but to hate her if he dug up the past.

“Who’s worried about who?”

Jain’s cold words interrupted Boss’ thoughts.

“Snap out of it, Boss. You’ve gotten strange lately.”

“Cough.” Boss cleared her throat.

“What information do we have on that insect? It was incredibly strong.”

“Droon is collecting more information, but there isn’t much. Oh right! Didn’t you say
you got its arm?”

“Yeah.”

“Perfect. We can form a curse with part of its body.”

Boss’ eyes widened. She hadn’t thought about that, but it sounded like a good idea.

“That sounds good.”

“Right?”

Boss clapped her hands and recalled the suspicious woman she met 2 days ago.
“By the way, what happened to that girl?”

“Mmm, girl?”

“The one who barged into the building last time.”

“Ah, her?”

Jain did her best to hide information about Jin Sahyuk since Bell said that girl would
kill him one day. Bell never lied. Jain didn’t want Boss to get hurt, so she preferred
that Jin Sahyuk kill Bell.

“I just chased her off. She and Hajin have a bad relationship.”

“Bad relationship?”

“Yep, Hajin had already killed her twice.”

“Kim Hajin did?”

How evil must she be if such a kind kid killed her twice? Boss thought to herself and
suddenly stiffened. Seeing this, Jain also stared at her.

Gulp.

Jain swallowed hard.

“…”

“W-What? What is it?”

Jain asked after Boss went silent for a long time. However, Boss only shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing. That can’t be it.”

“No, tell me.”

Boss glanced at Jain. “S-She can’t be his ex, right?”

Ex… Ex-girlfriend. Jain laughed in vain when she heard this.

“I, I told you it’s nothing. I’ve been reading too many novels recently,” Boss quickly
retorted.

“Eh? Ah, no. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had one. That girl might’ve been his ex.”

Jain liked to tease her and began to support Boss’ romantic theory.

***

[27F, Colosseum’s Morgue]

“Huup!”

Jin Seyeon opened her eyes and gasped for breath. A sharp pain struck her and she
trembled. Her stomach felt especially painful.

“Auuu…”

“You’re up?”

A feeble voice rang out. Jin Seyeon turned to the side with a pale face. However, she
couldn’t see the voice’s owner. The surrounding scenery came into view. The smell of
alcohol entered her nose, rows of wooden coffins lined the wall, and a faint smell of
death filled the air.

“This is?”

“A morgue.”

A deep voice rang out and Jin Seyeon trembled again. She quickly got up, but soon
collapsed. Then she focused her strength and stood while leaning against the wall.

“Are you acting?”

The man sneered looking at her move like a stringless puppet. Jin Seyeon glared at
him as cold sweat flowed down her forehead.

“You…”

“Don’t you want to save your comrades?”

Black Lotus said as he approached her. “Why didn’t you listen to me? I told you to put
your bow down.”

“…”

Black Lotus stood in front of her. Jin Seyeon didn’t answer and only continued
glaring. She tried to see through his mask, but it didn’t work.

The man grinned.

[Lv.10 Hassan-i Sabbah’s Assassin Mask] ○ Lv.9 Dark Travel ○ Lv.9 Stealth ○ Lv.9
Disguise

This artifact had historic ties with the renowned assassin, Hassan-i Sabbah. Not even
the Divine Archer could see through it. I simply overgeared myself. Phiunel had
gifted it to Boss, but I took it as always saying it suited me more.

“You won’t be able to see anything no matter how hard you try.”

“…”

It hurt Jin Seyeon’s pride, but she knew Black Lotus had saved her. At the very least,
she should thank him for not taking her life. She wanted to ask about the Kwang-Oh
Incident, but couldn’t worsen the situation.

“Will you really save my comrades?”

“If you cooperate.”

“Can I ask why you’re willing to help us?” Jin Seyeon carefully asked.

Black Lotus glared at her, but she didn’t flinch from his flickering red eyes. A lot of
talk for someone who lost. Black Lotus murmured and sighed.

“The demon king is searching for a challenger.”

Black Lotus explained and Jin Seyeon’s eyes widened.

“A challenger? What do you mean?” Jin Seyeon felt surprised.

“The demon king is someone who seeks to die, but he desires an honorable death.”

Kim Hajin reiterated the setting he wrote. The plotline of how Kim Suho would
defeat the demon king and conquer the Tower of Wish unfolded in his head.

“How do you know all this?”

His vague explanation piqued Jin Seyeon’s curiosity. She asked for more details, but
Black Lotus only looked at her as if she asked a dumb question. Then she understood
what he meant.

“Don’t tell me… You’ve already been to the 29th floor?”

Black Lotus nodded.

“Haaa…”

Jin Seyeon’s jaw dropped. All her thoughts paused: the burning pain in her body, her
complicated feelings about the Chameleon Troupe, and her worries about her
comrades.

Just how strong must he be to climb the tower so quickly?

She stared at him with suspicion and admiration.

I offered to help Jin Seyeon in saving her comrades and handed her a bamboo scroll.

“…?”

She tilted her head at the bamboo scroll, so I briefly explained.

“I have 5 scrolls linked to each other. Write something on one of them with magic
power and it will show up on the others as well.”

Jin Seyeon’s eyes subtly sparkled at me.

“How did you bring these in?”

The demons took away every item except for apparel and equipment when players
first entered the Colosseum. Players also couldn’t use the community and other
system services once they entered the Demon King’s Tower, so we should come up
with a way to communicate first.

“I made them.”

“Pardon?”

My special skill, [Four Colored Enchant], could easily make such scrolls with stigma’s
magic power.

“Your comrades should be able to recognize your magic power. You shall explain our
plan to them.”

Magic power worked like fingerprints. Jin Seyeon would write the messages and it
wouldn’t be hard to convince them once they recognized her magic power.

“We’ll need to deliver the scrolls to the others first.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

I handed the scrolls to Spartan beneath my robe. He quickly delivered them to

Aileen, Kim Suho, and Yi Yongha.

“I knew it. That bird belonged to you.”

“No need for chitchat. Write your message.”

“Your eagle looks very handsome.”

Spartan put on a stern expression at the compliment and I pushed him under my
robe.

***

[Seoul — Hero Association’s Tower]

A large crowd had gathered in front of the Hero Association, the international
organization in charge of appointing and managing heroes all over the world.

The crowd attending today’s event looked quite impressive. It consisted of famous
heroes and celebrities whose faces alone could serve as their IDs, association
authorities, conglomerate heads, guild leaders, etc. Of course, not all came to
congratulate, a master rank promotion ceremony brought them all together.

“Haaa…”

It had been 4 years since the last master rank promotion ceremony. Essence of the
Strait’s leader would be promoted today. Their guild undoubtedly held the most
influence these days. However, Yoo Yeonha didn’t rejoice at the fact that her father’s
wish would come true today.

“…”

She continued to stare at her smartwatch without getting out of her limousine. She
hadn’t heard from Kim Hajin for a week now and the video captured by the drone
couldn’t be any clearer.

She watched the footage hundreds of times already and had no choice but to accept
the truth. The humanoid monster Kim Hajin had been chasing, that monster had… She
dared not finish her thought and clenched her teeth.

“Why…”

…did he go alone? She told him millions of times not to bear everything alone.

Yoo Yeonha clenched her fists and played the video on her smartwatch again. She
saw another robed person besides Kim Hajin in the corner of the screen. However,
Yoo Yeonha couldn’t discern their gender because of the hood. She couldn’t figure
anything out regarding this mysterious person.

“Ah…”

None of that mattered anymore. Yoo Yeonha somberly sighed.

Tiriring—

Her smartwatch suddenly rang. She received the call without even checking it.

“Hell–, Hello?”

— Ah, Yeonha.

The voice on the other side belonged to Chae Nayun.

— It’s me, Chae Nayun. How have you been?

Chae Nayun’s cheerful voice felt like blades. Yoo Yeonha couldn’t say anything. Chae
Nayun spoke first since she didn’t reply.

— I heard your dad’s being promoted to master rank. The news even reached the
Himalayas.

“You’re still in the Himalayas?”

Yoo Yeonha forced her tears back. Her voice miserably choked.

— Yep, I was actually climbing just a few moments ago, but now I’m in a town.
Chae Nayun sounded so innocent. Yoo Yeonha wanted to imitate her cheerfulness,
but tears already filled her eyes.

“So, how’s the work going?”

— I’m taking my time. One of the townspeople told me he’d seen him, so I think it
won’t take too long.

Yoo Yeonha felt like she needed to stop Chae Nayun. Even if she uncovered the truth,
nothing would change with Kim Hajin dead. The belated truth would only crush
Chae Nayun for good this time.

“Nayun.”

— Oh, I’ve gotten much stronger by the way. The Himalayas feel just as good as
Baekdu Mountain. Tons of monsters live here too.

Chae Nayun continued about how much stronger she became, how rapidly her magic
power increased, how she felt satisfied whenever she reached new heights, and how
the Himalayas gave her an immeasurable boost.

Tok, tok—

Someone knocked on the limousine’s window.

— Oh, right. The promotion ceremony must be starting. Sorry, I took up so much of
your time. I’ll call you later!

Chae Nayun ended the call first. Yoo Yeonha never got a chance to say what she
wanted.

Kim Hajin had died.

She couldn’t force Chae Nayun to accept a truth that she couldn’t swallow.

Tok, tok—

The knocking continued and Yoo Yeonha opened the window halfway. A staff
member who looked like a bodyguard stood there.
“You’ll need to pull out if you don’t have an invitation. Ah, I’m so sorry!”

The staff recognized Yoo Yeonha and bowed. She closed the window without
answering and exchanged glances with her driver. The limousine smoothly entered
the association’s parking lot.

Yoo Yeonha got off and walked to the association’s front yard. She attracted a lot of
attention, but no one approached her except for a few associates. After all, half of the
people gathered here were enemies.

“Good evening.”

She spotted an ally among this swarm of enemies. SH Agency’s Park Soohyuk
approached her. SH Agency had recently renewed their contract with Essence of the
Strait after proving their competence and emerging as a respectable conglomerate.

“It’s been a while. I hope all is well.”

Yoo Yeonha greeted him like normal. Park Soohyuk happily received her, but his next
words stabbed her heart.

“Oh right, how’s Hajin doing?”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha froze.

“We stayed in touch until about a month ago, but I can’t seem to reach him anymore.
Is he still inside the tower?”

Yoo Yeonha stood still as she watched Park Soohyuk. She had already gone back to
the tower to make sure. She sent a fair number of messages to Extra7, but didn’t
receive a single reply.

“He’s so busy I never get to see him. You know, several years ago, he was the one who
initially…?”

Park Soohyuk moved on to talk about how heartless Kim Hajin was for not keeping
in touch, but stopped when he felt something off. Yoo Yeonha had trailed far behind
him.
“Leader?”

Yoo Yeonha only smiled when he called.

“Right.”

She could only say one word. Then she noticed a familiar face approaching. Shin
Jonghak glanced at Park Soohyuk and stood in front of Yoo Yeonha.

“Congratulations.”

Shin Jonghak never showed up when she needed him.

“Yeah. Long time no see. I heard you were hanging out with the big shots in the
tower, but why did you come so early? Did they kick you out?” Yoo Yeonha sharply
replied out of subconscious resentment.

“…”

His eyebrows wriggled as he glared at her, but he soon shook his head.

“I’m just taking a break. Is Chae Nayun here yet?”

Even now, he only had eyes for Chae Nayun. Yoo Yeonha clenched her fists.

“Nayun’s not coming.”

Then she walked past Shin Jonghak.

“Hey, where are you…”

She heard Shin Jonghak behind her, but chose to ignore him. Yoo Yeonha kept
walking past everyone, past all the flowers and fallen leaves in the garden, and finally
arrived in front of her father’s waiting room.

“Ah, you’re here.”

The guard at the entrance recognized Yoo Yeonha. She simply nodded and he opened
the door. Then she approached the nervous Yoo Jinwoong.
“Dad.”

“Oh, oh, sweetie!”

Yoo Jinwoong walked over with a smile and gave her a big hug. Yoo Yeonha closed the
door behind her.

“Yeonha, thank you. I can’t stop thinking that you’re my good luck charm.”

Boundless love for her filled his voice. She burst into tears when she felt it and could
no longer suppress her sorrow. Yoo Yeonha cried out of gratitude, but also
resentment towards her father.

“Y-Yeonha?”

Yoo Jinwoong couldn’t describe his confusion. As her father, he could tell these
weren’t tears of joy. Yoo Yeonha had never cried even in the most serious situations.

“Yeonha, what’s wrong? Yeon, Yeonha?”

Yoo Yeonha continued crying and trembling. Everything she had been holding back
finally exploded. The stress that ate away at her overflowed. Yoo Jinwoong felt
heartbroken as his daughter cried in his arms.

“Yeonha, Yeonha. Please calm down. Please. I can’t help unless you tell me what’s
wrong…”

Yoo Jinwoong’s voice faded in her ears as she pounded her father’s chest with her
fists.

Father, did you know you should’ve apologized to someone? She swallowed those
words and reproached her father. She resented his past wrongdoings.

Everything became meaningless with Kim Hajin’s death. This fact made her cry even
harder.

***

[27F, The Colosseum]

Kim Suho received a letter from Jin Seyeon. He found a bamboo scroll on his bed
after exercising and it contained Jin Seyeon’s magic power engraved on it.

[You should lose on purpose if you confront Black Lotus. That way we’ll be able to
reunite and escape from the Colosseum. Send me a message if you have any doubts.]

He found it hard to believe, but Jin Seyeon’s magic power proved its authenticity. Kim
Suho wrote back.

[Is this real? I only heard that senior lost.]

[Black Lotus helped me. We formed a temporary alliance…]

A reply quickly came back.

It seemed like they had no choice but to cooperate with Black Lotus. Even the
handwriting looked like Jin Seyeon’s.

— Now, the battle will soon begin! The challenger this time is dwarf Aileen with 3
consecutive victories!

Kim Suho waited for Aileen’s voice.

— Hey, who are you calling a dwarf? I told you to change that nickname!

As expected, Aileen’s sharp yell shook the surroundings. Kim Suho smiled, but a
worry suddenly crossed his mind.

— Dwarf Aileen will face Black Archer, who is also on a winning streak!

Did Aileen receive the bamboo scroll? No, did she even notice the bamboo scroll that
suddenly appeared?

“God, this is ridiculous. I told you to change that nickname! Why won’t you listen to
me? Hm? Do you wanna die?”

Aileen nagged the guard as they walked to the arena. The demon guard, shaped like a
snowman, only scratched the back of his neck.
“You forced me to say it…”

“Don’t make an excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse…”

“I said don’t.”

Aileen’s Spirit Speech shut him up.

“Change it next time. No matter what, or else.”

Their relationship felt somewhat reversed, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, Aileen
guaranteed ticket sales in only 4 days.

“Anyways.” Aileen thought about her next opponent, Black Archer.

“Black Archer…”

She didn’t have time to think about his identity. Soon, they arrived at the arena and
Aileen received her weapon. It couldn’t exactly be called a weapon. This bracelet
helped circulate magic power in her body.

— Today’s battle will be another round of human vs human, a feisty and bloody one!
Enjoy your time!

The host shouted as the doors opened. Aileen valiantly entered with her small steps.

“Huh?”

She finally looked at the man across from her. He wore a black robe embroidered
with a lotus symbol and a black mask covered his face. He also held a black bow in
his hand. Her opponent’s appearance looked too familiar. All the pieces connected
and her eyes widened.

“You’re… Black Lotus!”

Aileen pointed at him and yelled. Her hair stood on ends, but she soon regained her
composure. She would need all the calm in the world for this fight.
— Begin the duel and fight for your lives!

Neither of them moved as they studied each other. About 3 minutes passed and the
bored spectators jeered at them. Aileen finally used Spirit Speech.

“Hey you, take off your hood first.”

Aileen felt curious about his face more than anything. Her Spirit Speech came out
from her mouth and reached Black Lotus. However, Black Lotus didn’t even flinch.

“What?”

Aileen felt confused. Why didn’t anything happen? Did he just resist my Spirit Speech?
No, I would’ve sensed something if that was the case. Aileen tilted her head and used
Spirit Speech again.

“I said, take your hood off!”

Black Lotus still didn’t comply and Kim Hajin also harbored the same curiosity as
Aileen.

Why doesn’t Spirit Speech work on me?

***

[Temple of Plucas — 34º51’15.4” N 128º43’50.2” E]

Several stone towers stood tall amidst the scarlet darkness. Blood and bones covered
the ground. The blood’s redness and the bone’s whiteness stretched and formed a
strange pattern.

“Lord, far too many wander around here. We’ll need to move you to a different
temple.”

A devil resided here in this temple that had been specifically prepared for it. The
djinn bowed to the devil who sat on a throne.

“There is… no need…”

The devil looked like a young man and a voice flowed out from his mouth.
“Let them… come…”

His voice sounded similar to boiling iron or burning fire inside a brazier.

“I want to meet… a worthy… human…”

It felt something other than curiosity. The devil held a human head in his hand. The
human still seemed alive even after being separated from his body. He had
degenerated into a toy for the devil who prolonged his life. However, all that would
end today.

Crack.

The devil tightened his grip around the head. It exploded and became flaccid, devoid
of any form. However, the human remained alive. The devil Plucas did not intend on
granting him a quick and easy death.

Plucas loved violence and sadism. He represented the grim reaper and desired more
agony to ease his insatiable thirst for evil.

“Send me… more… humans…”

“Your wish is my command, oh gracious devil.”

The djinn committed himself to the devil’s order.

The barrier isolating the island somewhere in the southern sea lifted. The djinn
could now hear human voices.

— The barrier around the island is gone!

The Immortal had planted several eyes and ears near the island. He saw and heard
everything they reported.

“They will be… the first…”

The devil took in those serving the Immortal.

A long silence filled the tense atmosphere. Both of them couldn’t comprehend the
current situation.

“What.”

Aileen let out a dumbfounded voice. This time, she didn’t use any Spirit Speech.

“…”

Kim Hajin only stared at her. Spirit Speech didn’t work on him. He didn’t know why
at first, but soon came up with a plausible explanation.

Spirit Speech might only influence those who exist in this world. However, he didn’t
belong here and the stigma on his arm served as proof.

“Dammit!”

Aileen grew irritated as Kim Hajin sighed. He already figured she hadn’t seen the
scroll by now.

“Guuu…”

Aileen released her magic power into the air. Her hair stood like a Super Saiyan as
she prepared to blast away Spirit Speech.

“Take your hood off!”

Her huge yell echoed throughout the arena. An unbelievable amount of magic power
came out of Aileen’s small mouth and the massive sound waves enveloped Kim Hajin.
However, the results remained the same.

Black Lotus didn’t even flinch as his robe slightly swayed. The spectators watching
fell victim to her Spirit Speech instead. Everyone who wore hoods took them off.
“…”

Aileen’s expression became ferocious as ever. She always acted somewhat playful,
but turned completely serious this time. She realized she could never get him to take
off his hood with Spirit Speech.

“I have no idea what’s going on.”

She boosted herself into the air with magic power.

“But that doesn’t matter.”

She inevitably developed a habit of talking to herself from using words as weapons.

“The wind all around you will force your hood off.”

Strong winds began to blow in the previously calm arena. WHOOSH! The whirlwinds
blew like blades towards Black Lotus.

“Hmm?”

However, Black Lotus formed a special circular barrier around himself that sucked
away all the wind.

“What the hell is that?”

Another incomprehensible phenomenon had occurred. He has way too many strange
techniques.

— Did you not see the bamboo scroll?

A clear mental transmission resounded in Aileen’s mind, interrupting her train of

thought. Aileen frowned.

“Bamboo scroll? What are you talking about?”

Another voice, full of noise, crept in.

— It’s me… Aileen… Jin Se… yeon…

Aileen widened her eyes at the familiar voice and familiar magic power. This
message came from Jin Seyeon.

“W-What? Are you Jin Seyeon?”

— Yes…

Aileen’s face lit up with joy.

I knew she was alive. The guard told me she died, but I didn’t believe him. She’s
overrated, but not a master rank for nothing!

“Where are you right now?”

— Black Lotus… taught me… mental… transmission…

Indeed, a master rank hero possessed spectacular talent. It only took Jin Seyeon 2
days to use mental transmission, though still imperfectly. Of course, Black Lotus
helped her and made it possible.

“No, I asked where you are?”

Jin Seyeon ignored Aileen’s question and told her what she needed to know.

— Accept… Black Lotus’…arrow…

“What?”

Aileen looked at Black Lotus in confusion and his voice flowed into her ears again.

— I saved Jin Seyeon.

“What the heck are these two saying all of sudden?”

Kim Hajin sent another message to Aileen, who simply tilted her head.

— I hope to save you as well at Jin Seyeon’s request.

***
I repeated the same procedure for the next 3 weeks and successfully rescued every
member of Aileen’s party from the Colosseum.

“I guess the saying that it’s darkest under the lamp is true.”

Team Aileen and Kids gathered in the hideout I made beneath the morgue.

“This hideout feels very comfortable.”

Yi Yongha expressed his awe while observing the well-decorated hideout. I sat on a
stone chair and looked at my last opponent, Kim Suho. He lightly nodded when our
eyes met and already thanked me, but I never replied.

“Cough.”

Kim Suho awkwardly scratched his cheek. He had killed Kaita, a Chameleon Troupe
member, three times already.

— Thank… you.

I heard a voice in my ear. Of course, it came from Jin Seyeon.

I glanced at her and wondered why she kept using mental transmission when she
could just speak out loud. After all, we sat right next to each other.

— We… killed you once… before…

For the record, I taught her how to use mental transmission. Stigma could be used in
lots of ways now. I infused stigma with the mental transmission technique and
transferred it to Jin Seyeon. She naturally learned how to use it quite fast.

— However… I have something… I want to… ask you…

“Haa, haa.”

Jin Seyeon continued even as she panted.

— You’re a Chameleon Troupe member… This happened a long time ago, but… about
the Kwang-Oh Incident…
I looked at Jin Seyeon in surprise. I hadn’t expected to hear those words from her.

— Do you know about…

“Hey, Lotus.”

Aileen suddenly interrupted us. She approached in short, quick steps with her arms
crossed. What’s she going to say this time? I looked at the short figure.

“Thanks.”

Aileen’s words totally shocked me.

“You’re all on the association’s blacklist, but I’ll let you go once if I run into you on
Earth.”

She shyly muttered and turned away in embarrassment. I stood from my seat
without replying.

“It’s time to escape.”

Everybody shifted their attention to me.

— Escape, you mean…

“You don’t have to talk through mental transmission.”

I tried to stop Jin Seyeon. She nodded and sent another mental transmission.

— I… understand…

“Won’t you have 10 victories soon?”

I shook my head at Aileen’s remark.

“Only death awaits after the 10th victory. Demons are not as generous as you think.”

I began digging a hole. Stigma’s magic power easily penetrated the soil and the four
of them followed.
We continued until the hole grew about 5 meters deep. Then I made a left turn with
our escape about 30 kilometers ahead.

“Hey, move over. It’s my turn.”

We took turns digging over the long distance. I went first, Aileen second, Yi Yongha
third, and Jin Seyeon and Kim Suho went last. After 30 minutes, we finally arrived at
the right spot.

“This is enough.”

I grabbed the digging Kim Suho and took over. Then I dug diagonally until a slope
appeared in front of us. We could see a ray of light at the end.

“Ah, there it is!”

Aileen shouted as we left the tunnel.

[28F – Demon Metropolis]

We arrived at the demon city after escaping the Colosseum. It felt strange that the
28th floor resided outside the 27th floor, but I originally wrote the setting that way.
Only the pickiest readers pointed it out with one floor remaining in the tower.

“Huh, that’s…”

“What the heck…”

The party stared at the city in a daze. The demon city looked completely different
than a human city. The buildings contained eyes and they breathed like living things.

“It’s quite grotesque.”

This would be a good representation of hell if it existed. Everyone briefly froze in

front of such a fiendish scenery. I took advantage of their distraction and whispered.

“Spartan, take me to Earth.”

Spartan quickly responded and the demon city before me suddenly disappeared. I
returned to the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout in Pandemonium.
My disappearance would surely surprise them, but we would meet again soon
enough. However, I would meet them as Kim Hajin and not Black Lotus.

***

[The Himalayan Mountains]

The oxygen concentration is extremely low with a high magic power density. Climbers
must breathe carefully on the Himalayan Mountains and beware of stronger-than-
average monsters. A mysterious inn exists somewhere in these mountains…

Such an urban legend circulated on the Internet. Chae Nayun didn’t plan on
uncovering the truth about this legend, but she came across an inn by chance while
wandering through a blizzard.

[Himalayan Daybreak]

The mysterious inn sat on a cliff halfway up the mountain. She had confirmed the
legend.

“Then, the guests here are all skilled heroes?”

Chae Nayun entered without hesitation and sat at the counter. She struck up a
conversation with the owner.

“I wouldn’t know. I never asked.”

The owner briefly answered. He was an old man with long white hair and a beard.
The magic power in his blue eyes indicated his former occupation.

“Hmm, how many people are currently staying here?”

“Seven.”

“Oh…”

The number of guests surprised her even more than the inn’s location in the middle
of rugged mountains. Chae Nayun took a sip of the beer.

“Kyah, how much did you say a glass of beer cost?”

“100000 won.”

“Mmm…”

This expensive drink felt worth it. Perhaps it also contained magic power.

“It tastes so fresh. Is it because it’s from the Himalayas?”

“No, it’s imported from Korea.”

“…”

“You know what they say, anything from Korea tastes good. I never would’ve
imagined such a saying in my twenties.”

Chae Nayun looked inside the glass of beer. Indeed, it looked too murky to contain
any magic power. However, the price didn’t feel too bad considering their location.

“By the way, why did you build an inn here?”

“…”

The owner didn’t answer and she noticed the three streaks of scars on his cheek. She
stared at them in silence until the owner chuckled.

“Just ask if you have something you want to know.”

“Ah… Cough.”

Chae Nayun asked straightforwardly, “Have you seen a man? Um, he looks like this.”

Chae Nayun took out multiple photos of Kim Joongho. The first one showed his usual
appearance and the rest had disheveled hair, a beard, and other possible changes
photoshopped to his face.

“…”

The owner carefully studied them.

“I don’t know. I might have seen him somewhere.”

He answered ambiguously and glanced at the sword on Chae Nayun’s back.

“Are you a swordswoman?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes.”

“I think I’ve seen this man. I believe he introduced himself as a forensic pathologist.”

The owner smiled and held up a photo.

Chae Nayun’s eyes widened at his remark.

“Then where did he go? Did he stay here?”

She jumped to her feet and looked the owner in the eyes. However, she finally
noticed his huge stature when she stood up. His shoulders seemed as wide as a
mountain and his physique appeared unmatched even by the strongest men.

“Do you want to know?”

“Yes, I have to know.”

Even so, Chae Nayun continued without being intimidated.

“It’s good that you’re here. I was beginning to get bored.”

The owner gave her a huge grin.

“I’ll tell you if you win against me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You said you were a swordswoman.”

His words felt a bit sudden, but Chae Nayun also began to smile. Her smile soon
turned into a sneer.

“Well, I’m actually a fairly strong hero.”

“Every guest here is.”

“Don’t blame me if you get hurt.”

“Of course.”

Chae Nayun nodded. He looked pretty strong, but this old man had to be well over
70. Not to mention, she’d learned a lot while climbing the Himalayas.

“Well then, why don’t we introduce ourselves first? I’m Chae Nayun, a hero under
Essence of the Strait. That’s the current number 1 guild in the world.”

“Chae Nayun?”

A strange glimmer appeared in the owner’s eyes. He seemed more interested in her
name than anything else.

“Yes.”

“Are you… Chae Joochul’s granddaughter?”

“Huh? How did you know? Do you know my grandfather?”

Chae Nayun tilted her head. The owner chuckled in content.

“I never imagined I would run into Chae Joochul’s granddaughter here.”

He muttered while reminiscing.

“In any case, it’s nice to meet you. My name is…”

He could just say so if he’s acquainted with grandfather. Chae Nayun silently grumbled
as the owner continued.

“Heynckes.”

“Pardon?”

Chae Nayun became dazed when he revealed his name.

Heynckes.
She had heard that name before. Any hero would know that name. Even textbooks
mentioned him and numerous biographies recorded his achievements in detail.
Heynckes left an everlasting footprint in the history of heroes.

“You mean you’re… Steel Spirit Heynckes?”

The Lord of Steel, Kryne Heynckes. A member of the magnificent Nine Stars.

“So that name is still around.”

Heynckes chuckled and shook his head.

“Don’t call me that. I’m nothing more than an old man now that I’ve lost my gift.”

***

[Plucas’ Temple]

The devil Plucas captured a human watching his temple. He extended his arm from
where he sat and dragged the human by the hair towards him.

The captured human jumped back like a frog the moment he laid eyes on the devil.
The devil tore the man’s head off, removed his guts, and drew the Star of David with
it.

Plucas could feel his powers returning from human blood after feasting on their
torment.

— Lord Plucas, I have spotted an intruder.

A voice resounded in the devil’s ears. It belonged to a djinn whom Plucas appointed
as his butler. He sat on his throne and listened to the servant.

— I’ll have to call reinforcements…

The butler’s words abruptly stopped. Plucas looked into the distance and spotted an
old man who soon disappeared.

The temple grew more silent as time passed. Soon, the faint sound of footsteps
approached from a distance.
“Is it… another… human…”

Plucas said to the figure in the distance. Another voice echoed from the cave walls.

“Truly a filthy place.”

The voice sounded clear, but dry.

“Did you… find me…”

Plucas muttered. The human showed himself instead of answering. His footsteps
seemed relaxed and his attire looked neat. His pure white suit and fedora suited him
quite well.

“I came because you called me.”

The human looked straight at the devil. His appearance reflected in the devil’s
crimson eyes. The old man’s state of existence couldn’t be measured and the devil’s
heart pounded for a moment.

“Who… are you…”

The devil looked at the old man with glowing azure eyes.

“I am the owner of Daehyun and the head of the Chae Family.”

He answered dryly. Then he tapped the ground with his cane. KOOONG! Waves of
magic power undulated in every direction.

“And also the employer of the humans you murdered.”

The man called the Immortal seemed fearless even in the face of a true devil.

“My family name is Changdo and I am called Joochul.”

A sharp killing intent filled the crimson temple. It mixed with demonic energy and
formed demonic flames.

“Foolish… human…”

The devil Plucas rebuked Chae Joochul’s arrival. However, Chae Joochul simply
remained silent. He didn’t feel any strong emotions facing an existence known as a
devil. If anything, Chae Joochul felt disappointed. Seeing this, Plucas became angry.

“You.”

The devil released demonic energy while sitting on his throne. His demonic energy
formed a hand and shot forward. This attack contained a terrifying amount of
demonic energy, but Chae Joochul only raised his cane to block it.

The cane’s magic power clashed with the devil’s demonic energy, sending energy
currents crackling in every direction. The devil continued to move his demonic
energy hand. It stretched towards Chae Joochul’s arm, but suddenly appeared by his
head. Then it tried to grab his neck, but suddenly appeared by his leg next. Plucas’
demonic energy hand warped through space and attacked in every direction.

Chae Joochul calmly and thoroughly responded. He blocked the devil’s attacks and
read the pattern of movements. He didn’t need to cast any barriers or use qi
reinforcement. He simply blocked every attack with just his cane.

The battle entered a stalemate since the devil’s single hand couldn’t threaten Chae
Joochul. Even so, the devil remained seated as Chae Joochul carefully studied the
throne. Did the devil think he could fight while sitting or did he have no other
choice?

“…”

The devil knew this as well and remained silent. His expression never changed. The
human body that Plucas took over showed neither sorrow nor frustration.

Kwaaa…

The devil shot a huge blast of demonic energy, but Chae Joochul formed a barrier and
received it head-on. Then the Immortal instantly gathered the magic power he
needed and blasted it forward.

However, the wave of magic power didn’t reach Plucas. The devil formed a spherical
dome with demonic energy to protect his body.

Tzzzzt…

Chae Joochul concentrated magic power into his cane. The cane absorbed a terrifying
amount of magic power before he instantly released it.

BOOM!

A beam of magic power shot towards Plucas. However, the devil scattered it with a
single wave of his hand.

Neither the devil nor the Immortal let out a single groan or pant during this battle.
The devil’s hand suddenly multiplied under the heavy silence. Several hands shot out
from behind the throne and the devil conjured a scythe in his hand like a god of
death.

Chae Joochul immediately felt he wouldn’t survive a single slash from this weapon
and released his magic power to the fullest.

Guooo…

The Immortal’s brilliant magic power rose in the devil’s temple. It glistened like
water droplets, burned like flames, wavered like the wind, and formed floating rocks.

“…”

The devil remained silent as the Immortal’s light brightened the surroundings. Chae
Joochul’s magic power with the properties of the four elements swallowed
everything. Only the Immortal could form this type of large-scale restricted field.
Chae Joochul stood in this domain with the power of nature and struck his cane on
the ground.

KOONG!

Immediately, his magic power exploded. A huge torrent of fire, earth, wind, and
water swept the temple and stormed towards Plucas, who put out a hand.

KWAAAAAA…

Demonic energy hands charged towards Chae Joochul while obstructing his path of
escape. Chae Joochul calmly weighed his options in a split second. Left, right, and
behind would all lead to death, so only one answer remained.

KOONG!

Chae Joochul kicked off the ground towards the devil. Several hands chased him from
every direction, but only a tiny fraction came from the front. However, a black scythe
swung from this direction. Chae Joochul had to choose in the air. Of course, the
outcome had already been determined.

The Immortal no longer possessed any emotions to obstruct him. He didn’t hesitate
to sacrifice his flesh to deliver a blow. As a result, he avoided the devil’s clutches and
arrived in front of Plucas.

An enormous amount of magic power condensed in his fist. The magic power of the
four elements blazed towards the devil. Chae Joochul’s blood boiled and his sense of
time slowed.

“For you…”

Chae Joochul muttered as he thrust his fist. The boundless magic power around his
hand approached the devil’s stomach.

CRACK!

The violent magic power shattered the devil’s demonic energy and surrounded its
body.

Plucas’ eyes widened as Chae Joochul directly stared into them.

“…”

Chae Joochul’s eyes looked as emotionless as ever. The devil also stared at him with
similar eyes. They resembled each other, but their situations vastly differed.

“A human with no heart.”

Plucas muttered his judgment of Chae Joochul. The devil stared deep into Chae
Joochul’s eyes, devoid of emotions like a machine.

Then Chae Joochul slightly smiled. He didn’t understand the meaning behind it
himself, but this smile soon disappeared and Chae Joochul emotionlessly continued
what he said before.

“Because you have not stayed on this planet for long…”

Chae Joochul placed his hand on the devil’s head.

“And because you were too arrogant to heed this one’s words…”

He grabbed the horns protruding from the devil’s head.

“You seem to not know the age-old saying, Humans are scarier than ghosts.”

Crack, crack… Chae Joochul broke the devil’s horn off. Even so, the devil seemed full
of leisure. The Immortal infused more magic power into the devil’s body.

“Truly pitiful.”

Chae Joochul’s magic power turned into ice and fire that clashed inside the devil’s
body.

“Arrogant human.”

The devil could feel the two contradicting elements inside his body. He knew this
would be the end.

KWANG!

The opposing magic power exploded and tore the devil’s limbs apart. The devil’s
human body no longer remained.

The temple turned silent and the demonic energy gradually disappeared. Only the
smell of blood tickled Chae Joochul’s nose, but he didn’t mind. He stared at the devil’s
horn in his hand. It emitted a large amount of demonic energy and could be used in
many ways, politically and technologically.

“…?”

He felt a pain in his side where the devil’s scythe slashed him. Chae Joochul infused
magic power into it, but it didn’t heal as expected. His instincts told him it wouldn't
naturally heal for the rest of his life.

“Hmm.”

Chae Joochul looked at the devil once more. Its corpse flew all over the temple, but
Chae Joochul burned each piece with his magic power. Not even a devil could return
with its head destroyed and limbs torn apart.

Step, step. Chae Joochul left the temple with a hand over his wound. He remained
expressionless even as he lost blood. To enjoy longevity, he had sponsored a child
with the authority of healing. If he visited her, she should be able to heal even the
most fatal wound.

The sound of footsteps became distant and Plucas remained dead. However, as time
passed and Chae Joochul’s presence completely disappeared…

Plucas, hanging onto his consciousness, opened one eye. The devil’s eye stuck to the
sole of his incarnation’s foot. Most of his body had turned to ash, but the devil
blinked and began to restore himself.

A devil couldn’t be killed so easily once they successfully descended. Humans from
countless worlds lost to devils and had their homes transformed into demon realms
because of this very reason. Plucas had remained calm even in the face of death and
now slowly resurrected himself.

Then…
“That old man just said humans are scarier than ghosts.”

A frivolous voice rang out. The devil’s eye shot open and turned towards the voice.

Its bloodshot eyes captured a dark figure. The man who soon appeared looked down
at him.

— You are…

“I think the same way.”

Click. The devil heard an ominous sound. His heart hadn’t regenerated yet, but he
clearly felt it sink.

“Just think of me as a ghost. One that devours existences like you.”

Cold steel touched the devil’s eye. A fierce current flowed from the empty muzzle.

— N… No…

Plucas finally lost his composure. He felt the god-slaying energy inside the muzzle.

— Y-You, h-human, listen to me…

The devil instinctively knew his annihilation of existence would soon arrive.

“Don’t be scared.”

The man placed his finger on the trigger and grinned.

“It’ll be over in the blink of an eye.”

— No! No!

The devil desperately cried out, but the man pulled the trigger.

Koong!

Plucas died without a trace and scattered into the air.

The man placed the metal that annihilated the devil back into his pocket. Soon, a bird
of prey landed on his shoulder.

Then he leisurely spoke.

“Let’s head to the 28th floor.”

Countless messages filled his vision.

[You have gained 300 SP from killing a devil!] [2 Devil Annihilation – You have
accomplished an amazing achievement!] [You have obtained an authority after
annihilating 2 devils.] [Master Sharpshooter has been promoted to grade 2! Grade 1 is
now within arm’s reach!] [Killing Plucas has…]

***

[28F – Demon Metropolis]

Aileen’s party walked through the mud. The demon realm didn’t suit humans. Its
black soil stuck to their shoes like a sticky gel and the air with dense demonic energy
hurt their throats whenever they breathed.

The party wandered for a long time without the system’s help. They couldn’t return
to Earth and had to go through the Colosseum if they wanted to leave. That meant
they would have no way of returning once they left.

“So you think that’s the place?”

They found something resembling a giant castle after endless walking. Historically,
kings or those of similar status inhabited castles. The demon king who desired a
challenge should be in that castle.

“I believe so,” Jin Seyeon replied.

“By the way, he said we had to clear it, right? Where did he go?”

Aileen grumbled. She expected Black Lotus to be their pathfinder, but he

disappeared when they became distracted. How he disappeared dumbfounded them.
They didn’t even feel any magic power. Black Lotus simply vanished like he never
existed.
“We should thank him for helping us escape the Colosseum.”

Jin Seyeon said as she stared at the castle in the distance. She even obtained a new
technique thanks to Black Lotus, so she let him off the hook for the Chameleon
Troupe’s past deed. After all, he wasn’t a member yet when the Kwang-Oh Incident
occurred.

“Senior Jin Seyeon is right. Asking for more would be like asking your savior to pay
for your meals.” Kim Suho nodded and agreed with her.

“Yeah, make me the bad guy.”

“That’s not what we meant. For now, let’s keep moving. We don’t have time to rest.”

Aileen pouted, but listened to Jin Seyeon anyways. The party re-entered the forest.

“Proceed as slowly and stealthily as possible.”

Naturally, Jin Seyeon served as their pathfinder. The demon city contained streets
that led to certain destinations, but they couldn’t choose such an open path. Jin
Seyeon chose a roundabout way through the forest.

“Argh, these things keep touching me.”

Thorny vines wiggled and demonic trees with eyes constantly spat magic power or
dropped bugs on them. Aileen grew annoyed and released her magic power to use
Spirit Speech.

“Try not to use Spirit Speech as much as possible. Magic power is too noticeable.”

“What?” Aileen furrowed her brows when Jin Seyeon stopped her.

“Who do you think I am?” She shot back and cleared her throat to use Spirit Speech.

“My magic power will not leave behind any trace.”

Her Spirit Speech activated and Aileen’s magic power became traceless.

“Oh… Amazing, Lady Aileen.”

“Huhum, this is simple. I’m not like you. Oh right, didn’t you get demolished by Black
Lotus in an archery battle?”

This time, not even Jin Seyeon could ignore Aileen’s taunting.

“Your Spirit Speech didn’t work on Black Lotus either.”

“What? Who did you hear that from?”

“I saw it myself. Plus, I lost because of an attribute disadvantage. Black Lotus said it
himself. We would’ve been equal if I used a null attribute instead.”

“Hmph, I would’ve crushed him too if I properly fought. It’s because I tried to make
him take his hood off…”

Kim Suho had a completely different thought about Black Lotus’ identity as those
two bickered.

Strange. It’s strange no matter how much I think about it.

He felt a sense of incongruity with Black Lotus. It felt more like a sense of familiarity
if he had to describe it. Black Lotus felt familiar and the feeling grew clearer as they
spent more time together.

I must’ve met Black Lotus somewhere…

“Ah!”

He suddenly felt a chill as he pondered.

Could it be?

What if Black Lotus also came from the Otherworld? Kim Suho recalled the last time
he met Jin Sahyuk. Back then, she acted like she knew Black Lotus and said, There’s
someone I want to kill more than you.

Right, she did say that if he recalled correctly.

The pieces of the puzzle fit if my theory is correct. It explains why, even with his
strength, he only revealed his identity after entering the Tower of Wish. He also helped
me even though I killed his comrade multiple times…

Kim Suho’s expression turned serious as his thoughts stretched like countless
branches.

“Suho? Hey, Kim Suho?” Jin Seyeon shook his shoulder.

“Y-Yes?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“N-Nothing.”

He obviously lied as Jin Seyeon stared at him. She felt like she knew what he might be
thinking.

“Did you recall something about Black Lotus?” Jin Seyeon asked. She held a grudge
against the Chameleon Troupe, so Kim Suho couldn’t pretend to be oblivious.

“…”

Kim Suho stared into the Divine Archer’s eyes, which shone beautifully as always.
However, he couldn’t reveal his secret so easily, not even to the most trustworthy
person.

“It’s nothing, really… Anyways, for now…”

Kim Suho smiled and shook his head. Then he took out Misteltein. The time for battle
had arrived.

“Let’s take care of these guys first.”

Countless monsters popped out from the bushes around them. These monsters
looked completely different from what they knew and seemed extraordinary.

***

[Seoul, Korea, Essence of the Strait’s Hospital]

Essence of the Strait acquired this hospital two years ago. It used to be called
Samhan College Hospital and didn’t stand out in particular like the college in its
name.

Yoo Yeonha acquired Samhan College as well as part of an investment effort. The
number of talents they had would determine the guild’s future, so she wanted to
directly raise non-hero talents.

Yoo Yeonha had asked Kim Hajin what he thought before acquiring the hospital and
college. She had enough funds with the guild’s money, but wanted to rope Kim Hajin
in if possible. His overwhelming academic results would come in handy at the
college.

Kim Hajin casually accepted her request and invested most of his money. He became
the number one individual investor and Yoo Yeonha could feel how much he trusted
her.

Essence of the Strait acquired Samhan College with Kim Hajin’s investment and
changed its name to Essential College. No one cared about the name change since the
college only had a brief history. In fact, their new name brought them even greater
fame and recognition.

“Haaa…”

Yoo Yeonha sighed as she thought about Kim Hajin in the hospital he helped create.
She took a leave from work and became hospitalized as soon as Yoo Jinwoong’s
master rank promotion ceremony ended. She simply couldn’t work in this state.

— Breaking news, a devil has supposedly descended on Earth. It is being widely

reported all over the globe. We know devils tempt humans from the mental realm to
create djinns. However, they have never shown themselves in the physical world
until now.

Only a news anchor’s voice resounded in the empty VIP room.

— Chae Joochul the Immortal stated in a recent press conference that he killed the
devil and presented the devil’s horn as proof. Experts do not doubt his words from
the horn’s enormous amount of demonic energy and the Immortal’s reputation.

The world grew noisy as Chae Joochul killed a devil. Aileen and Kim Suho also almost
reached the tower’s peak. The Chameleon Troupe took over a quarter of
Pandemonium and humanoid monsters appeared.

Yoo Yeonha looked at these reports with empty eyes. None of them mentioned Kim
Hajin. He just quietly left this world.

“Hic, why do you always do things alone?”

Yoo Yeonha wiped her tears and turned on her smartwatch. She checked the
hundreds of messages she sent him and read the last message she received.

[By the way, you’re still investing in weapons and defense research, right?]

Rather than a message, it sounded more like a reminder that he often sent. He would
always nag her to invest in national defense and weaponry.

— Issues regarding national defense have come to the forefront of public debate
with the appearance of a devil and humanoid monsters. Essential Armory, Essential
Dynamics, and other Essence of the Strait subsidiaries focused on weapon
development and defense research have seen a huge boost in their stock values…

Did he expect this to happen as well?

“He really is incredibly smart.”

The word exceptional couldn’t begin to describe him. She only achieved her current
success thanks to Kim Hajin by her side.

Tok, tok—

Two knocks rang out as Yoo Yeonha began to tear up again.

“Come in.”

The door opened. As expected, Yoo Jinwoong came to visit. He no longer wore a suit
and looked like a normal father now.

“Dad.”

“Yeonha, are you feeling better?”

Yoo Jinwoong stepped in and sat beside her bed. Her father looked worn out from
worrying about her.

“What exactly happened? Did someone do something horrible?”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t answer her father’s trembling voice.

“T-Tell me what happened so daddy can help.”

Yoo Yeonha knew hating her father wouldn’t change anything. No one could resolve
this issue.

“Dad.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m here. Feel free to talk.”

Even so, Yoo Yeonha couldn’t restrain herself anymore. She mustered great courage
to say the next few words.

“Do you remember the Kwang-Oh Incident?”

Yoo Jinwoong’s face stiffened. Yoo Yeonha felt pain in her heart like she had become
her father’s enemy.

“You do, right?”

She clutched her chest and could no longer bear it.

“Yeonha.”

She regretted it after learning about Kim Hajin’s death. She would regret it for the
rest of her life. If only she trusted him more, if she told him the truth, repented, and
stayed with him…

“That was your doing, Dad.”

Then he would still be alive.

“Yeonha, what are you…”

“Do you remember the baby born that day in the Kwang-Oh Evacuation Shelter? I
read your diary.”

The baby who appeared in the diary. The one her father left alive because he thought
about her.

“That baby…”

She had already lost him, but that didn’t mean she would hide the truth forever.
Reason and logic always guided her. However, she wanted to be true to her feelings
just this once.

“…became someone precious to me…”

She quietly sobbed and muttered.

“…But he died.”

Her cries struck her father’s heart like a cold nail. Yoo Jinwoong was completely
shocked.
[8F – Atalos Royal Court, Knight Commander’s Mansion]

Jin Sahyuk lay in bed late at night in her Crevon mansion awarded to her by the Royal
Family. This grand mansion came with 7 attendants and a luxurious interior.
Furthermore, it featured expensive appliances and facilities such as a crystal ball TV,
a natural hot spring, a magic engineering room, a training room, and more. The
lavish stable also housed the renowned horse, Ataly, also bestowed to her by the
Royal Family.

“Hmm.”

Jin Sahyuk wondered how she came to be treated like this. She initially became a
Crevon knight for the money and gained several subordinates after killing monsters.
The Royal Family appointed these soldiers under her. Then she vented her pent-up
anger on them while calling it training. After a while, Princess Araha visited her and
praised her leadership. Soon, they offered her a high-ranking position among the
Royal Knights.

She planned to decline at first, but accepted when they also included TP. She
continued to do what she did and suddenly became a knight commander.

Crevon felt comfortable, so she stayed for a long time. Their monarchy suited her
more than the strange political system called democracy that Korea seemed to
applaud. She used to be a royal, but it still felt good to be admired as a capable
knight.

“I’ll make sure to discipline the others later.”

Jin Sahyuk muttered to herself out of boredom. She planned to present the knights
with their best boot camp experience in a long time.

What should I do until then?

“Yaaawn.”

She pulled up the community.

[How do you become a Crevon knight?]

— I’m not interested in climbing the tower. I just wanna become a Crevon knight.

— An office job in Prestige isn’t too bad either. If you aren’t a hero, it’s best to head to
Prestige and acquire a few skill books. Be careful of newbie hunters.

— The Chief Royal Knight in Crevon is a monster called Shin Jahyuk. She’s really strict,
so she probably won’t accept just anyone.

The community grew more active as the number of players increased to 300,000.
The media declared tower addiction as a social issue, but Jin Sahyuk blamed them
for making their society that way. She didn’t believe in democracy and thought it
would naturally fail.

Her personal homepage on the community functioned like social media on Earth.

“Is there anything fun to do? Oh, right.”

She randomly looked around other homepages when a thought suddenly crossed her
mind. Then she typed a nickname into the search bar.

[Search — Boss] [Search results will be enhanced by your grade 1 player rank.]
[Accessing the homepage of player Boss…]

It immediately directed her to a basic, seemingly neglected homepage.

[Boss’ Homepage]

“This woman.”

Bell had told her about the Chameleon Troupe’s boss. Jin Sahyuk decided to spy on
Kim Hajin’s movements through that woman she met the other day. She carefully
looked around even though Boss’ page appeared unused. Soon, she discovered a
strange article.
“What the heck is this?”

[Novel Reading List] Martial World, Legend of the Martial God, Royal Secret Inspector…

This woman either assumed no one would visit her homepage or didn’t know others
could see it. Boss had shamelessly written a series of book reviews. She started with
martial arts and fantasy novels, then modern fantasy and drama novels, and
ultimately settled on romance novels.

— Only for You, The Secret of the Boss, Our Vows…

Jin Sahyuk turned off the system and couldn’t bear to look at such shameful titles.

“This woman is the boss?”

She felt astounded, but also recalled Boss’ overwhelming strength. Her incredible
flow of magic and her shadow’s unrivaled destructive power. Honestly, Jin Sahyuk’s
hair had stood on ends. She wanted to learn from Boss if she could.

“So she makes up for her mental deficit with physical strength…”

— No. Byul was always perfect. She never let her guard down even with such
unbelievable strength and compensated for her occasional clumsiness with
meticulousness.

A voice suddenly flowed into Jin Sahyuk’s ears. She looked up in surprise, but found
nothing.

— However, Kim Hajin broke her.

“You piece of shit. Do you have your skill on me again?”

Bell recently learned all sorts of strange skills. Tracking, forced transmission,
summoning, etc. The victim of these skills would find them all quite bothersome.

— Yeah, but I didn’t have a choice.

“Bullshit. Take it off.”

— Hey, I’m doing this for you. What if Kim Hajin suddenly barges in?
“…”

Her shoulders slightly trembled when she heard that name.

Do you want to return to your homeland? To Plerion?

She recalled what Kim Hajin said that day. He mentioned Plerion and claimed to
know something she didn’t.

“Hey, about Kim Hajin.”

Jin Sahyuk spent a lot of time thinking about him. After much anguish, she formed a
theory. However, this theory sounded almost impossible.

— Yeah, what about him?

“I know this can’t be true, but maybe, just maybe…”

The more ridiculous the hypothesis, the more one wanted to say it out loud.

“Maybe he used to be one of my servants.”

— A servant?

“Yeah, the fact that he knows about the royal family means he’s also from my old
world.”

— Pfft. Yeah, there must’ve been a lot of servants who wanted to kill you because of
your personality.

Despite Bell’s mocking remark, Jin Sahyuk recalled a certain servant’s name that had
been buried deep inside her subconsciousness. Kindspring. That name resembled a
warm spring.

“Argh!”

She felt a sharp pain in her head. This side effect came from the partial sealing of her
memories about the royal family. A fragment rebounded within her consciousness.

I swear by my name to serve Your Highness forever.

This memory occurred a long time ago on an unusually cold day. His voice reached
her ears and they met eyes even though he knelt. For the first time, a servant had
pledged loyalty to her.

Kindspring, I too receive you as my servant forever.

The young princess greeted her first servant with manners that hadn’t been refined
yet.

— I told you, it’s more likely that Kim Suho told him. Don’t worry about it too much,
but I am curious. What kind of servant was he?

Bell’s voice interrupted her recollection.

“Why should I tell you? Get rid of this skill now if you still want your head on your
shoulders.”

Jin Sahyuk sharply responded. Bell sensed a change in the atmosphere and chose to
withdraw his skill without further comments.

— Okay, I’ll leave now. Take care.

He disappeared and Jin Sahyuk became completely alone.

“…”

She looked outside the window in heavy silence. Her old servant’s name, engraved in
her heart, approached like a blade. Her theory had to be impossible.

Kindspring was already an adult when she was just five. He assisted her as a
swordsman and didn’t use a gun or a bow. Furthermore, he wouldn’t have tried to
kill her so viciously if he used to serve her. However, Jin Sahyuk soon recalled how
the loyal Kindspring met his end.

She could only blame herself as a temperamental princess full of ambition. She chose
to abandon her most loyal servant to recruit a stronger knight.

“If… If that really is the case…”

Age didn’t matter much at this point. Hadn’t she (a princess) and Kim Suho (the
lowly varlet of the knights) already come back to life through reincarnation?

“What do you think?”

Jin Sahyuk asked the princess reflected in the window as she tried to recall her old
servant’s face. However, she shook her head before the princess could reply.

“Something must be wrong with my head.”

“Haaa…”

Jin Sahyuk deeply sighed and closed her eyes. She could see the snowy northern
winds outside the royal castle window. The castle’s warmth and its scent piled up
like snow in her heart.

A long time had passed, yet the memories remained fresh. Suddenly, she felt a weight
on her eyelids and opened them. Her vision had turned blurry and the former
princess realized she had been crying.

***

[28F, Demon Metropolis]

I returned to the 28th floor. First, I needed to organize my rewards.

[You have gained 300 SP from killing a devil!] [2 Devil Annihilation – You have
accomplished an amazing achievement!] [You have obtained an authority from
annihilating 2 devils.]

[Authority: Devil Hunter] ▷You may acquire this authority for 5000 SP after
annihilating 2 devils. — Abyssal Monster: Will allow you to use [Partial Devilization]
for a short period. — Crime and Punishment: Will allow you to hunt evil existences
more easily. Will also allow you to instantly dispose of up to 6 evil existences every 72
hours (their state of existence cannot be too high).

[Master Sharpshooter has been promoted to grade 2! Grade 1 is now within arm’s
reach!] [The SP required for the authority, Devil Hunter, has decreased by 50% after
killing Plucas. In addition, you will receive a special bonus when you acquire the
authority.]
All of these messages popped up after I killed Plucas. [Devil Hunter] and [Grade 2
Master Sharpshooter] undeniably stood out the most.

“Devil Hunter…”

It originally cost 5000 SP, but I only needed 2,500 SP after the 50% discount.
Authorities functioned like higher ranked gifts.

[Would you like to spend 2500 SP and acquire the authority, Devil Hunter?]

This could be a double-edged sword, but I had no reason to decline. I could always
delete it if it turned out unprofitable.

[Yes] [Acquiring the authority, Devil Hunter…]

I didn’t feel any different after acquiring it since this authority didn’t improve any
physical stats.

“Partial devilization…”

I used it on my right arm to find out.

BOOONG—

Magic power gushed from stigma. My arm thickened and my fingernails became
sharp. It didn’t take long for my blue magic power to turn black. Then my arm took
on a shape similar to Plucas’ hand.

“So this is how divine power absorption works.”

I quickly understood the mechanism behind it. It resembled how Misteltein

absorbed evil existences and now I could absorb them into my own body too.

“Huuu…”

This could come in handy someday. No, I could start using it right away. My enhanced
arm didn’t mean I suddenly had to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Shooting arrows
or bullets with this devilized arm would produce even more destructive power.

“Hmm.”
I stood up after I got the basics down. Now I should test it in an actual battle. I looked
into the distance and discovered Aileen’s team.

They would soon reach the Demon King’s Castle and Kim Suho would challenge him
repeatedly. Despite the numerous defeats, Kim Suho would never give up and
eventually crush the king through an extraordinary awakening.

The demon king kept engaging with Kim Suho without killing him because—

— KWAAANG!

A loud boom came from their party’s location. The demon king’s servants must be
attacking.

— This lump of light will burn all of you alive!

The time had come for Fenrir to make a cool entrance. There wouldn’t be much left
when I got there, but I could still leave an impression. [Crime and Punishment] should
easily defeat 6 demons.

I ran towards the forest with my gun.

***

[Himalayan Daybreak]

CLANG! Two swords clashed with a heavy sound. At a glance, the individuals seemed
equal in strength from the fierce magic power and sparks of flame. However, this
marked the end of their duel. Chae Nayun managed to return the first 19 attacks, but
the 20th violently threw her back.

“Ahhhhhh…”

She rolled down the snowy slope and got back on her feet right away. However, she
wouldn’t be able to continue in her current condition.

“You lost 100 out of 100 times. At this rate, you won’t be able to get what you want.”

Heynckes smirked at her. Chae Nayun trembled in pain, but still smiled.
“Can’t you see the gap is decreasing?”

“Really? I don’t see it.”

Heynckes shook his head at her sly remark.

“You just wait. I’ll win in 2 weeks.”

The Nine Star and the high-intermediate rank hero had made a certain agreement:
Chae Nayun would try her best and Heynckes would only use one hand without any
magic power.

The Lord of Steel still toyed with her under these unfair conditions. Things had
improved a bit, but the difference between them might as well have been between a
newborn and a grown adult.

“That clause about you not using magic power is weird. Your body doesn’t require
magic power in the first place. You should give yourself a different penalty.”

“Haha. Your head would’ve split by now if I used magic power. Be quiet and let’s head
in.”

“…”

Heynckes still treated her like a child, which bothered her. Anyone would consider a
duel with one of the Nine Stars valuable experience, but Chae Nayun prioritized
finding Kim Joongho. She didn’t have any time to waste.

“Oh, right. Your grandfather caused quite a stir.”

Heynckes looked back at her as he grabbed the doorknob.

“A stir? My grandfather did?”

“Yes, I heard he killed a devil.”

“Devil?”

“Correct, a devil.”
Kiik— Heynckes opened the door and Chae Nayun quickly followed him inside.

“What does that mean?”

“Well, it means he literally killed a devil. Are you dense?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty dumb. Anyways, what do you mean by devil?”

Heynckes trudged towards the counter without answering.

“Hello, old man?”

“You know, like Satan. It seems a real devil appeared.”

“Pardon?”

Chae Nayun froze while trying to process this inconceivable idea.

“The man you’re looking for, Kim Joongho, also said he possessed a devil.”

The name Kim Joongho popped up unexpectedly. Chae Nayun widened her eyes and
ran towards the counter where Heynckes stood.

“What, what do you mean? Old man, tell me more!”

Heynckes looked at the flustered Chae Nayun and calmly continued.

“I thought he had gone mad. He looked mad, sounded mad, but kept insisting he
owned a devil’s corpse.”

Heynckes stroked his chin as if reminiscing.

“Maybe he wasn’t completely mad.”

Then he took out a copy of the Violet Times, but Chae Nayun quickly snatched it from
him.
Chae Nayun snatched the newspaper out of Heynckes’ hands.

[Immortal Exterminates Devil]

The headline mentioned that her grandfather killed a devil. Chae Nayun only found
out now since she lived away from the internet. Her eyes widened and she stuffed
the contents into her head.

[Djinns have finally summoned the root of evil. The devil Plucas descended on Earth
through a human host.] [Chae Joochul submitted Plucas’ horn as evidence and is
currently treating his injuries from the battle at the association’s hospital.] [The Hero
Association issued a sanction against Pandemonium and various djinn groups…]

She found the news hard to believe. Chae Nayun looked at Heynckes as she tightly
held the newspaper.

“W-What does this mean? A devil?”

“Hm? You didn’t know?”

Heynckes found Chae Nayun’s reaction strange.

“Of course not. How would I?”

“Then what do you think now that you know?”

“Eh? Mm… That my grandfather is amazing? Well, I’m surprised that something like a
devil exists.”

“Hmm.” Heynckes crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. Then he whispered to
himself, “Is she acting dumb or actually stupid…”

“Old man, I can hear you.”

Chae Nayun narrowed her eyes at him as he shrugged.

“Haha, at least you have sharp ears.”

“What am I supposed to think?”

“Didn’t I tell you before?”

Chae Nayun had stayed in Heynckes’ inn for a month. Naturally, she told him
everything and also mentioned the theory that Chae Jinyoon might’ve been a djinn
even though she strongly denied it. She needed to find Kim Joongho for advice.

“What do you mean? You never mentioned anything about a devil.” Chae Nayun
innocently asked. Her eyes burned with a desire to know.

“Haa…”

Heynckes found it hard to believe Chae Nayun couldn’t even recall what he
previously said. He simply closed his mouth when he realized it might be inevitable.
The theory that Chae Jinyoon might’ve been a djinn didn’t exist in her head. It didn’t
have to do with her intelligence. She subconsciously rejected it.

“Kim Joongho said he had a devil’s corpse.”

Heynckes explained as Chae Nayun nodded with a serious face.

“Yes, and my grandfather killed a devil.”

“…”

Chae Nayun murmured as if she knew something, but her thoughts wouldn’t
continue past Chae Joochul. She refused to connect the dots between Kim Joongho’s
devil corpse and Chae Jinyoon. Heynckes couldn’t help but feel a bit bad.

“You can think about the rest yourself. The sun is setting soon, so you’ll have all the
time to think.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

Heynckes poured some beer into a mug and handed it to Chae Nayun, hoping it
would serve as fuel for thinking.

“Ah, thank you. I was just getting thirsty.”

“Also, we’ll be changing the rules starting tomorrow.”

Heynckes raised his index finger while she gulped down the beer.

“One good strike. That’ll be enough.”

The Lord of Steel, Kryne Heynckes, had walked the path of swordsmanship for 60
years. That amounted to 21,900 days or 525,600 hours. Two generations had passed
during this time and a tiny country in East Asia rose into a superpower.

Even as his surroundings changed, Heynckes only ever suffered one defeat in his
entire life. The fact that he made defeating him the condition for Chae Nayun’s
victory meant he never had any intentions of telling her about Kim Joongho’s
whereabouts. He would never disclose a client’s information as an innkeeper.

“Even you should be capable of doing that much.”

However, the circumstances had changed. He couldn’t just gloss over Kim Joongho’s
words now that a devil had appeared.

“Don’t regret it.”

Chae Nayun stared at him before taking out a cigarette from her pocket. She smoked
out of habit now, but Heynckes didn’t like smoking.

“No smoking inside the inn. Do it outside if you have to.”

“Oh, okay. Just so you know, this is how I refill my magic power.”

“What?”

Chae Nayun snickered and explained about the trait she obtained from the Tower of
Wish. [Hard to Kill] gave her the strange ability to convert toxic substances into
magic power.

“The Tower of Wish has something like that? What an interesting place.”
“Why don’t you go in? I’m sure you’ll become a rising star in no time.”

“No, I’ll be 90 if I blink a few times. Why would I go inside a tower?”

“Don’t be like that. Look, I got this longsword from the tower.”

Chae Nayun proudly showed Heynckes her [Lv.6 Jack Churchill’s Claymore]. Then she
recalled another effective good in her possession.

[Invitation Letter to the Love Room]

She reached into her pocket and took it out to make sure she didn’t lose it.
Thankfully, the letter hadn’t disappeared.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this?”

“Yeah.”

“Mmm… how do I explain this…”

Chae Nayun brought it with her so she could one day meet the friend she made in a
game. She left the tower without ever meeting him, but always believed they would
eventually meet.

“It’s a talisman.”

“Talisman?”

“Yep.”

She placed the letter away with a big grin.

“It’ll protect me from death at least once.”

***

[Seoul, Korea – Yoo Yeonha’s Mansion]

Yoo Jinwoong told Yoo Yeonha about the Kwang-Oh Incident after her teary
confession. The perpetrator finally revealed the truth she wanted to avoid. Yoo
Yeonha hadn’t slept for 2 days. After she woke up, her exhausted body recovered to
its peak condition and she returned home with Yoo Jinwoong.

“I’m sorry, Yeonha.”

The father and daughter sat facing each other in the mansion’s living room. Yoo
Jinwoong apologized once again to his daughter. His past deed had come around like
a boomerang and struck his daughter’s heart. Her pain also hurt him too.

The fact that he couldn’t do anything pained him even more. They couldn’t go against
Chae Joochul yet no matter how powerful Essence of the Strait grew. Chae Joochul’s
influence became unrivaled now as the Devil Slayer. No one would dare ask him to
atone for his sins. Whoever did so would face grave consequences no matter their
background.

“You don’t have to apologize to me. You know this too, Dad.”

Yoo Yeonha bitterly smiled. They couldn’t turn back time anymore. Still, she would
never give up. She planned to make Chae Joochul pay for his sins no matter how long
it took.

“Here.”

“…?”

To achieve this goal, Yoo Yeonha handed a small USB to her father. Yoo Jinwoong
tilted his head as he received it.

“It’s what uncle found about Chae Jinyoon’s murder.”

This USB contained the results of Yoo Jinhyuk’s investigation and the truth that Chae
Joochul wanted to hide.

“Uncle? You mean Yoo Jinhyuk?”

He felt slightly shocked to hear his little brother’s name.

“Yeah.”
“Mmm… Then I know about it too. He said he saw a tattoo, right?”

“No.”

Yoo Yeonha shook her head. Yoo Jinhyuk also found out about Kim Hajin’s tattoo, but
that was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Uncle found something much bigger. He didn’t say anything because he feared Chae
Joochul would kill him.”

Chae Jinyoon’s corpse had mutated. Thick demonic energy greater than any djinn
engulfed his body and his right arm had entirely devilized. For this reason, Chae
Shinhyuk ordered Kim Joongho to hide the corpse from Chae Nayun.

Yoo Jinhyuk knew many secrets.

“Dad, Chae Joochul revealed that he killed a devil. After seeing that, I became certain
again.”

Yoo Jinwoong plugged the USB into his smartwatch. A holographic window popped
up and he quickly read it. Soon, his eyes shot open.

“Chae Jinyoon became the incarnation of a devil.”

“…”

Yoo Jinwoong stared at her in shock. Next, Yoo Yeonha told him exactly what Kim
Hajin had told her in the past. A great evil known as a devil’s seed had been placed in
Chae Jinyoon’s heart and couldn’t be removed.

“Then…”

Yoo Jinwoong muttered in a daze.

“Right, he knew about all this and killed Chae Jinyoon himself.”

“…”

Yoo Jinwoong had experienced many things in life as Essence of the Strait’s leader.
Even if he wasn’t a genius, he believed his experiences had made him more
intelligent. Even so, he didn’t dare accept what his daughter just told him.

“Yeonha, even Chae Joochul said he had a hard time dealing with a devil. How can a
man, who was only a cadet at the time…”

“That’s because the devil inside Chae Jinyoon hadn’t fully awakened. Plus, that
person was a lot stronger than you think.”

“Ho…”

Yoo Jinwoong could tell his daughter didn’t just simply trust this man. He recalled
how she referred to him as precious. He knew Yoo Yeonha didn’t easily trust people.
What kind of feelings did they share to have such a relationship? For how long?

As a father, Yoo Jinwoong couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. However, he quickly
chided himself and shook off those thoughts. Then he voiced the question in his
head.

“Then why didn’t he reveal the truth to anyone? Ah…”

Yoo Jinwoong closed his mouth at the stupid question.

“Right.”

The devil’s seed inside Chae Jinyoon couldn’t be proven. No one had even heard of a
devil’s seed before. Even if he had evidence, Chae Joochul wouldn’t have accepted
that his grandson became a devil. Chae Joochul also possessed enough power to turn
truth into falsehood.

“Still, I find it hard to believe that a single high schooler…”

“I agree. I don’t think he did it alone. Jeronimo probably helped him.”

Hearing this, Yoo Jinwoong quickly nodded. He recalled Kim Hajin’s nickname, which
spread far and wide across the world.

“Jeronimo’s… Fenrir.”

“Exactly.”
The world’s strongest mercenary group that stopped a national catastrophe with
only twenty or so members. Their estimated level of influence equaled the Vast
Expanse. It would be entirely possible with Jeronimo’s help.

“This is all I know.”

“I see.” Yoo Yeonha stood up.

“You can go now, Dad. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

“Yeonha, why don’t you stay with me for today—”

“I’ll tell Mom.”

“…”

Yoo Jinwoong reluctantly got up too. He didn’t fear his wife, but he understood his
current position. He didn’t want to leave his daughter, but could only be thankful that
she didn’t already hate him.

“I’ll head out now. I’ll do my best, so don’t bear everything alone—”

“Stay put, Dad. Chae Joochul’s influence is unrivaled nowadays. I’m worried.”

“I will.”

Yoo Jinwoong warmly smiled.

“See you.”

He left as Yoo Yeonha stared at his back for a long time.

“Haa…”

She sighed and paced around the living room alone. Darkness blanketed the world
outside. It had grown silent as if even time had stopped. Yoo Yeonha thought about
Kim Hajin for a long time in this frightening silence.

Kim Hajin knew that Chae Jinyoon would become a devil, but something still didn’t
make sense. How did he know that Chae Jinyoon carried a devil’s seed without any
evidence?

“He returned from the future. That’s the only way.”

She finally concluded what she always hesitated to admit.

Kim Hajin had been a regressor just like Shin Myungchul.

“Haa…”

She slowly walked to her bedroom. A large bed sat in the corner and she blankly
stared at it. Then she slowly approached and buried herself in its embrace.

The bed he gifted her still felt comfortable. He didn’t exist anymore, but his bed
remained. Yoo Yeonha carefully sniffed it. The scent that once filled the bed had
grown faint. Her own scent had erased it. Saddened by this, Yoo Yeonha covered her
face. She noticed all sorts of hints now that she thought about it.

He knew what food I liked. We probably had a close relationship before he went back in
time. It makes sense that he knew my favorite food. What kind of a person was I? What
relationship did we have? How did I end up telling him my most embarrassing secret?

Yoo Yeonha wanted to cast away her sorrow with such worries. However, her heart
only grew heavier the more she thought about him. She cried in her bed and the
tears wouldn’t stop. Her regrets felt especially painful. She continued to cry as if the
sky had fallen and trembled in agony until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

***

[28F – Forest to the Demon King’s Castle]

A strange group of demons attacked Aileen’s party. Some didn’t die until their core
had been destroyed and some could physically attack while looking like fog or mist.
Others continued to move and attack even after being killed.

“Aaak, when is this going to end?”

Aileen angrily shouted after an hour-long struggle against an endless flood of

monsters. They managed to kill 46 out of 53 demons, but the remaining 7 became
quite tricky.
“Haa… So annoying.” Aileen went all out on the frontlines and felt exhausted.

“Are you okay, Suho?” Jin Seyeon asked.

“Yes, I’m okay.”

Kim Suho busily slashed what couldn’t be physically touched and should be
exhausted by now, but remained completely fine. Jin Seyeon felt like she knew why.
Every time he cut down a demon, the holy sword in his hands absorbed its power.
This seemed to infinitely recycle his power.

“Those guys will probably be a bit tricky.”

Kim Suho pointed his sword at the 6 remaining demons. The demon king’s authority
blessed these high rank demons. Authorities existed above the realm of gifts, so Kim
Suho’s Sword Saint abilities didn’t work on them. He had to face them with pure
swordsmanship.

— You humans are stronger than we thought.

— But we’re bored now. No more playing around.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I think I’ll lose.”

Kim Suho smiled and began to gather magic power for his ultimate skill. He used
Misteltein as a catalyst for this secret technique that could topple even a mountain.
However, starlight flashed from the sky before his golden magic power could take
shape.

Chwaaaa…

Streaks of light fell like shooting stars.

“W-What?”

“…?”

“Wow…”

Kim Suho canceled his ultimate skill while Jin Seyeon and Aileen looked at the
beautiful scene in a daze. Yi Yongha took out a camera and began taking pictures.
The demons only stared with disdain.

Soon, the shooting stars touched the ground. The starlights obviously targeted the
demons. However, they stood in place without much thought and felt confident in
withstanding these attacks.

— Hah?

Then a short death throe escaped one demon’s mouth. Kim Hajin’s authority, [Crime
and Punishment], turned ordinary magic bullets into light attribute bullets with 4.5
streaks of stigma. They pierced the 6 demons and directly burned their souls.

“What?”

The shooting stars closed the curtains to a long play and the forest grew silent. Kim
Suho finally shouted as everyone stood in a daze.

“Hajin!”

Aileen, Jin Seyeon, and Yi Yongha all turned around. A man in a black robe stood on
top of a tall demon tree. He lightly jumped down and walked over with a smile. His
steps felt full of confidence.

“Hello.”

Other than Kim Suho, everyone else felt shocked by the strength of Kim
Hajin/Fenrir’s bullets.

“Y-You… How…?”

Kim Hajin simply smiled at Aileen, who pointed at him in shock. Meanwhile, Kim
Suho skipped over and grabbed his shoulder.

“Ah, I knew it was you. How did you get through the Colosseum?”

“Colosseum? I don’t know. I’ve never been there. I just sneaked my way here.”

Kim Suho completely fell for Kim Hajin’s innocent lie.

“Ah, that makes sense since you’re good at hiding. It’s great to see you, Hajin.”

Kim Hajin looked over at Aileen after sharing a warm hug with Kim Suho.

“I came because of all the noise. You’re all going to the Demon King’s Castle, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Aileen nodded.

“Then let’s go together,” Kim Hajin added.

“Huu.” Aileen sighed and suddenly plopped on the ground.

“I don’t know. We’re all exhausted. I’m going to go home for a while. I have magic
power exhaustion.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Kim Hajin took out a card with a confident smile.

“What’s that?”

This time, Jin Seyeon showed some interest. She stealthily walked up and stared at
the card in his hand.

“It’s an 8 star card I got from the Card Kingdom.”

“W-What? 8, 8 stars?”

“R-Really?”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon’s eyes widened. They only obtained a 5 star card at best after
spending tons of money.

“Yep, this will wash away all your exhaustion.”

Kim Hajin shook the card.

[Miraculous Teahouse] [Space Summoning] [8 star] Effective Good ○ A mysterious

teahouse that can never be found. The tea it sells contains miraculous effects. ● Will
summon the mysterious teahouse to a place of your choice. ● May be summoned 3
times.
Kim Hajin snapped his fingers with the 8 star card in his hand.

Snap!

Golden light instantly shot out and a small teahouse appeared in the demon realm’s
forest.
The teahouse appeared on our right after I activated the 8 star card. Everyone stared
at the tiny colorful bricks in surprise.

“Wha, what’s that?”

Aileen’s eyes became even rounder.

“It’s called the Miraculous Teahouse and it’s the best place to recover from fatigue.”

I glanced at Kim Suho and Jin Seyeon, who seemed equally surprised. Yi Yongha kept
taking pictures of the teahouse as if he’d become a photoholic. Jin Seyeon came back
to her senses first.

“Fenrir, is it okay for you to use an 8 star card? We’re thankful, but… I presume an 8
star card is quite valuable.”

“Huh? Ah…”

I guess she felt concerned because cards became the most popular items on the
auction house. Moreover, players always bragged in the community about their 6
star and 7 star cards. Something like an 8 star card never even appeared there.

“It’s fine. When else would I use it if not now?”

I didn’t consider this card such a common item either, but I could use it up to 3 times.
We couldn’t recover our stamina here unless we used it.

“Everyone, don’t just stand there. Let’s get moving. Hey, let’s go.”

I tapped Kim Suho’s shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, right.” He nodded and we went to the teahouse together.

“…8 stars.”

“Seyeon, do you remember how much 7 star cards sold for?”

“I don’t, but I do know they cost a fortune.”

“I don’t mean to brag, but Hajin gave me an 8 star card as a gift before.” Kim Suho
suddenly interrupted Yi Yongha and Jin Seyeon’s conversation.

“You sure do sound like you’re bragging.”

The trio happily chatted as they followed me. However, Aileen moved oddly slow.
Something felt wrong, so I carefully studied her before snatching her wrist.

“Hiek! Y-You scared me! What?”

The sudden physical contact surprised her.

“You wanna die? Do you?”

Aileen tried to shake off my hand, but I stubbornly rolled up her sleeve. She couldn’t
resist because of what lay underneath. A black bruise ran across her thin, pale
forearm. It looked like demonic energy poisoning when demonic energy festered
over time in a wound.

“What is this bruise, Lady Aileen?”

“When did you get hurt?”

The trio each reacted differently. Jin Seyeon shouted and examined the bruise, Yi
Yongha worryingly took pictures of it, and Kim Suho took out some medicinal herbs.

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing…”

Aileen shook off my hand with her bruise uncovered. Faint tears began to gather in
her eyes.

“It just happened. You know, the one that uses poison? Even Spirit Speech doesn’t
work on this. I think it’s a curse or something.”
This curse probably came from a demon blessed by the demon king’s authority.
Authorities ranked higher than gifts, so she couldn’t possibly do anything. Spirit
Speech, though powerful, remained in the realm of gifts.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed. It just shows you tried your best to protect
everyone. Ah, we don’t need those herbs.”

I stopped Kim Suho from mashing the herbs into a paste.

“We can do the detoxification inside the teahouse.”

I pulled the doorknob. Clang— The door opened with a familiar chime and I
immediately felt a cool breeze.

“Everyone, this way.”

The interior appeared much bigger than its outside appearance. It featured
immaculate decorations and grass swayed on the floor. A huge tree stood in the
middle and I could also hear a stream running in the distance. It felt as if we stepped
right into the heart of nature.

“Woah. What is this place?”

Aileen entered last and seemed to have forgotten all about her pain and
embarrassment.

“As expected of an 8 star card…”

“Where did you get this card, Hajin?”

“I’m pretty lucky.”

I simply smiled at Kim Suho’s question and wrapped up the conversation. Then we
approached the counter. The shop owner dozed off in a chair. This person had long
hair and soft, fair skin with big eyes and long eyelashes. The owner appeared to be a
woman, but could also be a man with cherry lips and a sharp nose. No, members of
their race could pass as both men and women. Either way, they resembled
everyone’s ideal beauty.

“Elf? Hey, isn’t this person an elf?”

Aileen exclaimed in surprise. Indeed, the shop owner had an elf’s pointed ears. We
all stared in awe when the elf finally woke up.

“Ah, customers have come?”

The elf smiled. His or her enchanting voice lingered in my ears. For a moment, I
hallucinated that the world suddenly lit up. Everyone here probably experienced the
same.

I made elves androgynous in my setting. They emphasized inner qualities rather

than outward appearance when falling in love and decided their sex based on their
partner’s preference.

“You’re customers, correct?”

“What? Ah, yes. We’re customers.”

I never imagined the shop owner would be an elf. I managed to stay calm and asked,
“Here, cough, what kind of teas do you have?”

“We have a lot. Look over there.”

The elf pointed at the menu hanging on the wall.

[Turquoise Wind] [Green Sweetness] [Mother Nature’s Vitality] [Sad Engagement…]

“How much is the tea for detoxifying demonic energy?”

“I don’t accept money. Instead…”

The elf suddenly paused and looked at the tiny Aileen next to me. It seemed the elf
detected an aura of demonic energy on her.

“Mm. I see she’s under a curse.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Is she a dwarf?”

Aileen, who looked around the shop while humming, suddenly put on a menacing
expression. Her face turned red as a tomato. Then she lowered her head and began
to tremble in anger.

“You…”

Suddenly, Aileen grew taller by tiptoeing.

“What did you say?”

“Oh, you aren’t? I’m sorry. Your small body just contained so much magic power. It's a
characteristic of dwarves.”

“Wha, what? A characteristic of dwarves? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?
Hey, let go. Let me go…”

Jin Seyeon intervened before Aileen could cause a scene. Aileen flailed her short
arms and legs with all her strength, but none of it seemed to work.

“Seriously, a dwarf? You keep calling me a dwarf. You must be soooo happy you’re
tall and pretty. Good for you!”

“Lady Aileen, please calm down.”

“How can I be calm? She just called me a dwarf!”

A tiny fuss began, but the elf turned towards Kim Suho. He also curiously looked at
the elf.

“Beautiful.” The elf spoke.

“Pardon?”

The elf probably meant Kim Suho’s inner qualities. He thanked the elf in a daze and
nodded.

“I’ll offer the first tea free of charge since one of you is in dire need of detoxification.”

“Thank you.”

The elf began to brew the tea. I watched their hands to see if I could learn the recipe
using Dwarf’s Dexterity and the thousand-mile eyes.

“Ho…”

Just one tea contained too many ingredients. I counted at least 179 ingredients and
that didn’t include the elf’s magic power. Perhaps I could imitate the flow of magic
power with stigma, but it would be impossible to gather all those ingredients.

“All done.”

The elf offered Aileen a cup of tea. However, Aileen still seemed sullen and glared at
the elf before snatching the tea.

“This better be good…”

Sniff sniff. The dwarf smelled the tea and all her anger and irritation instantly
disappeared. Then the dwarf sipped it as if she had been placed under a spell.

“Wow…”

The elf’s tea had enchanted the dwarf. I coughed and looked at the elf.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Our meeting seems to be fated. Will you enlighten me with your name?”

I struck a pose and placed my hand on the table while running my fingers through
my hair like a model.

“…”

The elf didn’t reply. My efforts didn’t seem very effective, so I turned to the right. In
my opinion, the right side of my face looked more handsome than my left.

“…”

The elf still didn’t respond, so I finally resorted to my special melancholic gaze. The
elf finally showed a reaction.
“What are you doing?”

“Ah, haha. Hahahaha. It’s nothing.”

I scratched my neck with nervous laughter. I thought we might be able to receive an

extra tea or two, but it seems I wasn’t good enough. Well, not that it mattered.

“Do you have any wood?” I asked the elf.

“Wood?”

“Yes.”

I already knew what elves liked. They loved trees and possessed the ability to
breathe life into them. Elves especially loved cute wooden dolls.

“I’m great at making wooden dolls.”

***

We spent 3 days at the teahouse. Aileen loved it more than anyone else. The word
dwarf angered her from time to time, but she fell in love with the cakes the elf made.

“Today is the last day for business.”

However, we had to say farewell now. The elf looked at us with a sad expression.

I felt disappointed I never got to fully utilize my medicinal memory physique. Still, I
learned how to brew almost every kind of elven tea. I should be able to recreate
them on Earth with the right ingredients.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Jin Seyeon bowed. Yi Yongha and Aileen also pitched in a few comments of
appreciation while Kim Suho handed the elf a letter he worked hard to write.

“Thanks for everything.”

“Oh, Suho…”
The elf seemed quite touched by his letter. Kim Suho certainly looked like the main
character as I watched them.

“And this is from me.”

Tears gathered in the elf’s eyes, who seemed to be on the verge of declaring their sex
as female. I handed over my last wooden doll, a cute puppy. The elf happily infused it
with magic power and the doll began to walk.

“Thank you.”

“Please take care.”

“I’ll take one last picture to commemorate this memory.”

“Bye. Thanks for the cake and the chocolate. I’ll enjoy them.”

Jin Seyeon, Kim Suho, Yi Yongha, and Aileen all said their goodbyes.

“Yes, goodbye. I had a lot of fun these past 3 days.”

The warm-hearted elf saw us off with teary eyes. Kwaaaaa… The teahouse began to
shake as we stepped outside. We returned to the demon realm’s gloomy scenery and
the teahouse had already disappeared when I looked back.

“You all rested well, right?”

Everyone seemed a bit forlorn. Starting now, we couldn’t spare any time to feel
lonely.

“Let’s get started. Everyone, get ready.”

***

[Vladivostok, Russia — Evil Society’s Headquarters]

One gloomy day, a strange being visited Evil Society’s headquarters. The being
introduced himself as a messenger, though he clearly looked like a monster.

“…”
Kim Hakpyo rose to the top of Evil Society after the Tower of Wish and greeted the
monster. Its appearance resembled a human, except hair covered its body and its
head resembled a wolf. This monster could be called a werewolf.

“You’re the messenger?”

— Yes.

A strange sound like scratching metal came from the monster’s throat. Kim Hakpyo
didn’t wish to ever hear it again. He asked with a frown.

“I see. So what’s your business here?”

This werewolf undoubtedly belonged to those famous humanoid monsters. It felt

quite bothersome to deal with them, but Kim Hakpyo couldn’t just brush them aside
considering Pandemonium’s situation. I should at least listen to what they have to say.

— Our king, Orden, demands your loyalty.

“…?”

Kim Hakpyo froze at the insolent remark.

“What? Did I hear that right? Say it again. Lo, loyalty?”

— Yes, that is correct.

Kim Hakpyo remained silent and the werewolf simply stared at him. Quite a bit of
time passed in complete silence. Suddenly, loud laughter escaped from Kim Hakpyo’s
mouth. His laughter shook the earth.

“Uhahahaha!”

The king’s envoy took this laughter as a positive response. The werewolf continued
with a faint smile.

— Our king shall rule the world, but he is benevolent enough to share portions of it
with the djinns…

“You son of a bitch!”

Kim Hakpyo let out an explosive roar. This time, it bore magic power and shook the
werewolf’s skull.

“You mad beasts! You never fully grew your brains?”

Kim Hakpyo shouted and slammed his fists. KWAAANG! A thunderous roar filled the
air and magic power spread out in a huge shockwave.

“Bastard, who do you think you’re talking rubbish to?”

Kim Hakpyo grabbed the confused werewolf’s shoulder. Chwaaak… He tore the
wolf’s arm off before it could say anything. With his other hand, he grabbed the
wolf’s head and slammed it to the ground.

“You little piece of shit! Who do you think I am? What king? King?”

Kim Hakpyo repeatedly stomped on the werewolf’s head to release his fury. Puk—
Puk— Puk—! His trampling continued at a regular interval. The werewolf remained
on the floor, barely breathing.

“Haaaa…”

Kim Hakpyo sighed and knelt on one knee. Then he grabbed the werewolf’s head
and pulled him up to make eye contact.

“Listen to me well, wolf.”

Kim Hakpyo’s eyes sharply glared at him. His scarlet eyes, characteristic of djinns,
stared right into the werewolf’s yellow eyes.

“I do not know nor am I interested in knowing your king, but…”

Kim Hakpyo opened his mouth wide and a thick fog of demonic energy flowed out to
encompass his entire body. He transformed into something much more horrendous
than a monster and showed off his perfect devilization.

— Tell him I’ll bite his head off if I ever catch sight of him.

The djinn’s voice boiled with rage and demonic energy.

 ***

[28F - Demon King’s Castle Wall]

We finally arrived at the Demon King’s Castle after traveling for 3 days. Huge walls
surrounded it and gave off a gloomy vibe. It also gave off the characteristic aura of
someone strong.

“First, I think it would be best to travel underground into the castle.”

We hid behind a nearby bush and began our strategic meeting. Of course, I led the
meeting since only I knew about the castle’s structure and blind spots.

“How are we going to infiltrate the castle from underground?”

Nom nom. Aileen asked as she chomped on chocolate.

“The eastern wall and the northern wall each have a crack that leads inside.”

“Nyam. And how do you know that?”

“My eyesight is exceptionally good. You know how a satellite sees, right?”

Aileen nodded.

“I can see the entire castle that way. My field of vision isn’t just horizontal, but also
vertical. It’s easy to spot a gap if you’re looking from above.”

“Ah… Is that part of your gift or is it a skill?”

“Well, let’s say it’s part of my gift.”

I faintly smiled as Jin Seyeon stepped up.

“Well then, we should divide into teams since there’s 5 of us. One team of 2 and
another of 3.”

“Yes, good idea.”

I agreed. We would increase our chances of getting caught if all of us moved together
and it would also be more difficult to find an escape route.

“Then Hajin and I will…”

“Huh? Hajin has to go with me.”

Opinions conflicted regarding the teams. It seemed both Jin Seyeon and Kim Suho
wanted to pair up with me.

“Suho? What’s wrong?” Jin Seyeon tilted her head at him.

“You’ve never opposed me until now…”

“Well, it’s just having 2 sharpshooters on one team doesn’t make sense.”

“No, Hajin might as well be considered a close range fighter. Remember what he said
last time? Guns are better for close quarter combat.”

“That’s true, but Hajin and I work better in terms of teamwork. After all, you’ve only
met him a few times.”

“Shouldn’t we consider efficiency first? What do you think would happen if 2

sharpshooters form a team? They’ll never get caught, right? Since we’re both
sharpshooters who excel in secretly traveling…”

A full-scale quarrel broke out. To my surprise, it continued for 5 minutes, 10

minutes, then 15 minutes…

Kim Suho aside, why is Jin Seyeon so persistent?

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Jin Seyeon had asked me about the Kwang-Oh Incident when I disguised as Black
Lotus. In that case, Jin Seyeon also…?

“That’s enough. You, come with me.”

Aileen pulled me by the sleeve and could no longer listen to them.

“Eh? Why must you step in, Lady Aileen?”

“She’s right. You don’t suit him.”

“Oh, whatever. Shut up before I use Spirit Speech.”

Aileen seized me by force and we finally decided on the teams. Team 1 consisted of
Aileen and me. Team 2 consisted of Kim Suho, Jin Seyeon, and Yi Yongha. This turned
out to be the most balanced combination.

“We finished forming teams now. Kim Hajin, tell us the plan.”

“Ah, of course. The plan goes like this: the castle has a total of 2 secret cracks. One in
the east and the other in the north. We’ll use these openings to…”

***

After our briefing, Aileen and I entered the castle through the opening in the north.
Even the smallest footsteps could prove lethal, so we remained silent. The demonic
energy grew thicker the further we advanced. Then I suddenly heard a small groan
from her.

“Aileen, is something wrong?”

“Ah, it’s just… that bruise from earlier. Wait a sec. This will be better.”

She made a mask using Spirit Speech and wore it to avoid breathing in more
demonic energy.

“I’m all set. Let’s go.”

Her solution would only temporarily work, but we had no other choice. We
continued even in this darkness. However, we both knew the enemy would show up
the moment we let our guard down.

Tzzzt…

That moment finally came. Sparks went off as we looked up at the big chandelier
hanging from the ceiling. A thin ray of light could be seen above it.

“It’s the enemy, right?”

“Yes, it’s probably the middle boss.”

Aileen couldn’t see in the dark, but I could. The demon castle’s middle boss stood on
top of the chandelier.

— A pleasure to meet you all…

The boss’ slimy voice felt like being licked by a snake. The development so far
resembled a cliche. The party split into two and the protagonist would fight the true
boss while his comrades battled the middle boss.

That’s true, but…

I glanced at Aileen next to me. She seemed strangely distressed and her expression
didn’t look too good.

— My name is Kain, the affectionate puppeteer who has been waiting for you to
arrive…

The voice introduced himself.

Thud, thud.

I suddenly heard loud footsteps, but not with my own perception. This sensation
came from what Spartan shared with me. I smiled since I didn’t have to worry
anymore.

— Oi, you sure this is the right way?

The strongest warrior in all of Goryeo and a soldier of fortune who swept the
country with a single sword. Cheok Jungyeong left an everlasting impression on
Korean history and currently approached us.
My novel’s settings grew vaguer the further it progressed, but Kain the Puppeteer
remained especially ambiguous. I described him with keywords like [puppeteer],
[slimy], [emotionless], and [cruel]. I didn’t write anything else since he held no
importance. Kim Suho easily cut him down in the original story, but we should be
careful since the co-author changed several things.

— Meetings are always beautiful. A meeting like ours is especially so.

Kain’s soliloquy continued. Listening to his slimy voice felt like being licked.

“What is that crazy guy saying…”

Aileen frowned as she activated her skill. Wooong… A blue aura rose from the ground
and seeped into her body. She used a special skill called [Magic Power Amplification].

“Uk!”

However, Aileen suddenly clenched her heart and knelt on the ground.

“Ai! I’m fine.”

She got up before I could say anything.

“Huu…”

Cold sweat formed on her forehead, but she didn’t show any signs of exhaustion and
glared at Kain dancing on the chandelier.

— Dance like a puppet while smiling.

Kain’s voice echoed towards us. Then Aileen pointed at him.

“You, come down.”

Magic power seeped into her words.

“Ordering him with Spirit Speech won’t work too well.”

I stopped her since I knew it would be useless. The demon king’s authority protected
these middle bosses. Enough magic power could overcome it, but that would only be
a waste.

“Fine.”

Aileen’s Spirit Speech would be more than enough even without ordering others
around. She released her magic power into the air and formed a spear.

“This spear will pierce your heart.”

The spear shot forward and couldn’t be dodged since Spirit Speech determined an
absolute result. It pierced Kain’s heart, but what should’ve been an easy attack
caused Aileen some pain.

“Uk… Become light.”

She continued while groaning. The spear piercing Kain’s heart exploded into light
and the chandelier fell along with him. His body scattered into dust without touching
the ground.

“W-What, was he just a small fry?”

The battle seemingly ended and Aileen furrowed her brows. However, I shook my
head.

“No, he’s probably—”

Organ music flowed from the darkness as if he waited for me to speak. This prelude
signaled the battle’s continuation.

— Sing with the flowers… a silent song…

Kain’s voice rang out as a sinister organ played. He sounded like multiple voices
singing in a choir.
— Humans are dirty, but they possess one beautiful thing…

Tick.

Suddenly, everything became silent and Aileen flinched as a bright spotlight lit the
room.

— Slaughtering, dismembering… a flower birthed from death…

Hundreds of Kain appeared before us. His real body couldn’t be distinguished from
these clones. Kain created these puppets using his heart, so each puppet contained
his real self.

— Let there be blood!

The puppets shot out a wave of red magic power. Aileen stood in front and
confidently shouted.

“You can’t pierce my barrier!”

She formed a barrier around us and blocked their attack. However, the puppets
began to charge with weapons. It seemed impossible for any of them to pierce
Aileen’s barrier, but we wouldn’t win if we just defended.

I glanced at Aileen.

“Uk…”

She struggled to keep up the barrier. Her curse had been healed, but the scar it left
must be reacting to the demon king’s demonic energy. That meant Aileen couldn’t
advance any further.

“Hold on a bit.”

I took out the Desert Eagle. Kain didn’t suit me even though I specialized in fighting
mobs because I couldn’t kill him with my limited stigma. I could easily kill 6 demons
with [Crime and Punishment], but Kain’s puppets could all be considered individual
demons. My authority had little use with hundreds of them.

“Let’s go.”
I transformed my gun into an assault rifle. I didn’t worry since I just had to buy
enough time until Cheok Jungyeong arrived. I had about a thousand bullets, which
should be more than enough.

I began to fire from inside Aileen’s barrier. My barrage flew towards each puppet’s
vital points and destroyed their joints. I emptied a magazine in less than a second as
they fell to the ground.

The puppets tried to dodge, but none of my bullets missed. I only shot by instinct
with grade 2 Master Sharpshooter’s godly accuracy.

Thwack!

A puppet jumped on Aileen’s barrier. Its body began to bulk up to self-destruct.

“A storm will push you away!”

Aileen quickly muttered. This sent the self-detonating puppet flying as it exploded
with a huge boom. We avoided most of the damage, but it still weakened the barrier.

“Do a better job, so they can’t do that.”

“Okay.”

I activated bullet time and focused on the closest puppets. Then I fully utilized
Reinforced Bullet, the new subordinate gift I received when Master Sharpshooter
became grade 2. This gift provided each bullet with enough power to push back the
puppets that resisted.

— What a beautiful flow. Tragedy strikes heavier the more one desperately
struggles…

I attacked while Aileen defended. However, she grew more exhausted as time passed.

“Haa, haa.”

Her breathing grew rough and the barrier thinned out. Fortunately, we held on long
enough as I whispered to her.

“You can rest now.”

“Don’t say strange things. I’m perfectly fine.”

As soon as she said that, a puppet arm flew towards the barrier and exploded.

BOOM!

The ground shook, but the barrier remained. Still, the shock struck her and she knelt
in pain.

“You don’t look fine.”

“I can still go on. Run while I maintain this barrier. I’ll cover you.”

“Oh…”

I felt touched, but didn’t plan on retreating. Kain began to arrogantly mutter.

— What I want is a banquet of death. It isn’t bad for a dwarf and a human to die
together…

He mistook her for a dwarf too.

“T-That son of a bitch.”

Aileen reacted sensitively to that word. I silently took off my coat and placed it over
her trembling shoulders.

“What’s this?”

“Just rest.”

I placed my hand on Aileen’s head.

“Eh?”

“I’ll finish the rest.”

“Are you crazy? Whose head do you think you’re touch… huh…?”

I released stigma’s magic power into her body.

“Ah… hey, what did you do… I’m getting… sleepy…”

The barrier protecting us disappeared, but I didn’t need it anymore since the world’s
most reliable ally finally arrived.

“Oi.”

A deep voice rang out from behind me. I picked Aileen up and took a step back as
Cheok Jungyeong appeared with a frown.

“Why are you with that brat?”

“It just turned out this way. The enemy is in front. You can see him, right?”

“Yeah, there sure are a lot though.”

His displeasure from seeing Aileen only briefly lasted. Soon, a big grin emerged on
his face. He simply felt happy to fight again and his opponent’s strength made him
excited.

— A new actor joins the fray.

“What’s up with those guys? They all look the same.”

Cheok Jungyeong asked as he cracked his knuckles.

“This guy’s a puppeteer. Oh, and a psychopath.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t need to give Cheok Jungyeong any detailed explanations. He nodded and
began to stretch.

“So I just have to slaughter them all?”

“Yeah.”

Crack, crack. Kain’s voice echoed as Cheok Jungyeong finished stretching.

— I am the art-loving maestro…

“Oh yeah?”

Cheok Jungyeong activated [Secret March] and his steel-like body became even
tougher.

“That’s great.”

He activated yet another skill.

[Infinite Magic]

A unique skill that gave its user an infinite supply of magic power. Cheok Jungyeong
would become completely unrestrained after activating this skill.

“I’m the same.”

Guooo… A blue aura erupted from Cheok Jungyeong’s body.

— I found the actor who can become a part of…

He shot forward like a beast before Kain could finish with a terrifying ball of energy
concentrated in his hand.

“—!”

Cheok Jungyeong jumped into the sea of puppets with a roar. They immediately
counterattacked, but they only struck the air.

— Shoot.

Kain’s flustered voice rang out.

“Kuhahaha!”

Cheok Jungyeong’s laughter resounded. He jammed his energy blast into the ground
and caused an earth-shaking rumble. BOOM!

“Haa…”

Blasts of energy shot up like volcanic eruptions and destroyed the puppets. I stared
at the scene of destruction in a daze. A cloud of dust rose and hindered my normal
field of vision. However, I chased Cheok Jungyeong with my thousand-mile eyes. He
continued smashing one puppet after another with his bare hands and left no gap in
his movements. Once caught, no puppet could survive.

“Geez…”

His overwhelming battle prowess surprised me. Cheok Jungyeong had grown several
times stronger than in the original story.

“—!”

He roared once again amidst the rising torrent of magic power. I caught sight of his
burning eyes and a chill ran down my back.

***

[8F, Crevon – Knight Hall]

Jin Sahyuk found herself in the middle of a boring meeting in Crevon. As Knight
Commander, she had to determine how to lead the knight order. Of course, she only
showed up to appear dignifying. The other staff members took care of the important
tasks.

“Then the royal court can increase welfare for the knights and their families in
exchange for increasing the number of knights on patrol.”

Jin Sahyuk shot up from her seat as the discussion ended.

“Okay, that’s the end of the meeting.”

“Yes, Knight Commander. Ah, we still have to talk about the 9th floor.”

“We can do that later. No, actually, just record your discussion with a crystal ball. I’ll
look over it when I can.”

Jin Sahyuk shooed the staff members away. She felt especially sleepy today. Perhaps
because she just finished the 7th floor’s unique trait reinforcement surgery.

“Yes, take care, Knight Commander!”

“Yaaawn…”

Jin Sahyuk left the meeting room and walked down the stairs to visit the stable. Her
beloved steed, Ataly, happily neighed.

“Knight Commander Shin Jahyuk?”

A silvery voice rang out when she prepared to hop onto her trusted steed. Jin Sahyuk
turned around.

“Rachel?”

Rachel gently smiled at Jin Sahyuk. She acted like a real noble, tender and well-
mannered, so Jin Sahyuk decided to give her some time.

“What’s up?”

“Ah, I wanted to give you something.”

“You? To me?”

“Yes.”

Jin Sahyuk tilted her head as Rachel handed her a bracelet and leather jacket.

“What are these?”

She didn’t care much about the bracelet, but she liked the black leather jacket. Jin
Sahyuk glanced at Rachel and tried it on.

“Thanks, but why?”

Rachel replied without much thought.

“It’s just a memento to celebrate you joining Club Fenrir.”

“Huh?”

“It has a wolf symbol on the back.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk became speechless. Fans of Kim Hajin got together and formed Club
Fenrir.

“If you continue to work hard…”

Rachel glanced around for a moment before whispering.

“I can let you meet him. He owes me a small favor.”

Jin Sahyuk felt taken aback, but Rachel only smiled.

First, a previous event had to be explained. Kim Hajin is Kindspring. To resolve her
suspicion, Jin Sahyuk secretly asked Rachel about Kim Hajin.

At first, Rachel answered her without much thought. Kim Hajin became famous as
Fenrir and the Lotus Killer, so someone wanting to know about him didn’t seem
surprising. However, she grew suspicious once Jin Sahyuk kept asking. Eventually, Jin
Sahyuk gave the following excuse.

“I, I’m also Fenrir’s fan.”

She could only come up with that excuse and still couldn’t think of a better one.

Jin Sahyuk awkwardly smiled at the current situation.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

“Do your best!”

Rachel smiled and gave Jin Sahyuk a fighting pose. Jin Sahyuk only stared at her
dumbfoundedly before nodding.

“Yeah, I will.”

“Great. I’ll keep my promise too.”’

“Uh, yeah…”
For some reason, Rachel began smiling more. Of course, it didn’t bother Jin Sahyuk.
She held a good impression of Rachel, who never showed displeasure at her rude
behavior and even gave up the Knight Commander seat to her.

“Okay. Then I’ll be returning to Earth now.”

“Uh, yeah. Take care.”

Rachel went back to Earth after a short goodbye.

Whish—

The wind blew and Jin Sahyuk stood alone with the bracelet in her hand. The simple
bracelet also featured the symbol of a black wolf on it.

“Fan my ass…”

She almost chucked it away.

“Sigh…”

However, she placed it in her inventory instead. Jin Sahyuk didn’t know why. She just
did as she felt.

***

[28F – Demon King’s Castle]

Aileen slowly opened her eyes. Did she go to heaven or hell? She wanted to know the
answer to that question first.

“…?”

Her body moved well for someone dead. The intense pain that bothered her had
disappeared as well.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, you woke up?”

“Huh?”

Aileen widened her eyes at Kim Hajin staring at her from the side.

Why is he here? Oh right, I fought the puppet guy with him.

She recalled her temporarily lost memories.

“Where are we?” Aileen carefully asked. They seemed to be in an enclosed space like
a tent. It felt comfortable and safe… Did they return to the Colosseum?

“It’s a level 8 tent. We used it last time, remember?”

“Ah!”

Kim Hajin prepared this tent knowing they would have to sleep outside starting from
the 27th floor. The tent featured an air-purifying function, so Aileen should recover
somewhat after resting here for 8 hours.

“Mmm…”

She rubbed her eyes in a daze and stretched a few times. Then Aileen raised her
upper body.

“What happened?”

“You fainted, so I—”

“No, not that. I mean the crazy 8th grade syndrome guy.”

“Ah…” Kim Hajin grinned. “Look outside.”

“Outside?” Aileen crawled over and pushed aside the tent’s entrance.

“…”

Her mind immediately blanked. She couldn’t comprehend the scene in front of her. It
looked like a natural disaster swept through or a stampede with thousands of
monsters.
“W-What the…”

The ground had cracked all over and broken puppets littered everywhere.

“I told you to rest easy, didn’t I?”

Kim Hajin approached and handed her a pot that gave off a tantalizing smell.

“Eat.”

“What is it?”

“Porridge.”

“…”

Aileen pondered while looking at him. I wasn’t in my best condition, but that puppet
guy wasn’t weak. Honestly, he was incredibly strong. Kim Hajin did all this with just a
gun? I thought this last time, but this guy… is super strong…

Kim Hajin picked up the porridge to feed the shocked Aileen.

“Ah, what are you doing? I don’t want it…”

Aileen said no, but her body said otherwise. Her eyes widened the moment she
tasted the porridge and she began to salivate even more.

“It’s good, right?”

“Uh… yeah, a bit.”

Aileen nodded and Kim Hajin brightly smiled.

“I’m glad.”

Aileen’s heart skipped a beat when she saw his smile. She looked up at Kim Hajin
with a slightly dazed expression.

“Here.”
He gave her another spoonful and Aileen carefully opened her mouth to the warm,
aromatic porridge.

Nom, nom…

Her face turned slightly flushed as she nibbled. Kim Hajin’s cooking tasted that good.

***

[28F – Heart of the Demon King’s Castle]

Kim Suho’s party finally reached the center of the castle after killing monsters in a
maze. Honestly, they didn’t struggle that much. Only ordinary monsters occasionally
appeared, so they quickly advanced. Something challenging should occur soon. They
proceeded with such a thought.

“Someone’s there, Suho.” Jin Seyeon pointed at a beautiful woman in front of a huge
door.

“It’s the witch,” Kim Suho replied. The same woman who tricked them into entering
the Colosseum.

— You’ve finally arrived.

The witch’s voice rang out. Kim Suho and the others stopped to hear her out.

— I am here to test whether you have the qualifications to challenge the king.

Everyone knew what this meant.

— Now, follow me.

Kiiik. The huge door opened and the witch led them through.
The witch disappeared through the door, but they didn’t just mindlessly wander in
after her. Instead, they exchanged glances and didn’t easily trust the witch.

“What are the chances this is a trap?” Jin Seyeon asked, but Kim Suho and Yi Yongha
didn’t reply. They didn’t have a choice at this point.

— Don’t worry.

The witch spoke again.

— Our king loves challenges. He wholeheartedly welcomes worthy challengers. Once

I confirm your qualifications, the king will gladly show himself and accept your
challenge with the tower’s existence at stake.

The witch didn’t seem to be lying, but they remained somewhat suspicious. Jin
Seyeon stepped forward and asked, “How can we trust demons?”

— I shall ask you the same. How can you trust humans?

“What?”

— We can be as righteous, cowardly, evil, and honorable. Of course, I understand

you’re prejudiced against us since you’ve experienced the Colosseum’s madness.

The witch’s words flowed smoothly like a stream.

— The Colosseum only serves as one such ordeal to measure your capabilities. We’re
more impartial than you might think.

Objections immediately popped up in Jin Seyeon’s mind. You can’t just try to kill
someone and claim it was only a test. Also, it’s hard to believe demons are as diverse as
humans…
Still, she knew they had no choice but to follow the witch. Otherwise, they wouldn’t
be able to proceed to the next step.

“What should we do?” Kim Suho asked. The trio looked at each other and hesitantly
nodded.

“Black Lotus returned without dying. He wouldn’t have said what he said if this was a
trap, right?”

Jin Seyeon’s reasoning convinced them.

“Then…”

“Let’s go.”

They increased the magic power around their bodies and surrounded themselves
with all kinds of barriers to prepare for the worst. Then they slowly approached the
door.

Their heavy footsteps echoed off the walls as they courageously marched through.
The witch’s voice blew past them like a bleak wind.

“I welcome you, challengers who have come this far.”

The other side looked distinctly different. A wide, circular lobby greeted them with
numerous demons standing shoulder to shoulder at the far end. Each demon gave off
an overwhelming presence as they stared at the trio.

“Is this a trap?”

Jin Seyeon bit her lips.

“No, they’re here to test you. We originally had 5, excluding me, but one of them
couldn’t be controlled. Only 4 remain. It’s good the numbers match.”

They had 10 if one included the monsters led by one of the demons. Unless the witch
couldn’t count or intentionally mocked them with this. Jin Seyeon’s gaze suddenly
sharpened.

“What are you…”

“Ah, the other one has already arrived.”

The witch shifted her gaze past them and smiled. They also turned around.

“…?”

A man none of them expected to see stood there. He had a gigantic physique with
well-developed muscles that placed him in the same category as monsters and his
steps exuded an aura of arrogance.

“Long time no see.”

Every part of his body could act as a lethal weapon. Cheok Jungyeong looked down at
them and smiled.

“You, why are you here?” Jin Seyeon asked.

An honest reply would require Cheok Jungyeong to reveal Kim Hajin’s orders.
Therefore, he chose not to answer.

“That’s none of your business, archer.”

He simply felt embarrassed. These days, he never challenged Kim Hajin’s decisions
and always complied with his requests. [Energy Blast], [Secret March], and all his
equipment… They came from obeying Kim Hajin.

“Cough.”

Cheok Jungeyong stepped forward onto the battlefield.

***

Meanwhile, I looked after Aileen and watched the scene from afar.

“Aileen, how are you feeling?”

Around 12 hours had passed since Aileen began recuperating. Patient Aileen seemed
to be feeling better since her sassiness returned.

“Mm. I feel a lot better, but… I think I still, maybe, have a bit of a fever?”
That sounded like both a question and an assertion. She spoke in quite a unique
manner. I simply stared at her, but Aileen couldn’t stand the silence.

“W-What I’m saying is, I’ll be fine if I have something to eat.”

“Ah, something to eat?”

I nodded since I had so much food I didn’t need to make any. I took out a Lv.5
luxurious chocolate bar and handed it to her.

“This is…”

“It’s grade 1 chocolate.”

Aileen cautiously took it like a stray cat. She even sniffed the wrapper first before
tearing it open and taking a bite. Nom, nom— I waited for her to finish before
speaking.

“Go back once you finish eating that.”

“Whaaat?” Aileen slightly trembled after enjoying the chocolate.

“W-What? You want me to leave?”

“Yes.”

Aileen frowned at me. “Why should I?”

“You won’t be able to fight in a place full of demonic energy.”

While Aileen slept, I thought about why only she suffered when everyone else
seemed fine. The problem had to do with her skill.

“I’m fine now. Can’t you see?”

Aileen began to stretch. One, two. One, two. I stopped her halfway.

“You may be fine now, but the situation will change once demonic energy surrounds
you. You shouldn’t use [Magic Power Amplification] so hastily.”
I kindly explained to the naïve player who thought her skill had been all-powerful.
Magic power amplification absorbed and refined the air around its user into magic
power. Naturally, absorbing air filled with demonic energy would be dangerous in
her current state.

“W-What? Are you saying I’ll never get better?” Aileen asked while trying to conceal
her fear.

“No, you’ll get better if you rest in places like Baekdu Mountain or Kumgang
Mountain.”

“Ah…” She quickly regained her calm and sighed in relief.

“Phew.”

I wondered about her age looking at her. She didn’t seem to be in her thirties. Aileen
became a hero at such a young age that she never learned any worldly customs or
social manners, but still…

“So you’ll go back?”

“Well, I don’t have a choice, but… ow.”

Ouch, ow, agh. For whatever reason, she kept feigning pain.

“I, I feel dizzy…”

“Excuse me?”

“I need, I need sugar…”

I watched her dumbfoundedly as she pretended to stagger.

“It’s my anemia… so dizzy… need chocolate…”

I ran out of high-quality desserts, so I couldn’t give her any even if I wanted to.

“…”

I simply stared in silence until she suddenly recovered from her anemia. Then she
coughed and seriously spoke.

“You’ll be like this too once you’re my age.”

“Pft.”

I guess I have no choice if she’s willing to go that far. I took out a random dice and
rolled it while thinking about desserts. It luckily transformed into a set of chocolates
for Aileen.

“Woah!”

Her eyes widened when she saw them.

***

[Himalayan Mountain Range, Gym Behind The Inn]

Clang—

Swoosh—

Metallic sounds rang from the gym behind the inn. A fierce duel between teacher and
student currently took place.

“—!”

Chae Nayun swung her sword with a spirited shout. It blazed with azure magic
power and the aura around her could shatter bones to dust. Her sword skills looked
textbook perfect. The magic power around her longsword soared like a waterfall and
rushed towards her opponent, an old man who would soon turn 90. Ordinary people
would be astonished and accuse her of elder abuse.

Ssss…

However, this old man didn’t easily yield. He twisted his body and evaded her blade.
The longsword boasted great reach, but also a long delay between attacks. Therefore,
he planned to evade and counterattack during that gap. However…

“…?”
Another sword made from azure magic power shot up from behind her. Chae Nayun
invented this flying sword skill with her past experience as an archer. Heynckes’
intuition told him he couldn’t simply block this attack. He mistakenly assumed Chae
Nayun wouldn’t have any tricks up her sleeve because of her denseness. Things
wouldn’t have turned out this way if he paid attention to the flow of magic power in
the atmosphere.

At any rate, it’s impossible to block in this position…

Dozens of magic blades rushed towards Heynckes’ vital points according to Chae
Nayun’s will. However, the Lord of Steel didn’t give up and forcefully brandished his
sword. His gift activated and resonated with his Steel Blade.

KWAAANG!

The Nine Star’s Steel Spirit stopped Chae Nayun’s secret technique. Every single one
of Chae Nayun’s magic swords bounced off Heynckes’ Steel Blade. Then heavy silence
descended in the gym.

“…”

“…”

No human could display such skills barehanded. His Steel Blade moved by itself and
blocked every attack. Heynckes had lost since he failed to keep his word. Chae Nayun
spoke in a serious tone.

“One good blow. I won.”

“You’re right. I also lost some of my precious lifespan thanks to you.”

Heynckes sounded like he blamed her, but wore a smile on his face. Chae Nayun only
respectfully nodded.

“Old man, I… learned a lot from you, in many ways.”

Her words contained many meanings.

“I’m glad.”
“Yeah.”

She recently realized the true meaning behind Heynckes’ words. Kim Joongho, who
took Chae Jinyoon’s body, insisted he owned a devil’s corpse. Those two facts could
be easily pieced together, but she found it hard to believe the woven truth.

“Follow me.” Heynckes entered the inn as Chae Nayun trailed behind.

“A promise is a promise. I’m an honorable man.”

Heynckes said as he handed Chae Nayun an old compass. Her eyes widened.

“This is?”

“It’s a compass that bears my will.”

Nine Star Heynckes could fill items with his life and imbue them with his Will of
Steel. He also referred to them as his comrades and called them clever and
dependable. Heynckes had received countless help from his comrades. The Steel
Blade kept him from defeat and the Steel Shield protected him from attacks. The
Steel Pin embedded in his back and waist helped him achieve immunity against all
kinds of magic. His Steel Heart gave him an indomitable will. Heynckes could only
become a member of the Nine Stars thanks to all his comrades.

“He’s a friend of mine who helped me trace many villains in the old days. He’s seen
Kim Joongho before, so he’ll gladly tell you where to find him.”

“…”

Chae Nayun understood the steel magic power embedded in this old compass.
Heynckes entrusted her with a friend whom he spent half his life with.

“He’s rather precious, so be sure to return him.”

“Thank you.”

She bowed full of appreciation. Then she immediately turned around. She didn’t
need to pack since she came barehanded.

“Chae Nayun.”
“…?”

However, when she grabbed the doorknob…

“Don’t turn away from the truth when you find it.”

A voice as solemn as steel stopped her.

“Accept what you witness with your own eyes and heart. Don’t give up. That’s the
only way you’ll become stronger.”

His advice perfectly suited his nickname, Steel Spirit. Chae Nayun nodded with her
back still facing him.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

She opened the door and stepped into the snowy field. Chae Nayun decided to leave
one last message before leaving the inn for good. She sent it to her friend, Yoo
Yeonha.

[I’m about to find Kim Joongho. I’ll bring him with me to see you.]

The message successfully went through because of the clear weather. Once again, she
thanked Heynckes for installing wifi.

***

For 3 hours, Chae Nayun walked on the rugged road according to the compass. She
almost fell down a cliff hidden by snow and a notorious Himalayan mountain tyrant
also ambushed her. She nearly became a snowman when a blizzard surrounded her.
Still, Chae Nayun walked tenaciously and arrived at her destination.

“Ha, I don’t even know what to say.”

A wave of blank amazement struck her. Indeed, no one would ever find this spot.
This cave covered in snow sat halfway down a cliff.

“Huup!”

Chae Nayun formed a rope out of magic power and jumped down the cliff into the
cave.

Tududu…

She advanced through the snow and spotted a faint light from somewhere deep
within the cave. With her perfect eyesight, she spotted Kim Joongho or someone who
could be Kim Joongho. This person lay on the floor next to the light.

“…!”

Her heart violently pounded and she couldn’t hold back any longer. This story had
tormented her for too long. The damned tragedy that entirely changed her life and
values. She frantically ran towards the end.

***

[28F – Demon King’s Castle]

Everyone caught their breath after the test concluded. The qualification test began 3
hours ago and simply took the form of one-on-one fights. Cheok Jungyeong went up
against a demonic summoner who controlled mystic monsters. Kim Suho fought a
warrior who wielded a double-edged axe. Jin Seyeon and Yi Yongha faced twin
magicians together. The winners finally emerged after a 3 hour brawl.

The humans all won and the demons either died or passed out. Of course, Kim Suho
and others also suffered and could barely breathe.

“Piece of cake.”

Only Cheok Jungyeong boasted. However, he also appeared completely beat up. He
fought 2 demons in a row and his skill’s side effects felt worse than expected.

“Everyone, congratulations. The king has acknowledged you as worthy challengers.”

The witch announced and the team wondered whether they should be happy or sad.

“Kuhahaha! Good!”

The witch ignored Cheok Jungyeong’s loud laughter and continued.

“The king does not appreciate a fight with one against many. He longs for a just,
impartial duel against one.”

Cheok Jungyeong smiled in approval. The demon king’s taste suited his own.

“Therefore, I shall rank you accordingly and determine the order. You may only
challenge the king when the player before you loses.”

I’m definitely first. Cheok Jungyeong thought to himself. He already defeated 2

demons: Kain the Puppeteer and Klemo the Summoner. His contribution should be
unrivaled compared to the others. However, the witch spoke a completely different
name.

“Player MasterHolySword.”

“What?”

“Kim Suho, you’re first.”

Cheok Jungyeong immediately rebelled. No, he tried to rebel, but his senses suddenly
disappeared. He could only wriggle in dark emptiness.

“Now, the castle gates will close.”

The witch’s voice echoed in his head and…

“Huua!”

Kim Suho opened his eyes with a cry. A mysterious scenery surrounded him.

“This is where you will stay.”

The witch quietly reappeared and explained.

“Huh? Stay?”

The witch nonchalantly nodded at his remark.

“Yes, the demon king is away at a banquet. However, I cannot allow a challenger to
lose their sense of urgency.”
The witch looked at him and continued.

“I shall provide you with an opponent to practice against. Choose any opponent
you’d like, but you must decide now.”

Kim Suho slightly frowned at the sudden task.

“I didn’t anticipate something like this…”

“You must answer now.”

The witch coldly pressed and Kim Suho began to contemplate. Jin Seyeon, Aileen,
Shin Jonghak, Cheok Jungyeong, Kim Junwoo… dozens of names popped up in his
mind, but he finally chose…

“Black Lotus… No, wait.”

He immediately shook his head. Black Lotus had already withdrawn from his match
against the demon king. More importantly, I don’t think I’ll even be able to talk to him.
His next choice only felt natural.

“Kim Hajin. I choose Hajin.”

The Demon King’s Castle locked shut after Kim Suho became the first challenger. All
the players inside forcefully teleported to the 21st floor. This should’ve been the case
for me as well.

“So you chose me? As your practice partner?”

Instead, a mysterious flow of magic power captured me and brought me here. Kim
Suho stood next to me with a bashful smile and explained, “Yeah, you were the only
one I could think of.”

His blind faith dumbfounded me. He could’ve summoned Shin Jonghak, Kim Junwoo,
or even Cheok Jungyeong, who I purposefully sent to help them. I wasn’t exactly the
best choice for a practice partner. Kim Chundong might’ve been a swordsman, but
not me.

“Okay, well…”

He couldn’t take back his choice. Fortunately, I’d been wanting to chat with him. I
could also help him in other ways like enhancing his equipment to entirely new
levels with my four colored enchant skill and Dwarf’s Dexterity.

“I understand, but…”

I decided to look around first before that. The demon king’s residence looked similar
to an average medieval castle, except a variety of magical equipment filled the guest
room.

“Hey, isn’t that a crystal ball?”

I managed to dig out a rather valuable treasure. This crystal ball appeared much
bigger than most desk globes.

“Crystal ball?”
“Yeah, come here.”

I pulled him towards the crystal ball as it reflected a view of the 21st floor.

— What did you say, you ogre!

— Haha, wanna get beat up by an ogre?

Cheok Jungyeong and Aileen confronted each other in the Card Kingdom.

— Aaak, I can’t take this anymore. You’re dead.

Aileen’s face turned tomato red as she fumed at Cheok Jungyeong.

— You think I’m gonna end up dead? You little dwarf…

— Shut up, you brainless moron!

Cheok Jungyeong’s mouth closed as a huge current of magic power blazed around
Aileen. He concentrated magic power around his body too. The fight of the century
would unfold for no particular reason.

“They’re suddenly fighting.” Kim Suho seemed slightly shocked.

“Yeah.”

Watching others fight always felt entertaining, but I wanted him to see something
else.

“We should be able to see other floors with this crystal ball.”

I operated it with ease since Tomer’s office contained a similar one. I switched
between floors like switching TV channels. Eventually, we settled on the 3rd floor,
Prestige.

“Oh, the 3rd floor is showing up.”

“The 3rd floor?” Kim Suho widened his eyes at the crystal ball.

— Oi, Railro, how was work today?

— Same as always. Enough to handle.

Prestige improved drastically with a sun. In the past, residents needed citizenship to
live humanely. Now, every single NPC enjoyed being a citizen. Orphans and famine
disappeared as crops and livestock prospered over the purified land. The
interactions between players and NPCs improved as well.

— Excuse me, how much is this?

A player asked the store owner NPC about a potion’s price.

— It’s 50 TP.

— Mister, how far have you gone in the tower?

The shop owner’s child suddenly clung to the player. Despite the trouble, the player
answered with a smile.

— I’m still new, so I’ve only been to the 5th floor.

— Wow! And, and, how was it? The 5th floor?

— The 5th floor is… scary. It has many dungeons.

I wanted Kim Suho to see the 3rd floor, but the feelings overwhelmed me instead.
These changes resulted from the fruits of my labor. I changed Prestige with my TP
and efforts along with the help of famous NPCs like Henry and Kiri.

“Wow. Prestige has changed a lot.”

Kim Suho placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Right, so…”

I slightly twisted my body to shake off his hand. Then I proceeded to ask him what I
wanted to know for a long time now.

“What do you think?”

“Hm? About what?”

“You know, about this tower in general.”

Kim Suho smiled at my words. “I don’t know. Nothing, really.”

His voice sounded melancholic. I could feel the longing and regret buried in it. Right
now, Kim Suho probably thought about his homeland. After all, towers must’ve
existed there as well.

“Only one floor left. You really feel nothing?”

I asked again as he pondered.

“Mmm… Honestly, I felt quite angry when I first arrived in Prestige. Sad, too. People
were dying on the streets, but no one seemed to care because they weren’t citizens.”

Kim Suho spoke his mind for the first time.

“The same thing happened on the 8th floor. The royals tried to conceal the calamities
from their citizens under the pretext of containing social panic. A lot of people died
as a result.”

I listened to him in silence. Kim Suho continued on about the 16th floor, how demons
had completely taken over, the people living under the demons’ rule, their deaths,
the players who treated NPCs as mere tools…

“Then do you think the tower should disappear?”

I finally touched upon the sensitive topic.

“…”

Kim Suho remained silent for a long time. The crystal ball showed Henry and Kiri.

— Good work, everyone!

— We’re done for the day!

Henry and Kiri quickly became the most famous NPCs in Prestige, widely beloved by
players and residents.
— Business was especially hard today, so we threw in a little bonus.

Kim Suho looked at the two kids. They were still young and small, but already giants
in a sense. They helped lead Prestige with intelligence and righteousness. A smile
bloomed across Kim Suho’s face.

“No.” He shook his head.

“That’s not what I want. Many people are happily living in the tower. The world
within the tower should be maintained. These people aren’t just NPCs, but humans
like you and me.”

“…”

I felt relieved. Kim Suho wouldn’t go back on his word. Things had changed from the
original story where he destroyed the tower. Now, he would gladly protect it. Hope
and life had replaced despair and death.

Tap, tap—

I tapped him on the shoulder and turned off the crystal ball.

“Enough with the chit-chat. Let’s start training now.”

“Are we sparring?”

“No, not sparring. Training.”

Those two things widely differed. I would be his opponent in a spar, but his
instructor in a training session.

“Before we start…” I examined his gear first. The armor he wore beneath his white
coat shocked me.

“Are you seriously still wearing that?”

I made this armor for Kim Suho a long time ago and gave it to him as a present to
celebrate his entrance into the tower. He still used that old armor as his main
protection.
“Ah, well, this is the best armor I own. Changing it would’ve been a waste of TP.”

Kim Suho scratched his neck in embarrassment and I felt a slight sting in my heart.
Well, he probably didn’t have the time or resources considering Creator’s Sacred
Grace went down harder than it did in the original story. He probably spent all his TP
to help his guild members.

“No worries.”

It didn’t matter. I planned to gear him up from head to toe.

“First of all, your current equipment sucks.”

“What? That came out of the blue.”

“It’s true.”

I had a rough idea of the demon king’s main attributes. I could always find the
answers to questions I didn’t know using the Book of Truth. With this knowledge, I
would make him a set of equipment specially designed against the demon king.
Surely the demon king wouldn’t fight naked either. He would be wearing good armor
as well.

“First, take off all your clothes.”

Kim Suho flinched. “W-Why? What are you gonna do?”

He threw me a strange look and stepped back. A bed covered in red silk just so
happened to be behind him. I narrowed my eyes like a halibut.

“Stop with the weird joke. I’m just going to dismantle your equipment and reforge
them.”

My dismantle technique already grew to Lv.10. If I added [Random Dice] to it, I

should be able to secure some good materials.

“Dismantle?”

“Yep. Wouldn’t it also be better to train without heavy armor? Ah, look. You can put
on that robe over there.”
I pointed to a robe hanging on the wall in the corner.

The embarrassed Kim Suho followed my instructions. He even tried to take his briefs
off, but I stopped him. I didn’t need his underwear.

Kim Suho wore only a robe over his briefs, but looked like a Greek royal. A single
robe brought out his alluring and decadent charms.

“Well then, we’ll start the training now.”

However, his charms wouldn’t seduce the demon king.

“Here. This is your practice partner.”

I took out a card to fulfill my role as his trainer for the next 2 weeks.

[Bahamut’s Red Dragon] [Monster] [8 Star] ○ Will summon the Red Dragon of
Bahamut to attack your opponents. ● 7 star Attack ● 7 star Defense ● The Red Dragon
can defeat any opponent with lower attack and defense than its own. ● May be
summoned 3 times.

Like the [Miraculous Teahouse], I also purchased this 8 star card from the Card
Kingdom on the 21st floor. I never imagined using it this way.

“What’s that?”

Kim Suho innocently asked as I replied.

“Your practice partner. You’ll fight this guy to the death while I make your
equipment.”

Today marked the start of my Kim Suho Attribute Enhancement Project.

***

[A Cave in the Himalayas]

Chae Nayun quietly stared at Kim Joongho asleep in bed. Hair completely covered his
face, but her intuition told her this was definitely Kim Joongho.
She pondered while looking at him. What should I do? What should I ask or demand?

However, Kim Joongho opened his eyes before she could decide. Chae Nayun flinched
and took a step back.

“…!”

His startled gaze also landed on her. He clearly looked afraid and despair suddenly
descended on his face.

“Hell- Hello.”

Chae Nayun tried to sound calm. Kim Joongho’s fear receded at her flustered voice.
He seemed to recognize her.

“I’m Chae Nayun. We’ve met before… if I recall correctly.”

They brushed past each other in the past at her mother’s funeral and also at her
brother’s funeral.

“…”

Kim Joongho stared at her in silence. Chae Nayun looked into his hopeless eyes and
shook her head.

“I, I’m not here to hurt you.”

“…”

“It’s just, I found something strange about your report…”

“Haaa.” Kim Joongho heavily sighed and raised his upper body.

“How did you find me?”

He spoke in a husky whisper. His voice served as evidence to all the suffering he had
endured.

“I… used this.”

Chae Nayun carefully took out Heynckes’ compass. Kim Joongho looked back and
forth between her and the compass. It proved she had earned Heynckes’ respect, so
he pulled himself out of bed with another sigh.

“At least let me serve you some tea. Please make yourself comfortable.”

Kim Joongho pointed at the table and chair beside the bed. She obediently sat on the
chair and spotted a copy of the Violet Times on the table. The front-page headline
read: [Chae Joochul Murders Devil]. Chae Nayun’s heart faintly trembled.

“Please wait.”

Kim Joongho disappeared somewhere deep within the cave and returned with a
kettle of barley tea and two cups. Steam rose from the warm tea as he poured it.
Chae Nayun sat still while staring at the tea. The warm steam scattered near her
nose and Kim Joongho finally spoke.

“Are you here to retrieve Chae Jinyoon’s body?”

“Pardon?”

Old thoughts suddenly filled Chae Nayun’s mind again.

Kim Joongho said he owned a devil’s corpse. Kim Joongho switched Chae Jinyoon’s body
and vanished.

Chae Nayun clenched her teeth and fists. Kim Joongho only stared at her.

“So you already have an idea as to what happened.”

Chae Nayun stopped breathing at his sudden remark. Her heart violently beat and
her face flushed, but she forced herself to stay calm. She needed to keep the promise
she made to Heynckes and herself. Chae Nayun looked straight into Kim Joongho’s
eyes.

“Have you been keeping my brother’s body?”

She barely managed to ask. Kim Joongho nodded.

“Yes, that’s why I ran away and came here.”

Tears formed in her eyes. Chae Nayun wiped them while pretending to run a hand
through her hair. She just needed to confirm one more thing. She needed physical
evidence to accept the unacceptable truth. She needed to see her brother with her
own eyes.

“Can you… show me… the… the…”

She couldn’t possibly form that sentence. Kim Joongho looked at her and replied, “I
can show you. The fact that you came all the way here shows your determination.
However…”

Kim Joongho stopped and the sound of Chae Nayun’s heavy breathing filled the cave.
His eyes appeared sympathetic. Right now, she looked unstable even to him.

“Can you bear it?”

Still, Chae Nayun nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. S-Show me.”

She needed to know. What was the truth and what was the lie?

“Now… I want to know.”

***

“Mmm…”

I earnestly examined Kim Suho in his new clothes two weeks later at the Demon
King’s Castle. The garments I made with utmost effort shone in the presence of their
perfect owner.

“Hmm…”

The white leather armor sparkled underneath the beige coat. The gaiters protected
his calves in harmony with his new shoes. On top of that, I gave him the old gear and
artifacts I stole from Phiunel. The clothes he currently wore basically amounted to a
small business.

“Good.”
I nodded in satisfaction.

“Go like this.”

“Hey, isn’t this a bit too much?”

“Shut it.”

I casually dismissed his objection. On a side note, he had finally defeated Bahamut’s
Red Dragon three days ago. The dragon required him to use his ultimate skill.

“I’ve done so much, so you have to win. Never give up.”

“Of course.”

Today would be my last day to help him. Kim Suho’s challenge would probably last a
long time. It took him about a month to win in the original story, but things had
changed. Of course, Kim Suho grew stronger and possessed better equipment, but
the same would also apply to the demon king.

“Hajin, thank you so much. You’re always helping me.”

Kim Suho extended his hand with a cheesy expression.

“You remember what I told you before, right? You should treat me well if you’re
grateful.”

I smiled and shook his hand. I had no idea how the future would unfold, but I knew
one thing: Kim Suho wouldn’t make the same decision. The Tower of Wish wouldn’t
perish and would continue to exist in harmony with the world.

“Hey, I think we still have about half a day left.”

Let's not obsess over a fight that hasn't started. I pointed to the crystal ball.

“Do you want to look around?”

“Sure.”

Kim Suho nodded with a big smile. His eyes formed perfect arches and his mouth
opened just right. These two factors formed a flawless smile.

“Let’s start on the 2nd floor.”

I turned on the crystal ball and browsed through each floor.

The 2F, the Floor of Beginnings, contained newbie hunters and players who just
entered for the first time with big dreams.

The 3F, the first residential area, showed NPCs and players working together to
create a better city.

The 7F, the Game Center, displayed gamblers and rankers who came to enjoy their
vacation. Kim Suho spotted Jin Sahyuk in front of a slot machine and slightly
frowned.

The 13F notoriously punished players who fell asleep with nightmares. Even now,
countless players shed tears.

The 15F, Genkelope’s Vessel became a futuristic metropolis. The vessel served as the
most popular strategic point for mid-level players.

We saw lots of things together with the crystal ball. Our eyes reflected various
people going about their lives in the tower.

“Hajin.” Kim Suho suddenly called my name.

“Hmm?”

I turned to face him. He stared at the crystal ball with a faint smile.

“You know…”

His voice sounded solemn and his smile soon disappeared from nervousness.

“I want to tell you something before I leave.”

He also turned to face me and our eyes met. For a while, we sat in silence.

The silence lasted for some time.

It seemed Kim Suho needed time to piece his words together, so I waited. For the
main character to take this long meant his words would be extremely important.

Kim Suho finally spoke when I forgot how long I waited.

“Would you believe me if I said I’m from a different world?”

He unexpectedly confessed about that.

***

[Seoul, South Korea]

It currently rained in Seoul as if a hole had been punched through the sky. Yoo
Yeonha stared outside her window and picked up her smartwatch.

[Nayun, I think you should stop.] [Nayun?] [Nayun, are you busy?] [Nayun, please
reply.]

Yoo Yeonha sent a series of messages to Chae Nayun after her last message about
Kim Joongho. However, Chae Nayun hadn’t replied. That probably meant she hadn’t
found him yet. Or worse, maybe she already did. Maybe she already learned the truth
and now agonized in pain.

“Haa…”

Yoo Yeonha regretted everything. Even if Chae Nayun learned the truth, the person
she needed to exchange apologies with no longer remained. She would only suffer
more. Yoo Yeonha covered her face and cried. Just how did their story come to this?
She felt like everything was her fault. That made everything more miserable and
painful. The rain outside seemed as if the entire world cried with her.

— Dingdong

The doorbell suddenly rang.Yoo Yeonha didn’t move. She couldn’t afford to entertain
guests at the moment.

— Dingdong, dingdong, dingdong.

The doorbell kept ringing, so she pulled herself out of bed and fixed her hair.
“Who is it at this hour…”

Yoo Yeonha headed to the living room slightly irritated and looked at the intercom.
She planned to call the security guard and kick out whoever rung the bell.

“Huh?”

However, she froze when she laid eyes on the intercom. A woman without an
umbrella stood at her mansion’s front gate completely soaked. The woman looked
shabby, but Yoo Yeonha knew her all too well.

Chae Nayun had returned.

— Nayun, your father feared you would find out about Jinyoon’s secret. That’s why
he hid the corpse from you.

Kim Joongho showed the corpse to Chae Nayun. He kept it in an ice coffin, which he
explained was a magical artifact for preserving dead bodies. The corpse didn’t have a
head, but Chae Nayun could tell it was her brother.

She clutched her chest while looking at the corpse and trembled.

— A great evil had already engulfed Jinyoon. His right arm serves as proof.

Kim Joongho pointed to the entirely black right arm. The demonic energy in his right
arm hadn’t subsided even after death and continued to ominously pulse in the ice
coffin.

—…

Chae Nayun became speechless. Chae Jinyoon, her beloved older brother, had turned
into a devil? Who would believe such a ridiculous story? She couldn’t bear the truth.
Her head hurt as if someone pounded it with a hammer.

Kim Joongho waited a long time for her to calm down.

— Then, what, what happened?

Chae Nayun finally mustered the courage to ask after crying. Kim Joongho wondered
if she could handle it.

— Tell me.

However, her voice carried a strong determination. She plowed through the harsh
mountain range, defeated vicious monsters, and even persuaded the Nine Star with
the heart of steel to arrive at this place. All to discover the truth.
— Understood.

Kim Joongho nodded. He felt like he shouldn’t hide anything from this girl who had
now become an adult.

— I don’t know who killed Jinyoon, but that person must’ve known Jinyoon’s body
contained a devil. After all, he needed to prepare an appropriate weapon to kill a
devil.

Chae Nayun listened to Kim Joongho in a daze as his clear voice rang in her ears.

— And… Jinyoon must’ve accepted his death as well.

However, Chae Nayun couldn’t accept this. She glared at him and shouted.

— H-How do you know that?

Oppa promised to be by my side forever. He swore he would never leave. It was thanks
to him that I could live on after Mom died…

— H-How could anyone…

Chae Nayun asked while crying.

—…

Kim Joongho didn’t say anything. He sympathized with Chae Nayun as a father who
lost his beloved wife and daughter and as a forensic pathologist who took pride in
his work. Kim Joongho pointed at Chae Jinyoon’s right shoulder.

— There’s a saying that the dead don’t talk. That’s false. A corpse has more stories to
tell than you think.

Chae Nayun’s eyes also fell on Chae Jinyoon’s body. The muscles in the shoulder
connecting to the devilized right arm had completely died.

— His shoulder blade broke and the muscles there became thoroughly destroyed.
This injury resulted from Chae Jinyoon’s will, his attempt to stop his right arm from
moving.
Kim Joongho solemnly continued.

— I can only imagine the great willpower Jinyoon must’ve exerted. He didn’t yield to
the evil and resisted until the very end. That’s what this means.

Chae Nayun’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground. She reached out to Chae
Jinyoon’s corpse while crying, but the ice coffin prevented her from touching him.
The coldness of the ice only made her cry louder.

— This also shows that whoever killed Jinyoon greatly hesitated. As I said before, I
don’t know who killed him. However, Jinyoon wouldn’t have received such an injury
if the killer didn’t hesitate.

With that, Kim Joongho placed a jacket over Chae Nayun. He hid on this mountain
because of Chae Joochul, but he didn’t hate Chae Joochul’s granddaughter.

— Chae Jinyoon and the person who killed him. I suspect they both equally suffered.

Chae Nayun cried while holding Chae Jinyoon in her arms. Her tears fell on the coffin
and froze there. Her regrets, resentments, and sorrows all came together to form an
ice crystal.

***

“Nayun, Nayun! Are you okay?”

Yoo Yeonha quickly ran to her mansion’s front entrance. Chae Nayun stood under the
pouring rain as Yoo Yeonha tried to take her in.

“Did, did you already know?”

However, Chae Nayun didn’t move an inch. She asked while glaring at Yoo Yeonha
with wet, disheveled hair that blocked her eyes. Yoo Yeonha felt shocked, but quickly
regained her composure and grabbed Chae Nayun’s wrist.

“First, come in.”

“No.” Chae Nayun snatched her hand away.

“I’m asking you, Yeonha… if you already knew.”

“…”

Chae Nayun’s trembling voice touched her heart. Yoo Yeonha stared at her with
downcast eyes and saw Chae Nayun's tears flowing along with the rain.

“Yeah.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded. She wanted to pretend she didn’t know. Many excuses popped
up in her head, but she cast them all aside. She didn’t want to make the same mistake
she did with Kim Hajin. She wanted to acknowledge the truth and not make any
excuses anymore.

“If you did, then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Nayun.”

Chae Nayun’s body violently trembled as Yoo Yeonha formed an umbrella with her
magic power. Then Chae Nayun buried her face in Yoo Yeonha’s chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why? I, I feel like I’m going to die right now…”

“Nayun.”

Yoo Yeonha patted her back and continued, “I’m sorry… I’ll… explain everything…”

Yoo Yeonha would tell her everything since Nayun mustered the courage to seek the
truth. The fact that Kim Hajin was a regressor, the full account of the Kwang-Oh
Incident, and how that person died.

“So first… come inside.”

Yoo Yeonha gently led her inside the mansion.

***

In a faraway world on a different plane than Earth…

The Akatrina continent housed 9 nations: 4 kingdoms, 2 principalities, and 3 island

states. Kim Suho was born on the outskirts of the Plerion Kingdom, the most
powerful nation among them. No, perhaps he came from another country. His exact
origins remained unknown because his parents abandoned him as a child.

His unknown parents left him at a remote temple in the Plerion Kingdom. He grew
up healthy and happy in this poor, rural temple. Then he awakened his Sword Saint
gift under the kind and affectionate teachings of the temple priests. He learned the
continent’s basic swordsmanship when he turned 4 years old. When he turned 5, he
single-handedly defeated 3 kobolds who sneaked into the temple.

The priests didn’t want such a gifted child to rot in a rural temple, so they gathered
what little money they had and sent him to the kingdom’s capital. With their help,
the child became an apprentice knight to the Royal Knights at the age of 6. However,
the child’s story ended there as life on the Akatrina continent became extinct 4 years
later.

“Ah…”

Kim Suho opened his eyes with nostalgia. It seemed he fell asleep after sending Kim
Hajin off. He hadn’t dreamt of his homeland in a long time. The happy childhood he
spent in the temple and the marvelous royal palace flashed before his eyes.

“Huuu…”

He naturally sighed after telling Kim Hajin about his past today. The world he used to
live in, the calamity known as demon realm transformation that descended on his
world, the death he faced at only 11 years old, and waking up as Kim Suho in a world
called Earth.

Kim Hajin believed in all this, which could easily be construed as mere fantasy.

“Should I not have told him?”

Kim Suho felt refreshed, but also regretful. He never planned on living his life
without telling anyone, but he wanted to be a good son to his current parents. The
original Kim Suho died at a young age and his current soul took over this body. Of
course, his parents didn’t know this, but Kim Suho felt grateful for their love.

He clenched his fists and looked at the ceiling. Demon realm transformation. The
tragedy caused by this calamity resurfaced on the white ceiling.

The demon realm transformation began in the continent’s central region. It

corrupted the soil, killed the livestock, and polluted the water to prevent humans
from living. Demons didn’t even need to participate. Five of the nine nations fell from
unprecedented famine and the remaining four waged war against each other for
food. The continent experienced the bloodiest and longest war in its history, one that
quickened its fall by at least 50 years.

“You’re awake.”

A cold voice woke him. Kim Suho turned around and saw the witch.

“Is the demon king here?” he asked her.

The witch silently nodded. Kim Suho raised his body and infused magic power into
the equipment Kim Hajin made him. It resonated with his magic power and stuck to
his body. Even the witch looked surprised at his new battle equipment.

“Follow me.”

“Yes.”

Kim Suho followed her into the hallway. He began asking questions while they
walked the long path.

“I want to ask something.”

“Go ahead,” the witch immediately replied.

“Have you heard of demon realm transformation?”

“It’s the phenomenon in which human territory transforms into the demon realm.
The king’s demon realm transformation extends to the 16th floor. He plans on
expanding this range if no worthy challengers appear.”

“Then I guess I have to win.”

The witch didn’t react to Kim Suho’s bold remark.

“Cough, I want to ask another question.”

“Go ahead.”
The witch narrowed her eyes while Kim Suho continued looking forward.

“Will the demon realm transformation… happen on Earth?”

“Yes.”

The witch replied in a monotonous voice. She made it sound like the most natural
thing. Kim Suho clenched his teeth even though he expected such an answer. After
all, towers and dungeons always foreshadowed the demon realm transformation. His
home world, Akatrina, experienced the same fate. Kim Suho calmly nodded.

“I see.”

“…”

The witch glanced at him and asked, “Do you plan on stopping it?”

Kim Suho burst into laughter at her question with such an obvious answer.

“Of course.”

This answer didn’t come from an arrogant sense of duty that only he could prevent
the world’s demise. He simply wanted to protect the people precious to him, the
world he grew up in, and the feelings he held dear. He hoped this beautiful blue
world wouldn’t turn out like his old home and would risk his life to protect it.

“…”

The witch didn’t respond. Her steps soon stopped as they arrived in front of a huge
door.

Kim Suho stood a step behind her as she turned around and stared at the hero. The
hero also returned her gaze.

“You may enter. I will see how long you last.”

“Okay. Look forward to it.”

Kim Suho smiled and the witch stared at him for a long time before nodding.
For the record, the witch fell in love with Kim Suho in the original novel that Kim
Hajin wrote.

***

[Central Asia – Chameleon Troupe’s Base]

Meanwhile, I returned to the Chameleon Troupe’s base of operations. This place

looked scarier than I recalled. Of course, a fancy building in Pandemonium only
made it a target, so the hideout remained deep underground.

“This place has 5 floors underground?”

“Yep, this is your room. How’s the interior decoration?”

Jain asked with a smile. We currently resided in a room called the Black Residence.
Simply put, it served as Black Lotus’ office.

“It’s great. Should I bring the goblin tablet from the cave?”

“No, leave the goblins there. We’ll use that cave as our secondary base.”

“Okay.”

Kiik— The door opened and I spotted a pair of eyes peeking at us. The round, black
eyes obviously belonged to Boss.

“…”

She stared at me while hiding. Then she began rolling her eyes as if searching for me.
I smirked and walked over. Then I yanked open the door.

“Ah!”

Boss jumped in surprise. She blinked and coughed before nonchalantly entering. I
felt happy to see her after a long time.

“It’s been a while, Boss.”

“Yes, you went away for quite a while.”

“I had something to do in the tower.”

“You only left a letter.”

I smiled at the grumbling Boss.

“Come sit.”

I didn’t know the specific purpose of this room, but it had chairs and a desk. I led
Boss to take a seat. Boss spotted Jain and kicked her chair.

“Jain, why are you here alone without telling me?”

“You said not to wake you up when you’re sleeping.”

“…”

Boss and I sat next to each other without talking. She awkwardly scooched to the
side because we hadn’t seen each other in a while. I initiated the conversation to
resolve our awkwardness.

“How are things going recently?”

“What do you mean?”

“About the humanoid monsters.”

“Mm, that—“

“Ah, that?”

Boss tried to say something, but Jain interrupted.

“It’s a mess. Looks like they sent envoys to most djinn groups including Evil Society
and Satan’s Servants.”

“Mmm.”

So far, nothing new had occurred. The monster king Orden wished to conquer all of
Earth, so he sent envoys to both humans and djinns. Of course, humans couldn’t
possibly accept Orden’s offer.

“Also, Hajin.” Boss looked at me.

“Yes?”

“Your revenge is underway.”

“Revenge… Ah, him?”

“Yeah, that insect bastard.”

Boss muttered in a voice full of rage. Honestly, I worried about Kurukuru as well. He
simply became too powerful.

“Don’t push yourself too much.”

I shook my head. Kurukuru would be a tough opponent even for Boss. Not many
people could easily take him on.

“It’s better for Boss to stay safe rather than taking revenge on that guy.”

I gently smiled at Boss without much thought since I hadn’t seen her in a while.

“Y-Yeah, o-okay.”

However, Boss’ eyes began to shake and her white skin became slightly flushed. Her
overreaction made me think…

“Don’t worry about it too much, Hajin.” Jain interrupted my thoughts.

“We put a curse on him.”

“A curse?”

“Yep, remember the arm Boss got from him?”

“Ah…”

I recalled Kurukuru’s right arm. Or was it his left arm? In any case, I planned on
turning it into a weapon.

“He’s probably dying as we speak. At the very least, he won’t be as fast as before.”

“Mmm, that’s good to know.”

Still, the threat Orden posed hadn’t decreased. Unlike normal monsters, Orden didn’t
try to solve everything with force. His intelligence and overwhelming wealth served
as powerful weapons. He possessed all the resources in Africa and could arguably be
considered the wealthiest individual in the world. He would later use this to obstruct
governments, corporations, and heroes.

“Oh, I need to go somewhere now.”

I slowly got up. I just returned to Earth, so I had a lot to do. Out of habit, I looked at
my left wrist. However, my smartwatch had disappeared.

“Oh right.”

My smartwatch burned up when I obtained the fifth streak of stigma. It feels weird not
having it on me.

“Where are you going? You just came back.” Boss pouted and pulled my sleeve.

“Oh, I have work to do.”

I didn’t have time to waste. If Orden sent envoys, a few corrupt politicians should’ve
taken his bait. I began to put on Black Lotus’ outfit when Boss asked again.

“Work?”

“Yes, work.”

I planned to find out who betrayed humanity with the Book of Truth and execute
them. I should start with the politicians in Korea who accepted Orden’s bribes. If left
alone, I didn’t know what they would do to Kim Suho who would soon clear the
tower or Yoo Yeonha who led Essence of the Strait.

Then Evandel would finally shine after I took out the trash.
Before that… I should visit Yoo Yeonha for a new smartwatch.

I planned my next course of action.

“I’m going too.”

Boss also stood up.

“You stay here, Boss.”

“No, who knows when that mantis will show up again.”

“…”

“Damned mantis. I’ll kill you for sure if you appear again…” Boss seriously
murmured.

I looked at Boss’ expression and thought it over.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to be with Boss.

“Sure. Feel free.”

I didn’t mind if she tagged along.

Yoo Yeonha tried to speak with Chae Nayun. However, Chae Nayun didn’t have the
strength to maintain consciousness. When Yoo Yeonha placed a hand on Chae
Nayun’s forehead, she felt an unbearable heat.

Chae Nayun insisted on hearing her out, but Yoo Yeonha forced her into bed and gave
her some medicine. Soon, she fell asleep in Kim Hajin’s handmade bed.

Yoo Yeonha thought about how to explain everything as Chae Nayun slept. Her
thought circuitry skill worked to its fullest. However, she couldn’t find a solution to
this convoluted web of relationships. She could only solve it by directly breaking
through.

Moonlight entered from the window. It shone like a jewel and Yoo Yeonha rubbed
her eyes at the mystical scene. Her fingers felt wet.

I thought my tear glands had dried up. I guess I still have some tears left to shed. Yoo
Yeonha sighed as she brushed her hair up.

“Haaa…”

She sat next to Chae Nayun and organized everything she wanted to say in her head.

Time slowly passed. The moonlight brightened before dimming. The sky turned
darker, then brighter. The sound of rain echoed in the silent room.

It finally stopped raining around dawn. The world sparkled as if the rain swept away
every speck of dust. Around then, Yoo Yeonha felt a gaze on her. She turned from the
scenery outside and found Chae Nayun staring at her in bed.

“Stay down.”

Yoo Yeonha gently told her.

Of course, Chae Nayun couldn’t simply rest. She raised her upper body. Was it
because of the bed or Chae Nayun’s unique physique? She recovered quite fast and
looked much better than before.

“Are you okay?” Yoo Yeonha asked.

Chae Nayun silently nodded.

“Tell me everything you know. I can take it. I can accept it. What you know, what I
don’t know, and how things became like this.”

Her voice carried a strong determination. However, Yoo Yeonha couldn’t simply
believe her. Not because she normally couldn’t trust people, but because Chae Nayun
didn’t know a lot of things. She didn’t know about the Kwang-Oh Incident or that
their families killed Kim Hajin’s parents. If she knew, would she be able to endure it?

“Can you really handle it?” Yoo Yeonha worriedly asked.

Chae Nayun returned a confident smile.

“Who do you think I am? I’m serious right now. I might hit you if you don’t tell me.”

Yoo Yeonha bitterly smiled at Chae Nayun’s half-joking words. With that, she
carefully began to speak.

“Did the corpse… have any evidence?”

“Yeah… it did.”

Chae Nayun replied with some difficulty. Chae Jinyoon’s right arm had fully
transformed into a devil’s.

“I see.”

Yoo Yeonha nodded. She could talk about the next thing then. Before that, she needed
time to prepare her heart.

“Huu…” Yoo Yeonha took a deep breath before looking at Chae Nayun.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Chae Nayun asked her. Yoo Yeonha began to explain
why Kim Hajin killed Chae Jinyoon and how she found out.

“That person told me not to.”

“That person? Kim Hajin did?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said. You couldn’t have handled the truth at the time. He didn’t
want you to break down, so he endured it alone.”

— Don’t tell Chae Nayun. Regardless of the reason, I killed Chae Jinyoon.

Yoo Yeonha recalled Kim Hajin saying those words with a sad smile.

“I couldn’t have handled the truth?”

Chae Nayun clenched her teeth. I’m the one who decides whether I can accept the
truth or not. How can you decide for me? She scoffed at the idea.

Meanwhile, Yoo Yeonha continued, “Yeah, that’s what that person thought. He could
handle it and you couldn’t.”

Yoo Yeonha spoke with certainty. He had the courage to be hated and this courage
came from his knowledge of the future.

“Because he was a regressor.”

“A what?”

Chae Nayun furrowed her brows. Yoo Yeonha expected such a reaction, so she began
to explain. Everything would be hard to believe, but it made sense in the end.
Suddenly switching from a sword to a gun, saving Chae Nayun, Rachel, and even
herself from djinns. Coaxing Chae Nayun to switch to a sword, knowing that Chae
Jinyoon carried a devil’s seed, figuring out how to kill the devil inside Chae Jinyoon…
Every sacrifice he made couldn’t be explained if he hadn’t regressed.

“In the timeline he came from, you must’ve broken down because Chae Jinyoon
became a devil. That’s why he hid the truth from you and killed Chae Jinyoon alone.”

Yoo Yeonha grabbed her hands. However, Chae Nayun fiercely shook her off.
“Y-You, do you think that, that… makes sense?”

Chae Nayun couldn’t believe it. Even though many miracles occurred, going back in
time sounded like the most improbable one. On the other hand, the image of Kim
Hajin appeared in her mind. The way he always seemed confident planted a seed of
doubt in her heart.

“I-It doesn’t make sense. How can he be a…”

Chae Nayun couldn’t finish her sentence.

Yoo Yeonha slowly got up. Then she took out a diary from her desk drawer.

“Nayun, you need to know something else too.”

Yoo Yeonha sat next to Chae Nayun with the diary. She had to reveal the truth now,
but tears began to fall from her eyes. She didn’t know why.

“Have you heard of the Kwang-Oh Incident?”

The story went back even further in time. Chae Nayun nodded. She had heard about
the tragedy where dozens of civilians and ten heroes died. Yoo Yeonha spoke about it
in more detail. The government declared that monsters had caused it, but someone
else planned it.

“Kim Hajin was the sole survivor of the Kwang-Oh Incident.”

Chae Nayun’s eyes widened. She never knew anything about Kim Hajin’s past.

“And this…”

Yoo Yeonha quietly handed her the diary. She had asked to take it from Yoo Jinwoong.
The truth of that day only remained in this diary. Chae Nayun stared at it in a daze
and took it with two hands. Then she slowly opened it.

“…”

Her hands stopped after flipping to a certain page just as Yoo Yeonha had done when
she first read it. Chae Nayun continued reading in complete silence. Soon, her hands
began to tremble.
“What… what does this…”

Chae Nayun blankly raised her head. Her eyes had turned red from all the tears she
shed.

“Haaa…”

Yoo Yeonha somberly sighed. She braced herself once more and revealed the main
instigators of the Kwang-Oh Incident.

“The people who ordered the death of Kim Hajin’s parents were Chae Joochul… and
Yoo Jinwoong.”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t try to cover up her father’s sin. She honestly confessed and looked
into Chae Nayun’s flickering eyes.

Chae Nayun must be feeling the same emotions she once felt. Yoo Yeonha hoped she
wouldn’t break and continued.

“Your grandfather and my father.”

***

[Korea – Seoul]

I returned to Seoul late at night, but the bright lights made it seem like day. This
nightless city on a tiny peninsula in East Asia had become a global superpower. I
looked at my creation in awe.

The magic-powered streetlights lit up the roads. Restaurants and bars bustled with
people. A monster attack would be the last thing on their minds.

“I hear Seoul’s population is 20 million now.”

Boss enjoyed the night scenery from next to me. The wind felt fiercer than usual as
we stood on a high-rise building.

“Nowadays, people are moving to Gyeonggi-do because of Essence of the Strait’s new
barrier.”
Their number one research facility, Essential Dynamics, recently announced a
revolutionary technology. They officially called it essence barrier. It looked formless,
but could detect monsters with sensors and form a barrier. The essence barrier
could even strike down monsters under low-intermediate rank, grade 7. It became
much more advanced than in the original story. I should thank Yoo Yeonha for
following my advice.

They installed this barrier on a hill near Seoul for testing. Then they quickly
expanded to every city in Korea after proving its effectiveness.

“I’ve heard of it. It made headlines in the Violet Times as well. Other countries are
dying to get their hands on it.”

“Yeah.”

They usually sold military technology to contractors after giving them a sample, but
Essential Dynamics didn’t do that this time. China, Japan, Europe, America, and every
other country practically begged Essential Dynamics to choose them next.

“Monster attacks have become more common, so it can't be helped.”

The entire world could endure the future calamity with Essence of the Strait’s
revolutionary invention. For the record, Violet Banquet users already knew about
this information. Violet Banquet began to sell something called the recent hot issue
magazine because of the tower. Each issue covered most of the major incidents on
Earth, so players could easily catch up.

“Mmm, it’s good that I listened to you before.” Boss suddenly mentioned something
strange.

“Come again?” I tilted my head. What did I tell her?

“You told me to buy Essence of the Strait stocks.”

“Ah…”

I smiled. Essence of the Strait’s stock became unparalleled. It grew miles ahead of
any other guild and its subsidiaries could all be considered unicorns in the business
world. If I recalled correctly, 15 out of the top 50 businesses should be Essence of the
Strait subsidiaries.
Yoo Yeonha began to go by that nickname because of this, Queen of Seoul. The title
perfectly suited her. Essence of the Strait’s defense technology would cover all of
Seoul in a year and Yoo Yeonha would reign supreme as its empress.

“Now that you mention it, the stocks I own must be worth well over 3 trillion won.”

“What? 3… trillion?”

“Yeah, that’s about 2.5 billion dollars.”

Boss looked utterly shocked.

“Ah, that’s just my assets on Earth. Including the tower, it should be… 10 trillion
won?”

“W-What?”

Boss’ eyes widened again. It sounded like an astronomical figure, but I didn’t
exaggerate. I owned a good amount of Essence of the Strait and its subsidiaries. I also
owned half of Prestige inside the tower and the entire Genkelope Vessel. Of course, I
didn’t focus on business, so I couldn’t compare to the richest on Earth.

“I’m thinking about liquifying my assets now.”

The value of the Korean won had grown more important than ever. I should start
building my funds.

“You should sell some of your stocks too. It should continue increasing, but it’s
important to have cash on hand.”

“I, I see.” Boss still seemed shocked and kept murmuring, 10 trillion, 10 trillion…

Then a man appeared in the penthouse I had been staring at for a while now.

“He’s here.”

Boss’ expression also stiffened. I told her what we came to do today.

“Boss, you can see him, right? That’s Yoon Younghwa, a fourth-term member of the
National Assembly.”
Yoon Younghwa could be considered cancer to society. That’s how I wrote him. I
made him as corrupt as possible in my novel. He constantly hindered Kim Suho and
Yoo Yeonha while betraying his country.

“He accepted bribes from Orden, so we’ll kill him today.”

Orden gifted Yoon Younghwa amazing presents like blood diamonds, Tower of Wish
entrance tickets, and mana-infused gold. According to the Book of Truth, he received
well over 5 billion won in value.

“So it’s partly revenge against that mantis bastard.”

“Excuse me? Oh… uh, yeah.”

I didn’t think that far, but it’s true dying last time angered me. Plus, complicated
thoughts constantly bothered me for a week after reviving. I wondered if I was still
me after coming back to life.

“Why don’t you wait a bit? No one knows much about humanoid monsters and
Orden right now.”

“Orden is the type to work in the shadows. We’re doing this to drag him to the
surface.”

I grabbed my bow, but dozens of monsters unexpectedly ambushed us on the roof.

The hyena monsters didn’t give off any presence.

“—!”

Boss stepped out and swept through them. Her shadow blade mercilessly
dismembered them in her Yaksha state. I figured they belonged with Orden’s
humanoid monsters judging from their human-like cries.

— Kuak!

— Keuk!

We easily killed them, but a problem occurred.

“Ah, shoot.”
Yoon Younghwa had disappeared. He probably teleported away with a magic scroll
while the humanoid monsters distracted us. Rather than that, I didn’t think he would
already have monster guards.

“Are you okay, Hajin?”

“Yes.”

I underestimated Orden and ended up losing my target, but I still had the Clock Hand
of Fate.

I activated my unique skill and the world began to wind back. The monsters’
dismembered limbs reattached and Yoon Younghwa appeared again in the
penthouse. Boss and I moved until we stood in the same spot 3 minutes prior.

“So it’s partly revenge against that mantis bastard.”

I immediately picked up my bow and nocked 5 [Dark Ore Arrows]. Then I infused
stigma’s magic power into aether to search for my targets.

“Hmm.”

Aether detected at least 200 monsters. The fact that so many monsters could fit in
such a small space surprised me.

“Boss, that building is a fortress.”

“Hmm?”

Transparent magic power formed a barrier around the building and monsters
patrolled in the dark for any danger. For some reason, these monsters didn’t reveal a
shred of presence.

“Boss, step aside a bit.”

I infused 3.5 streaks of stigma into the 5 arrows. My arm heated up to a painful
degree, but I could endure this much thanks to my increased physical stats.

Guoooo…
The bow began to glow white and the dark ore arrows resonated with magic power. I
planned to slaughter all of them with these 5 arrows.

The arrows shot forward like lightning bolts as I released the bowstring. The
supersonic arrows quietly killed all the monsters. In the dark sky, my arrows moved
like they possessed a mind of their own.

Everything only took 3 seconds and an arrow also pierced Yoon Younghwa’s waist.
He didn’t realize someone had attacked him for a long time.

“Hmm.”

I planned to kill Yoon Younghwa, but decided not to after considering Boss’ words. I
didn’t need to kill him right now.

— Kuaaaak!

Yoon Younghwa writhed in pain. His lower body should be paralyzed after I pierced
his waist.

“You aren’t killing him?” Boss asked.

“Yes, I think it’ll be better if I kill him later.”

I decided to leave him alive as a warning from Black Lotus to Orden himself and all
who might side with him.

— Wh… what happened?

— I don’t know, sir! Magic power suddenly…

— Wait, these are… monsters? They’re all dead! Why are there so many?

Heroes, who felt my magic power, began to arrive. They discovered the monster
corpses and spotted Yoon Younghwa inside. No, Yoon Younghwa saw them first.

— Ah, hey! Fuck! Over here! I’m dying! Help me first!

As expected, he didn’t die so easily as a congressman who used to be a hero.

“Spartan.”

I summoned Spartan.

— Pururu.

He quietly flew over and landed on my shoulder. I entrusted him with a single task.

“Reveal all the evidence Yoon Younghwa has in his home.”

Spartan nodded and quickly infiltrated the penthouse. He found the safe containing
the bribes and threw them on the floor.

— Kwang!

The penthouse door burst open. Heroes who heard Yoon Younghwa entered his
room.

— What’s this?

— Ah, wait. Isn’t that a blood diamond?

Treasures of unknown origin littered the room. For the record, rare items like blood
diamonds all required registration numbers. Of course, a blood diamond from a
bribe wouldn’t have such a thing.

“Huuu…”

My head slightly ached, but the real pain had yet to arrive.

“Huu, huu…”

I took deep breaths and started counting down. 30, 29, 28…

“Let’s go back, Hajin.”

“Yes, Boss…”

Koong! Time reversal’s side effect struck me after the 3 minute mark passed. My
heart violently pounded in my chest. I staggered and fell, but Boss caught me before I
hit the ground.

“Hajin! W-What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s fine… It’s just a little side effect.”

A flash of light flared up in the night sky, but it didn’t pose any danger.

“…!”

Boss quickly unleashed her magic power and formed a barrier around us. This flare
would occur more frequently from now on to signal the battle between Kim Suho
and the demon king.

“Argh, Boss. Carry me back. I’m sleepy…”

I ended up using 4 streaks of stigma and time reversal. That turned out to be too
much in one go. I closed my eyes while leaning on Boss as she gently stroked my
back.

“Yeah, rest well.”

Boss released her magic power. She achieved a superspeed movement with various
skills from the tower.

The next day, congressman Yoon Younghwa’s corruption and Black Lotus’ attack
appeared in the headlines.
[Central Africa, Orden’s Underground Kingdom]

Monsters inhabited a dark kingdom in Central Africa. Here, the monster king Orden
received his servant’s report.

— Is that so?

— I have no excuses, Your Highness.

The king appeared calm, unlike his servant. He even seemed to be enjoying the
situation.

— We dispatched monsters to protect Yoon Younghwa, but they were not enough.

— Do not worry. Who could have known that this Black Lotus would interfere with
our work? We only need to prepare better guards next time.

The king gestured with his hand and a bipedal rabbit emerged from the darkness
behind his throne. The monster possessed a man’s body, but a rabbit’s head.

— Gato, it is finally time for you to act.

The rabbit called Gato nodded without a word. He was Orden’s second masterpiece.
A humanoid monster who might be slower than Kurukuru, but no less powerful.

— Protect our allies and crush Black Lotus.

Gato’s eyes glowed red at the king’s command. His eyes thirsted for blood and death.
He disappeared like the wind after bowing.

— I apologize again, Your Highness.

The monster servant watched this scene and bowed low in front of Orden, who
simply gave his next order.

— We need to put aside the carrot and use the stick. Lead the monsters of Africa to
the north. I shall present humanity with their first calamity.

— Yes, Your Highness!

— You may leave now.

The servant disappeared without ever showing his back. Orden slowly closed his
eyes. The disaster that his servants would cause unfolded before him. It would only
be the beginning.

***

— You must remain resolute, Your Highness.

This memory came from a distant past. My old servant urged me to decide in a world
where the four seasons had vanished and only winter remained. I looked at him from
my throne.

— You must punish the treacherous Kindspring.

The old servant took advantage of my silence and continued. Other servants
concurred and their voices resonated.

— Kindspring is a petty man without any sense of priority. He failed to consider the
greater cause due to personal feelings.

Thinking back now, Kindspring always remained loyal. He kept his integrity and
morals even as the continent’s future hung in the balance. He believed a noble knight
should be punished for plundering the people. However, that knight turned out to be
a sword master, an important asset in the war.

— Raylen only wishes for Kindspring to be punished. He is a knight who pledged

allegiance to the royal family. Please desert the traitor and embrace your loyal
servant, Your Highness.

I was only thirteen at the time. Despite my tender age, I acted as queen and not a
young princess. I carried the responsibility of my kingdom to control the war.
I recalled my very first servant’s face. His pledge of everlasting loyalty and my
acceptance of it clashed in my mind.

— Your Highness, please punish the treacherous Kindspring.

I thought I didn’t have a choice, but was that the case? Did I have no choice but to
abandon my most loyal servant?

No, that wasn’t true.

As the queen, didn’t I wish to abandon him? Didn’t I secretly consider him useless
because he never managed to become strong?

— I understand. I shall deprive Kindspring of all rights as of today. Lock him up

immediately.

“…!”

Jin Sahyuk woke up in bed, no longer queen of Plerion. The breath she held finally
broke out. She gasped for air and grabbed her chest. Her heart violently beat. For a
while, she caught her breath before raising her upper body.

“Haa…”

Another dream of the past. Did her seal over her memories weaken? Maybe that
damned Kim Hajin just shook her up. The memories buried beneath her
consciousness leaked like sand.

“Damn it.”

Sweat covered her body and she threw away her bothersome pajamas. Then she
injected magic power into her head. Only after she finished tightening her memory
seal did she crawl out of bed.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk changed into her uniform in the early morning and looked at herself in
the mirror. She saw a certain woman resembling the princess. At the same time, she
looked nothing like that princess. This strange sense of disharmony overwhelmed
her.
“This is all because of that little shit, Kim Hajin.”

Her confusion turned into anger. Jin Sahyuk cursed out loud at the thought of him.
Just thinking about him made her want to puke. Once again, she pledged to end his
life with her own hands.

She stepped out towards the beautiful garden. Soon, a horde of knights approached
her from the distance.

“We humbly greet you, Commander Shin Jahyuk!”

The knights all wore the [Lv.7 Atalos Platinum Armor]. Princess Araha’s guard,
Rachel, also stood among them. Rachel smiled at Jin Sahyuk.

“Good morning.”

“What’s the princess’ knight doing here?”

Jin Sahyuk replied rather gruffly. Rachel didn’t seem offended and spoke in a small
voice.

“Um, Fenrir will be coming to the castle.”

“…?”

Jin Sahyuk frowned. By Fenrir, she must mean Kim Hajin. What does that have to do
with me? Does she seriously still think I’m his fan?

“Would you like to come along? You could if you want.”

“N-no, it’s okay.”

Jin Sahyuk shook her head. She had no reason to meet him and didn’t want to either.
Definitely not because he threatened her to never appear before him again. It’s just
that… she didn’t want to see him.

“I don’t have time. I’ll be leaving to conquer the 9th floor soon.”

Rachel seemed slightly sad. “Then would you like me to deliver a message to him on
your behalf?”
“A message?”

Even Jin Sahyuk couldn’t decline this offer.

Message…

Jin Sahyuk looked at Rachel. “Ask him if he’s ever heard of Kindsp… no, Prios.”

“Prios?”

“Yeah.”

Mentioning Kindspring seemed too obvious. Instead, she chose a name that anyone
blessed by Plerion would know. Prios was her father’s name.

“Ah, wait. No, not that…”

On second thought, that didn’t seem like a very good choice either. She couldn’t
narrow down the suspects if she used a name everyone knew.

Is there a name only a handful of people would recognize? Suddenly, she flinched
while contemplating. I met Kindspring as a child and he knew all my secrets. That
means…

“Puharen.”

“Puharen, you say?”

“Yeah.” Jin Sahyuk calmly nodded.

“Oh, so you were here.”

A cheerful voice called them. Jin Sahyuk and Rachel turned towards the Duchess of
the West, Tomer.

“Long time no see, Knight Commander. You too, Rachel.”

“…”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you.”

Jin Sahyuk looked at Tomer with discontent while Rachel gave her the usual
benevolent smile. At first, Rachel felt surprised to see Tomer. The Cube alumna
unexpectedly showed up and introduced herself as the Duchess of the West. Tomer’s
explanation easily cleared Rachel’s confusion. Soon, the two became quite close.
After all, Tomer was the first to tell Rachel that Kim Hajin liked her during their Cube
years.

Tomer scanned the knights.

“Everyone knows we’re going to the 9th floor tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course!”

The knights all replied. Jin Sahyuk didn’t like that they seemed to favor Tomer more
than her. Tomer simply smiled at Jin Sahyuk.

“Well then, I’ll be leaving now. I’m scheduled to meet with someone.”

Rachel informed them and disappeared with a return ticket.

A competitive atmosphere filled the space between Tomer and Jin Sahyuk.

***

I left Korea and arrived in England. Of course, I didn’t come here for vacation, but to
meet Evandel.

“Invitation?”

“Yes, anyone who isn’t a royal needs an invitation to enter.”

A knight stopped me when I tried to enter Buckingham Palace. England was one of
the few countries that still acknowledged the knight profession. Knights worked like
heroes, but they required swords and pledged allegiance to the Royal Family.

“I don’t have anything like that. Excuse me for a second.”

I recalled entering the palace without any restrictions in the past as Fenrir. Well, I
hadn’t paid a visit in some time because of the tower. They probably forgot me.
I took out two ID cards from my pocket. One confirmed my identity as Jeronimo
Mercenary’s Fenrir and the other as Technical Adviser to Essential Dynamics.

“Here you go.”

“…”

The knight received my cards.

[Essential Dynamics Technical Adviser – Hajin Kim]

His eyes widened at the cards.

“Ah, I also contacted Rachel beforehand. You can ask her.”

I sent a note to Evandel through spartan, who should’ve delivered it to Rachel.

Gulp— The knight swallowed his saliva and carefully asked.

“By Rachel, do you mean…?”

“You know, the Princess.”

The knight made a call right away. It lasted about 3 seconds before the knight
politely bowed and stepped aside.

“Sir, I apologize for not recognizing you!”

“No, it’s okay. Your Korean pronunciation is great. How long have you spoken
Korean?”

“I’ve been learning at a Korean school since I was three.”

“Ah… So they have something like that.”

Korea has English schools too.

I patted the knight on the shoulder and entered Buckingham Palace. I assumed it
would be filled with servants and maids, but it looked mostly empty to my surprise.
Tadadada— Instead, I heard someone running towards me. I turned to the side with
a big smile. Of course, Evandel arrived to welcome me.
“Hajin!”

I picked her up. She felt as light as a feather and I rubbed my cheek against hers.

“I missed you.”

“Sorry, I came a bit late.”

I walked over to the reception room with Evandel in my arms. Surprisingly, the
reception room contained a crowd of guests. Not only Ah Hae-In and Hayang, but
Yun Seung-Ah and Haeyeon also visited. I approached them slightly confused.

“Oh, Hajin. Hi!”

“Hello.”

Yun Seung-Ah and Ah Hae-In greeted me respectively. I nodded and sat in an empty
chair.

“Um, I understand why Ah Hae-In is here, but why is Yun Seung-Ah…?”

I tilted my head as Yun Seung-Ah scratched her neck in slight embarrassment.

“Ah, just because I couldn’t sleep. Suho is fighting the demon king on the 30th floor.”

“Ah, right.”

These days, news spread that Kim Suho would complete the Tower of Wish. His
journey lasted roughly 3 years. To be more precise, it took 2 and a half years. The
media only talked about Kim Suho at the moment. People even betted whether or
not he would defeat the demon king.

The current excitement over Kim Suho felt similar to the World Cup from my original
Earth. He stood at the center of global attention right now.

“Our stock prices shot up and investments also resumed thanks to him. All I can do is
pray.”

Yun Seung-Ah bitterly smiled.

“Hajin, Hajin, you smell nice!”

Evandel began sniffing me. The door slid open and a woman I hadn’t seen in a long
time appeared. Rachel approached with a big smile.

“You came?”

“I did. It’s been a while.”

I stood up and we exchanged greetings. Then we enjoyed some tea in the reception
room while discussing Evandel. Ah Hae-In informed me of Evandel’s achievements.
In terms of quantity, Evandel had already reached Ah Hae-In’s level. In terms of
quality, she would soon compare to a 7 star.

We complimented Evandel and she squirmed with joy.

“Ah, right. Hajin, do you know Knight Commander Shin Jahyuk by any chance?

Rachel asked as if the question suddenly popped up in her head.

“Shin Jahyuk? I do know her. Why?”

Jin Sahyuk went by that alias. I saw her with my own eyes recently.

“Ah, it’s nothing. She said she’s your fan.”

“My fan?”

I never heard of such a ridiculous thing. Rachel continued while I remained

speechless.

“She wanted me to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“She asked if you knew Puharen?”

Everything made sense after I heard that question. I nodded and tried to suppress
my laughter. Jin Sahyuk wanted to know something through Rachel.
“So do you know this Puharen?”

“Huh? Um.”

I began to think. This must be some kind of test…

“I don’t know. I think I’ve heard that name in a movie. If I recall correctly, he was an
incarcerated royal.”

As the original writer, I knew everything about Jin Sahyuk’s backstory. How she acted
as the princess, what she did to become queen, and how she met her end.

Puharen used to be a royal family member until Jin Sahyuk imprisoned her. However,
Puharen carried a devil’s seed and simply banishing her only resulted in Jin Sahyuk’s
fall.

Honestly, Plerion would have fallen even without Puharen. [Plerion was destined to
fall the day Jin Sahyuk became its ruler.] After all, I made that an official setting. A
kingdom ruled by a young queen easily influenced by her vassals. It obviously
wouldn’t end well. Rachel tilted her head and asked, “Incarcerated royalty?”

“Yes, you should just tell her that, but it’s nothing important.”

I quickly changed the topic. “Didn’t you say you wanted to install an essence
barrier?”

I brought up the essence barrier. Foreign countries recently sent multiple envoys to
Korea for this.

“Yes… not only that, but other defensive technologies as well.”

Rachel looked grim. It seemed England didn’t have much of a prospect for securing
these defensive technologies.

“We’re trying our best, but our connections don’t extend far. China and the US have
been very aggressive. The order will be China, the US, Japan, Germany… We’ll
probably come in fifth at best.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but that’s okay. We have a few interests in the Tower of Wish to use for
negotiations.”

Rachel said in a sullen voice.

The English Royal Court’s investments in the Tower of Wish should be much more
valuable than a mere barrier. However, she couldn’t simply ignore the complaints
and anxiety of her people. Monster attacks recently skyrocketed, so she only had a
few options.

“No, you probably don’t need to go that far.”

I confidently smiled. Essence of Strait already possessed enough facilities to

manufacture an ample amount of essence barriers. Yoo Yeonha simply played hard to
get to attract more lobbyists.

“Don’t worry.”

England definitely needed an essence barrier.

“I’ll…”

I prepared to exercise my right as Essence of Strait’s technical adviser when the door
burst open. Thud— Men in suits suddenly flooded in.

“D-Dad?”

“Pardon? Dad?”

“I, I mean, Father…”

Even Rachel’s father personally arrived. Amidst our confusion, the men in suits
politely introduce themselves. The group included the minister and vice-minister of
foreign affairs, members of the House of Lords, etc. They all spoke to me and I soon
realized their intentions.

“As representatives of this nation, we would like to welcome Sir Hajin Kim, the
technical adviser to Essence of the Strait. We have a sincere favor to ask of you.
Currently, the citizens of England suffer from the greatest surge of monster attacks in
history. The number of low rank monsters has increased dramatically in urban areas
and…”

As expected, they wanted me to help secure an essence barrier for England.

“Excuse me, Hajin? What’s happening?”

Essential Dynamics Technical Adviser. Rachel, Ah Hae-In, and Yoon Seung-Ah all didn’t
know about my position. The trio looked at me in a daze as I bashfully smiled.

***

[4 hours later, Seoul, South Korea – Yoo Yeonha’s Mansion]

Last night’s events unfolded in my head once more.

— Dead? What do you mean?

Chae Nayun miserable screamed, but I couldn’t answer.

— D-Dead, so suddenly? He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead! It doesn’t, it doesn’t

make any sense! He’s strong, really really strong!

I showed her the video. A being moving at an undetectable speed definitely slashed
Kim Hajin in half. His eyes lost all signs of life and faded into an ash-gray color. He
undoubtedly died.

— This can’t, this can’t be. How can this be Kim Hajin, how…

That’s when Chae Nayun completely lost it. She tore her hair out, bawled like a child,
pounded the floor with her fists, and agonized over his futile death.

— Ah, aaah! Why, why, why… Why…!

Chae Nayun regretted everything she had ever done in the face of his death.

“I shouldn’t have been so mean the last time we met. This wouldn’t have happened if
I was smarter. Please, please, please…”

She wailed in despair.

Watching Chae Nayun in pain, I… I…

“Hey, wake up.”

No, wait. That’s not right.

“Uuu…”

Yoo Yeonha frowned from a nightmare. She lightly twitched as she continued to
wander in it.

“Wake up.”

However, Kim Hajin didn’t intend on letting her suffer. He lightly tapped Yoo Yeonha’s
forehead. She shook her head and seemed to be having another nightmare. With no
other choice, Kim Hajin infused his magic power into Yoo Yeonha’s head.

“Haauuuu…”

Yoo Yeonha strangely moaned. Stigma helped release her from the nightmare and
she finally opened her eyes. Then she stared at the empty space above.

“You’re finally up.” Kim Hajin smiled.

“…?”

Yoo Yeonha turned to the side and faced him.

“Huh?”

She blurted out in a daze. Kim Hajin appeared in front of her. The sunlight shone on
Kim Hajin, who had already died. This must be a dream too.

“It’s not like you to fall asleep during the day.”

Kim Hajin seemed too real and Yoo Yeonha couldn’t say a word.

“Ah—”

Suddenly, her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness. She lacked the mental
strength to deal with this situation.
Yoo Yeonha lost consciousness after she saw Kim Hajin. Of course, he had no idea
why and infused stigma’s magic power into her head again. She woke up, saw him,
and fell unconscious once more. Then Kim Hajin infused stigma’s magic power into
her like before.

After repeating this about 5 times.

“…”

Yoo Yeonha finally woke up. She still had a dazed expression, but no longer fainted
when she saw him. I should be able to talk to her now. Kim Hajin thought to himself.

“What’s up with you?”

“…”

However, Yoo Yeonha remained silent. She simply stared at him with watery eyes.

“Hello?”

She froze for a while before charging into Kim Hajin’s embrace.

“Ah, hey. What are you doing?”

Her arms squeezed him and she buried her face in his chest. Her hug felt powerful
enough to save the world.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

She apologized while Kim Hajin stood flustered. She thought she was still dreaming
and imagined him out of guilt.

“Calm down. What are you even apologizing for?”

“I… I…”

Yoo Yeonha wanted to confess everything even in her dream. She couldn’t be forgiven
anymore, but still wanted to tell him everything. That’s exactly what she did. She told
him what she hid, how much it pained her, and how much she regretted it.

“Sorry, it’s all my fault…” Yoo Yeonha spoke as she sniffled.

“You can leave now. I’ll remember you for the rest of my life.”

“…”

Kim Hajin blankly stared at her. He still couldn’t understand this comedic situation,
so he watched her make a fool out of herself for 2-3 minutes. Then… Chap— He
lightly slapped her cheek.

“Ow, what the heck?”

Yoo Yeonha spat out a few words after being slapped. It seemed she hadn’t gone
completely insane yet.

“What are you doing?”

“Eh?”

“I said, what are you doing?”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha finally realized something felt off. She remained motionless as if
computing all the possible solutions to a problem. CHAP! She slapped herself with
enough strength to shake the room. Her eyebrows twitched from the pain.

“Auuu, it hurts…”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not dead.” Kim Hajin spoke after seeing her
reaction.

“…”
“Thanks for letting me know.”

Yoo Yeonha’s face turned bright red at his words.

***

I sat face-to-face with Yoo Yeonha two hours later. Her face still seemed hot with
embarrassment. I could probably fry an egg on it.

Gulp, gulp—

She downed a glass of water before opening her mouth.

“T-To think you had such a skill…”

“Technically, I did die. It hurt a lot.”

“Haa… b-but… thank you for being alive.”

Yoo Yeonha slammed her head on the table. White steam rose from her head. I wasn’t
exaggerating. Steam actually came out, probably from a skill she used.

“What do I tell Nayun…?”

“Oh right, what happened to Chae Nayun?”

Before I noticed, Chae Nayun had discovered the truth. I worried about her fragile
mind when Yoo Yeonha suddenly shot up.

“Nayun… went back to the Himalayas.”

“Why?”

“To… get revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Yes, she said she’d take revenge on the humanoid monster and make her
grandfather pay for his sins. She left before I could say no.”
“I see.”

I fell into thought. The situation seemed quite serious. Do I have to visit her to show
that I’m still alive? Yoo Yeonha misunderstood my silence.

“You still like Nayun that much?”

“Huh?”

I stared at her, bewildered by the sudden question. She wore a somewhat bitter
smile.

“I didn’t take you to be such a romantic. Don’t worry, Nayun is stronger than you
think.”

“Can you stop saying weird things? You’re wrong.”

Yoo Yeonha only bashfully smiled.

“Okay. Also, I want to apologize again for keeping that secret.”

She meant the fact that Yoo Jinwoong played a huge role in the Kwang-Oh Incident. It
slightly pained me because of my synchronization with Chundong, but I wasn’t
furious or anything.

“I can’t say I’m not angry, but… Huu…”

I couldn’t react too differently from Kim Chundong over such a sensitive topic. This
strange synchronization slightly increased every time I did something against Kim
Chundong’s wish. I didn’t worry too much since the amount could be considered
negligible.

“I lived because of your father. It’s not like he wanted to do it. Even if he did, that has
nothing to do with you. There’s no guilt by association in Korea.”

I stood up with a new smartwatch around my wrist. Essential Smartwatch Code

Black. This luxury watch made from titanium and blood diamond cost 17 billion
won.

“I got the watch, so I’ll be leaving. I also made some food. You can eat it later.”
I made some rice and kimchi stew while she calmed herself and collected her
thoughts. I could guarantee the flavor since she only had high-quality ingredients in
her fridge.

“Wait…”

Yoo Yeonha stopped me as I prepared to leave.

“Hm? What now?”

“Why are you wearing a suit?”

“Oh, this?”

I planned on visiting Buckingham Palace… I chose my words as Yoo Yeonha walked up

to me.

“Your necktie is loose.”

She placed her hands on my tie. Then she unfastened it.

“…”

I just stood still. The scent of her hair made me feel weird. As the tie slowly formed a
knot…

Tak—

Something heavy fell on my chest. I glanced down at Yoo Yeonha’s forehead on my

chest. Soon, she spoke in a small voice.

“…Stay.”

“Huh?”

“Stay.”

She began to shake me back and forth.

“Stay, stay, stay, stay!”

My head bobbled. I had never experienced being grabbed by the collar before. Of
course, it didn’t last long. Yoo Yeonha kept her hands on my collar and headbutted
my chest.

“Stay in touch. You’re our majority shareholder.”

“…”

Her voice sounded noticeably affectionate. I blushed and scratched my neck. I had
been busy, but I still didn’t contact her for 3 months. It wasn’t strange she thought I
died.

“If I have time.”

“Excuses.”

Yoo Yeonha released my collar and finished fixing my tie.

“There.”

She tapped my shoulders and backed away. Then she looked at the tie and smiled in
satisfaction.

“Oh right!”

She suddenly shouted as if she recalled something important.

“Don’t look at the messages I sent you when you return to the tower! If you do, our
relationship is ov—”

— Emergency news! African monsters are marching north. Monsters from other
continents are also invading human territory! Civilians are advised to stay indoors
while…

A disaster warning popped up on my new smartwatch. Other devices received it as

well.

Yoo Yeonha’s smartwatch and those from people outside all beeped with disaster
warnings.
“…”

We silently stared at each other.

***

[21F – Card Kingdom]

“Finally…”

Shin Jonghak looked at a card he obtained on the 21st floor.

[Echo of Light] [Applied Effect] [7 star] Effective Good ○ Will apply the Echo of Light
effect to a target weapon. ○ Echo Attack: Attacks from the target weapon will resonate
like an echo. Attribute Infusion: Will add a light attribute to basic attacks and echo
attacks.

This 7 star card applied the light attribute to a weapon of choice. Furthermore, the
weapon could perform an additional attack with an echo. The amount of TP he spent
felt worth it.

“Huhuhu…”

Shin Jonghak smiled as he held the card in his hand. He thought back to all the work
he put in. He had spent all his TP and even used funding from outside the tower.

“Oh! It’s [Echo of Light]! I saw it in the card encyclopedia. It’s super rare, right?”

Yi Yeonghan chattered from next to him.

Shin Jonghak glared at him before putting the card away.

“It makes light attribute echoes if you attack, right?” Yi Yeonghan spoke again.

“Shut up.”

“Do you even have a weapon to use it on? You’ll need at least a level 8 weapon to
unlock its full potential.”

“I do, so shut up.”

Shin Jonghak carefully observed his surroundings. Thankfully, he didn’t see anyone
who could be a thief. Not even experts let their guards down in the [Card Kingdom]
full of skilled pickpockets.

“Are you going back to the 26th floor?”

Yi Yeonghan asked too many annoying questions. Shin Jonghak could only sigh and
accept the situation.

“Yeah, I’m going back right away.”

“Oh, as expected of Desolate Moon’s boss!”

Guilds held similar positions in the tower. Essence of the Strait ranked number 1
while Frost Sanctuary and Desolate Moon followed close behind. Only the English
Royal Court and Creator’s Sacred Grace departed from the norm. The former held
more influence in the tower while Kim Suho’s achievements single-handedly carried
the latter.

“You can’t do anything even if you go up, right? The demon king is fighting Kim
Suho.”

“He might not beat him.”

“Mmm… so you’re going to challenge the demon king next?”

“That’s right, because I’m much stronger than Kim Suho.” Shin Jonghak nodded with
confidence.

“As expected of the emperor’s bloodline.”

The two heroes heard a bright voice. Shin Jonghak turned towards the person who
praised him.

“Nice to see you, Jonghak. It’s been a while.”

Jin Seyeon smiled like usual. Shin Jonghak felt happy to see her, but nodded without
revealing any emotions.

“Yes, nice to meet you too.”

Paat! A flash of light flared up in the sky and the three heroes simultaneously looked.

“Suho must still be fighting,” Jin Seyeon muttered.

“Do you think he can win?” Yi Yeonghan asked.

“It’ll be hard,” Shin Jonghak replied.

Jin Seyeon laughed at his cute jealousy, but Shin Jonghak only pouted.

Paat! Another flash of light spread across the sky like a spider web.

— Must be intense.

— Damn, what a show.

— How can their magic power shockwaves reach all the way down here?

— By the way, what happens if Kim Suho wins?

— That won’t happen, so don’t worry.

It wasn’t just Shin Jonghak, Yi Yeonghan, and Jin Seyeon. Everyone in the Card
Kingdom looked up at the sky. They all wondered the same thing inside and outside
the tower. Could Kim Suho defeat the demon king on the Tower of Wish’s final floor?

***

Kim Suho slowly opened his eyes. A crushing pressure and hot pain pressed on his
body. He couldn’t move, but endured the pain.

“You lost again.”

A soft voice rang out from nearby. Kim Suho turned his head and spotted the witch
standing next to his equipment and Misteltein.

“The king only used 50% of his power and won with 73% of his energy remaining.
You used all your power and lost.”

The witch reported the results like a game.

“Your equipment has been repaired. You now have two choices. You may give up or
try again—”

“Again.”

Kim Suho spat out a single word as a wave of pain swept through his body. He
coughed a mouthful of blood and continued.

“I’m trying… again.”

His fight against the demon king ended in complete defeat. He challenged him three
times and lost all three. Kim Suho could never have imagined or experienced such
strength in his entire life. However, this only made his conviction burn brighter. He
wouldn’t be able to stop the future calamities and protect his new home if he
couldn’t defeat the demon king here. His determination as a knight still burned
inside him.

“…”

The witch silently stared at this knight. She dropped her head and softly muttered
after a long time.

“I will give you four days to recover.”

The witch left, but Kim Suho didn’t despair as he writhed in pain. The difference
between him and the demon king didn’t frighten him. He still had many chances and
refused to give up.

“—!”

Every muscle in his body screamed. However, Kim Suho swallowed his cries and
raised his body. He felt more familiar with recovering from a broken body than
anyone else. His soul had even experienced death. His conviction resembled a sword
that wouldn’t yield.

“Haa, haa…”

Kim Suho eventually forced himself up while covered in blood and sweat. He turned
around after feeling a strange gaze on him.
“Cough.”

The witch kept staring at him.

***

[Seoul, Korea, Random Rooftop]

— Emergency report! African monsters are marching north.

— At least 30,000,000 of them at the smallest estimate.

— This isn’t a naturally occurring phenomenon. Orden, the self-proclaimed monster

king, has taken responsibility, shocking the public…

“Oh.”

Jin Sahyuk shook her head and turned off her smartwatch. She returned to Earth
after spending a long time in the tower, but the world remained chaotic as usual.
Nothing interesting had occurred and people only talked about monsters.

“Orden…”

Bell mentioned someone by that name. A monster in Africa who wanted to conquer
all of Earth.

“Hmm.”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t care about a mere monster. She only worried about what she heard
from Rachel today.

— Hajin said Puharen was an incarcerated royalty. He said it came from a movie…
what was it called?

Jin Sahyuk chewed on a leaf like a cigarette and mulled over Rachel’s words.

Kim Hajin knew Puharen, someone he shouldn’t know. She left Crevon because it
drove her mad.

“Huuu…”
Jin Sahyuk looked at the sky and sighed. Then she muttered as if talking to the air.

“Come out.”

Her words sounded vague, but she clearly spoke to someone who soon revealed
himself.

Tak—

Light footsteps rang out. No one knew whether he came from above or below. Jin
Sahyuk stared at the human-like rabbit.

“Are you a rabbit or a human?”

Jin Sahyuk’s voice reached Gato. He simply glared at Jin Sahyuk and asked his own
question.

“Young human, I can feel that you’re strong. Are you Black Lotus?”

“Pft.”

Jin Sahyuk sneered. Could these idiotic monsters not even tell sexes apart? So much
for being humanoid.

“Don’t you know Black Lotus is a male?”

“I only heard he dresses completely in black.”

“My hair is navy, idiot. It looks darker because it’s night.”

The rabbit unleashed his magic power to compare the image of Black Lotus with Jin
Sahyuk. Gato nodded after concluding his results.

“Then I have no business with you. My target is Black Lotus.”

He turned around and didn’t plan on fighting. He possessed a strong desire to fight
as a monster, but he had a command to follow: protect the king’s allies and kill Black
Lotus.

“Oh?” Jin Sahyuk sneered while looking at Gato. A fierce wind blew and her smile
disappeared.

“Oi, rabbit.”

She stopped him and dusted off her hands. Gato turned around and saw Jin Sahyuk
glaring with a twisted smile. Dark magic power burned around her.

“With whose permission are you looking for that bastard?”

She spoke in a relaxed manner. However, her magic power felt the opposite. Gato had
no reason to fight and chose to retreat. He prioritized completing the king’s mission,
but found himself stuck on the rooftop. A wall prevented him from leaving.

“…?”

Gato stepped back and wondered why. This wall didn’t resemble a barrier or a spell.
It came from a new gift that Jin Sahyuk awakened called [Reality Manipulation].

“Your older sister here is feeling like shit today.”

Jin Sahyuk laughed while staring at Gato. He instinctively realized he had no choice
but to fight. This meant his actions wouldn’t disgrace the king’s orders.

“Why don’t we have a go until one of us dies?”

Jin Sahyuk observed the rabbit’s movements. Dark demonic energy gushed from him
like steam. His grey fur also slowly turned black and his striking crimson eyes glared
at her.

She watched the monster transform as she silently expanded her domain. The 3rd
wall that stopped Gato from escaping a few moments ago expanded even further to
encompass the entire area around them.

“What is this?”

The magical phenomenon startled Gato as he had never seen anything like it. Jin
Sahyuk arrogantly smirked instead of replying. The monster stood no chance with
her domain fully formed.

“Don’t make a fuss and just die.”

Jin Sahyuk spoke with her arms crossed. Her arrogant tone infuriated Gato. Only the
king could act like that in front of him.

Guooo…

His demonic energy swirled like a storm, causing thin scars on Jin Sahyuk’s cheeks.

“For my king!”

Gato shouted and dashed towards Jin Sahyuk. However, he couldn’t reach her. The
distance between them wouldn’t decrease no matter how hard he ran.

“I’m also a king.”

Jin Sahyuk declared while watching him trying to overcome the infinite distance.

The space responded to her voice and iron bars shot from the ground where Gato
stood. He jumped to avoid them, but chains suddenly chased him. Gato circled in
midair to shake them off and darted towards Jin Sahyuk again.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

Jin Sahyuk unfolded her arms and magic power gathered around her hands. She
didn’t shoot it out, but restructured her domain. The king’s domain changed shape
according to her wishes. The ground separated and rose into fractals that changed
into sharp blades aimed at Gato.

— Crack!

However, her fractals failed to penetrate Gato’s hide. Surprisingly, they both smirked
at each other. The fractals that clung to Gato’s hide exploded before he could
understand the meaning behind her smile. The blades shattered and he shrieked in
pain from the burning heat.

“—!”

Enraged, Gato released his demonic energy and melted the fractals away. Then he
rose into the air with ominous demonic energy flowing around him.

“Come.”

Gato darted forward and the shockwaves from his feet reverberated in every
direction. This time, even the king’s domain couldn’t stop him. He instantly arrived in
front of Jin Sahyuk and swung his fist.

“Uuk!”

Jin Sahyuk blocked with her arm, but it snapped in half like a daikon. Immediately,
Gato’s kicks poured in. They carried the strength of a rabbit’s legs and crushed Jin
Sahyuk’s lower body.

“Keuk!”

It felt like a bomb exploded from within her. Her eyes widened in shock as blood
spurted from her mouth. She made a lethal mistake allowing him to close the
distance. How did a mere rabbit possess so much strength? Jin Sahyuk didn’t have
the time to ponder such a question.
Gato smiled and placed his hands around Jin Sahyuk’s neck. Craaaack! He tore her
head off. The headless body went limp and fell to the ground without a sound. He
continued smiling in satisfaction with Jin Sahyuk’s head in his hand.

“It’s over.”

However…

“A beast is nothing but a clown in my domain.”

A voice descended from above. Startled, Gato quickly shifted his gaze to the sky. Jin
Sahyuk stood there, arrogantly looking down at him.

“That was an interesting show, clown.”

“You— damn— little— human!”

Gato’s magic power exploded in a fury. KWAAAANG! Jin Sahyuk didn’t care that it
partly damaged her domain.

Tzzzzzt…

A spark emerged from Jin Sahyuk’s fake corpse. It transformed into chains and
wrapped itself around Gato’s neck. Spears, swords, arrows, and axes also flew into
the sky. They all pointed towards Gato.

“Now, it’s time for punishment.”

Jin Sahyuk lightly waved and all her weapons immediately responded. They poured
towards Gato like hail and each presented the monster with a unique form of death.
Explosion, penetration, freezing, necrosis, asphyxiation, paralysis, amputation…

“…”

Soon, the monster rabbit collapsed with all kinds of wounds. Gato barely breathed
with death just around the corner. Jin Sahyuk slowly walked over to him.

“I’m the one who will kill Black Lotus.”

She declared with a sharp sword in her hand.

“Go tell your king…”

A smile spread across her face at the feeble foe in front of her.

“Don’t interfere.”

Chwiing! The blade penetrated Gato’s heart. He gasped for air a few times before
meeting his end.

“Haa.”

Jin Sahyuk’s face stiffened as she released the king’s domain and fell to the ground.

That was close. All the strength left her body because of magic power exhaustion. She
thought humanoid monsters would be weak, but that rabbit proved her wrong. Jin
Sahyuk closed her eyes with a sigh and a certain face popped up in her head.
Irritated, she opened her eyes again.

“Damn it.”

Kim Hajin. Kim Hajin. Kim Hajin. She couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“How do you know?”

Jin Sahyuk wanted to ask him how he knew about Puharen? She resented herself for
not being able to confront him.

“Haaa…”

Not long ago, he drove her to the brink of death and she begged him for her life. Her
body violently trembled every time she recalled this traumatic memory. She felt
angry at herself for still fearing him even after all this time. Jin Sahyuk could only
close her eyes in embarrassment. Then she finally lost consciousness and stopped
thinking about Kim Hajin.

***

Monsters around the world grew restless and violent, not just the army of 30 million
marching north from Africa.
I couldn’t do anything in the face of this monster mayhem. I simply hurried to
Essential Dynamics’ underground workshop near the southern sea with Yoo Yeonha.

“Take whatever you need.”

Incredible machines filled the workshop: drones worth millions of won, stealth
aircrafts similar to the F-22, small tanks, and even high-tech body suits found only in
movies. The epitome of magic and science undoubtedly lay before me.

“All of these are your inventions?”

“Yes. We developed them, but never publicly announced any. A lot of people are
keeping us in check these days, so they definitely won’t allow our patent applications
to pass. We’d only be giving others a chance to steal our ideas if we made them
public. That’s why we kept them hidden.”

My gaze shifted to the assault drones and stealth aircraft. I could make use of them.
Yoo Yeonha noticed my interest.

“This drone’s codename is ESX-039. It has a pocket enchanted with space expansion
magic that can hold up to 5000 magic bullets. The AI also fires in the most efficient
way.”

“Mmm. Really?”

I could enhance machines up to 4 times. First with [Equipment Link], then [Random
Consolidation System], [Aether], and lastly [Algorithm]. With these, even the simplest
gun could become as powerful as an artifact.

“I’ll just take these drones for now.”

These drones would be a great addition to the team. I placed my hand on the four
drones. Then I activated [Equipment Link], one of the laptop functions I gained from
a previous update.

[Equipment Link] [5 Streak Consolidation] — Will link any owned machine to Kim
Hajin. (Max: 7) — The linked machine can only be controlled by its owner. The owner
may control the linked machine at will. — The output of linked machines will increase
by 15%.
I linked myself to all 4 drones and they moved as I commanded even without a
power source.

“Oh wow. Did your gift advance by another level? It’s not only guns that respond to
you now.”

I handed a card of the [Dwarven Supercar (Converted)] to the surprised Yoo Yeonha.

“What’s this?”

“I’ll lend it to you in exchange for the drones.”

"Pardon?”

I unlocked the card for Yoo Yeonha, who seemed confused. The dwarven supercar
appeared in the air with a poof.

“Oh?”

“Learn to ride it. With this, you can go from Busan to Seoul in 10 minutes. It can even
fly.”

“Do you actually expect me to ride something so conspicuous?”

“You’ll be fine at night.”

I infused my magic power into the vehicle. The snowmobile turned transparent and
blended into the darkness thanks to my old enchantments.

“It won’t be noticeable at night, but use a cape of transparency if you’re still
concerned. They’re pretty common these days.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re common. Effective goods from the tower all cost a fortune.
Anyways, I’ll use it well. Thanks!”

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes twinkled as she sat in the driver's seat. She learned how to drive in
the tower, so she should be able to easily control it. I turned my smartwatch back on.

— 30,000,000 monsters are heading north. People living in Western Europe have
been urged to evacuate…
— Monsters are rampaging throughout the entire world, not just in Africa.
Governments have declared a state of emergency and…

The story had moved on to the Orden arc. Humanity would lose at least Africa, the
entire Middle East, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and other
countries near the Mediterranean. However, this would only be the beginning.

“Oh, also…”

I looked back. Vroom— Vroom—

Yoo Yeonha flew in the air on the dwarven supercar.

“What happened to the essence barriers?”

“Ah.” Yoo Yeonha hurried back down.

“We shipped them to other countries already. I didn’t make as much money as I
could’ve, but I figured now wasn’t the time for that. I sent one to England a long time
ago too.”

“Good. Then I’ll be leaving now. Don’t follow me.”

“Okay.”

I stepped into the elevator with the drones by my side. Yoo Yeonha looked at me one
last time.

“Oh, and I’ll clear things up with Nayun.”

“How?”

“I’ll tell her you suffered serious injuries, but miraculously recovered.”

Her smiling face disappeared as the doors closed before I could reply.

I returned above ground with the drones and Spartan appeared by my side. The
ocean by the workshop also entered my view.

“Hmm.”
I contemplated while gazing at the darkness above the southern sea. The last
segment of my story would soon begin. Humanity would form an expedition team
against Orden. Not long afterwards, Earth would partly transform into the demon
realm. The contamination would start from both poles. After that, I didn’t know the
future anymore.

Of course, I had a tentative idea of how the story would end. In the final arc, Jin
Sahyuk would make a deal with a devil. She would obtain peace for her homeland,
Akatrina, in exchange for transforming Earth into the demon realm. Jin Sahyuk tried
to destroy Earth using the devil’s power, but Kim Suho ultimately defeated her.

“Jin Sahyuk.”

Of course, the remake wouldn’t end so easily. Jin Sahyuk held the key to this story.

“Huuu…”

I deeply sighed and thought about her. That wounded princess ascended a fallen
kingdom’s throne only to meet a painful death. I had to decide whether or not to kill
her.

I took out two [Communication Letters] in the seaside’s darkness. These effective
goods from the tower could be used to communicate regardless of their locations.
They could also be reused after erasing the writing on them. I could probably deliver
one to Jin Sahyuk through Rachel.

“Hey drone, deliver this to Rachel in England.”

I handed a [Communication Letter] to one of the drones and it quickly disappeared

into the sky.

***

[Hero Association, Temple of Justice]

A meeting currently took place in the office revered by all heroes. The 12 Temple of
Justice members gathered for the first time in a while.

“They discovered an astounding amount of jewelry in Yoon Younghwa’s private vault,

whom Black Lotus killed, no, assaulted.”
Chairman Park Hanho addressed the first item on their agenda. This remained their
most important topic even as more urgent matters emerged.

“First, Black Lotus.”

His appearance, arrow, and the note he left at the scene projected into the air as a 3D
hologram.

“The note reads, [A warning to the monster king’s dogs].”

Several heroes showed interest in Black Lotus’ handwriting. It looked so beautiful

even Yi Yongha and Nicholas exclaimed in amazement.

“The monster king most likely refers to Orden. Black Lotus is saying Yoon Younghwa
received bribes from him.”

Park Hanho pulled up a video of Yoon Younghwa’s interrogation.

“Where did you get all those blood diamonds?”

— I don’t know.

“Even though we found them in your safe?”

— I don’t know. Why are you interrogating me? I’m the victim here. The victim of an
assault! I only came because you promised to heal me. I won’t be treated this way…

“What an annoying old geezer.”

Aileen said as she tapped on the desk.

“He obviously took bribes from Orden. Blood diamonds without identification
numbers and… what else?”

“A sorcery mask.” Park Hanho added to Aileen’s remark.

“Yeah, that. It’s an artifact only found in Africa to cast hypnosis and aphrodisiac
spells. What exactly did this perverted old geezer need it for?”

“Regardless, private prosecutions go against the law. We’ll need to adjust Black
Lotus’ bounty.”

“Then do it.”

Why are we even having a meeting if he’s just going to do whatever he wants? Aileen
grumbled and leaned in her chair.

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“…”

At her remark, Park Hanho studied the other members in the room. None of them
seemed to object.

“It’s settled. Then…”

[Grade 1 Black Bounty — Wanted Criminal: Black Lotus]

Like that, Black Lotus’ bounty increased. It wouldn’t change the status quo, but they
couldn’t do anything else. They simply met to review the solutions presented to them
by the lower echelon. A grade 1 black bounty signified the most dangerous criminals
that required a group of heroes to capture.

“Next on the agenda is the Orden Assassination Team. This is today’s most important
topic.”

They quickly moved on to the next discussion.

“Different groups have suggested we should form a team against Orden in the face of
recent events. We plan on forming at least 2 teams…”

Park Hanho looked around the room.

“Do you have any heroes you’d like to recommend? Of course, we’ll simply be
forming teams among ourselves if none of them are strong enough.”

It seemed everyone had a thing or two to say this time. The heroes in the room gave
their recommendations or condemned the choices of others. However, Aileen only
yawned and smacked her lips in boredom.
“Aileen?” Chairman Park Hanho turned to her.

“What?”

“And your opinion?”

“Well…”

Aileen stroked her chin in thought. A minute passed and she suddenly jerked as if
she thought of someone. Everyone’s attention shifted towards her.

“What? Did you think of someone?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s…”

Aileen twisted her body in embarrassment. The Temple of Justice members had
never seen her act so strangely. They focused even more on her next words out of
curiosity. At last, she spoke a name.

“F-Fenrir?” Her cheeks turned slightly flushed.

“…”

“…”

“…”

No one said anything. No signs of support or opposition. Everyone simply stared at

Aileen in silence. Fenrir, the mercenary who used a gun. His most famous nicknames
included Lotus Killer, Monster Wolf, etc.

“I, I’m kidding. Just a joke! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.”

Aileen squeezed out a laugh to fend off the embarrassment, but it only worsened the
situation. The members either glared even harder or pitifully sighed. They gave
Aileen no choice but to resort to anger.

“Damn it! I said I was just joking. I’m gonna pull your eyeballs out. Hey, what’re you
looking at? Hm? I said, what are you looking at? Stop it right now!”
She started to make a fuss and even the Temple of Justice members couldn’t stand
her notorious tantrums.

“Is what I said that absurd? Huh!”

She even beat up Cheok Jungyeong the last time they fought on the 21st floor. Magic
power surged from her even stronger than in the past and her Spirit Speech shook
the room until the meeting concluded. With Aileen’s strong recommendation, they
placed Fenrir on top of the recruitment list for the Orden Assassination Team.

***

[8F – Crevon]

Four days passed after the Orden incident.

“A letter? For me?” Jin Sahyuk frowned at Rachel.

“Yes,” Rachel simply replied.

“Someone has the nerve to send me a letter? Is it from a man?”

She barges into the commander's office only to talk about a letter? Jin Sahyuk looked
slightly upset.

“Yes, technically.”

“I have no interest in some dull man who writes letters.”

“It’s from Fenrir.”

“…?”

Jin Sahyuk stared at Rachel in silence. She couldn’t grasp the meaning behind those
words and sat in a daze. Finally, she spoke after some time.

“For real?”

“Yes.”
“Kim Hajin?”

“Yes.”

“Why would Kim Hajin, Fenrir, send me a letter?”

“I don’t know.” Rachel handed the envelope to Jin Sahyuk.

“Please take it. I have to leave because of the recent monster incident.”

Jin Sahyuk faked a look of discontent before receiving the envelope.

“Well then.”

She carefully opened it and checked its contents.

“Mmm?” She finished reading it quite fast.

“What the…”

The blank letter contained nothing on it. She even flipped it over and checked inside
the envelope, but couldn’t find anything.

“What does it say?”

A voice suddenly flowed into her ears. Startled, Jin Sahyuk raised her head.

“Huh?”

Rachel stared at her. Jin Sahyuk assumed she had already left.

“Uh, um, well.”

Jin Sahyuk couldn’t say it appeared blank, so she changed the topic.

“Why are you still here? I thought you had something important.”

“Pardon? Ah, um… is it about the movie?”

“What?” Jin Sahyuk found her response rather strange.

“Wait, are you jealous?”

“…”

Rachel slightly flinched, but soon smiled like usual.

“Certainly not.”

“Then why are you so eager to know?”

“…”

Honestly, it could be jealousy. She introduced two friends that grew closer with each
other than with her. Rachel couldn’t describe her feelings in words, but quickly
turned around and grabbed the doorknob.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

Rachel suddenly disappeared.

“What was that?”

Jin Sahyuk nonchalantly watched her leave and looked at the letter again. Then she
realized something.

“This is a magic letter.”

It functioned like a carrier pigeon. The two letters linked to each other, so any text on
one would appear on the other.

“That crazy guy.”

Why did he send it blank? Was he too embarrassed to write first, so he’s making me do
it? Arrogant as always.

Jin Sahyuk crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it in the trash can.

“…”

Tok, tok, tok, tok. She tapped on her desk with a finger and whistled, but her gaze
kept shifting back to the trash can.

Resist. Must resist. No matter how much I want to ask him…

“Dammit.”

She couldn’t hold out even for 10 seconds. Jin Sahyuk picked up the letter from the
trash.
[England, Buckingham Palace]

Rachel sighed as she watched the ocean. Beaches recently became prohibited due to
the monsters entering England. The new essence barrier prevented civilian
casualties, but the situation hadn’t been resolved yet. It had only just begun.

[Dear Precious Princess]

Rachel clenched her teeth at the letter in her hands. It came from England’s greatest
enemy, Lancaster.

“What’s up? You don’t look too good.”

Ah Hae-In walked over and asked. Rachel hid the letter and nonchalantly turned
back.

“Um, it’s nothing. Is Evandel doing okay?”

“Don’t worry about that. She’s not doing anything that will burden her.”

“Really? But Evandel’s summons are—”

“Don’t worry.”

Evandel’s army amounted to almost 3000 now and spread out across Europe to help
humanity. Everyone called her creations mystical animals that helped humans.

“I made Evandel form a chain of command in her army. For that, she needed an
especially intelligent creation.”

“Ah, I heard she made a monkey last time.”

“A monkey wasn’t enough.”

Ah Hae-In continued with a smile. “She made a unicorn.”

“Pardon?”

The winged horse with a white horn might be the most famous mystical animal in
the world.

“Evandel’s unicorn serves as the commander in charge of her army, so you don’t have
to worry. Evandel is having fun by herself without participating in anything
complicated.”

Ah Hae-In showed Rachel a crystal ball showing Evandel running around and having
fun. She seemed to be playing tag with Hayang. Rachel smiled like always when she
saw Evandel. Then she suddenly recalled something important.

“Ah, Duchess Ah Hae-In, the association sent a message asking about the source of
the mystical animals. I’d like to ask you for adv…”

“Don’t trust the association.”

Ah Hae-In immediately replied. Rachel tilted her head at Ah Hae-In’s serious

expression.

“Orden’s spies might be among them.”

“Pardon?”

Ah Hae-In continued at Rachel’s bewilderment.

“We can easily spot djinns, but not the humans persuaded by the monster king. The
monster king should’ve convinced many from the association to join his cause.”

“How can that be? The association carries the will of hero Shin Myungchul. It’s hard
to believe that…”

“The monster king’s servant also came to me.”

Ah Hae-In faced Rachel.

“He knew what I wanted and what I lacked. He said he’d give it to me.”
“What do you mean?”

“He said he’d give me a body that could birth a child. I’m unable to have one because
of my magic’s side effect.”

Rachel didn’t know how to react and remained silent. Ah Hae-In faintly smiled.

“However, they didn’t know me well enough. Even if I could have a child, what use
would it be if the world belonged to monsters?”

“…”

Rachel nodded. Her admiration for Ah Hae-In grew to another level as she watched
Evandel through the crystal ball.

“Knowing the weakness of his target’s heart. That must be Orden’s gift.” Ah Hae-In
spoke once again.

“Gift?”

“Yes. Who said only humans could have gifts? Ah, it’s time for the news broadcast.”

Ah Hae-In turned on the TV and the news came on at 6 P.M.

— Orden’s kingdom has been found in Africa. It remained hidden underground all
this time, but somehow rose above ground in a single night. Experts…

Tzzzzt—

The screen flickered before the reporter could finish. It turned grey and black. Then
a new image suddenly popped up as Rachel and Ah Hae-In wondered what
happened.

— Greetings, humans. I am Orden, the monster king.

Rachel and Ah Hae-In’s faces immediately stiffened. A huge giant sat on a throne. His
outer appearance resembled a human, but some of his facial features looked non-
human like his eyes that flashed with a sharp light.

— Today, I intend to give humanity a warning and an offer.

Orden easily hijacked the broadcast signal. All channels in England currently showed
the same screen.

— Now…

Tzzzzt—

However, the video cut off again shortly afterwards. Tzzzzt… Static rang out as Rachel
and Ah Hae-In frowned. They focused on the screen to hear about the monster king’s
plans.

“…?”

However, Orden’s voice didn’t continue and a strange symbol appeared instead. This
symbol looked all too familiar to players from the tower. Ah Hae-In jumped in
surprise.

“Rachel, this symbol…”

“Yes, you’re right.” Rachel nodded at the beautifully embroidered black lotus.

“It’s Black Lotus.”

Subtitles appeared beneath the symbol the moment Rachel spoke.

[Humanity will not listen to a mere monster.] [Monster, who dares to declare himself
king and his foolish underlings.] [And the dogs who eat the meat offered by this fool.] [I
will come to kill you all myself.]

The screen blacked out after these four sentences. Rachel and Ah Hae-In stood still
for a moment as chills ran down their backs.

— Holy… the hell was that? Orden and Black Lotus just…

Soon, the original news broadcast returned. However, the reporter remained in a
daze after the broadcast battle between the monster king and Black Lotus.

— Huh? We’re back?

Startled, the reporter straightened his posture.

— E-Ehem, our broadcast seemed to have been hijacked…

Ah Hae-In smiled after seeing this.

“Looks like Black Lotus and the monster king don’t get along.”

Rachel nodded and quickly went on the internet.

“England wasn’t the only country that saw that.”

***

[Pandemonium – Chameleon Troupe’s Hideout]

“Wow, how did you hack into the broadcast stream without lifting a finger?”

I smiled at Jain’s question. Orden’s broadcast hijacking also occurred in the original
story. I simply interrupted it with my hacking ability.

“He shouldn’t hijack broadcasts anymore now that he knows it won’t work.”

Orden tried to deliver a message to the entire world, but I completely shut him
down. Of course, he might not give up, but I held the advantage since I could counter-
hack just by looking.

I had good reason to stop him too. Orden could infuse magic power into his words.
Not on the level of Aileen, but it would still be effective against defenseless civilians.

“You’re getting more popular Hajin. Look, your name is trending again.”

Jain clasped her hands and showed me a social media trending chart.

[1. Black Lotus] [2. Orden] [3. Black Lotus vs Orden]

Black Lotus and Orden topped the charts. I glanced at my smartwatch and found that
my SP had gone up by 407 points.

“Anyways, Jain…”

I massaged my sore eyes because I hadn’t blinked while hacking the broadcast
stream.

“Don’t we have better artifacts?”

“Hm? Ah, the ones here are only presents. Or should I say offerings?”

Artifacts littered the floor from Pandemonium’s djinns.

“None of them seem particularly useful. Is it normally like this?”

“Yep.”

Ding! The elevator stopped on our floor and two Chameleon Troupe members
appeared.

“Oh. Hey, Arashi.”

Hirano Arashi, the seat of brown, was a woman with long hair who liked to wear silk
robes. She walked past Jain without saying anything. I let her be and looked at the
giant who arrived with her.

“Cheok Jungyeong, I heard you lost to Aileen.”

“W-Whaaaat!”

Cheok Jungyeong immediately roared. The building slightly shook and Jain furrowed
her brows.

“You crazy buffoon…”

“Lost! What! Who lost? Who told you that?”

“Okay…”

Cheok Jungyeong began to make excuses.

“I could’ve won with one more punch, but she looked too much like a kid! Who’s
going to believe she’s an adult? Not me, that’s for sure. I missed my timing because of
it and that wench used this opening to…”
I ignored his flurry of words and turned to Jain.

“We don’t have any better artifacts? Aren’t we going to meet Wicked soon?”

The strongest member of the Nine Evils, Wicked, requested to meet the Chameleon
Troupe. He wanted to discuss assassinating Orden. Now, even djinns planned on
forming an assassination team.

For this specific task, djinns could be more trustworthy than heroes because Orden’s
persuasion didn’t work on them. They had already sold their souls to devils.

“Mmm… Boss keeps all the good ones to herself.”

“Oh, I see.”

“She doesn’t want to give any to me, so you should ask her.”

“Okay, I’ll take it from her and give some to you too.”

I needed pinnacle grade artifacts to effectively utilize my special skill, [Four Colored
Enchant]. Otherwise, I could just use the items I crafted.

“Okay, good luck! I’ll be cheering for you.”

I walked over to Boss’ room.

***

[Pandemonium – Fallen Ghost Rank Gladiator’s Waiting Room]

Jin Sahyuk returned to her home. It wasn’t technically her home, but Pandemonium’s
fighting arena. She had no other choice since she never purchased a house.

“Lord Jin Sahyuk, will you begin fighting in the arena again?”

An employee of the fighting arena followed her as she unpacked without replying.
She didn’t carry much, only the effective goods she brought from the tower.

“Lord Jin Sahyuk, can we schedule a fight for you?”

Her new leather armor gave off a cold, dark blue light. The coat made from a special
fabric also contained magic enchantments.

[Lv.8 Deep Dark Leather Armor (J – RedOrder)] [Lv.8 Battle Armor Coat (J – RedOrder)]

She had no clue what the words in parenthesis meant, but Lv.8 items were the
highest level items players could turn into effective goods. She spent 3 months of her
salary to purchase them from the auction house.

“Um… Lord Sahyuk?”

“Geez.”

Jin Sahyuk glared at the arena employee before changing her clothes.

“Stop bothering me. Do you wanna die?”

“No… not at all…”

“Tsk.”

Jin Sahyuk frowned and shooed him away.

“Alright, do whatever you want. The opponent better be interesting.”

“Y-Yes, thank you!”

Only then did the employee run out with a smile.

“Sigh, these worms.”

The fighting arena business didn’t look too good after Pandemonium split into two
between Satan’s Servants and the Chameleon Troupe. Jin Sahyuk didn’t feel too
happy about her hobby being disturbed either.

She took off her clothes and changed into her new equipment. The leather armor
and coat felt more than satisfactory. She smiled and nodded.

— Knock, knock.
Someone suddenly knocked on the door. Since when did the fallen ghost rank waiting
room become so noisy? Jin Sahyuk felt annoyed as she opened the door. Thud!

“Who the hell are you?”

A strange creature stood behind the door. It looked like a skeleton wearing a robe to
disguise its non-human appearance. He seemed to be a lich. Jin Sahyuk smirked at
his glowing eyes.

“You’re here for revenge?”

— Not at all.

The lich’s voice echoed like in a cave.

“Then why are you here? You came to die too?”

— I am here to pass on my king’s message. He wishes to make a trade with you.

“Trade?”

— Yes.

This time, Jin Sahyuk laughed out loud.

“Ha! Interesting lot, aren’t you? Didn’t I say I wouldn’t talk to mere beasts?”

The lich didn’t show any sign of displeasure at Jin Sahyuk’s provocation. He seemed
incapable of that and simply continued.

— The king’s message is as follows: I will allow you to return to your home world.

“What?”

The atmosphere instantly changed as magic power surged from Jin Sahyuk’s body.
She grabbed the lich by the collar and threw him into the room.

KWANG!

The lich let out an odd scream as he flew across the room and struck the wall. Then
Jin Sahyuk ran up and stepped on his neck.

“How do you know about that?”

— Do not… underestimate… the memory of monsters. There are monsters… who

remember your home world.

“What?”

— Monsters… are not the enemy of humanity. The king only wants to open people’s
eyes. Humans should join hands with us to defeat the devils.

Jin Sahyuk loosened the strength in her leg since it seemed worth it to hear him out.

— Africa contains a fragment of the continent you once lived in. Furthermore, some
of the monsters that gained intelligence came from that continent.

“…”

— The king wishes for you to join him.

The lich took out a small crystal from his pocket. This blue crystal looked like a
tower crystal.

— This is a sign of his goodwill.

“Goodwill?”

Jin Sahyuk stared at the item. She had learned the [Appraisal] skill from the tower as
someone who hated being scammed.

[Continental Fragment] — You may use this fragment to return to the recorded past:
Akatrina during the continental year 555.

“W-What? I can return to Akatrina?”

Jin Sahyuk’s voice flickered with hope.

— Yes, but you cannot stay there forever. This is only a recorded past. Changing the
past does not affect the future. You will only experience a world of the past.
The lich explained and Jin Sahyuk’s excitement subsided.

“Then what use is it? I don’t need it.”

Jin Sahyuk clicked her tongue and threw the crystal. No, she tried to throw it, but her
hand refused to let go.

— Do you really not need it?

The lich stared at Jin Sahyuk with a soft smile.

— You can take it. It is a gift from the king. There’s no need to pay anything and you
do not need to become our ally either. It is just a token of our goodwill.

“…”

The blue crystal glowed with a silvery light. Returning to Akatrina… Jin Sahyuk stared
for a long time before tightening her grip on it.

— Great decision.

The lich got up with a smile.

— Then I will be off. Feel free to visit us if you change your mind.

The lich slowly backed out of the room. However, Jin Sahyuk still had one question.

“Oi, wait.”

— Yes?

“Can this bring other people with me?”

The lich immediately nodded.

— If you’d like. The power of the crystal is boundless.

“Mm, is that so?” Jin Sahyuk grinned.

“That’s good.”
Then, in the next moment…

—…!

Magic power shot out from her hand towards the lich. It spread out like a spider web
and slashed the lich apart into five pieces.

***

I came back home for the first time in a long time. Now that Evandel fell asleep, I sat
on the couch while contemplating my next gift.

“Hmm…”

[Buster Call] — Using stigma’s magic power, you may summon vassals from the Tower
of Wish who swore their loyalty to you.

I came up with this gift from a comic I used to enjoy. With it, I could summon my
loyal NPCs and even the [Genkelope’s Vessel] from the tower. However, only one
problem occurred.

[You do not have enough SP. A total of 30,000 SP is required.]

I had nowhere near close enough. The results remained the same no matter how
many restrictions I placed on it.

“It should decrease once Suho clears the tower.”

The tower’s outer shell would fall and it would combine with the outside world once
Kim Suho defeated the demon king. Then the required SP should drastically drop.

Of course, I would probably need at least 5000 SP at the very least. Even if the
tower’s outer shell fell, it remained vastly different from our world. A huge amount
of energy would be required to materialize something from the tower.

“Ah… what to do… what to do…”

Should I go with the other gift I came up with or should I wait a bit more for [Buster
Call]? As I contemplated…
Sssk, sssk—

The sound of words being written rang out. I looked at the communication letter I
gave Jin Sahyuk.

“Oh?”

I didn’t think she would write back so soon.

[I’m also participating in Pandemonium’s Orden Assassination Team.] [Let’s meet and
settle this once and for all.]
[16F – Genkelope’s Vessel]

I visited the vessel for the first time in a while. We came to attend a meeting with
Wicked for the djinns’ expedition team against Orden. The two opposing parties
decided to meet inside the Tower of Wish since players could resurrect after dying.

“A lot of people came.”

“Yeah.”

Many things had changed in the 6 months I hadn’t visited. For starters, the entrance
inspection became much stricter and more high-tech than most airports. The
security guards wearing power armor seemed to be at least level 16.

“It’s changed a lot. It’s all mine, but it doesn’t feel like it.”

Once again, greed boiled inside me. I could bring this vessel outside by awakening a
new gift.

“You’re right. So much has changed since the last time that I could get lost.”

Boss scanned the crowd. At least a few hundred players waited to enter the gates. I
studied them with Boss.

— What do we do to get to the 17th floor?

— They have a separate transport ship. You just have to pay TP to go up. Don’t even
think about doing anything stupid on the 16th floor. There’s a PK ban and they
prohibit fighting. Try visiting the hotels and restaurants in Area 3.

— Ah, I see. Thank you.

— Visit the arena and dungeon if you want to grow stronger. You can practice against
NPC guards in the arena and the dungeon is located on the lowest level.

Kim Youngjin, Essence of the Strait’s Tower of Wish supervisor, caught my eye with
his group of rookies. It might be slightly inaccurate to call players who reached the
16th floor rookies. I walked past the long line of players waiting to check in.

“Look, they’re cutting!”

“No cutting in line!”

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Alright, please be quiet.”

A few players snarled at us, but a security guard stopped them. We entered the ship
accompanied by guards.

“Hajin, I heard the Hero Association also bargained with you.”

Boss said as we entered the vessel’s inner area.

“Oh yeah, they did.”

I didn’t know under whose recommendation, but the Hero Association tried to
recruit me. Of course, I had no intention of joining them. Rather, I planned on
infiltrating the Tower of Heroes, the association’s headquarters, while they focused
on Orden. I wanted to save the young child being exploited there.

“More importantly, what do you think of my plan Boss?”

They locked up and abused the young child with the authority of healing there. They
took her years ago, so she must be a teenager now.

“It’ll be difficult.”

We had to rescue that girl. The association’s upper echelon raised her with the
utmost care 8 years ago. However, things had changed. Now they exploited her only
to satisfy their selfish desire to overcome aging.

“Jain, Cheok Jungyeong, and Jin Yohan seem to want to do it.”

“How about you, Boss?”

We had to since this girl played a major role in the story’s final half. Those in power
had grown much greedier than in the original story, so the child might not survive
for long.

“I…” Boss silently stared at me.

“I’ll do as you please.”

I smiled in relief. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Boss also warmly smiled as we walked down the street and observed the scenery.

Soon, we arrived at the meeting place. I had never heard of this hotel, but they
seemed to have built it in my honor and called it, [HAJ HOTEL]. A large round table
stood at the center of the room. We sat around it, placed on our hoods, and waited
for the djinns to arrive.

“Hajin, you stay quiet.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Boss and I sat absently-mindedly. She threw a glance at me before fixing her gaze in
the air and rolling her eyes up and down. Boss began reading a tower webnovel.

I became lost in thought. Suddenly, a question crossed my mind. What was Chae
Nayun doing right now? I could always see for myself. I sent a thought to Spartan. Go
find Chae Nayun in the Himalayas. Then share your vision with me.

A snowy mountain stretched in front of me when I closed my eyes. Chae Nayun stood
near an inn located in the middle of a mountain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she
read a letter in her hands.

— Oh, thank God. I’m glad… I’m so glad…

The letter probably came from Yoo Yeonha. Chae Nayun murmured countless thanks
while holding on to it. I could roughly make out the contents. She seemed to have lost
a bit of weight from the recent hardships, but looked genuinely happy now. Seeing
her like that made me feel slightly melancholic. She would always be the first person
in this world who expressed such feelings for me. I never forgot the vivid,
heartwarming affection from her. I still didn’t know what she saw in a man like me.

— Chae Nayun. What are you doing there? Wait, are you crying?

Someone came up to her and I hadn’t expected to see him there. The only named
character in the Himalayas should’ve been Heynckes.

— I-I’m not crying. What do you mean I’m crying? More importantly, aren’t you going
back to Mt. Baekdu?

— How can I leave when that old geezer is trying to steal my disciple?

The Wolf of Valhalla, master rank hero Yoo Sihyuk, frowned at Chae Nayun.

— What anchovy is calling me an old geezer?

I watched the interesting turn of events with anticipation.

“Hello!”

The door burst open and an upbeat voice resounded. Boss and I turned our attention
back to the room. Wicked recently rose to the top among the Nine Evils and
approached us full of confidence.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Wicked, Ha Yeonhee.”

She seemed too young to be Wicked, but Boss and I shook her hand anyways.
Wicked’s underlings rushed in and stood on either side of the room.

“Now, let us start the meeting! Hahaha!”

Wicked laughed hysterically.

***

[Vast Expanse’s Cave]

The leaders of two groups spoke to each other in a cave cozier than most towns.

“Me?”

“Yes. The association would like you to join the Orden Assassination Team.”

Essence of the Strait’s Yoo Jinwoong calmly looked into the eyes of Vast Expanse’s
Yoon Kwangwon. Vast Expanse had aged elegantly. His eyes contained azure magic
power and shone from a distance. His thick beard looked exceedingly stunning and
his long hair resembled a sage or a hermit’s.

“You’ll need at least tens of billions of won if you want to recruit me.”

“That is a cheap price considering we expected hundreds of billions,” Yoo Jinwoong

replied with composure.

“Also, what use is money if you lose all of your land to monsters?”

Vast Expanse smiled at Yoo Jinwoong’s words. “Say, what do I look like to you? Why
do you assume the association is willing to pay such a high price for me?”

“That’s a strange question. Are you not the immeasurably strong Vast Expanse?”

Vast Expanse slowly shook his head. “No. I only see myself as an old man. Strange.
Yoo Sihyuk is merely 8 years younger than me, yet he looks your age.”

Yoo Jinwoong simply waited for Vast Expanse to continue.

“A superhuman who has mastered magic power usually ages at that rate until he’s
seventy.”

Vast Expanse stroked his beard with a hand covered in aged spots.

“Not for me. My side effect is growing old.”

Of course, side effects became much rarer these days with every hero being
systematically managed. However, they commonly occurred among heroes of the
past who had to fight every day without proper management. Yoo Jinwoong tried to
look away from the wrinkles on Vast Expanse’s face.
“Then what is it that you want?”

“I heard the association has a child with the authority of healing.”

“Yes, that's correct.”

Yoo Jinwoong nodded. The Tower of Heroes did keep a girl with the authority of
healing. Her authority could cure all illnesses and injuries except death. However, the
misuse of her power at a young age could potentially double her side effects.
Therefore, the association vowed to protect the child and promised her a peaceful
childhood. These days, high ranking officials began taking advantage of the child as a
tool to extend their lifespans.

“I heard she can even reverse aging.”

Vast Expanse spoke with anticipation flickering in his eyes.

“Reversing the aging process is, in some ways, putting off death.”

“I’m aware, but even now she’s being used to extend the lifespans of several political
figures. Is that the right thing to do?”

Yoo Jinwoong couldn’t answer. Just recently, the child used her power to heal the
scars on Chae Joochul’s body from the devil. Everyone understood that served the
public good.

“Don’t you know the association is rotting? I can assure you some heroes have
already switched sides with Orden’s proposals. Orden did come to me once. He
offered me youth, but I declined.”

Vast Expanse’s eyes arched into a gentle smile. His smile contained a mixture of self-
esteem unique to a man who believed in himself and revulsion towards others.

“I believe ten evils exist in this world, not nine. People say Wicked triumphs over all
these days, but I hold a different opinion. The worst of the ten evils is…

His mellow voice filled with hostility. “The association.”

Yoo Jinwoong’s expression turned into a frown. “You… how could you say such a
thing?”
“The association’s 7 chairmen are rotting away while hiding under the light of Shin
Myungchul’s achievements. Do not trust those codgers who tarnish the name of a
great hero. They must be dragged down from their seats,” Vast Expanse spoke
solemnly.

Yoo Jinwoong simply sighed. Even he didn’t know about the relationship between
Vast Expanse and Shin Myungchul. He only knew that every hero revered Shin
Myungchul, who had been active since Outcall. Vast Expanse, a latecomer at the time,
also admired Shin Myungchul.

“Give me the girl. I will take care of her. I do not give away what’s mine nor do I let
my possessions break. I won’t lay a finger on the child until her authority has
matured.”

“Even if I wanted to…”

He’s impossible to persuade. Yoo Jinwoong dejectedly thought to himself.

“One of the association’s biggest sponsors is Chae Joochul.”

Humans and djinns alike feared this name. Chae Joochul’s influence grew stronger
now than ever. Nevertheless…

“Hahahaha!”

Vast Expanse leisurely laughed. Yoo Jinwoong felt envious of Vast Expanse’s next
words.

“I am not afraid of Chae Joochul. I only fear one thing and that is growing old.”

***

[England – London]

England issued evacuation and mobilization orders as ocean monsters raged.

Citizens evacuated inland while heroes and guilds gathered at the shore. Rachel
arrived at the English Channel with her guild members.

“What's the situation?”

“Sea monsters are rampaging across the English Channel. The mystical animals are
assisting us, but the barriers and breakwater won’t last.”

The government officials gravely answered her. The Thames River ran through the
heart of London and remained safe thanks to the essence barrier. However, bigger
and higher ranked monsters rampaging at the seaside couldn’t be stopped. Ireland
had already abandoned its capital, Dublin.

“We have confirmed multiple intermediate rank, grade1 crentios, 3 high-

intermediate rank, grade 8 sirens, high-intermediate rank, grade 5 crasios catfish,
high-intermediate rank, grade 1 kraken…”

One of the officials continued to report when…

Kuoooo—

Far away, a giant catfish blasted a waterspout over the sea. A whirlpool, combined
with violent currents and massive magic power, transformed into a typhoon that
rushed inland. Rachel drew her sword in the face of this disaster. A water elemental
appeared from the fairy sword Galatyn.

“Wartortle, stop it!”

The water elemental dove into the sea and formed a new current. This current
rotated in the opposite direction against the catfish’s typhoon. Then the typhoon
bounced into the sky and turned into ordinary rain.

“Sunshine, Earth, Fiery.”

However, merely stopping its attack wouldn’t be enough. They could only put an end
to this by killing the monster. Rachel called for her elementals. Now fully grown, they
stood and glared imposingly across the sea.

“Everyone, please get ready!”

Rachel wanted to create an environment suitable for the assembled heroes. She
planned to order Wartortle to block the flow of currents, Sunshine and Earth to form
artificial land, and Fiery to partially evaporate the water hiding the sea monsters.

“Wartortle?”
However, Rachel’s elementals didn’t need to act.

Chwaaaa!

A giant weapon flew in from somewhere far away. All the heroes looked back in
surprise because the weapon’s power seemed even greater than its overwhelming
speed.

Countless weapons flew across the sky and easily crushed the horde of sea monsters.
Monsters couldn’t escape by hiding underwater. The magic power weapons plowed
through the water and severed their heads.

Kwaaaak!

The weapons continued to rain down.

Who in the world could cast such an attack? Rachel looked back in astonishment.

“Ah!”

As expected, Shin Jahyuk stood there with her arms folded and commanded her
weapons like in Crevon.

Rachel didn’t know why Shin Jahyuk came, but their allied force welcomed the help.

“Aim for the monsters!”

Rachel shouted and the heroes became encouraged by their new ally’s remarkable
strength. They roared as Rachel executed her plan with the elementals.

“The water is gone! The princess dried the sea!”

“Attack the sea monsters on shore!”

“Die, you monsters, die!”

Three hours after the fierce battle…

Rachel greeted Jin Sayhuk at the vice leader’s office inside the English Royal Court
guild. Jin Sahyuk sat in front of Rachel and looked around. The frugal yet elegant
interior reflected the owner’s nature. First, Rachel bowed to Jin Sahyuk.

“Thank you for coming all the way here even though I didn’t ask for—”

“Enough of that.”

Jin Sahyuk interrupted her and leaned forward. She looked straight at Rachel and
made unexpected eye contact.

“…?”

Jin Sahyuk smiled as Rachel tilted her head.

“Remember that letter you gave me last time?”

“Ah, yes.”

Rachel finally had a rough idea of the situation. Jin Sahyuk probably wanted advice
regarding Kim Hajin, but Rachel felt uneasy as if a small fire had started in her
stomach. She clenched the hands on her knees into fists. Jin Sahyuk saw this and
calmly spoke.

“Thanks to you, I arranged a meeting with him.”

“Pardon?” Rachel’s shoulders slightly trembled.

“M-Meet? You’re meeting him?”

“Yes, I think I’ll see him within a month. Anyways…” Jin Sahyuk continued while
watching Rachel in amusement.

“What does Kim Hajin like? I’d like to prepare a gift.”

She intended to poke fun at Rachel and it worked quite well. Rachel couldn’t even
properly look at Jin Sahyuk’s face. She wriggled her fingers and her aimlessly
wandering eyes almost seemed pitiful.

“I, I’m not sure…”

“Hmm? Judging by that, I guess you aren’t very close to—”

“B-Books. He likes books.”

Rachel cut in before Jin Sahyuk could finish. She also didn’t know where her
impatience came from.

“Books?” Jin Sahyuk frowned. She found it hard to believe a man who loved books
existed.

“Yes. You probably don't know, but Hajin always ranked first in theory at Cube.”

“Um… really? Is he that good?”

“Not just good. He’s incredible.”

Rachel continued with a stern expression.

“One professor in particular always praised him and said Hajin could’ve easily won a
Nobel Prize if he focused on theory. This professor also won a Nobel Prize himself.”

“Mm, yeah? Nobel Prize, you say… I get it, thanks. You’ve been a great help.”

Jin Sahyuk only came all the way here to observe how this elegant princess would
react to her provocation. She simply felt bored and needed a little entertainment.
Rachel spoke from behind her as she prepared to leave.

“Miss Shin Jahyuk.”

“Hmm?”

Jin Sahyuk turned towards her again. Suddenly, Rachel looked quite serious and even
bit her lips. Jin Sahyuk almost laughed, but managed to hold back.

“Please don’t get too comfortable with him since you’re being introduced as my
acquaintance. My country considers Kim Hajin a top priority in diplomacy. Hajin is
the technical advisor at Essential Dynamics and also Jeronimo’s…”

Rachel’s polite, yet strict warning went on.

“Fenrir has a close relationship with our government—”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Jin Sahyuk cut her off and turned around. She could feel Rachel’s
burning gaze on the back of her head.

She’s quite fun to tease.

“I’m leaving.”

This entire meeting only wasted time, but Jin Sahyuk felt satisfied with Rachel’s
response. She left the office in a much better mood with light steps.
The meeting with Wicked progressed smoothly. Wicked asserted dominance over
the current djinn society with confidence and vigor.

“The association said they would carry out their mission in April, but I don’t think
they’ll succeed.”

I agreed with Wicked’s assessment. The association’s first assassination team would
fail and suffer immense losses because of traitors. Unfortunately, I never specified
the traitors’ identities in the original story.

Honestly, everything from this point on would be a mess. I forced the story’s
progression for the sake of ending it and only recalled writing a few lines about the
Hero Association’s first assassination team. I’d give myself a beating if I could for
being so idiotic.

“We’ll wait for them and set out in June. It’ll be good for us if they finish off Orden,
but we’ll just have to do it ourselves if they fail.”

“Who’s participating in the assassination team?”

Boss asked Wicked. She didn’t flinch in front of Wicked’s presence since they could
stand head-to-head with each other.

“You mean the noteworthy members? Evil Society’s executives including Kim
Hakpyo, Terror and his subordinates, Destruction and his subordinates…”

Wicked only listed infamous djinns.

“I don’t plan on leaving that scoundrel monster alive. Other djinns think the same.
Plucas would’ve done the deed himself if he hadn’t died.”

“Plucas?” Boss frowned at this name.

“Plucas is the devil Chae Joochul killed.”

Wicked didn’t sound mad because she didn’t serve Plucas. She served the famous
Baal.

“How about it? I think we’re far more likely to succeed than the Hero Association.”

Djinns succeeded first in the original story. They infiltrated Orden’s kingdom after
the Hero Association’s defeat, managed to cut off one of the monster king’s arms, and
killed countless of his subordinates.

The follow-up group consisting of Chae Nayun, Yi Yeonghan, Rachel, Yun Seung-Ah,
and Kim Suho succeeded thanks to them.

Kim Suho didn’t participate in the first assassination team because the Hero
Association wanted to keep him in check after he conquered the Tower of Wish. Of
course, Kim Suho couldn’t even think about Orden now while fighting the demon
king.

“I, Wicked, will acknowledge your authority over the parts of Pandemonium you
currently control if you participate.”

Boss’ eyebrows twitched. It certainly sounded like a generous offer considering

djinns only ever cooperated among themselves.

“How is it? I think it’s a fantastic deal.”

Wicked turned her attention to me.

“I liked the way Black Lotus shot down Orden over the broadcast.”

“…”

Boss frowned at the casual compliment as Wicked stared at me.

“So?” Wicked turned back to Boss.

Only then did Boss look at me. I nodded and Boss gave her approval.

“We will participate, but we don’t take orders from anyone.”

Meanwhile, I pondered if the Chameleon Troupe ever participated in the djinn’s
assassination team in the original story?

“Hahaha! Not taking orders from anyone! Right, that’s the Chameleon Troupe!”
Wicked heartily laughed.

“Let’s eat now that we’ve decided!”

Three hours after the meeting…

The Chameleon Troupe and Wicked left, but her subordinates remained in the
meeting room. The 6 executives gathered their underlings for a discussion.

“Will we really let them be?” Wicked’s sixth executive, Yi Junghan, broke the silence.

“You think I will? Those bastards even stole from my vault!”

The first executive shouted and slammed his fist on the table. KWANG!

The Chameleon Troupe had established reasonable rules when they took over
Pandemonium, but djinns didn’t like to suffer the slightest loss. High ranking djinns
like Wicked’s executives benefited a lot from working with Satan’s Servants.

“The boss will get angry…”

“No, the boss wants this too. Didn’t you feel it? Think back to how those two fools
acted so arrogantly, not even taking their robes and hoods off. Boss let it slide
because of our current situation, but she wouldn’t have hesitated to slaughter them
otherwise.”

The executives interpreted Wicked’s intentions on their own. They claimed to know
what Wicked thought and presumed she would be happy if they killed those
arrogant fools.

“Perfect. We’ll kill those bandits the moment we finish our work.”

The second executive, Yoon Yonghan, agreed with the first executive, Kirken.

“No, why don’t we kill them before? After all, we can always form a new
assassination team.”
“Hm… that’s not a bad idea.”

Then the fourth executive, Plaiun, spoke.

“Leave the trap to me.”

“Plaiun, I told you to learn Korean. How do you live in this day and age without
knowing Korean?”

“Sorry, but I don’t have any talent with languages. I’m thinking about learning a
translation skill.”

“Just speak in English if you’re going to mix them.”

Kirken nagged at Plaiun, but translated his words to the others anyways. Like that,
Wicked’s executives came to a consensus. As they prepared to dismiss the meeting…

“Um… Kirken hyung.”

The sixth executive, Yi Junghan, carefully spoke up.

“What.”

“Rather than killing all of them, why don’t we humiliate them to make an example?”

“Humiliate?”

“Y-Yes.”

Yi Junghan laughed and continued as Kirken furrowed his brows.

“One of them had quite the figure. Don’t you think so?”

“Who? Their boss?”

Kirken thought of the Chameleon Troupe’s Boss who didn’t show the slightest fear in
front of Wicked.

“No, not her. It’s…”

Yi Junghan coughed in embarrassment. He awkwardly scratched his neck and stared
at Kirken.

Goosebumps rose on Kirken’s back.

“You mean… Black lotus?”

“Well, his skin looked quite fair, but don’t misunderstand. It’s not like I want to. I just
think it’s the best way to humiliate them…”

Yi Junghan salivated as he gave a half-hearted excuse. Kirken frowned in disgust

while looking at him drooling.

“Hmm…” Kirken nodded without objecting to it.

“Do what you want.”

“Haha, thank you hyung.” Yi Junghan smiled and bowed.

Faraway, someone spied on their private conversation.

“T-T-Those crazy bastards!”

Captain Horner furiously shouted inside the Genkelope Vessel’s command room. He
observed the meeting room in case anything happened to the ship commander. Now
he felt glad he did.

“Impudent fools! They dare to insult our ship commander!”

The usually calm captain became full of rage. Horner took a deep breath to calm his
trembling hands. Then he immediately made a call.

— Yes, captain.

“Lieutenant, it’s an emergency.”

Tower of Wish players feared the [Alcatraz Prison] the most. Horner spoke to the
lieutenant in charge of this prison.

“I will send over pictures of players. Follow and arrest them no matter what. It
doesn’t matter what you charge them with. Spitting on the ground, smoking in the
streets, playfully fighting each other… treat even the lightest crime as treason.”

— May I ask what happened?

“It has to do with the ship commander Extra7’s safety.”

The lieutenant hesitated at first, but jumped in surprise when he heard Horner’s
explanation. He replied with a voice full of tension.

— Yes, understood!

“Let us stuff these criminals in jail.”

Three hours later…

“W-What!? We didn’t even do anything!”

“Fuck, what’s going on?”

“Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I’m Kirken! With the flick of a hand, I can bury
all of you in the depths of—”

“Additional two years for resisting arrest.”

“Hold up, two years?”

The guards dragged about 40 djinns to the Genkelope Vessel’s [Alcatraz Prison] and
charged them with obstruction of business. Apparently, they spoke too loudly in a
restaurant.

***

[30F]

“Too slow.”

The demon king’s words heavily weighed on Kim Suho sprawled on the ground.

“Looks like you’ve reached a wall.”

Kim Suho had already lost 30 times. He finally succeeded in bringing out the demon
king’s full strength, but couldn’t last a minute against him in that state.

Kim Suho looked at the demon king who no longer wore any armor. The demon king
hadn’t worn armor for protection, but simply to limit his own speed.

“Knight, you are in quite a miserable state.”

Kim Suho didn’t believe in judging appearances, but the man in front of him looked
like a king. His skin seemed far paler than a human’s and his eyes and hair appeared
darker too.

“I will no longer accept your challenges if you do not show any progress.”

The demon king left with those words and his fluttering cape blocked Kim Suho’s
vision. Kim Suho felt like crying, so he closed his eyes. Consecutive losses, hopeless
defeats, continued despair, and a wall that seemed too high to overcome.
Helplessness seeped into his bones and voices telling him to give up rang in his mind.

However, countless people like Kim Hajin and Yun Seung-Ah also appeared. Their
trust and belief in him pushed him further.

I can’t give up. I can still go on. For my friends who trust in me, I…

He raised his body once more.

“I can win.”

Even as torrents of magic power swept him away and the difference in strength tore
his hands apart, his legs and ribs broke, but his sword hadn’t broken. He still had a
chance as long as his sword remained. He wouldn’t give up as long as he had a
chance.

“I can win…”

A sword’s strength depends on the knight’s conviction. The stronger the conviction, the
sturdier the sword. Kim Suho still believed in the words his master once told him.

“Um…”
The witch approached Kim Suho, who gasped for breath. Then she handed him a
small pouch.

“This is?”

“Your sparring partner left it for you.”

Kim Suho blankly stared at it and recalled what Kim Hajin said.

Open this when things aren’t looking good. It’ll help a lot.

“I thought you forgot about it, so here you go.”

Kim Suho smiled at the witch’s words. Forgot? How could I forget something Hajin
gave me? I just didn’t use it yet because I didn’t want to cheat.

“Isn’t it about time you seek some help?”

The witch sounded kinder than usual.

“Haa…”

Kim Suho sighed and grabbed the pouch after thinking about it for a while. It felt
extremely light. He had no idea what it contained, but held high expectations
considering who it came from.

He slowly opened the pouch.

“Eh?”

It contained three pieces of paper like coupons.

[Point Coupon] [Point Coupon] [Special Consolidation Coupon]

***

[Korea – Seoul]

A month passed and the day of the Orden Assassination Team’s departure arrived.
— The Hero Association has finished preparing for their mission. Effective goods
from the Tower of Wish are also being used in full force…

I suddenly thought of Kim Suho while watching TV.

“Has he used them yet?”

Suho should be in a bloody battle against the demon king who probably became even
stronger than in the original story.

As such, I gave Kim Suho two [Point Coupons] and one [Special Consolidation Coupon]
that I obtained from using settings intervention. I didn’t want to give away these
precious items, but they should be more effective on Kim Suho’s high stats. Making
Kim Suho stronger would only benefit me. Honestly, I didn’t have much of a choice.

— The Orden Assassination Team will set out in one month.

The news anchor reported on the Hero Association’s Orden Assassination Team. The
one month he mentioned only served as a smokescreen tactic. They should’ve
already set out today and I would retrieve the girl with the authority of healing while
they left.

— Jin Seyeon, Aileen, Shin Jonghak, Yi Yongha, and many other famous heroes will
participate in this campaign.

The anchor’s words froze my thoughts as I stared at the TV with a serious

expression.

“Wait, wait, wait…”

A sudden suspicion rose within me. Aileen never appeared after the Orden arc in the
original story. Jin Seyeon didn’t appear either and neither did Yi Yongha. I only
focused on Kim Suho’s point of view at that point. Kim Suho defeated Orden with his
allies and I never revealed what happened after because I went on hiatus just as the
devils began to make their move.

“This…”

I looked at Aileen smiling brightly on TV. A character that stopped appearing in the
novel. Nothing had been explicitly stated, but could it be?
“That’s where she dies?”

Goosebumps rose on my body. Not a single character among them could die. They all
possessed important roles in stopping the future calamities. However, I didn’t know
who would betray them since I glanced over it with a single sentence in the original
story.

“Kim Hajin, you idiot.”

I blamed myself as I stared at the TV.

— Aileen, do you have anything you want to say? Any words of encouragement?

— Words of encouragement? Well, we’re going to win for sure. Oi, Jin Seyeon, Yi
Yongha! You say something too.

— Yes, um, it’s Yi Yongha. My wife let me go, so… I love you Younghee!

— Ah geez, stop that!

Jin Seyeon, Aileen, Yi Yongha, and even Shin Jonghak seemed full of energy.

— Thank you. That was the Spirit Speech Master Aileen. Back to you.

The reporter ended the interview and I fell into thought. Jain and Cheok Jungyeong
should be able to kidnap the girl with the authority of healing without me.

However, only I could save Aileen’s party if they encountered a life-or-death crisis.

“Ah, fuck.”

I cursed and picked up the Desert Eagle. Then I immediately contacted Boss.

***

[Pandemonium Fighting Arena – Jin Sahyuk’s Waiting Room]

“Fuck you, you fucking fuck! Why the fuck would you come with me?”

Jin Sahyuk let out a flurry of curses. Of course, Bell stood on the receiving end. He
simply shrugged after having grown used to Jin Sahyuk’s foul mouth.

“Why not? I have to check whether or not you’ll betray us.”

“Are you crazy? Did you finally lose your mind? Did you?”

Jin Sahyuk grew mad because Bell declared that he would be joining Wicked’s
assassination team. The Chameleon Troupe would also participate and Bell knew
what would happen if they met. Looking at Bell’s snickering face pissed her off.

“You’re the one who took that crystal from Orden without telling me.”

Bell voiced his suspicions.

“Ha, do I have to get permission for everything?”

Jin Sahyuk planned to return to the past with Kim Hajin so she could figure out his
identity. However, Bell wanted to hinder her plans.

“Sahyuk, you’re just going to tremble in front of him anyways. I bet you’ll stutter the
whole time.”

Jin Sahyuk’s shoulders flinched, but she quickly straightened her back and stood tall.

“Y-You’re crazy. W-What do you m-mean I’m going to s-stutter!”

“You’ve been having nightmares, right? I saw it. Spare me. Spare me. Don’t do it.”

Bell snickered and projected a hologram in the air. Jin Sahyuk stared at it in silence.
The screen displayed a video she didn’t know about.

— No, stop. Don’t do it…

— It hurts, fuck… fucker…

— Spare me… it hurts… I’m… sorry…

It must be another one of Bell’s skills. Jin Sahyuk’s mind went blank. Then it
exploded. The explosion erupted through her skull and rose into the sky.
“You… you…”

Jin Sahyuk only acted according to her feelings now.

“YOU MOTHER FUCKER!”

Her roar shook the earth. The windows in the waiting room shattered and the
furniture flew into the air.

“Haha, what’s wrong? I found it adorable. If I show this to Kim Hajin, he won’t hate
you so much anymo—”

“SHUT IT!”

A magic spear shot forward, but Bell leisurely transformed his body into magic
power. Jin Sahyuk’s spear couldn’t pierce him.

“…?”

At least, that’s how it should’ve been. Bell noticed a sharp pain when the spear
phased through him. He doubted it at first.

Ssk—

“What?”

He looked at the injury on his thigh. Then he looked back at Jin Sahyuk. Rage
overcame her and she only blindly attacked.

Ssk—

This time, he suffered a deeper cut on his hand.

“Ah… I get it.”

Bell smiled at the wound. Before he noticed, Jin Sahyuk had advanced by another
level.

Looks like my death isn’t far off.

Bell happily received her attacks and the spears phasing through him felt ecstatic.

“Good, good… a bit more, a bit more…”

He climaxed under the ecstasy of the pain.

A total of 1,000 heroes gathered for the Orden Campaign. Most of them ranked
higher than high-intermediate and many ranked above high rank. They didn’t waste
any time with the Middle East and Europe under attack. The Hero Alliance Team
verified the internal structure of Orden’s kingdom, divided 1000 heroes into
different teams, and identified the most efficient way to infiltrate the enemy base.

“Let’s see…”

Aileen, captain of the special task force, checked her magic pocket in the limousine
bound for the military portal. It contained a high grade external injury healing
potion, high grade internal injury healing potion, high grade magic power recovery
potion, high grade vitality recovery potion, promised return scroll, magic scroll,
magic tent, beef jerky, and other provisions.

Essential Pharmacy provided top-notch potions and return scrolls. The package
included tents and provisions in case the operation became prolonged. Each
country’s government and the association prepared excellent items.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Aileen grinned in satisfaction, but quickly regained her composure as captain and
glanced over her team.

“Did everyone finish checking their supplies?”

Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, Shin Jonghak, and the new high rank hero, Seo Youngji,
examined their supplies.

“Yes, I've checked. Everything is here.”

“I have everything.”

“Me too.”
“Okay. Good. Your captain is satisfied.”

Aileen sternly nodded. She glanced at her smartwatch that outlined their operation.

[First, travel to the underground portal in Egypt. Once you arrive, you will immediately
enter Orden’s kingdom using Aileen’s skill, teleport. It shouldn’t be difficult since we’ve
already figured out the internal structure using drones.]

Tiriring— Aileen received a text message while she went over the details. It came
from Yun Seung-Ah, the third attack team’s leader.

— Unni, which way are you going?

Yun Seung-Ah participated as the leader of Creator’s Sacred Grace. She led a regular
team with about a dozen heroes from her guild.

— This operation is classified. I can’t tell you.

— Look at you acting like a captain.

Aileen smiled as she typed a reply.

— I’ve always been captain material.

"We've arrived."

The limousine stopped and Aileen glanced out at the military portal. She looked at
her team and ordered them in a heavy voice.

“Let’s go, everyone.”

“Okay, let’s get off.”

“All right.”

The task force of 5 elite heroes exited the limousine and Aileen stretched her short
legs.

Clack. Clack.
Her high heels clicked as she walked on the runway and time seemed to slow.
Grandiose music rang in her ear and she could feel the glances of nearby soldiers.
She didn’t fear anything even in the face of imminent battle. Rather, she walked with
delight because this would only mark the beginning of Spirit Speech Master Aileen’s
legend…

“Hmm…”

“Cough.”

“Ah. Weather, the weather looks nice.”

The team desperately held back their laughter. The tiny and serious Aileen looked
too cute, but also funny. Fortunately, they arrived in front of the portal without
bursting into laughter.

“Salutations! It’s an honor!”

The soldier in charge saluted. Aileen nodded with a serious look.

“Sure. Is this the portal?”

“Yes, this portal links to the underground tunnel in Egypt. The Egyptian VIPs used it
last to evacuate. However, the distance between Cairo and Orden’s kingdom is quite
far as you already know.”

Africa transformed into the land of monsters, but they hadn’t taken over every single
region. The monsters fought among themselves and ate each other, so a few regions
became entirely devoid of humans and monsters.

“Most heroes will enter Orden’s kingdom through such regions.”

“But we don’t have to.”

Aileen didn’t plan on following the normal route.

“We formed this task force to infiltrate Orden’s kingdom before everybody else,
deliver inside information, and blow up key locations.”

Aileen lowered her voice, but it didn’t matter.

“We’ll enter the portal and travel to Orden’s kingdom using my teleport skill.”

“Will it be alright?”

The distance between Egypt and Orden’s territory at the center of Africa stood over
10,000 km apart. Still, Aileen leisurely smiled at the soldier’s worry.

“I, Aileen, am the captain of the Hero Alliance’s first special task force. I wouldn’t
have become captain without the qualifications.”

“Ah, yes. Of course, you’re amazing.”

Aileen and the soldier seemed to click as he looked at her in awe. Aileen nodded in
content.

“Let’s start the portal.”

“Yes.”

OOOONG— Magic power and electricity resonated. Aileen nodded to the soldier
before stepping through and the soldier saluted in response.

“Salutations! Miss Aileen, captain of the Hero Alliance’s first special task force, I pray
for your victory!”

“Of course. I’d like to know your name as well.”

“I’m Colonel Kim Wangho.”

“Colonel Wangho, sounds like a good name.”

Aileen’s expression turned resolute as she spoke to Colonel Wangho in a low voice.

“Immediately shut down this portal if we send a signal. We cannot allow enemy
forces to make use of it if the operation somehow fails.”

“Pardon?”

“Do as I say. I am Aileen, captain of the Hero Alliance’s first special task force.”
Seo Youngji seemed slightly confused as she listened in on their conversation.

“She’s more mature than she appears.”

“No, no.” Jin Seyeon strongly disagreed.

“She’s just engrossed in her title right now. She’s surprisingly into such things.”

Yi Yongha also nodded. “She’s going to make a lot of fuss over this captain thing.”

Their small talk went on aimlessly until Aileen called them.

“Hey, team!”

“Yes, yes.”

“We’ll be starting our mission now. Is everyone ready?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Your answer sucks! Again!” Aileen kept shouting at them.

Guess we’ll just have to play along. The 4 members straightened up and followed Jin
Seyeon’s signal.

“Yes! We’re ready!”

“Good. Now I’ll do a last-minute roll call.”

“Huh? We only have four of us.”

“Shush. They did this in the movies I watched, so you’ll do it too.”

“…”

And so, the roll call began: high-intermediate rank, grade 1 Shin Jonghak, high rank,
grade 7 Seo Youngji, master rank Jin Seyeon, and Temple of Justice Yi Yongha.

“All set. Now let’s enter the portal.”

Aileen finally led the team through the portal.

***

[Orden’s Territory]

The Hero Alliance’s first special task force instantly arrived in Central Africa with
Aileen’s teleport.

“Uaaa…”

Teleport covered an extremely long distance. Aileen used a great deal of magic
power and trembled from the dizziness. Yi Yongha caught her as she fell and only
then did Aileen finally look around.

"Huh? What the… Where are we?”

“…”

Aileen became confused like the others. Orden’s territory didn’t look anything like
they had imagined.

“Why is there asphalt in Africa?”

Shin Jonghak muttered in a daze. He had expected a desert, but they spotted regular
city roads. The scenery didn’t feature any nature like grass or trees. It looked
completely different from what the allied team captured with satellites and drones.

“Chief, are the coordinates correct?” Jin Seyeon asked and Aileen nodded without
hesitation.

“What, of course. Do you think I’d make such an elementary mistake?”

Aileen looked at her smartwatch to confirm that they arrived at the right place.

“First of all, I think we’re at the right place. Uh, I mean… we arrived at the correct
destination. Oh, look over there!”

Aileen suddenly pointed into the distance. A castle could be seen in the sky. It might
be a mirage, but it looked like a huge castle.
“Ah, you’re right. I see something over there too.”

“Yes. We’ll head that way for now!”

Aileen led the squad like a brave captain.

***

[Tower of Heroes]

The 77 story tower built by the association didn’t look as wide compared to its great
height. However, the interior contained much more space than its appearance. They
constructed this iconic building with a magic engineering technique called
expansion architecture.

A single tower floor could contain 4-5 houses and it did feature separate housing
spaces for employees.

"Professor, where did magic power come from?"

A certain child lived in a house on the 33rd floor. This child, Yi Yuri, possessed the
authority of healing and some also called her the girl of authority.

“It’s widely accepted that it came about after Outcall.”

The 15 year old, under the association’s strict protection, took private lessons from a
Cube professor.

“I reckon such an answer won’t be enough to satisfy you.” The professor handed her
a copy of the research paper he prepared beforehand.

“Please take a look at this.”

“Oh, is this one of his papers again?”

The professor nodded.

“Yes, it’s incredibly sophisticated and detailed. I still can’t believe a mere 17 year old
student wrote such a masterpiece.”
“Ah, I see.”

Yi Yuri gladly received the paper. Indeed, she spotted a familiar name written across
the top.

[Birth of Magic Power and Precursor to Outcall] – [Cube Class 1, Rank 934, Kim Hajin]

Kim Hajin, a genius whose achievements in magical theory became recorded in

textbooks. Yi Yuri had already read 5 papers written by him. They all discussed
different subjects, but sounded equally perfect.

“I run across this name a lot while studying.”

The professor softly smiled at her words.

“Students at Cube experience the same. He submitted a total of 23 exam papers and
8 essays. Major academic journals later published all of them. A total of 8 studies is
currently underway based on Hajin’s papers.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“He was by far the brightest student I’ve ever taught.”

The professor smiled as he reminisced about the distant past. A scholar who
pursued the profound truth like him considered Kim Hajin as a great stimulus. Kim
Hajin was brilliant and intelligent, gifted and creative… Tiriring. His smartwatch
suddenly beeped and he glanced at the message.

“Ah, it seems something came up. I’ll be out for a while, so please read the paper in
the meantime. I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, professor.”

The professor left as Yi Yuri read the paper.

“Oh…”

The more she read Kim Hajin’s paper, the more she admired it. Academic papers
never felt entertaining, but his papers easily drew her in as though enchanted with
magic.
Kiik—

Soon, the door opened and Yi Yuri glanced up. The professor returned with a warm
smile.

“Yuri, I have good news.”

“Yes?”

“Your parents came to visit. You’ll be able to spend the rest of the day with them.”

A big smile spread across Yi Yuri’s face. Normally, she only saw them once every two
months at most.

“Really?”

“Yes, but you’ll be strictly guarded. Would you like to go?”

“Yes! O-Of course.”

Yuri quickly got up and packed her belongings, including the papers. She even
changed into her favorite clothes.

“Please follow me.”

The professor led Yuri with a smile. She excitedly followed the professor, who
switched on the tightly locked elevator on the 55th floor.

“Come, let’s go.”

“Yes?”

Only after arriving in front of the elevator did Yuri notice something off. Her intuition
warned her to stop and look around. This floor usually had several guards, but none
of them could be seen today.

“Excuse me, professor, but— Ah!”

The professor caught Yuri by the wrist as she tried to step back.
“You should follow me if you want to live.”

He said as he pulled her.

“Wha, what? P-Please wait.”

The elevator door closed and they quickly descended to the first floor. The professor
almost dragged Yuri out of the elevator. The Tower of Heroes stood in the middle of
Gwanghwamun, but only an empty lot greeted them outside.

“Professor, where are we?”

“Don’t be afraid and follow me. We’re going to see your parents.”

The professor, Jain in disguise, tightly held the sobbing Yi Yuri’s wrists. Jain tried to
take Yuri to their hiding place. However…

“Where are you going?”

A figure silently appeared and stopped her. Jain frowned at the uninvited guest’s
sudden appearance.

“Hi. Long time no see. You’re Jain, right?”

Kim Junwoo, a hunter from the Vast Expanse, casually greeted her. His narrow fox-
like eyes formed a straight line. However, Jain had an even more powerful and
destructive being on her side.

“Yeah, long time no see, dog of Vast Expanse,” Cheok Jungyeong muttered as he
stepped forward.

“You’re right. It’s been a while, pig.” Kim Junwoo smiled at him.

“Oh? I’ll take care of this bastard, so take the kid and buzz off.”

Jain tried to do as told, but just how many people hid in this empty lot?

“You won’t be able to leave.”

An aged voice rang out and an old man in uniform suddenly appeared. Cheok
Jungyeong and Jain froze as they saw him.

“That child is my hope.”

Vast Expanse, considered the strongest in his field, appeared in front of them. Cheok
Jungyeong stared at Vast Expanse to confirm his identity. A few minutes passed in
silence and Jain carefully asked, “It’s just you two?”

Kim Junwoo silently nodded. Numbers would be insignificant with Vast Expanse
present.

“Phew… That’s good.”

Jain sighed in relief. Soon, just like Vast Expanse, the Chameleon Troupe appeared
from the darkness. One by one, shadows came into view: Seat of silver, Kaita. Seat of
indigo, Yoo Kyunghwan. Seat of brown, Hirano. Seat of green, Jin Yohan. Seat of
turquoise, Setryn. Seat of blue, Khalifa. And lastly, the seat of white, Boss. All but two
members gathered and surrounded the two men.

“Hahahaha…”

Was this the confidence of a man considered to be one of the strongest?

“You must be the Chameleon Troupe. It’s been a long time since I’ve been
entertained.”

Vast Expanse only smiled at the strong foes around him.

***

[Orden’s Territory]

Meanwhile, I arrived at the heart of Africa with Spartan. I could see Orden’s territory
in the distance and studied it from afar.

“What?”

At first, I wondered if I came to the right place. It looked quite different from my
original setting. I imagined a castle in the middle of nowhere, but a vast land full of
traps and barriers surrounded this splendid castle.
“It sure did change a lot,” I muttered in despair. I could only rely on my eyes and ears
from now on.

“Huuu…”

I took a deep breath and gathered stigma's magic power into my eyes. With grade 2
Master Sharpshooter, the thousand-mile eyes showed me a full view of Orden’s
territory.

The most likely place to find Aileen’s party… As I pondered, a single barrier came into
view.

[Time Barrier] — A week inside this barrier will equal an hour outside. However, the
flow of magic power and stagnant air will make it impossible to train inside. —
Entrance is free, but you must pay to exit. — Breaking this barrier will require a power
equivalent to the grand magic dispel or an appropriate authority.

This looked like the most suspicious trap around Orden’s territory. Of course, I
brought the [Mystic Key] with me for such things.

“Let’s see…”

My vision easily penetrated through the time barrier. Is there anything in there? I
thoroughly scrutinized it.

“Oh?”

I discovered three people with dirty faces, torn clothes, and protruding bones from
starvation. Aileen, Shin Jonghak, and Jin Seyeon had all been trapped inside.

— I’m starving…

Aileen pitifully muttered. Jin Seyeon would always comfort Aileen at such times, but
even she seemed to be on edge right now.

— I’m starving as well.

— Ah…

The three heroes looked like skeletons. I searched around the vast area within the
barrier and understood why.

“There’s nothing.”

No grass, beasts, water, or monsters.

— Water, water, ahhhh… Water…

Orden knew how to deal with Aileen. You simply had to avoid someone as strong as
her. Fighting by not fighting. He would’ve easily set them up thanks to the traitor.
They would actually die if this dragged on.

“Spartan, go get some bags of food from back home.”

— Pieeek.

Spartan returned about 3 minutes later with the bags of food and water. I grabbed
them and ran towards the barrier.
[Orden’s Living Quarter]

At the heart of his kingdom, Orden sat on a throne in front of his loyal subordinates.

“An intruder has entered the time barrier.”

The servant kneeled and reported to the king.

“Yet another fly has entered the trap.”

“The intruder seems to know how the time barrier works. The souls trapped inside
will escape if we let him be. We’ll need to do something about him.”

Hearing this, the king looked at the servants kneeling in front of him. Kurukuru,
Lacor, Veritas, and Garimto… If he wanted, his loyal servants would annihilate these
arrogant intruders.

“I will handle it.”

A human spoke before the king could say anything. The servants glared at the human
with discontent. However, the human didn’t show any fear. Instead, she snorted and
confidently spoke.

“I will strike him down.”

Jin Sahyuk’s words made Orden smile.

“Will you?” Orden asked.

Jin Sahyuk nodded with confidence. “Of course.”

She had joined Orden after her fight with Bell. Of course, she didn’t plan on fully
cooperating with them. Jin Sahyuk only had to embrace a bit of disgust to avoid Bell’s
hindrance.

“I will make him disappear from your sight.”

She wasn’t lying. She planned on bringing Kim Hajin to Akatrina’s past. The
opportunity came earlier than anticipated, but she didn’t mind. She wanted to leave
this place that reeked of humanoid monsters.

“Good, then you may do so.”

Orden approved and Jin Sahyuk released her magic power with a smile. Her new gift,
[Reality Manipulation], formed a portal.

“I’m leaving you sons of bitches.”

She cursed at them before disappearing into the portal. Unsurprisingly, the king’s
servants grew furious.

“My king, why have you accepted such an impudent human into our ranks?”

“Kill… that… bitch…”

“Kururu, kurururu…”

Orden released his magic power and suppressed their dissatisfaction.

***

[84 Days Totaling 12 hours in Real Time]

Aileen’s party marched towards the castle in the distance. As 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours
passed… they realized their surroundings hadn’t changed the slightest.

“Something’s wrong.”

“Hmm… Why don’t we split into two teams? We have ways to communicate, so it
should be fine.”

The team split into two at Jin Seyeon’s suggestion. Aileen, Jin Seyeon, and Shin
Jonghak formed one while Yi Yongha and Seo Youngji formed the other. They decided
to contact each other if they found anything.

Then 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 days passed… and finally 84 days. The food they brought wouldn’t
last 3 months and they also lacked water. The group decided to give up and use their
return scrolls.

“W-Why isn’t it working?”

Of course, the scrolls didn’t work inside the time barrier. Despair set in when their
last hope disappeared. Aileen, Jin Seyeon, and Shin Jonghak collapsed to the ground
in frustration.

Even a Ferrari couldn’t run without fuel and better cars required better fuel. Once
exhausted, superhumans resembled ordinary people.

Even so, they hadn’t expected death by dehydration and starvation. No one thought
they would meet their end by hunger instead of battle. Their minds collapsed as time
passed and the despair only grew. That’s when it happened. They felt an unknown
presence approach as they prepared to accept their deaths.

Then they regained hope. The man who appeared like the wind wore a coat of armor
that shone brighter than anything they had ever seen.

“Huh?”

“What’s… that?”

The three individuals blinked at Kim Hajin and barely had the strength to talk. Kim
Hajin walked up and handed them water bottles.

“Get up.”

These might’ve been the coolest words Aileen, Jin Seyeon, and Shin Jonghak ever
heard in their lives.

***

First, I gave them water.

Gulp— Gulp—
I began to cook after watching them drink. I only made soup since they starved for a
long time. Even superhumans would struggle to digest in that state.

The three paupers walked up to me a few minutes later.

“Done.”

“Ooooh.”

I handed a bowl to Shin Jonghak. A hobo look replaced his usual handsomeness.

“…”

Shin Jonghak only stared at me without taking the bowl. He smacked his lips, but
seemed too embarrassed.

“What are you waiting for? Shove it if you don’t want it.”

He finally took it when Aileen tried pushing him away. I also handed Aileen and Jin
Seyeon their share. They returned with empty bowls 3 minutes later.

“Aah… Cough, so, how did you come to save us?”

Aileen licked everything off her bowl and stared at me with a regretful look. I told
her the excuse I prepared beforehand.

“I’ve been here for a while.”

“Oh…”

“As expected of the famous Fenrir. I admire you, senior.”

Jin Seyeon and Aileen both signaled me to refill their bowls.

“Senior?”

“Didn’t you say you arrived here before us? That makes you our senior. Thank you,
senior. Thank you.”

Jin Seyeon’s eyes became full of emotions. She seemed ready to kowtow and kiss my
feet. They had it much harder than I thought. I looked at Shin Jonghak to see if he
wanted another bowl as well.

“Hrp, hrp…”

He licked his bowl with his back facing me, but I could tell from the sound and how
his shoulders moved. I snatched the bowl out of his hands.

“A-Ah! W-What do you want? Give it back!”

“You finished it, geez. You can have seconds.”

I filled all 3 bowls and returned them.

“I don’t need your help.”

Shin Jonghak remained obstinate. His eyes fixed on the bowl of soup, but his mouth
rejected me. Whoosh, whoosh. I tried shaking the bowl in front of him and his eyes
followed as if enchanted.

“Ssp, ssp, sssssp.”

“Are you sure you don’t want it? I can see you drooling.”

— Today, just for today, you can be my cook.

Shin Jonghak murmured. I smiled and handed him the bowl. Afterwards, I cooked
some meat and even provided them with potions to boost their vitality.

“Ah… you saved us. By the way… do you have any dessert? I’m just feeling a bit
dizzy… ah, I’m going to fall… I, I think I need chocolate to heal me…”

“Thank you. I owe you my life. Please accept my kowtow…”

“How did you find us here? You won’t be able to leave either.”

Aileen, Jin Seyeon, and Shin Jonghak respectively spoke. They all possessed quite
unique personalities. I gave Aileen some chocolate with a wry smile.

“Thanks… nyam.” Aileen blushed and bashfully smiled at the chocolate.

“How did you fall into a trap the moment you arrived?”

Aileen’s expression turned into a frown.

“I don’t know. I’m wondering the same. We just teleported to the coordinates from
the higher-ups.”

I could sense where the trouble came from.

“Who came up with the plan?”

“Hm? Oh, our hairy leader discussed it with the association beforehand.”

“Leader?”

“Yep, his name is Park Hanho. You’ve heard of him, right? He’s the Temple of Justice’s
chairman. You’ve probably seen his name in textbooks.”

I finally found out the traitor’s identity. He never played an important role in the
original story, but he wasn’t the Temple of Justice’s chairman for nothing. In my
[Potential List] of character power levels, Park Hanho possessed…

[Park Hanho 9.45/9.45]

A max potential score slightly higher than the [9.4/9.55] rating I gave Aileen.

“…”

My expression stiffened and they surmised what happened.

“You mean Park Hanho betrayed us?”

Aileen asked and I calmly nodded.

“It must be the person who formed the plan if the ones who carried it out didn’t do
anything wrong.”

“But Park Hanho doesn’t have a motive. I know him well, and he—”

“No.” Aileen interrupted Jin Seyeon. Her face became more serious than ever.
“Now that I think about it… That old man, his daughter recently died.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve seen something too.”

Aileen recalled Park Hanho talking to the association’s upper echelon. He shouted at
them, saying his daughter needed the authority of healing, but the upper echelon
wouldn’t grant his wish. Park Hanho wore a frightening expression when he hung up
the call. His daughter died a month later from her illness.

“They say Orden pokes at other people’s weaknesses. His daughter died, so… his
motive is clear.”

“He joined Orden to bring the dead back to life? How foolish.”

Shin Jonghak coldly commented and I couldn’t disagree.

“Anyways…” I gave them my bag full of food.

“Stay here until we know what’s going on for sure. It might be more dangerous to go
out.”

Now I could ask the [Book of Truth] to confirm the suspect. Asking for the traitor in
general didn’t work with just 5 streaks of stigma, but asking if Park Hanho joined
Orden should work.

“It’s not like we have a choice. We can’t leave this place anyways,” Aileen grumbled.

“That’s fine. I’ll weaken the barrier.”

I already knew the first assassination team would fail, but I needed to find out the
traitor’s identity.

“Weaken? How?”

“I’ll tell you about that later. For now, we have to find Yi Yongha and Seo Youngji.”

Guooo—
Magic power flickered from a distance. We quickly stood up and raised our guard.

Soon, a person walked out of an oval portal. This person held on to two other people.
Jin Sahyuk suddenly appeared with Seo Youngji and Yi Yongha.

“…!”

Our eyes widened and Jin Sahyuk sneered as she held up the half-dead Yi Yongha and
Seo Youngji.

“Yo.”

“…”

“Y-You crazy bitch! Let them go!”

“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”

I remained silent, but Aileen and Jin Seyeon reacted strongly. They seemed ready to
charge at Jin Sahyuk.

“I’ll kill them if you come any closer. Especially you, dwarf girl. I’ll kill them the
moment you open your mouth.”

Jin Sahyuk stopped them with a single sentence. She formed a blade with magic
power and pointed it at Yi Yongha and Seo Youngji.

“You bitch… who did you call a dwarf?”

“I have no business with you fools, so screw off. Oi, Kim Hajin.”

Jin Sahyuk called me and I silently glared at her while infusing stigma’s magic power
into my thousand-mile eyes.

“Kuek.”

Jin Sahyuk flinched and cold sweat formed on her forehead. She might even faint on
her own if I continued evoking her trauma.

“Ah, fuck!”
Did her state of existence increase? Jin Sahyuk released her magic power and
overcame my gaze.

“You son of a bitch! Stop glaring if you don’t want these two to die!”

That’s what Jin Sahyuk said, but I knew she wouldn’t kill hostages. Cowardly
victories went against her principles.

I smiled and teased her.

“You’re taking hostages now? You really hit rock bottom. I thought you would
become somewhat human at least. I guess I should’ve killed you back then after all.”

Immediately, blood vessels popped up on her face. She grew genuinely furious and
glared at me as I mocked her. Of course, I didn’t cower from her hostility.

“Shut up and come here before I kill them.”

“Why, you can’t kill me?”

“Shut up before I rip your mouth apart.”

“Well, alright. I’ll come over so try ripping it.”

I walked over in a relaxed manner while preparing to activate my unique skill. One,
two, three steps… Jin Sahyuk suddenly took something out of her pocket and I
mistook it for a bomb.

“What…”

I activated [Fate], but she took out a blue crystal instead. My eyes, which now had my
laptop’s function, showed me the description.

[Continental Fragment] — You may use this fragment to return to the recorded past –
Akatrina during the continental year 555.

“Ah, wait. That’s—”

I tried to stop her, but Jin Sahyuk already infused magic power into the blue crystal.
Then it blew up.
KWANG!

The magic power condensed inside the crystal caused a huge torrent that engulfed
everyone in the area.

***

“Ah…”

Jin Sahyuk opened her eyes and felt dizzy. She looked up at the familiar sky. Two
moons and gem-like stars beautifully laid out across the blank canvas.

“Where are we?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

A voice answered her. Startled, she shot up and saw the man sitting on the grass.

“The recorded past.”

His somewhat sorrowful eyes looked at the sky.

“Continental year 555, March 8th.”

Kim Hajin looked down at her. His eyes, dyed in magic power, sparkled like gems. Jin
Sahyuk reflected in his blue eyes.

“It’s your kingdom.”

“…”

His words instantly cleared Jin Sahyuk’s chaotic thoughts. She shot up and looked at
the two moons, countless stars, and icicles hanging on every tree.

“Akatrina…” Jin Sahyuk murmured in a daze.

The home she wanted to return to. Memories of when she ruled Plerion resurfaced
in her mind.

“Get up if you remember now.”

Kim Hajin sighed and stood up. He seemed familiar with this world.

“What?”

“I said, get up.”

He acted like he had a destination in mind and Jin Sahyuk stared at him intensely.

“Kim Hajin, isn’t it time you reveal your identi—“

“Shut up and follow me.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing much.”

Kim Hajin scratched his neck. He woke up earlier than Jin Sahyuk thanks to the Orb
of Regeneration in his pocket. Jin Sahyuk remained unconscious while he thought by
himself for 3 hours.

“We have to clear the quest.”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“You broke a tower crystal. We can’t get out of here unless we clear the quest.”

Kim Hajin looked at the sky with a troubled expression. Some rather complicated
information hung in front of him.

[Problem] — Jin Sahyuk and Kim Suho’s home world, Akatrina, isn’t mentioned enough.
[Changes] — The continental fragment’s power has been greatly increased. — A new
Akatrina episode has been added to the rushed story. — Rewards have been added to
the new episode.

[Reward List] — Items that may be found by progressing through the story: 1.
Mysterious Magnifying Glass 2. Omnipotent Magic Pen 3. Purifying Crystal 4. ???
[Failure Condition – Jin Sahyuk’s death]

“What are you talking about?” Jin Sahyuk cut off his thoughts.
“…”

Kim Hajin ignored her and entered the field of grass to his right. Jin Sahyuk
dumbfoundedly stared at him.

“That guy…”

Kim Hajin walked forward as though he knew where to go. He didn’t seem confused
or flustered. He simply went on his way like taking a walk in his neighborhood park.

Seeing this, Jin Sahyuk became sure of her suspicions. Regardless of his identity, Kim
Hajin definitely came from Plerion. He had to have served her since she reigned as
Plerion’s king. Her expression stiffened when she thought about this.

However, Kim Hajin had different thoughts.

[Book of Truth – Akatrina Continent Map]

“Mmm.”

He created a trustworthy map using the Book of Truth. It might’ve been even better
than some of Akatrina’s maps.

“Cough.”

Jin Sahyuk chased after him. The two silently walked for a long time. Jin Sahyuk grew
sentimental after seeing her home, but knew it was just an illusion.

Kim Hajin didn’t hesitate towards somewhere as Jin Sahyuk followed in confusion.

“Ah, there it is!’

Soon, they found a castle and Jin Sahyuk shouted in surprise. “The royal palace!”

Kim Hajin stopped and stared at it. Soon, he coldly smiled.

“Royal palace my ass.”

“What?”
“That’s the Schupert Castle. We’re far from the royal palace.”

“Hah?”

Jin Sahyuk furrowed her brows and looked at the castle once more. Indeed, it looked
different from the royal palace in her memories. It appeared far smaller even at a
glance.

“Cough.”

Jin Sahyuk shut her mouth and continued following him. For some reason, his
usually narrow shoulders looked wide today.

Haaa… Jin Sahyuk inwardly sighed and pondered. I was right. Kim Hajin used to be a
Plerion citizen. Even if he’s not Kindspring, he undoubtedly served me…

Kim Hajin turned around and faced her. She froze in surprise from his sudden action.

“Hurry up, idiot. Stop being such a nuisance. Tsk, so useless.”

“Uh… Huh?”

Kim Hajin’s murmuring resounded in Jin Sahyuk’s heart.

Vast Expanse kept both his feet on the ground. He didn’t need to move when his will
permeated underneath everything. Sometimes the earth shot up towards his
enemies. Other times it spread in the sky like an umbrella. His gift perfectly suited
offense and defense. Vast Expanse became one with the earth as he fought the
Chameleon Troupe.

The Chameleon Troupe’s combined strength tenaciously countered Vast Expanse.

Cheok Jungyeong smashed the earth barrier. Boss charred the soil with her hellfire
shadow. Hirano Arashi attacked with destruction magic. Kaita’s wires, Jin Yohan’s
serpent spear, and Setryn’s daggers all rushed towards Vast Expanse.

The explosive fight continued as magic power collided. The clash of earth against
metal caused huge flames to soar. From a distance, it looked as if multiple
firecrackers had been set off.

“Why don’t we stop here?”

They couldn’t afford to take any more time. Boss requested a talk before launching
her ultimate skill.

“We’ll have to resort to other means if you continue to hinder us.”

“…”

Vast Expanse silently looked at Boss and suddenly smiled at her.

“So that small child by Yeonjun’s side grew up this much.”

Boss clenched her fists at the previous Boss’ name.

“Child, why do you want the girl?” Vast Expanse pointed at Yi Yuri passed out on the
ground a short distance away.
“We want to protect her.”

“Protect?” Vast Expanse’s expression slightly changed.

“Right now, she’s being used as a tool for political figures. She’ll continue to be
exploited until she dies, but we want to protect her from that.”

“And who asked you to do such a thing? Was it perhaps the child you call Black
Lotus?”

“Yes.” Boss nodded.

“Why would he ask for that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know his motive or purpose, yet you’re willing to grant his request.”

Vast Expanse scornfully smiled. “That’s not what I taught Yeonjun.”

“I know.”

Boss shook her head. Vast Expanse and the former boss, Yi Yeonjun, had a master-
disciple relationship. Vast Expanse had taught Yi Yeonjun the mercenary mindset,
which Boss also inherited.

“However, I owe a lifetime of debt to the man who requested this.”

Someone precious to her had asked for help. Everyone came today for the same
reason. Boss didn’t force any of them to participate. Before they knew it, Kim Hajin
became an important part of the Chameleon Troupe.

“I can grant his request because I’m not Yi Yeonjun.”

Vast Expanse’s face stiffened at her remark. He sought to find traces of his old
disciple in her. However, she harbored a slightly different determination. Vast
Expanse’s lips curved into a smile.

“Junwoo, put down your sword.”

Kim Junwoo lowered his weapon and Vast Expanse’s magic power also dissipated.
He planned on letting them go and they didn’t refuse his kindness.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m only retreating because our goals align.”

Vast Expanse spoke as he turned around.

“I shall visit you again in the near future. Keep the girl safe until then.”

He slowly walked away and… Paat! Vast Expanse disappeared with a flash of light.

***

[Recorded Past, Akatrina]

The Akatrina continent resembled the fantasy worlds often found in novels. The sky
contained two moons and countless stars. These vast celestial bodies lit up the sky. I
walked amidst this strange, yet beautiful scenery.

[First Goal — Reach The Capital, Plerion]

The popup window that appeared announced our first goal. I continued walking
with this window in the upper right-hand corner of my vision. We walked for about
half a day according to the Book of Truth.

“Mmm.”

A new day dawned and the sun rose above our heads. We spotted a wall in the
distance, but it looked horribly damaged. I checked its information anyways.

[Outer Wall of Plerion] — Plerion’s outer wall destroyed during the war.

"This is the outer wall of Plerion."

I recited the information to Jin Sahyuk, who followed me. She widened her eyes and
checked it.

“You’re right.”
We paused in front of the wall and could see the ruins beyond. Dry bloodstains dyed
the ground and it reeked of corpses. The view truly looked gruesome.

“By the year 555, the entire continent had already turned to ruins. Many wars swept
the continent like storms and monsters flooded in before we could recover. Only
Count Schupert’s territory that we just passed and Plerion, the capital, remained
intact. However, those two cities remained at odds with one another.”

Jin Sahyuk explained the dreary sight. She acted differently than on Earth, perhaps
because her memory seal had weakened.

"Let's go.”

“…”

We walked past the crumbled wall. Not a single sign of life could be found. Only
houses long destroyed and countless corpses of residents and soldiers remained.

“It looks like the wall recently came down.”

No more than a week had passed judging from the corpses. Jin Sahyuk nodded in
agreement.

“Seems so. A battle must’ve taken place not too long ago. Oi, what do you plan to do
from here?”

Her question dumbfounded me. She clearly doesn’t understand the situation. I sighed
instead of getting angry and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Why are you asking me that? You’re the one who dragged me here.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk frowned and stared at me with her sharp eyes.

“It’s about time you became honest, little prick.”

“What? The hell are you—”

Drk, drk— The sound of galloping hooves rang out. It came from many horses, but
sounded feeble for some reason. I looked towards that direction and spotted an army
of about 300 cavalrymen approaching with a royal flag. The horses seemed to be in
terrible condition. They probably hadn’t eaten in days. After all, life on Akatrina
would soon go extinct. Its current living conditions could only be described as post-
apocalyptic.

"You scoundrels!"

The army arrived in front of us and someone shouted because of our unusual
clothes. Jin Sahyuk tried to speak like a king to them.

“Hmph, you insolent fools. Who do you think you’re talk—”

“Be quiet. You’re not the king right now.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk quickly understood what I meant. She glanced over the cavalry and her
eyes widened. A little girl in loose-fitting armor, barely over 10 years old, rode the
tallest horse.

“Whoa whoa.”

The girl slowly came forward while soothing her horse. We stared at the child who
looked just like Jin Sahyuk, only 15 years younger. They also looked strangely
different because the girl had blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Who are you?”

The girl, cute as a doll, asked as she tried to keep her composure. I could see the grit
and tenacity flickering in her eyes.

I looked at Jin Sahyuk. She also looked at Plerion’s young ruler in a daze. What would
it be like to face myself from the past? Obviously, I had no idea.

“Answer me. If you don’t—!”

The horse leaped as the little king prepared to shout.

“Woah, woah. Stay still, you little…”

A knight dismounted from his horse to hold her reins. Only then did the little king
look down at us.

“Reveal your identities. Did Schupert send you? Explain your attire.”

“No, we’re…”

I glanced at Jin Sahyuk. However, she remained speechless.

“We’re from the temple.”

“Temple?”

“Yes.”

The knights naturally refused to believe me.

"You fool! Do you know who you’re lying to? The temple is already…?”

Actions always convinced others better than words. I manifested sacred power using
stigma. The knights blankly stared at the white light rising from my palm. Then the
light flew to a soldier and immediately healed his injuries.

“A-Ah, my wounds have healed!”

“Is this enough?”

I politely smiled at them. Suddenly, a joyful voice sprang from the young Jin Sahyuk.

“So, so the temple has not been destroyed?”

I looked at the little Jin Sahyuk. Her big eyes and grin appeared too inexperienced for
a king.

***

We marched inside the city with the convoy of knights. However, the city didn’t
appear to be in great shape. The walls eroded and the people starved. They paid little
attention to the king passing by.
“In the year 555, the people had already lost all hope.”

We arrived at a guest room in the Plerion royal palace.

“I lost something dear to me amid the political strife and the servants who caused it
ran away with the food and valuables. The state coffers and stores grew empty. My
servants disappeared one after another, but I never noticed their betrayal. One day, I
woke up and found that only the knights who swore loyalty to me remained.”

Jin Sahyuk spoke with tearful eyes in the tidy room with two large beds.

"Two years later in the year 557, I died while running away from monsters and
Schupert.”

"And the last knight with you was Kim Suho?"

Jin Sahyuk snorted. "He's not my knight. They all died and only he survived. Kim
Suho must be here too now that I think about it."

"Whatever you say.”

I sprawled on the bed. A new episode suddenly began, but I shouldn’t consider it a
bother. This episode could be the most important turning point.

I wanted the [Purifying Crystal] as a reward. Soon, Earth would begin its demon
realm transformation too. I never hinted at how to stop this transformation in the
original story, but the remake now offered me a solution. The purifying crystal could
probably purify and stop the demon realm transformation.

Tiriring—

Another window popped up in front of me.

[Second Goal — Acquire 6 Continental Fragment Pieces and Partly Restore Plerion.]

"Hey, where's the crystal fragment?" I immediately asked Jin Sahyuk.

"What are you talking about?"

"The fragment you blew up. Check your pockets."

"What do you— Hey, are you crazy!"

"I said, check your pockets."

Knock knock. Someone arrived at the door as I prepared to rummage through Jin
Sahyuk’s pockets.

— Come out.

A thick voice spoke from outside.

“I don’t have it, you little shit!”

“Why don’t you? This is so annoying. You’re useless…”

I opened the door after confirming that Jin Sahyuk didn’t have the crystal fragment.
The young knight outside stared at us with discontent.

"The king has generously prepared a dinner for you. Follow me."

We followed the knight without any resistance as he led us to the dining room.

The large dining room featured a long table in the center with knights lined up on
both sides of the room. Little Jin Sahyuk, Prihi, sat at the head of the table.

Prihi greeted us with a nonchalant, yet joyful expression.

“I prepared a meal to welcome my honored guests.”

Smoked pork, a few bowls of soup, salad, and a loaf of brown bread sat on the table.
It seemed the metal plates had already been stolen and only wooden cutlery
remained. We sat in our seats.

“Thank you.”

“Haha, no need for gratitude. More importantly, is it true the temple still exists?”

I nodded while trying to act as divinely as possible. It felt like playing house with her.

"Yes, and the temple hopes that Plerion will soon regain its former glory.”
Prihi failed to hide her smile.

“Kmm. Well, that’s enough chitchat. Please eat.”

“Thank you.”

Prihi seemed satisfied, but the knights around us didn’t. Every single knight had to
starve in exchange for this one luxurious meal.

“Then should I call you priest?” Prihi asked as she ate the soup.

“Yes, please call me Priest Kim.”

“Mm. Priest Kim. And next to you is?”

“Oh, she’s my servant.”

“Wait, what. What? What?”

Jin Sahyuk sadly looked at the pork before jolting up. Prihi shot her future self a
discontented look because of the ungraceful response. Everyone else in the room did
the same.

— Unbelievable.

— How is it possible for a mere servant to dine with the king?

I only tried to poke fun at Jin Sahyuk, but ended up offending the knights. They
probably felt upset about a mere servant eating their food.

“Haha, I’m sorry about the poor joke. This person is also a priest. She has very
special spiritual powers.”

“Oh, I see. Spiritual powers, you say…”

The meal went on. Clatter clatter. I looked around as my spoon moved.

— Knight Leot caught that pig.

— I looked forward to eating it too.

— It can’t be helped. They’re from the temple.

— That’s precisely the problem. The temple crumbled to nothing. Those suckers
can’t help us anyways. They’ll just be eating all our food while claiming to be divine
priests.

I didn’t eat much since I didn’t feel hungry and whatever I left behind would go to the
knights. I thought I’d let them have it.

Instead, I chose to examine Prihi. She nibbled at the smoked pork with her small
hands and seemed to be enjoying it. The knights didn’t express any dissatisfaction
because of that face.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk also looked at her past self without laying a finger on her food.

— At least they’re tactful.

— The king doesn’t eat much, so we can all probably take a bite or two.

— That’s good. Gulp

The dinner continued and the young king grew full. KWANG! Suddenly, the door
burst open and a scout rushed in.

“I have an urgent message! Schupert's soldiers have broken past the inner wall.”

“What!” Prihi shouted with her greasy lips.

“Count Schupert claims he has captured spies dispatched by your majesty.”

“Stay here, honored guests. Let’s go!”

The king and her knights immediately left the room. A thought suddenly crossed my
mind in this incomprehensible situation.

“Wait, spies?” Prihi had asked if Schupert sent us when we first met.

Which meant Schupert probably… I quickly stood up too.

“Hey, come with me. I think others may have come here besides us.”

“I planned on heading out anyways.”

Jin Sahyuk prepared to use her magic power. We followed the king and her knights
past the terrified citizens and climbed the wall.

“King! I have brought the spies you sent me!”

Schupert’s great army lay below, but it only consisted of about 3000 troops. Still, it
seemed big compared to the king’s army.

“I said I’m not a spy!”

A high-pitched voice came from below.

I smiled at them. They had locked up Jin Seyeon and Aileen in a wooden cell and also
tied their hands and feet. As expected, the others ended up getting caught in the
explosion.

[Magic Suppressing Shackles] — Will inhibit the wearer’s magic power.

Wow, that's a great item. I secretly admired it when Prihi suddenly shouted.

"Imbeciles! How dare you defy me when you have kept your peace because of the
former king’s kindness?”

Prihi’s eyes turned bloodshot and her body trembled with anger.

“Haha. Little king, even now you bring up the former king! Very pathetic. That is why
all of your men have left!”

— Hahahahaha! Foolish king! How ridiculous for a child to act so arrogantly?

The soldiers below only laughed as Prihi bit her lips and her knights hid her behind
them.

“Those bastards… You’re all dead.”

Jin Sahyuk took a step forward to vent her rage.

“Hahaha. We shall depart now, infantile king!”

The enemy didn’t seem to desire a fight. They prepared to depart and left Aileen and
Jin Seyeon behind.

“King, your scheme to lure monsters with the spies almost impressed me.
However…”

As Count Schupert spoke, something dark and red wriggled on the far horizon. Its
movement looked far too grotesque to be a natural phenomenon.

“Huh.”

I recalled seeing something like that before. An army of monsters approached us

from the distance.

“You are too stupid, weak, and evil. Accept the reality, Prihi. Plerion has already
fallen.”

“Schupert!“ Prihi shouted in a shaky voice that couldn’t be considered dignified.

“Haha. You should think about how to repel those monsters first instead of
screaming.”

Schupert and his soldiers turned back. The knights couldn’t stop them from leaving.

“The number of monsters…”

Now, they also witnessed the slowly advancing monsters.

“Oi, can you deal with that?” Jin Sahyuk asked me.

“Probably.”

I pulled out a small iron box from stigma’s storage. This box made from settings
intervention contained approximately 10,000 bullets.

“You retreat. We’ll stop them.”

“No. You said you belonged to the temple. Please take the king somewhere safe. We
cannot stop those monsters.”

“We believe you’ll find a way if the temple hasn’t perished. Think of it as a retreat for
the sake of future advancement. Take the king and run!”

The knights each spoke, but the king remained silent. She quietly sobbed in grief and
anger. Prihi couldn’t suppress the indignation welling up inside her. Jin Sahyuk
stared at the little king.

“No, we can stop them.”

I stretched aether out and wrapped it around Jin Seyeon and Aileen. Then I pulled
them over the wall. Hiyak— Kyaak— The two of them fell on the floor with strange
screams.

“The only way we’ll survive is by defeating them.”

I took out the Desert Eagle and it shone with a sharp flash of light. The knights
looked at me in bewilderment, but I didn’t care. I simply aimed at the monsters
below.

***

Meanwhile, at Yoo Yeonha’s mansion in Seoul.

“Haa…”

Yoo Yeonha processed all the papers piled up on her desk and buried herself in her
chair. Her workload had increased recently because of the Orden Incident. However,
she planned to take tomorrow off after finally finishing.

“Yaaawn…”

She turned on the TV and an interesting show happened to be on air. It told of a

forbidden romance between a low grade hero and a master rank hero.

— It doesn’t matter if you’re a low rank hero. What matters is that I love you…

Tzzt— We have breaking news.

The screen switched and the news came on.

— This is a breaking news report. Orden claims to have taken multiple heroes who
broke into his territory as hostages.

"What?"

Yoo Yeonha jumped and stared at the TV.

— Nothing has been confirmed, but Orden claims the captives are: Aileen, Yi Yongha,
and Park Hanho from the Temple of Justice, master rank hero Jin Seyeon, high rank
hero Seo Youngji, high-intermediate rank hero Shin Jonghak, and S-rank mercenary
Fenrir. Orden demands the association and the Korean government to…

Yoo Yeonha’s expression suddenly froze. Not only Shin Jonghak, but Kim Hajin as
well? She tilted her head and wondered if she misheard.

Tiriring—

Her smartwatch rang at the same time. It came from the government and the
association.

[Calling for an emergency meeting. Orden is holding heroes and a mercenary hostage.]

The message also contained Shin Jonghak and Kim Hajin’s names.
A gun barrel flashed, spears and swords made from magic power rained from the
sky, and magic arrows also fell. Lightning formed from words and knights shot out
their crescent slashes of magic power. That would adequately describe the entire
fight.

The opposing side consisted of at least 10,000 monsters. However, the 4 of us with
300 or so knights easily annihilated the entire army. These remaining knights could
all be considered veterans of war.

“Sigh.”

I stored my gun away after the battle concluded and ended up using roughly 3000
bullets today. Even well-known magic power monsters like Aileen and Jin Sahyuk
seemed exhausted.

Only the sound of rough breathing could be heard. A huge pair of eyes stared at us
when I turned around. I looked at the young Jin Sahyuk full of admiration and
wondered how such a cute kid changed so drastically. It didn’t quite make sense.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Aileen called me over for an explanation.

“I fought because we didn’t have a choice, but do you know where the heck we are?”

“Right, this doesn’t seem like Earth. Is this another one of Orden’s traps?” Jin Seyeon
asked.

I wouldn’t blame them for not understanding. Anyone would find another world
hard to believe.

“No, it’s not a trap. It’s a bit complicated, but just pretend we’re in another world.
You know, like a fantasy novel.”

“The heck?”
“I’ll explain in detail later. Anyways, how did you two get caught?”

“I don’t know. I fainted and woke up shackled.” Aileen pouted as she recalled.

“Oh, then what about those monsters?”

“I don’t know. They just kept chasing us.”

“Huh? Why would they…”

Suddenly, I noticed something in Aileen’s hair. It shone quite noticeably in my eyes.

“Ah!”

I examined it more closely and recognized the tiny crystal fragment. Then I quickly
took it from her hair.

[Continental Fragment] — A crystal that maintains the recorded past. — Will emit an
odor that attracts monsters.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Looks like this crystal attracted those monsters.”

I ended up finding a crystal without much effort. I only needed 5 more since the
settings window said we needed 6.

“Fenrir, can you explain this to the ones behind us?”

Jin Seyeon pointed to the 300 knights and soldiers respectfully staring at us.

“Ah… Haha, these two are priests as well. As I said before, we possess rather special
divine powers.”

They all seemed to be in quiet disbelief, so I quickly changed the topic.

“We brought livestock for Plerion.”

Everyone’s tired eyes lit up as soon as they heard about food.

“Livestock?”

“Is that true?”

A small hand reached out and grabbed my sleeve. It belonged to Prihi.

“Is, is it true you brought livestock?”

Prihi’s eyes shook with hope and expectation. Seeing her pull my sleeve with
anticipation touched me quite a bit.

I bent down and nodded.

“Yes, of course. First, let’s return to the palace.”

***

We returned to the royal palace and I explained our situation to the others.

“So we have to collect all the crystal fragments to go back?”

“Yes.”

“And we’re here because of this idiot?” Aileen pointed at Jin Sahyuk.

“Idiot? What did you just call me?”

Jin Sahyuk frowned at her coarse words, but Aileen wouldn’t flinch even in front of
Chae Joochul. She glared at Jin Sahyuk even fiercer.

“That’s right, you crazy idiot.”

“Ha, say that again, you little dwar—”

“Shut up.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk’s mouth closed shut. Unable to talk, she shot up and pointed at Aileen.
Then she began gesturing about Aileen’s short height.
“Stay still, crazy.”

Aileen seriously unleashed her magic power and sealed Jin Sahyuk’s actions. Of
course, Jin Sahyuk didn’t go down without a fight. She unleashed her magic power
and tried to overrule the restrictions on her body.

“Geez, will you just stay put?” I intervened and stopped her.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk froze and stared at me. Sadness and indignation filled her eyes. What did
she want me to do about it? She sighed at my cold response and ran outside.

“Oh right, what do we do about livestock? I don’t have any on me.”

Aileen spoke about my proposal to Plerion.

“Don’t worry. I can make them right now.”

“Make them?”

“Yep.”

The recorded past materialized from the tower crystal’s power. Its laws followed the
real world, but the tower crystal contained omnipotent power that could alter it. I
currently held a piece of that tower crystal in my hand.

“You’re going to make a chicken? Are you crazy?”

“Lady Aileen is correct. It’s impossible to create life. Even attempting to do so is

forbidden.”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon objected, but I simply smiled.

“I told you, this isn’t the real world.”

I infused stigma’s magic power into the crystal fragment. For now, I could only make
a single chicken with a single streak of stigma.

— Bok, bok!
“Whoa!”

“W-What just happened?”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon jumped in surprise when a chicken appeared out of nowhere.

“This is the tower crystal’s power.”

“Wow, that’s interesting. Can I do it too?”

Aileen curiously reached out for the crystal fragment. However, I didn’t give it to her.

“No.”

“Don’t be stingy. Give it here. It originally belonged to me.”

“Aileen can’t do it. I’m the only one who can.”

“What? Why?”

Aileen could probably alter the landscape with a bit of practice, but only a divine
power like stigma could create life with the crystal’s help.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained. You know I ranked first in the world in
theory, right? You have to do many calculations in your head to make it happen.”

I made up a believable excuse that no one could refute.

“Wow, you’re so amazing. What a smarty pants.”

“Don’t be sarcastic, Lady Aileen.”

Aileen frowned at Jin Seyeon’s sudden seriousness.

“Who are you to say whether I can be sarcastic or not?”

“He saved our lives.”

“Hmm.”
I proceeded to use the tower fragment to create a pig, a male chicken, and a female
chicken. I felt a bit dizzy after spending all 5 streaks of stigma, but the painkiller
from my [Medicinal Memory Physique] helped a lot.

“Huuu.”

I sighed from the light pain and examined the livestock.

[Pig] — A fat pig that seems tasty. [Female Chicken] — A female chicken that will lay
many eggs. [Male Chicken] — A male chicken that will mate well.

Thankfully, nothing seemed wrong with them.

“Now let’s see…”

I took out the [Random Dice]. The second goal required us to restore Plerion’s capital.
I rolled the dice while thinking about items that could help their food situation.

[Fast Growing Rice] [Fast Growing Wheat] [Yummy Corn] [Salty Potato] [High
Performance Cement]

I didn’t receive any fantasy-like items like in the tower, but what I got would
definitely help.

“You sure have a lot of strange skills.” Aileen murmured in admiration.

“Let’s go give them these.”

I peered past the door. Countless knights eagerly waited outside after hearing that
we would offer livestock to the king. I grabbed a chicken while Jin Seyeon and Aileen
grabbed the other two livestock.

The knights approached the moment we opened the door. What we held in our
hands shocked them.

“M-My god! Chickens! They have chickens!”

“And a pig too.”

“H-How did you get all these?”

Their passionate reactions startled Aileen. She walked up to me and whispered,
“Why are they all so happy?”

“The demon realm transformation corrupted most of this world’s food supply and
Schupert stole the rest of what hadn’t been corrupted.”

Livestock that stepped on demonized soil transformed into an undead. The same
occurred with plants. A perfectly fine rice plant would suddenly turn into a man-
eating monster.

“Ah… I see, so that’s why the palace looked so shabby.”

We handed the livestock to the knights.

“You can eat the pig today. As for the chickens, set up a farm to collect the eggs.”

“Haha, of course, of course! First, we’ll report to the king!”

The knights happily laughed and led us away. It seemed Prihi wanted to see the
livestock as soon as possible too and appeared nearby.

“Oh! A pig! And chickens! They have a male and a female!”

The young ruler jumped up and down in excitement. A few knights smiled and some
even cried tears of joy.

“Your Highness, we won’t have to worry about food anymore!”

“It will only be a matter of time until these two chickens turn into hundreds, then
thousands!”

We watched them celebrate. Soon, the king approached to express her gratitude.

“Thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“Haha… We still have more things to be grateful for.”

“Hmm?”

I handed her the rice, wheat, corn, and potato. Prihi’s eyes widened.
“This is…”

“They’re seeds. Move your subjects to a share house and plant them.”

Prihi blankly stared at the seeds before taking them in a daze. Then she glanced at
me for a moment and quickly ran off. Pa, pa, pa— Not long afterwards, she
reappeared with a magnifying glass.

[Mysterious Magnifying Glass] [Pinnacle Grade Magic Artifact] ▷Weakness

Identification — Will use magic power to identify the target’s weaknesses. ▷Emotion
Identification — Will use magic power to identify the target’s feelings towards you.
(The identified weaknesses and emotions may be inaccurate when the user’s magic
power is running low.)

“Oh?”

She brought over one of the four rewards for this Akatrina episode.

“It’s one of my prized possessions. This magnifying glass can identify a target’s
emotions. I’m sure you can make better use of it since you’re from the temple.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I took it with gratitude.

“Huhu, a valuable person recognizes a valuable item.”

Prihi didn’t hide her happiness after seeing that I liked her present.

***

[Korea, Seoul]

Yoo Yeonha stared at the woman in front of her.

“…”

She would describe her with only one word, macho. This woman had wild hair like a
lion’s mane and a deep scar across her collarbone. She wore a black cape and carried
a longsword on her back. Chae Nayun looked too different from the last time Yoo
Yeonha saw her.

“Nayun, what happened in the past few months?”

The matured Chae Nayun slightly surprised her. However, Chae Nayun still sounded
the same.

“Never mind that, I heard the monsters kidnapped Kim Hajin.”

“No, Orden’s just bluffing.”

“I plan on marching over and smashing everything into… huh?”

Chae Nayun’s eyes widened. “Really? How do you know that?”

Yoo Yeonha smiled and took out a watch artifact.

“This magic artifact synchronizes with Kim Hajin’s smartwatch. It shows his
biological clock no matter where he is or what he’s doing.”

This artifact would prevent another one of Yoo Yeonha’s huge misunderstandings. It
couldn’t spy on Kim Hajin, but only informed her of any dangers.

“Look here, you can see his vitality and his nervousness or tenseness. Everything’s
normal, so Orden is lying. He’s just trying to scare us.”

“Then what about the other heroes?”

“They’re likely with Kim Hajin. Lady Aileen wanted to bring Kim Hajin with her and
their GPS coordinates briefly overlapped.”

Yoo Yeonha calmly replied. Chae Nayun looked stunned after hearing all this. Then do
I have to go back to the Himalayas? I came back for nothing because I’m dumb.

“Nayun, I know this might not be the time to ask, but are you ready to meet him?”

Chae Nayun smiled at Yoo Yeonha’s worry.

“Of course. It’s about time. You don’t have to worry.”

Yoo Yeonha could only bitterly smile. What if Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin came back
together after this? It should be a good thing, but Yoo Yeonha felt her heart ache just
thinking about it.

“I see… I’m glad.”

Yoo Yeonha knew why she felt this way. She thought about how Kim Hajin knew all
her embarrassing secrets like how she loved ramen, hamburger, Korean stew, rice
soup, Coke, and Sprite. She would never reveal this to anyone, but Kim Hajin knew all
about them. He regressed from the future and Yoo Yeonha could only guess they
might’ve been lovers or as close as lovers.

Then what relationship did Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun have before he regressed in
time? Was he closer to her than me? Or just as close?

Yoo Yeonha’s thoughts didn’t continue for much longer.

Paat!

A huge spark of light flashed in the sky. Startled, Yoo Yeonha and Chae Nayun looked
out the window.

Paat!

The flashes continued fiercer than normal.

Paat!

The third flash of light brightened the entire world. This time, the light lingered like
another sun in the sky.

“Hey, Yeonha, that’s…”

“Yeah, it’s the Tower of Wish.”

They looked at the sky and realized the Tower of Wish would soon conclude.

***

[Akatrina Continent]
The king’s post-horses set out to find Yi Yongha, Shin Jonghak, and Seo Youngji on
the second day. Furthermore, they finished building the chicken coop in less than a
day.

Prihi went to see the royal court’s most prized possession on the third day, the
chicken coop. She smiled at the chickens laying eggs and spent many hours sitting in
the coop listening to them.

On the fourth day, Jin Seyeon guided them on how to plant the seeds. The plants
grew quickly, but many impatient citizens secretly dug and ate them, causing a small
commotion in the capital.

They reinforced the castle walls with magic power and cement on the fifth day.

Kiik.

Late at night on the sixth day, Jin Sahyuk infiltrated the royal palace’s secret library
like usual. She hoped to recall her former servant’s face.

“It should be somewhere here…”

Over thirty years had passed and Jin Sahyuk forgot his appearance because of her
artificial memory seal. However, she still remembered his name. She knew the royal
library held a record and portrait of every knight.

“Year 550, July 3rd…”

She already checked through the years 547-549 in the past few days. They recorded
everyone who entered the royal palace, so she had to work through many pages.

“Kindspring, Kindspring… aah, fuck.”

How the fuck does this have 50,000 pages? Jin Sahyuk cursed and sighed, but
continued flipping. She hated things like menial labor the most, yet it suddenly
became her most important task.

One hour, two hours, and three hours passed.

Jin Sahyuk continued to look through the records until 4 A.M. when a patrolling
knight arrived.
Tap, tap.

She felt a presence walking through the hallway outside. A studious knight made the
rounds early today.

“…!”

Jin Sahyuk discovered the servant’s name just as the knight entered the library. Her
heart raced as she read the name.

[Kindspring Winter]

The abandoned princess’ first servant, Kindspring of the Winter clan. Kindspring
Winter. Old memories resurfaced in her mind.

Kindspring didn’t have a real last name because of his commoner background. Jin
Sahyuk gave him the name Winter because he wielded the ice attribute.

“Ah…”

Jin Sahyuk looked at Kindspring’s portrait. The servant who swore eternal loyalty to
her. His name remained in her heart along with regret and sadness. The dear servant
that time buried shot up in her mind like an erupting volcano.
Jin Sahyuk vacantly stared at her old servant’s portrait. Her heart pounded and the
hand holding the page shook. She grew dizzy as cold sweat ran down her back.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk had considered the possibility, but the shock still overwhelmed her. She
couldn’t think properly and trembled as a wave swept her body inside out.

[Kindspring Winter]

His portrait bore a frightening resemblance to Kim Hajin. They looked the same
except for the bushy beard and their hair colors. Prihi also slightly differed from her
in hair color and complexion.

She finally discovered the truth. Kim Hajin must’ve resented her as Kindspring. She
couldn’t blame him since she betrayed and killed him.

“Fuck.”

Jin Sahyuk quietly swore. She couldn’t keep her eyes open and dropped her head on
the desk. She felt nauseous as her memory seal partly eroded and old memories
returned with regret.

Tok, tok— Someone tapped her, but she didn’t respond.

Pssh, pssh—

The figure shook her shoulders from side to side. This gesture made her so dizzy she
raised her head to glare at the intruder.

"What are you doing here?"

The young king of Plerion, Prihi, faced her. Jin Sahyuk’s threatening gaze didn’t
intimidate her younger self.

"Even priests cannot use the royal library without my permission.”

Jin Sahyuk stared at the king’s face, her past self. She used to be this foolish and
pitiful ruler. Despite all that, she began to resent the little girl in front of her.

Jin Sahyuk brushed her sweaty hair and pointed at the portrait in the record book.

“King, do you know this person?”

“…”

Prihi’s expression immediately froze.

Jin Sahyuk glared at her with her eyes full of magic power. She urged Prihi to answer,
but the young king only broke out in a cold sweat.

“Answer me if you know him.”

Prihi silently stared at Kindspring’s portrait, but her eyes filled with regret and an
unspeakable pain like fire turning to ashes.

Sadness swelled inside Jin Sahyuk. Suddenly, she heard a shout from outside.

— The post-horses have arrived! They found the other priests!

***

The post-horses returned with good news in the early morning.

“We seriously almost died.”

They brought Seo Youngji and Yi Yongha to the palace. The two looked beyond filthy
and basically half-dead, but managed to survive by eating grass and drinking
rainwater.

“It’s all thanks to Youngji that I survived.”

Yi Yongha said as they sat in the withered royal garden.

“Same here. I only survived because of Yongha. For the first time, I learned that
cooked grass could taste good.”

They grew closer after surviving together for a week and looked at each other
affectionately. Then Aileen pulled Yi Yongha’s ear with a look of discontent.

“Ak, aak! What?”

“Are you having an affair?”

“No way. You know my wife is the only one for me.”

I asked them about our top priority now that everyone had gathered except for Shin
Jonghak.

“Excuse me, but have you seen a crystal like this?”

“Crystal?”

“Yes.” I took out the tower crystal fragment from a cylindrical container.

“No, we haven’t.”

“We only spent our time searching for food to eat.”

The duo shook their heads. They probably wouldn’t have made it here in one piece
with a crystal. I stored my crystal away and asked them about our second priority.

“How about Shin Jonghak?”

Yi Yongha and Seo Youngji simultaneously sighed. “We haven’t seen Jonghak either.”

“That’s what worries me the most. He’s strong, so he’s probably alive somewhere,
right?”

“Hmm. Okay, I understand.” I nodded hesitantly.

How did Shin Jonghak separate from the rest? Everyone else arrived in pairs. I began
to ponder when…
“It’s good to see more people from the temple!”

A child-like voice rang out. I turned to see Prihi and Jin Sahyuk standing side by side.

Something felt off with Jin Sahyuk. Her usual arrogant demeanor had disappeared
and she looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

Jin Sahyuk sighed and turned back after we made eye contact. She went off
somewhere else with faltering steps.

"Well then, let us dine together. Half the 63 eggs are infertile, so we should enjoy a
good meal.”

Prihi declared with a bright smile. Her cute smile made me smile as well.

"Yes, that sounds great. I'll cook."

***

[30F, Demon King’s Castle]

The demon king swung his demonic sword and Kim Suho countered with his holy
sword.

KAANG!

Magic power exploded when they clashed. The demonic sword felt heavy and Kim
Suho could never withstand it in the past. However, he effortlessly blocked it now.

KWANG!

The demon king swung again and spoke in between the relentless attacks.

“Your sword has changed a lot.”

KOOONG!

Kim Suho answered while pushing him back.

“I realized the power that I already possessed.”

KWAANG!

The demonic sword and holy sword clashed again. Kim Suho didn’t give up a single
step against the demon king. He realized the true ability of his gift, Sword Saint, and
what it meant to cut anything.

KWAAANG!

Kim Suho severed all the doubts in his mind. He cut off his fear and his dread until
only victory remained.

“Today will be the last.”

Kim Suho believed in himself and his friends who believed in him. The Sword Saint
would triumph over the demon king in this swordfight.

KWANG!

The holy sword dissolved the demonic sword’s energy. Kim Suho wanted to cut the
demon king’s soul, not his sword.

Sword Saint only becomes complete when it confronts the heart instead of the blade.

Kim Suho arrived at this enlightenment and swung with all his might. He bore the
desire to win and thoroughly excluded any other emotions to embody the Sword
Saint’s true nature.

“Your determination is interesting.”

The demon king laughed after blocking a blow. Kim Suho also smiled and sincerely
enjoyed this fight. This life-and-death battle comparing the state of existence
between two swords completely engrossed him.

“—!”

He waved his sword and shouted as golden slashes flew towards the demon king,
who defended again with a smile.

Kim Suho suddenly appeared in front of the demon king. His speed now matched the
demon king’s attacks. The king couldn’t help but feel impressed and laughed out
loud.

“Hahahaha…”

The two clashed while smiling at each other.

Less than a step remained before the Tower of Wish would conclude.

***

[Akatrina Continent]

Five weeks passed in Akatrina. Plerion’s capital improved quite a bit during this
time. The restoration work proceeded smoothly and they finished the communal
shelter for 8,633 citizens. My [Random Dice] supplied them with building materials
and Aileen’s magic power took care of the construction along with Yi Yongha’s fire.

I continued to make new livestock every day. We ended up with 53 chickens, 12 pigs,
and 6 cows. A new barn housed them and chickens constantly cried in the coop that
the knights always guarded. I would’ve made more, but a single crystal fragment had
its limits. I couldn’t even make a single chicken with 5 streaks of stigma now.

Jin Seyeon enthusiastically volunteered and Seo Youngji helped her. The two worked
in the fields and dug wells with the people. Thieving citizens disappeared thanks to
their hard work and the potatoes and corn fully grew in 4 weeks. They evenly
distributed everything among everyone free of charge.

Furthermore, Jin Sahyuk became quite passionate about Prihi’s education. She
taught Prihi the basic application of magic power and tormented her with
Machiavelli’s governing theory.

For some reason, Jin Sahyuk kept avoiding me and wouldn’t talk or even make eye
contact. She did secretly glance at me every now and then or follow from a distance,
but always ran away when our eyes met.

At first, I thought she might be trying to assassinate me. However, days passed
without her showing the slightest sign of hostility. My confusion only grew each day.

"I think it’s about time to search for the crystal shards.”
We stood on top of the perfectly repaired castle wall. I suggested this to the others as
we looked down from the rampart.

“I feel like something bad will happen if we leave.”

Aileen seemed to have grown fond of Akatrina.

“That’s why I’m planning on going alone.”

“Isn’t that too dangerous? We don’t have the slightest clue where to find them.” Jin
Seyeon expressed her concern.

I shook my head with a smile. “It’s okay. The crystal shard I have will react with
nearby shards. It probably won’t take long to gather all of them.”

“Don’t underestimate the outside world.”

One of Prihi’s knights standing guard at the wall came forward. They called this
macho knight who wielded a heavy claymore Leot.

“Outside not only has Schupert and monsters, but also the Vigilante.”

“The Vigilante?”

“Yes, they surfaced about 2-3 years ago when things got bad. They were engaged in
guerilla warfare between Shupert’s castle and our castle to steal food, horses, and
weapons.”

“Ah… I see. That should be fine.” I simply nodded since I felt confident in escaping.

“I’m only going to patrol around the area today.”

I jumped down the wall.

Tak— After landing, I spotted Jin Sahyuk leaning against the wall and staring at me.

“What?”

“I’ll go with you.” Jin Sahyuk said and stood beside me.
I felt curious why she’d been avoiding me and also had something to discuss with
her.

“Do as you please.”

And so, we walked together.

Occasionally, I checked the crystal in my hand as we proceeded through the forest.

Then I spoke after a period of silence.

“I heard you’ve been rummaging through the underground dungeon and royal
library.”

“…”

I heard from the knights that Jin Sahyuk spent a lot of time there.

“Who exactly are you after, Kim Suho or Puharen?”

Kim Suho didn’t exist in this world. The tower crystal’s power probably couldn’t
recreate his extraordinary existence. Jin Sahyuk shook her head at my question.

“Neither.”

“Really?”

I could tell she found something from the look on her face.

“It’s Puharen, right? It must be since you know when he’ll turn into a devil now.”

“I told you, I’m not looking for Puharen.”

Jin Sahyuk stopped and stared at my face as if trying to find something. She seemed
quite pent-up.

“Are you testing me right now?”

For some reason, her words sounded strangely emotional. I looked at her completely
bewildered as her face distorted. I couldn’t tell whether she felt sad or angry.
“You’re so mean…”

Jin Sahyuk spoke with a trembling voice. Then…

Woong—

The crystal began to vibrate and I covered her mouth with my hand.

“Uuup!”

“Shut your mouth for a second. Someone’s here.”

— There’s no need.

A heavy voice pierced my ears.

Soon, a group of knights appeared from behind the bushes. I didn’t sense their
presence and assumed only one enemy had found us.

“The hell, why are there so many?”

At least a hundred knights appeared from behind the bushes. Even Jin Sahyuk took a
step back at their overwhelming presence.

“Looks like you two came from the royal castle.”

Their leader smiled and stepped forward. His armor looked dazzling, but I focused
more on his sword.

The center of his hilt contained a blue crystal that could only be a continental
fragment.

The man looked over at us one by one.

“You’re here on a patrol? What poor luck to bump into us.”

His voice sounded slimy and I quickly devised a plan to steal the crystal. However, Jin
Sahyuk suddenly burst out in anger.

“Raylen, you son of a bitch. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Hahaha. So you know me. Not surprising, considering only a handful of sword
masters are left.”

“Sword master?”

My expression turned grim.

“That’s right. My name is Raylen, the sword master of Schupert.”

This bad situation might’ve just gotten worse if he spoke the truth. Only a few sword
masters existed for a reason. As their title implied, they could be considered
invincible with a sword.

Kim Suho would reach the sword master realm after defeating the demon king. The
man in front of us boasted as much strength or even greater than Kim Suho.

“Are you the king’s servants that the count mentioned?” Raylen asked while raising
his sword and the knights behind him also drew their weapons.

Guooo…

The magic power of 100 knights formed a small whirlpool that surged throughout
the forest.

“Jin Sahyuk, get ready to run.”

“You run. I’ll kill that son of a bitch even if this is all an illusion. You should also know
that traitorous bastard.”

Jin Sahyuk glared at Raylen and formed her magic spears and swords in the air.

“—!”

She immediately fired them towards Raylen, but he swung his sword and easily
knocked them away. We faced a total disadvantage here. One sword master would’ve
been enough, but 100 knights also showed up.

“No, don’t be stubborn and…?”

I stopped talking and looked at the sky. A huge shadow covered the ground where
we stood. The others also instinctively looked up.

“What…”

Hundreds of spears poured from above and blocked the sun. These spears didn’t
belong to Jin Sahyuk, but to a third party.

The knights suddenly shouted, “It’s the Vigilante!”

“Everyone, prepare to fight!”

“Those wolves came back!”

The spears landed as the knights prepared to strike back. Huge explosions occurred
all around us.

KWAAAANG!

The smoke completely blocked my vision, but aether protected me. I looked at where
the spears came from while the aether shield surrounded me.

A man who seemed to be the Vigilante leader stood there. He looked strangely
familiar despite the thick beard, dark swollen eyes, and shabby cloak fluttering in the
air. Shin Jonghak’s appearance had dramatically changed, but I recognized him
without a doubt.

This whole situation felt like deja vu. I suddenly recalled the first recorded past we
visited a long time ago. Back then, only I fell into the past at a different time. What if
Shin Jonghak also experienced the same and fell in at a different time?

“Shin Jonghak?”

He turned to me. At first, I thought he felt relieved to see me.

“Three years…”

It didn’t take long for him to prove me wrong.

“I’ve been waiting here for 3 years, you scumbags!”

Shin Jonghak pointed his crimson spear at me to vent his rage.
[3 years ago, Akatrina]

Shin Jonghak woke up in a forest. The leaves shook from the cold wind and he could
only hear the sound of nature.

“…”

He shot up after staring at the leaves for a while. This forest contained many things
he had never seen before. The trees looked different from the ones on Earth. Hunger
struck him before he could further question his surroundings.

Let’s find something to eat first.

Shin Jonghak began his quest for survival by tasting various leaves, looking for edible
roots, and pondering if his body could handle poisonous mushrooms.

After wandering in the forest for about an hour…

“Hmm?”

He found a leather bag on the ground.

I heard leather can be cooked and eaten. Wait, is that what I think it is?

“…!”

A thought crossed his mind and he ran to the bag.

“Ah!”

Kim Hajin had brought this food bag. It featured [High Grade Space Expansion], [High
Grade Freshness Preservation], and [Weight Reduction].
Gulp.

Shin Jonghak swallowed hard and checked the contents inside. Then he
subconsciously exclaimed.

“Oh…”

The bag could practically be considered a food warehouse. It contained enough to

last him a year.

“Hm, I guess he’s useful after all.”

Shin Jonghak took out a strip of beef jerky. Nom, nom. He began to look for his
comrades as he filled his stomach. However, he couldn’t find anyone no matter how
hard he looked. Soon, it turned to night and he started a campfire to cook a proper
meal.

“Who’s there?”

Some uninvited guests arrived. A group of 8 carrying baskets and spears. They
looked weak at a glance and clearly starving.

“I’ll kill you if you don’t answer.”

Shin Jonghak raised his spear.

“Ah, u-um, sorry. We made a huge mistake…”

They introduced themselves as hunter-gatherers. According to them, many citizens

died from the prolonged war between Schupert and the royal palace. Those who
survived became runaways and formed their own groups. Shin Jonghak had no clue
what they just talked about, but had to admit this might be a different world.

“Then lead me there.”

He visited their hunter-gatherer base out of curiosity. They lived day-to-day looking
for food like their name suggested and often starved. Shin Jonghak offered them
some food. However, some thugs who smelled it also came.

“Where did you lot get that food?”

Three armored knights appeared from the darkness and the hunter-gatherers
trembled in fear.

“Offer it to Count Schupert if you want to keep your life.”

The knights acted arrogant and aggressive, so Shin Jonghak pierced their hearts with
his spear. The three knights died in the blink of an eye.

The hunter-gatherers suddenly bowed to Shin Jonghak after the battle. He liked the
feeling of being treated like a king.

“P-Please accept us…”

The hunter-gatherers’ chief pleaded to him. Shin Jonghak needed people to look for
his comrades, so he decided to take in these barbarians.

Like that, a month went by.

He found a farmable plot of land and made the hunter-gatherers sow seeds. Then he
chose 30 men and women with talent for martial arts and taught them the spear.
They grew quickly because the atmosphere contained ample mana.

Like that, half a year went by.

They ran out of food and their small farms couldn’t feed 500 mouths. Shin Jonghak
had no choice but to form the Vigilante and steal supplies from Schupert’s territory.

Like that, a year went by.

Shin Jonghak became the Vigilante’s full-fledged leader. His hair reached his
shoulders and he trimmed his goatee to look cool.

Their members also grew stronger by the day. Hardworking disciples became
powerful enough to be called knights.

Like that, two years went by.

Shin Jonghak came to a great realization while protecting the hunter-gatherers,

stealing supplies from Schupert’s territory, and fighting the count’s knights. His black
flame spear could also scorch the enemy’s magic power now. He called his newly
evolved gift, Magic Devourer. However, his growth only increased his desire to return
to Earth and his hatred for the ones who placed him here also grew.

Three years later, Shin Jonghak finally found who he had been searching for.

Raylen and his knights had cornered them, but Shin Jonghak didn’t even care about
the sword master.

“I waited three years.”

He pointed his spear at Kim Hajin’s back. Kwaaaa… Black flames shot up from it.

“What happened and where…”

During the past three years, Shin Jonghak killed thousands of monsters and defeated
hundreds of knights. He fought as often as he ate and only thought about surviving.
He even had to take care of 500 lives in this unknown world. Even the slightest
carelessness meant death, so remained on guard every second.

“What have you been doing for the past three years…”

Shin Jonghak reached a never-before-seen realm from this heavy responsibility and
all the life-and-death situations.

“You better properly explain if you don’t want to die.”

He became a spear god who surpassed all limits and emitted boundless magic power
with an overwhelming presence.

***

“Well damn…”

I became speechless. Shin Jonghak’s sudden growth surprised me, but not as much
as his intense killing intent that felt like it stabbed my heart.

“He’s tough to deal with. Retreat.”

Even Raylen, the sword master, looked troubled. They retreated as soon as Shin
Jonghak made his move. None of the knights uttered a word of complaint. Poke— Jin
Sahyuk poked my side.

“Oi, what’s up with him?”

“Looks like he’s been here for three years.”

“Three years?”

“Yeah, it happens occasionally. He’s been trapped in time alone.”

Shin Jonghak and the Vigilante members quickly moved after Raylen and the knights
disappeared. They surrounded us in the blink of an eye.

Shin Jonghak came up to me and glared. He seemed to have aged at least 6-7 years.

“Explain, Kim Hajin. I might kill you depending on your answer.”

Tension enveloped me because his presence felt completely different than the old
Shin Jonghak. He seemed genuinely enraged.

“I will. We’ve been looking for you too, cough.”

I cleared my throat and pointed at Jin Sahyuk.

“First, it’s all because of her.”

One hour later…

I finished explaining everything to Shin Jonghak. He became furious when he heard

what happened and charged Jin Sahyuk. Surprisingly, they fought on equal footing.
Shin Jonghak initially overwhelmed her, but it came down to a matter of suitability.

Shin Jonghak’s black flames burned Jin Sahyuk’s magic power. Not being able to use
her [Magic Weapon Emission] set her at a big disadvantage.

I got goosebumps watching their fight. I never expected Shin Jonghak to fight evenly
with Jin Sahyuk. My shock couldn’t be described when he almost won in the
beginning.

Of course, Jin Sahyuk would’ve won with her cheat gift, [Reality Manipulation], if the
fight prolonged.

We returned to Shin Jonghak’s town after their conversation of fists.

“The crystal you talked about is in this town.”

Shin Jonghak told me about the crystal shard they possessed. The town itself
surprised me more than the crystal. They had built fences, guards, watchtowers, and
most things a town would require.

“You built all this on your own?”

Jin Sahyuk asked him. She had acknowledged Shin Jonghak’s strength after their
fight.

“Everyone helped. Of course, I did 70% of the work. Around 673 people live here
now.”

Shin Jonghak proudly explained, but soon looked back at me with a complicated
expression.

“You said this place is just a materialized fake world?”

“Yeah…” I nodded.

“…”

Shin Jonghak didn’t say much, but couldn’t hide his bitterness.

“Take it. We can go back with six, right?”

Shin Jonghak handed the shard over.

[Continental Fragment Piece] — A crystal that maintains the recorded past. — Will
supply mana for growth.

As expected, each crystal shard had its own function. This must’ve contributed to
Shin Jonghak’s rapid growth. Now we possessed two fragments.

“Bring your townsmen to the capital. It’s a much better place now.”
“Capital?”

“Yeah.”

Shin Jonghak seemed reluctant. The Vigilante members next to him felt the same.
They clearly seemed unhappy with having us here.

“Staying here is dangerous. Monsters will arrive soon.”

Jin Sahyuk tried to persuade him, but he only scoffed while asking how she knew
that. Jin Sahyuk scoffed back and explained.

“This is the world I lived in. I know better than anyone else what will happen in the
future.”

“…”

Shin Jonghak stared at her and turned towards me.

“Kim Hajin, what is this crazy bitch blabbering about?”

Then the second fight between Shin Jonghak and Jin Sahyuk began.

***

[Pandemonium, Chameleon Troupe’s Base]

Boss wanted to immediately head out and rescue Kim Hajin when news broke that
the humanoid monsters captured Fenrir. She lost her cool and couldn’t see in front of
her or hear what anyone said.

However, Spartan managed to stop her since he shared a connection with Kim Hajin.

“I’ll say it once again. You’re dead if anything happens to Kim Hajin.”

From that day on, Boss always had Spartan by her side. She wanted to know if
anything happened to Kim Hajin as soon as possible.

— Pieeek.
Spartan pitifully shook his beak.

“I’m kidding. Well, half-kidding.” Boss smiled and held Spartan in her arms.

“So, what are we going to do Boss? We kidnapped her parents too.” Jain asked while
staring at Boss from the couch.

“First, let the three of them talk,” Boss briefly replied.

“Un, okay. You should also know something else before that.”

Jain’s expression stiffened.

“I heard a rumor that Bell also joined the Orden Assassination Team.”

“…”

Boss’ shoulders froze. Just hearing that name filled her with rage. However, she
constantly told herself to calm down for a more thorough revenge.

“Also… about the Kwang-Oh Incident. We found the mastermind behind it. You’ve
heard of Kim Sukho, right? He’s the former president.”

Boss nodded. Kim Sukho, the former Korean president, also seized control of the
association.

“We have a lot of work to do.”

“You’re right.” Jain snickered and stretched.

“Mmm… Oh right, we decided to include Droon in this mission.”

“What?” Boss furrowed her brows.

“We don’t have a choice. We need his power for this mission. Think of all the
powerful individuals joining the Orden Assassination Team.”

Jain found out through Droon’s information network that the association planned to
deploy their second team around the time as the djinns.
Yoo Jinwoong, Chae Joochul, Yun Seung-Ah, Vast Expanse, Yoo Sihyuk, the Temple of
Justice, Wicked, Destruction, Evil Society, Satan’s Servants, Pandemonium… Famous
heroes and djinns from everywhere including Kim Hajin’s friends like Chae Nayun
and Rachel would all participate.

“Also, that child will probably come out of the Tower of Wish soon. He’ll participate
for sure when he finds out what happened.”

Of course, they meant Kim Suho. This assassination mission would become a
ferocious battlefield with all sorts of characters. No one knew what would happen.

“Well, I’m sure none of them will stand a chance against Droon.”

Jain smiled as she thought about Droon. He had entered puberty and refused to talk
to them recently. However, he showed interest in Yi Yuri who seemed to be around
the same age.

“Jain, Droon is too dangerous.”

“No, Boss. Dangerous vs dangerous, crazy vs crazy. That’s the best.”

Droon’s gift rivaled an authority. He could summon and tame aliens who wandered
in the chaos between dimensions. His rabbit, Mimyo, could ignore Aileen’s Spirit
Speech and even devour a devil.

“…”

Boss silently nodded and recalled a painful memory from the past. Thinking about
the day Kurukuru killed Kim Hajin made her dizzy.

“Fine.”

As Jain said, they needed to borrow Droon’s power to combat the monster king and
his servants.

***

[Akatrina Continent.]

Shin Jonghak and the Vigilante entered the capital. I thought Prihi and her knights
would oppose, but they surprisingly welcomed it because the Vigilante only
bothered Schupert over the years.

“Yaaawn…” The sun had set and I lay in bed late at night.

“Now I only need to collect four more.”

I should be able to gather them all in 2-3 months since I possessed two and already
knew another one’s location. Only 2-3 weeks should’ve passed in the real world.

“I wonder what Boss is doing.”

I didn’t know why I suddenly thought of her.

Tok, tok—

Someone knocked on my door.

“Who—”

The door opened before I could ask. Jin Sahyuk approached in her pajamas.

“What’s up?”

“I can’t sleep, so I came to find you.”

Jin Sahyuk said something that didn’t quite make sense while staring at me with a
serious expression.

“You can’t sleep? What does that have to do with me?”

“Today, you asked who I was looking for in this world.”

I nodded. I did ask that earlier.

“Yeah, so what?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“At this hour…?”

“Kindspring.”

I furrowed my brows. Kind what?

“Kindspring Winter.”

Jin Sahyuk’s serious and somewhat sad expression forced me to be serious as well.

“That’s who I’m looking for. Have you heard of him?”

Kindspring Winter. I didn’t know that name. A kind spring and winter? I almost
jokingly replied with, He’s a kind person, when a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Kindspring Winter. Spring and Winter. Spring, Chun. Winter, Dong.

Chundong.

I played with the words until my thoughts suddenly stopped when I realized the
possibility. It felt like a hammer struck me in the back of my head.

“Kindspring Winter?”

I swallowed hard and muttered the name again. Could it be? No, why would Kim
Chundong’s name suddenly pop up here?

“Right, that’s who I’m looking for. It’s been a long time, so long that I didn’t even
remember my servant’s face.”

Jin Sahyuk bitterly looked at me. I slowly got up from bed and needed some time to
think on my own.

“I don’t know who that is…”

“I already found him. The royal library has portraits of every servant.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk stared at my face as though looking for someone else in it.

I remembered what Kim Chundong told me when we met in the Tower of Wish.
— We’ll meet again, but do me a favor before then…

Jin Sahyuk’s gaze remained on my face. Soon, she spoke.

“Kindspring… looked just like you.”

I became speechless.

“Oi, Kim Hajin.”

Jin Sahyuk spoke in her usual manner.

“Don’t you have something to say? You… son of a bitch.”

Something suddenly popped up in front of me. A remake notice created by a change

in the story’s setting.
[Remake Notice — Kim Chundong’s Diary]

The chirping birds woke me and dry grass tickled my back. Leaves swayed in the air
and I clearly wasn’t in my room anymore.

Several questions arose in my mind. Why was I here? Did someone kidnap me?

Honestly, it didn’t bother or startle me at all. I’d been drowning in numbness all my
life. Neither happy nor sad, so I adjusted to the dramatic change without even
flinching.

I stood up and walked through the forest to find out about my location. The more I
walked, the stranger I felt. Two moons shone above with countless twinkling stars.

After a while, I heard people talking and headed towards them. Soon, I arrived at a
strange village with people dressed in archaic clothes and buildings that looked like
they belonged to the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, my momentary confusion subsided
and I remained calm thanks to the ice attribute magic power in my heart.

I asked the villagers about this place. They said we were on the outskirts of Plerion
and that the year was 533. I quickly grasped the situation after that. I wasn’t
dreaming, someone hadn’t abducted me, and this wasn’t a game. Somehow, I had
been transported to another world.

Who brought me here? How and why did they bring me here?

Such questions didn’t matter. I only lived because I was born and had always been
alone. Where I lived felt trivial, so I began a new life in Plerion.

I trained to survive. Fortunately, Plerion contained plenty of magic power. I practiced

my swordsmanship and polished my magic power. After 10 years, I became a royal
knight.
I served and protected the royal concubine who gave birth to a daughter named
Prihi. However, the concubine never had a chance to meet Prihi in person. As the
third princess, Prihi grew up in the royal palace where her mother couldn’t enter.
The concubine could only watch her daughter from afar.

Three years passed and a child came to visit me one day. Prihi wished to meet her
mother. I found her tiny figure and sparkling eyes quite cute, so I secretly let her in.
Prihi returned after talking with her mother for 10 minutes. She gave me a big smile
and expressed her gratitude. The 3 year old child began to visit her mother once a
week and their faces grew brighter each day.

Another year passed.

Without prior notice, they transferred me to the royal central knights away from the
concubine. Prihi, unaware of my reassignment, came to visit her mother like usual.
However, they caught her and the king severely punished her. Rumors had it he
whipped her until all her tears dried. From then on, I spent my time away from the
princess and concubine.

As time went by, calamities began to appear across the entire continent. The king
also fell ill to make matters worse.

One day, the 5 year old Prihi came to see me again. She told me her mother had
passed and that her siblings had caused it. Prihi suppressed her tears and asked for
help.

Please become my servant. My mother died and I am powerless…

I realized for the first time that I could be someone’s only hope. I, too, sought hope
from her.

Even then, the princess did not know my name. I introduced myself as Kim Spring.
She asked if it was Kindspring for clarification and I simply nodded.

A lonely life without parents, friends, and love.

I swear by my name to serve Your Highness forever.

Surely I wouldn’t regret dedicating such a life to someone.

[End of Kim Chundong’s Setting.]

I chuckled as I read Kim Chundong’s diary. To sum it up, the real Kim Chundong also
went to a different world when I replaced him.

“What’s so funny?”

Jin Sahyuk frowned. She looked completely serious right now. I thought of what to
say, but how could I possibly explain this situation? I could only remain silent.

“Cough.”

Then I cleared my throat.

“Do you still hate me?” Jin Sahyuk asked with a bitter expression.

“…”

I silently stared at her. Her eyes flickered with complicated emotions. Should I insist
I’m not Kindspring and that we only look alike? However, my heart refused to lie and
violently trembled due to [Synchronization].

“Be with me again.”

Jin Sahyuk continued. She seemed confident that I was Kim Chundong.

“We’ll figure everything out once we return to our homeland. We must return to
Plerion no matter how much time has passed. Don’t you understand that?”

“…”

Her remark made me serious too. Jin Sahyuk only wished to return to Akatrina and
reconstruct Plerion. However, Akatrina’s demon realm transformation had long been
completed. Even if she could go back in time, doing so would be suicide.

“The devils have already taken control of the continent. Reconstruction is

impossible.”

I flatly opposed her, but Jin Sahyuk remained adamant.

“Then I might as well die if that’s the case. I am the king of Plerion. Life outside
Plerion is meaningless to me. I’d rather die in my country if I’m going to die anyway.”

Jin Sahyuk would never compromise since she only lived for that one reason, but I
had already decided.

“I decline.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk’s shoulders trembled. She didn’t do a very good job hiding her anger.
Fortunately, she directed it towards herself and not me.

“It’s late. Go to sleep.” I pointed at the door. Still, Jin Sahyuk looked at me without
moving. Her lips slightly trembled as if she had something to say, but no words came
out.

Click.

Eventually, I turned the light off and crawled into bed. About half an hour passed
before Jin Sahyuk’s presence finally disappeared.

“Huuu…”

I buried myself under the blanket and thought of Kim Chundong. I couldn’t come up
with any definitive answers to the questions in my head. The more I thought, the
more I felt lost.

***

A new day dawned, but Jin Sahyuk hadn’t slept at all. Miserable thoughts and anxiety
haunted her. Finally, she reached a single conclusion.

Of course he’s not going to forgive me. After all, I still haven’t apologized.

However, she still couldn’t understand one thing.

Why is Kim Hajin so fond of Prihi? She betrayed Kindspring.

“Tsk.”
Jin Sahyuk gazed outside her window at the sun. It gracefully shone on the
mountains and streams below. Her hometown bathed in blue light looked beautiful
as ever.

“What if…”

This felt all too happy and cozy to be an illusion. Couldn’t she just stay here forever
by somehow hindering the others from collecting the crystal shards? It didn’t sound
like such a bad idea.

However, she knew she shouldn’t. It would be wrong as king to settle for a fake over
the real. A king should not be complacent. A king should protect her people and her
land. A king should not abandon her country. A king should…

— No, that’s not how you do it!

A cranky voice suddenly interrupted her train of thought. She slowly got up and
discovered the dwarf called Aileen repairing the castle wall outside.

— Here, watch this. This magic power will repair the wall!

The cement perfectly aligned itself to the wall. Such a gift seemed wasted on that
dwarf.

— Hm? Miss Aileen, you’re up early.

Jin Seyeon approached the dwarf and patted her head with a bright smile.

— Yep, Kim Hajin said he’ll give me some chocolates.

Kim Hajin. That name alone ruined Jin Sahyuk’s mood.

“That dwarf…”

You can’t address him so casually. He’s not the kind of person you can befriend. He
served me first. He only lived for me and not you…

However, she had abandoned her faithful servant. Jin Sahyuk clenched her teeth and
shut the window. Then she drew the curtain and lay back in bed. Right now, she
needed more time to contemplate her decisions.
 ***

[30F, Demon King’s Castle]

Golden magic power and black demonic energy collided with each other in every
direction. The whirlpools of energy turned into a giant typhoon that violently tore
everything apart and charred the soil. The outcome lay at the eye of the storm.

Two men stood at the center after everything returned to normal. Kim Suho shone
brightly with his sword lodged in the demon king’s chest. This fatal blow finally
decided the winner.

A heavy silence filled the castle. Kim Suho froze with his sword still piercing the
demon king, who only looked at him without moving. From a distance, one could
mistake them for hugging each other. A strange happiness flickered in the demon
king’s eyes.

“Has it been… almost half a year?”

The king’s voice reverberated.

“I had a… great time… watching you grow…”

The demon king smiled and reached out to touch Kim Suho’s hair. It had grown much
longer and swayed from his touch.

“I… will not… forget you… for you granted me death…”

The king’s body turned to dust. He slowly faded away from head to toe. Kim Suho
looked at the king with unwavering eyes.

The king briefly spoke his last words.

“Thank you… I’ll gladly… accept this death…” he said in one breath.

Then the king completely disappeared as Kim Suho looked at the empty throne
across the room. The demon king had always occupied it. Kim Suho felt unfamiliar
with this vacancy.

“The final floor still remains.” The witch approached him from behind and calmly
explained.

“It is called the [Floor of Decision].”

A golden staircase appeared above the throne. The final path shone brightly as Kim
Suho nodded.

“I understand.”

“And this.”

The witch handed him a slip of paper. Kim Suho frowned in confusion after grabbing
it instinctively.

“This is?”

“You’ve been given the right to take one of the tower’s residents outside as your
supporter.”

[Summon Coupon]

“Just so you know, I am level 40.”

The witch coyly appealed to him. Kim Suho gave her a small smile and stood in front
of the staircase.

Each golden step contained a different phrase engraved on it.

[Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.]

Kim Suho climbed the stairs while reading each phrase.

[A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you.]

Kim Suho figured out the last administrator’s identity after reading that phrase.

[Though you have caused me troubles, many and bitter, I will return once again; from
the depths of the earth you will raise me.]

A saint born from a virgin and the central figure of the world’s largest religion whose
birth marked a new calendar.

Jesus Christ.

“Ah…”

The saint brightly smiled at the end of the stairs. Kim Suho diligently climbed
towards him.

***

[The Akatrina Continent]

Two months passed and we finished the castle wall’s construction along with the
communal shelter. We also mostly took care of the food supply.

“So, you don’t like studying?”

Currently, I took a walk in the garden with the young Jin Sahyuk. Flowers began to
bloom again in the barren royal garden.

“That is not the case. My teacher simply acts too tyrannical even though I am king,”
Prihi grumbled. Of course, Jin Sahyuk served as her teacher.

“You have to study to become stronger.”

The Prihi next to me only represented a materialized past. This conversation didn’t
matter, but I still encouraged her.

“As you already know, we won’t be staying here for long.”

We have already found 3 crystals. It wouldn’t take long to obtain the remaining 2
shards since we have already figured out their locations in Schupert’s territory.

“Right. You cannot stay here.” Prihi suddenly stopped. She looked at me with sad
eyes.

“It’s just that… you remind me of my old servant.”

“Servant?” My conscience pricked me. She probably meant Kim Chundong.

“Yes, but he’s a lot older than you. I sent him to prison a while ago, so I don’t even
know if he’s still alive. He used to be my most loyal servant.”

Prihi solemnly continued. I couldn’t help but think she looked cute even with that
glum expression. I wanted to pinch her chubby cheeks.

“I sent him away, but…?”

Someone suddenly blocked our path.

“What is it, Jin Sahyuk?”

The king flinched at my words. She widened her eyes and backed away.

“W-Why are you here again? We already f-finished today’s class.” Prihi feared Jin
Sahyuk who approached without hesitation.

“L-Look at this. I, I know how to condense magic power now. Isn’t this good enough?”

The king recited everything she learned earlier in the day with a frightened
expression. Nevertheless, Jin Sahyuk approached the king and grabbed her wrist.
Prihi slightly trembled and closed her eyes.

“You should practice more if you have time for chitchat.” Jin Sahyuk glared at me as
she pulled Prihi away.

“Wait, wait… I haven’t eaten yet…” Prihi pleaded, but Jin Sahyuk remained adamant
and forcefully dragged the small king.

“Geez.”

I watched them leave as I took out the [Mysterious Magnifying Glass] to check Jin
Sahyuk’s current emotions.

[Jealousy]

She envied her past self because she thought I was Kindspring.

“Hmm…” I sighed quite heavily.

“Priest Kim! Schupert has appeared! He has surrounded the castle!”

A knight came running and shouted.

Schupert came fully prepared for battle. His army numbered at least 5000 at a
glance.

“…”

Prihi looked at Count Schupert and Raylen, the two traitors, from above the castle
walls. Schupert glared at his former king.

“King, I heard you accepted the Vigilante into your ranks.”

He mentioned Shin Jonghak, which made Aileen and Jin Sahyuk frown from next to
me.

“You seem to have gained some resources from the Vigilante group.”

Count Schupert looked displeased. He could tell Plerion’s dilapidated walls had been
reinforced.

“A declaration of war will be unavoidable if you don’t hand over the man behind this.”

“…”

Prihi didn’t answer. Declaration of war. Those three words fell heavily on the young
king’s shoulders. Schupert also noticed her fear and sneered.

“Hand him over now. Nothing bad will happen to Plerion if you do. I will guarantee
what little authority you have left.”

Prihi clenched her fists at the count’s arrogance.

“Fuck off, you piece of shit!”

Someone cursed out loud. The improper language echoed throughout the castle and
everyone stared at that person in a daze.

Jin Sahyuk furiously glared at the count. He also stared at Jin Sahyuk and wondered if
he heard correctly. Jin Sahyuk only gave him a twisted smile.

“I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time.”

“Your servant lacks decorum. Perhaps she takes after—”

KWANG!

Jin Sahyuk’s spear struck the ground next to him before he could finish. Pzzzt… The
ground cracked and debris shot into the air. Schupert swallowed his saliva at the
destructive magic power.

“It won’t miss next time. Fuck off if you don’t want to die.”

Jin Sahyuk had shown more patience than ever before. Schupert angrily looked at
her.

“In 2 months, we will come to claim your heads.”

“Screw off. We planned on attacking you first, dirty traitors.”

“…”

Schupert didn’t respond. He simply shook his head instead of wasting his time.

“You heard what he said, right? He’s declaring war.” Jin Sahyuk spoke after Schupert’s
army retreated.

“We’ll begin hell training starting today. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a knight or
an ordinary soldier. If you don’t show up, I will—”

“Pft.”

A snort interrupted Jin Sahyuk and she turned around. Shin Jonghak arrogantly
stood there with his arms crossed.

“Mind your own business.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk’s face stiffened as sparks flew between them. The surrounding knights
and soldiers slowly backed away when Aileen spoke with Spirit Speech.

“Do it down there if you’re going to fight. Don’t damage the walls.”

Jin Sahyuk and Shin Jonghak obediently went down the castle walls. Then they began
fighting when they reached the bottom. Kwang! Koong! Magic power exploded and
flames erupted. Their fight seemed just as heated as their personalities.

***

[Tower of Wish, Final Floor – Constellation of Decision]

Kim Suho followed the saint to the 31st floor surrounded by glass panes on all sides
that depicted different floors in the Tower of Wish.

“I’m glad you’re the one who arrived here.”

The saint spoke. Kim Suho simply stared at the glass panes. The 2nd floor, 3rd floor,
8th floor, 16th floor, 21st floor… He could see all the tower’s players and residents.

“This is what you have achieved.”

The saint smiled, but his voice multiplied into several voices. Kim Suho turned
around and saw many existences in the form of spirits. These exalted beings had
been at the forefront of human religion: Buddha, Muhammad, etc.

“Then can I know now?” Kim Suho asked. “Why I was reborn into this world.”

It might sound foolish to ask the reason for his existence, but he still wanted to know.
The saint gently smiled and shook his head.

“You will realize your value and fate soon enough. Instead, I want to ask how you
view this tower?”

Kim Suho looked at the window panes. He saw Prestige, Crevon, the demon realm,
and the demons who shed tears at the news of their lord’s death.
“You have to make a decision.”

“A decision?” Kim Suho looked back at the saint.

The saint nodded.

“Whether to maintain this world or destroy it.”

The Tower of Wish supposedly contained all the wishes of humanity. Many residents
lived here and players from Earth also challenged themselves to change here. Players
carried hope, greed, and expectations. Residents welcomed them while envying their
freedom.

However, neither of them resented their births. The tower residents found happiness
in their own way. Some smiled while watching their children grow and others found
new love with the players from Earth.

“I…”

The Tower of Wish had become a world of its own like Akatrina and Earth. No one
had the right to destroy it.

“I wish to maintain this world.”

The saint smiled at Kim Suho’s words. “I see, but you must destroy the tower with
your own hands to achieve that.”

“Pardon?”

The saint pointed at the holy sword Misteltein.

“Cut the shell that limits this place as a tower rather than a world. Only then will this
place become a proper world.”

Kim Suho’s eyes widened.

“The Tower of Wish will become one with Earth?”

He asked with genuine curiosity. The saint shook his head and continued.
“No, they will remain separate. The tower residents still won’t be able to leave while
players can freely come and go. However, the boundary between this world and the
phenomenon realm will become much thinner and this world will become
everlasting.”

Kim Suho also knew about the phenomenon realm. Some of the administrators
always spoke about it.

“This might cause the most heinous villain or the bravest hero in history to
reappear.”

Kim Suho nodded. He didn’t need to think much. He already made his decision when
the saint first told him.

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Suho didn’t decide based on the tower residents or the players’ happiness. His
choice didn’t carry any philosophical meaning or emotional intent.

“I still wish to maintain this world.”

It simply felt right to Kim Suho.

“Then cut the tower from this place.”

Kim Suho raised his sword and magic power blazed around him as he activated his
ultimate skill. A brilliant golden light shot out from Misteltein.

Kim Suho swung his holy sword to cut the shell that restricted this world.

“—!”

The holy sword dug into the tower’s origin.

***

[Pandemonium, Chameleon Troupe’s Base]

“Is it okay then?” Cheok Jungyeong awkwardly scratched his neck on the 6th
basement floor.
“Yes, it seems you overworked your body while using this energy blast skill. You
shouldn’t use it too excessively.”

Yi Yuri smacked Cheok Jungyeong’s shoulder. Thanks to her, Cheok Jungyeong

discovered an internal injury he didn’t even know about.

“Th, tha, thanks… cough, rest well.”

Cheok Jungyeong got up while struggling to express his gratitude. Yi Yuri’s mother
grabbed him as he left.

“Wait… um… when can we go back home?”

“What?”

Cheok Jungyeong turned around. His intimidating face made Yi Yuri’s parents flinch.

“I told you, you can’t go back.”

“B-But…”

“If you do, you won’t be able to see your daughter ever again. She won’t be able to see
you either. You have to stay here for at least 5 years. It’s not that bad since you’ll all
be together, right?”

With great power came great side effects. Yi Yuri had to receive thorough training for
5 years before she could properly utilize her authority. Her body had to become
capable of handling it first.

“B-But we can’t. We have work to do and—”

“Here.”

Cheok Jungyeong threw them a gold bar. He rummaged through his pocket and
threw a few more thinking one might not be enough. They totaled 10 kg, which
amounted to 500 million won.

“We’ll give you as much money as you need. We also have a blood diamond for
training too. We’ll let you go on walks after a little while, so what’s the problem?”
Yi Yuri’s parents seemed more concerned about being trapped underground for 5
years, but Cheok Jungyeong failed to see this.

“Leaving this place will be dangerous for you. Don’t you understand? We’ll give you
more money than you can ever imagine if you just stay here for 5 years. That’s not
too much to ask, is it?”

“…”

We can’t get through to him at all. Her parents inwardly sighed and nodded as Yi Yuri
consoled them. Honestly, it felt the same to her here or in the Tower of Heroes. The
only difference might be the boy around her age named Droon. Yi Yuri faintly
blushed when she thought about him.

Woooong…

A small earthquake rippled. It felt unnatural, so Cheok Jungyeong ran out to check.
He only needed 3 seconds to arrive at Boss’ office on the 3rd underground floor.

“Boss! Did you feel that just now?”

Cheok Jungyeong called her as soon as he arrived. Then he tilted his head and
doubted his eyes for a moment. Boss wore a bear head of some sort.

“Mm, you’re here, Gyeong.”

“Boss, what’s that?”

“Oh, this? I got an effective good selector that only worked on Lv.4 items or below, so
I brought this back.”

Her first gift from Kim Hajin. Boss played with the bear’s cheeks with a satisfied
smile.

“This thing has a surprisingly high magic affinity. I want to enchant it.”

“Uh… right. Anyways, did you feel that earthquake?”

“Oh, that?” Boss leisurely looked outside the window at the golden light that
flickered in the sky.
“Looks like the Tower of Wish is ending.”

“The Tower of Wish is… ending?”

“Yes, Kim Suho must’ve done it.”

Chwaaa… The brilliant golden light spread across the entire sky. All of humanity saw
the wave of light that signaled the tower’s end.

[Player MasterHolySword has conquered the Tower of Wish]

***

[Akatrina]

Prihi prepared for war against Schupert. She had many soldiers at her disposal.
Around 4000 people came to the capital from all over Akatrina after hearing that
Plerion had been restored and that the Vigilante had joined her. Plerion’s population
now reached 13000.

Jin Sahyuk served as commander and selected the 3000 most talented individuals to
form her army. Thankfully, we had more than enough food to go around. Our 3
crystal shards provided ample livestock and the fertile farmland could be harvested
once every 2-3 weeks.

Plerion’s northeast mines also returned to operation. The king gathered miners and
paid them with food. Around 100 or so volunteered for this position. Aileen became
their supervisor and her Spirit Speech greatly improved their efficiency.

Blacksmiths also went back to work once they received the ores. Yi Yonghwa melted
the ores with his hellfire and I crafted armor and weapons with Young Dwarf ’s
Dexterity.

[Young Dwarf’s Dexterity has improved to grade 3!]

My gift finally increased after a month of making 20 armor and swords every day.

“The capital has changed a lot thanks to all of you.”

Currently, I met the king in her bedroom.

“We still have several obstacles,” I said to Prihi as she smiled in bed.

“Haha, what do I have to fear? Plerion’s reconstruction is only a matter of time.”

“You should sleep. It’s getting late.”

“…”

However, Prihi refused to sleep. She seemed to be hoping for something. I grinned
and took out a book, the tale of Romeo and Juliet, which I copied down with my
laptop’s functions. Prihi’s eyes sparkled.

“Do you want to read before going to bed again?”

“Y-Yes. What genre is it this time?” Prihi quickly took the book.

“It’s a romance story. A tragedy to be more precise.”

“A tragedy…”

Prihi already seemed sad as she opened the book and I slowly left the room.

“Huuu.”

I sighed and descended the stairs. Suddenly, I thought of the crystal shards. We
already possessed three. Count Schupert carried one while his knight, Raylen,
carried the other. As for the sixth crystal shard… I didn’t need to look for it. I already
found it hidden deep inside Prihi’s bedroom. She must’ve hidden it to prevent us
from going back.

“What are you sighing for?” Jin Sahyuk’s sharp voice rang out as I walked down the
stairs.

“…”

She stood on the other side of the staircase and must’ve fought Shin Jonghak judging
from her slightly charred hair.

“You don’t want to go back either?”

I shook my head at her words. “Of course not. What about you? Wouldn’t you want to
stay here forever?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Puharen isn’t in this world.”

I explained to her. This materialized past didn’t contain Kim Suho or Puharen, who
became a devil and destroyed the kingdom. This world should continue for a long
time.

Surprisingly, Jin Sahyuk refused.

“I’m not interested in what’s fake.”

“Is that so?”

“You seem to be.”

“What?” I only stayed close to Prihi to receive the co-author’s rewards. Jin Sahyuk
didn’t know and sent me a sharp look.

“The Prihi you’re talking to is fake.”

“I know that.”

“Do you?”

Jin Sahyuk looked serious. She had been acting too forward recently. Should I tell her
that I’m not Kim Chundong? Well, even if wanted to… [Synchronization – 8%]. The
synchronization rate had already become too high. My foot must’ve already become
Kim Chundong’s at 8%. I should just remain silent while talking to her.

“Go to sleep.”

I walked past her as she blocked my path. Her voice rang out over the distance
between us.

“Your king isn’t her, but me.”

I ignored her and continued walking.

“I’m the real one!”

Can she just shut up for one second? As I thought that, she screamed at the top of her
lungs.

“Kim Hajin! It’s me!”

She kept filming a drama by herself. I didn’t say a word and went downstairs to the
1st floor. Aileen and Seo Youngji happened to also be in the first floor’s reception
room.

“…”

“…”

Did they overhear our conversation? Their hands slightly trembled as I thought
about what to say.

“L-Lady Aileen, how have things been recently?”

“M-Me? W-Well, it’s been fun. I’m eating chocolates. Nom, nom.”

Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the situation. They definitely heard us. I
sighed and an even louder scream than Jin Sahyuk’s rang out through the royal
palace’s crystal ball.

— It’s an emergency! Schupert’s army is making a move!

Everyone in the reception room jumped in surprise. They made a move already? We
ran to the castle walls with soldiers and knights already on standby.

“Priest Kim!” A knight called me and I jumped on top of the castle wall.

“What happened?”

“Look over there.”

The knight pointed towards the horizon. I could see something moving en masse, so I
widened my eyes to take a closer look. However…

“The heck?”

“Can you see them?”

“Yes, but they’re…”

Citizens, refugees to be exact, ran towards us instead of the enemy.

— Aiya.

— Mommy, I left my toy behind.

— Haaargh, I can’t walk anymore.

I focused stigma’s magic power into my eyes and my vision stretched past the
marching refugees, mountains, and rivers until it reached Schupert’s castle.

“Ah…”

A giant existence about 5 meters tall stood among a mist of demonic energy and
continued to destroy everything in sight. Then a new alert popped up in front of me.

[Third Goal – Stop the devil or escape from the recorded past.]

Jin Sahyuk’s stepbrother, Puharen, actually materialized in this world as a devil.

“Well, shit…”

Schupert must’ve kept him captive.

Prihi’s stepbrother, Puharen, was the youngest and became the crown prince as the
queen’s only son. However, he held no interest in the throne and his feeble nature
didn’t suit it either. He was also far too young to be king.

After the former king died, Prihi imprisoned Puharen with the help of her other
siblings who also hoped to become king. Soon, Prihi’s siblings began to die one after
another under mysterious circumstances. The third and fourth heirs passed away in
fatal accidents. The second heir died from food poisoning and Prihi became the only
one left.

“Devil?” Jin Sahyuk approached and interrupted my train of thought.

“Puharen is right over there.”

I nodded and gestured into the distance.

Jin Sahyuk’s expression immediately froze. She turned to face me in astonishment.

“Pu, what, Puharen!”

“Yeah.”

“You said he wasn’t here!”

“That’s what I thought.”

“What the…”

Stunned, Jin Sahyuk looked at the other side of the wall. Refugees approached the
castle as Puharen’s demonic fog spread across the land.

“Fuck.”
Jin Sahyuk muttered. To her, Puharen symbolized fear itself. Her response seemed
reasonable since Puharen’s devil, Morax, should be even stronger than Plucas.

“What happened?”

Prihi soon arrived. She climbed up the castle wall and looked at the procession of
refugees stretched across the horizon.

“Refugees.”

A knight told her. I estimated at least 10,000 at a glance.

“Refugees?” Prihi frowned.

“Yes, it appears Schupert’s territory has experienced some kind of disturbance.

They’re trying to take shelter here.”

Prihi remained silent and watched them march closer to the royal palace gate.

“Your Highness, please give us your order.”

A knight finally urged her after a long time. Prihi studied the refugees’ faces as Jin
Sahyuk and I looked at her.

“…”

She silently pondered and didn’t know if Plerion could afford such a sharp increase
in population. They could grow crops in the city now, but they would certainly suffer
a shortage if the population suddenly doubled. She also faced a moral dilemma.
Those refugees used to be Schupert’s citizens and all betrayed the king.

“Those people betrayed us and joined hands with Schupert.”

Prihi finally opened her mouth. Everyone braced for her next words.

“However…”

Prihi continued as she clenched her fists. Her small hands showed determination.

“People strive to survive.”

Jin Sahyuk watched Prihi in a daze. I hoped Jin Sahyuk would learn a thing or two
from Prihi, who acted completely different from her current self.

“Therefore, I am also at fault for their betrayals.”

The refugees finally arrived at the castle and begged us to open the gate.

Prihi looked down at them and shouted, “Open… the gate!”

“The king has commanded us!” the knights roared.

“Open the gate! Open the gate!”

The gate slowly opened with loud cries and the refugees rushed inside with cheers.
The remaining knights jumped off the walls to protect them.

“This barrier will protect everyone.”

Aileen also activated her Spirit Speech. Guoooo— A magic power barrier instantly
stretched and covered the sky. This giant barrier protected the entire procession of
refugees. Its size looked simply overwhelming. As expected of the human dwarf… I
mean dragon.

Chwaaa…

Hundreds of magic arrows blasted past the barrier. Jin Seyeon aimed precisely at the
monsters terrorizing the refugees. Numerous knights, Shin Jonghak, Yi Yongha, and
Seo Youngji also stepped forward to help.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” I nudged Jin Sahyuk who stood still while looking
at Prihi. She flinched and turned to me.

“Haaa,” Jin Sahyuk sighed.

“I’ve said this before, but…”

Jin Sahyuk clenched her fists.

“I’m the real one. Don’t forget that. I’m the only real one.”
Jin Sahyuk jumped off the rampart to the battlefield below.

***

[Korea, Tower of Heroes]

The tower’s outer shell crumbled after Kim Suho cleared it. At first, people assumed
the tower had been destroyed. Panic swept across the globe and stocks plummeted.
Then announcements came that the tower remained intact and only slightly
changed. People could still enter and players inside could carry on with their
adventures.

“When is he coming out? It’s taking too long.” Chae Nayun asked in a cafe on the
Tower of Heroes’ 3rd floor.

“The association probably has a lot to ask him. Mainly about the reward he received
for clearing the tower. They must be curious if he would like to kindly share it with
them. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to pay an unbelievable amount of taxes.”

Kim Suho’s meeting with the association executives went on for 3 hours straight.
Those who came to celebrate his success all waited for him.

“Tsk.” Yoo Yeonha disliked the association for this very reason. Who had the stupid
idea to hold a meeting with someone who just came back from the tower without
any rest? She clicked her tongue in discontent.

“I’m so fed up with these association guys.” Chae Nayun muttered a similar response.

“Oh, is that Nayun and Yeonha?”

“…?”

They both turned at the soft and familiar voice. Yun Seung-Ah, the guild leader of
Creator’s Sacred Grace, greeted them.

“Oh wow! It’s been a while, unnie.”

“Hello.”

Chae Nayun seemed happy to see her, but Yoo Yeonha struggled to hide her
discomfort.

“It’s nice to see both of you.”

Yun Seung-Ah sat at their table with a smile.

“I see you put up your hair, Nayun. It’s cute.”

Chae Nayun wore her hair in a ponytail. She happily brushed it, but also seemed
slightly embarrassed by the compliment.

“Haha… Long hair gets in my way a lot, so I decided to tie it up. I’m going to cut it
short soon.”

“You shouldn’t. It looks pretty right now.”

Yun Seung-Ah patted Chae Nayun on the head and turned towards Yoo Yeonha.

“Mmm, Yeonha?”

“Yes?”

Yoo Yeonha felt uncomfortable around Yun Seung-Ah and Yun Seung-Ah probably felt
the same because of the relationship between Creator’s Sacred Grace and Essence of
the Strait. Essence of the Strait currently ranked first and became virtually
invincible, but the two guilds always fiercely competed with each other.

Yun Seung-Ah attacked first.

“I almost felt sorry for you, but I’m glad everything worked out. I heard Essence of
the Strait invested a lot of money in the Tower of Wish. Good thing it didn’t collapse.”

She meant Creator’s Sacred Grace ended up winning despite the astronomical
amount Essence of the Strait invested.

“Right. It seems people can still freely enter the tower as long as they have an
entrance ticket. Nothing seems to have changed, so it’s not a big deal. Rather, I
believe the tower has become an even bigger market.”

Yoo Yeonha replied while looking at Yun Seung-Ah.

“It’s such a shame other guilds manage most of the profitable enterprises inside even
though Suho won. I’m sorry.”

Yun Seung-Ah’s eyebrow slightly twitched at Yoo Yeonha’s pity and sympathy.

“Ah, please don’t be. After all, we’ll get the reward for clearing the tower. I’m curious
what it’ll be.”

“Pardon? I thought the reward belonged to Suho.”

Yoo Yeonha feigned a sympathetic smile. Yun Seung-Ah found her rival’s tone
extremely irritable and the veins near her temple protruded.

“Kim Suho is Creator’s Sacred Grace. He’ll be promoted to vice leader soon.”

“Really? I heard the salary for your guild’s vice leader only amounts to the same as
other guilds’ team leaders.”

Yoo Yeonha tried to money shame Yun Seung-Ah, who immediately countered.

“Isn’t that still better than having a mere chief officer manage everything?”

“Hahaha.”

“Hahahaha.”

The two continued smiling at each other. The blades lurking in their eyes looked
sharp as ever and Chae Nayun chose to stay out of their conversation.

“Lately, rumors have been floating that you’re the hidden leader.”

“Oh, right!” Yoo Yeonha interrupted Yun Seung-Ah. She grinned and clapped her
hands.

“I heard your birthday passed a while ago. Congratulations. How old are you now?
32? 33?”

“…”

That dealt a fatal blow. Yun Seung-Ah couldn’t say anything and her expression froze.
She wanted to point out the unfair question, but doing so would only unveil her
insecurity. Instead, she smiled leisurely.

“Oh, you don’t have to congratulate me. After all, you’ll be my age sooner or later.”

“Even then, I’ll be a lot younger than you.”

“…”

Yun Seung-Ah felt as if Yoo Yeonha’s words had punched her on the chin. Tears
sprang up in her eyes since she wasted away all those years for her guild. She used to
be young too.

“Damn it. Why are you even here?”

Finally, Yun Seung-Ah dropped all the pretense. Yoo Yeonha replied with a victorious
smile.

“I’m here to congratulate Suho. Also, he asked me about Orden.”

“As I thought. Seriously, he’s too diligent.”

Yun Seung-Ah sighed. He planned on dealing with Orden immediately after the
Tower of Wish even though she urged him to rest.

“Nayun, are you also here for Orden?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Why?”

Chae Nayun bitterly smiled. She wasn’t exactly stable right now. A lot of things still
lingered on her mind like the Kwang-Oh Incident, her father, her grandfather, Kim
Hajin, and Chae Jinyoon. She wanted to clarify her doubts.

“Because Kim Hajin is there.”

***

[Pandemonium, Plaza Basement]

Boss finished preparing for the [Orden Assassination Team]. The djinns would arrive
tomorrow and they would commence the mission the following day.

“Wicked?” Boss tilted her head, intrigued by the rumor she just heard.

“Yep, apparently Wicked got into a bad situation with all her henchmen arrested.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Well, the truth is…”

Jain explained the rumor in detail. After the Chameleon Troupe’s last meeting with
Wicked, every single one of her key personnel got arrested and imprisoned on the
16th floor. Jain didn’t know why, but losing all executives would be damaging even
for Wicked.

“For now, we’re safe because our goals align. However, Wicked and other djinns
might try to murder us after we deal with Orden.”

Boss, Jain, and even Kim Hajin didn’t know about the arrests. One might call it the
result of excessive loyalty.

“Then what’s Wicked up to right now?”

Jain grinned mischievously at Boss’s question.

“She’s probably binge drinking. Rumor says she cries to sleep every night. Hehehe.”

“Hmm. Cry? That woman?”

Wicked always acted notoriously cold-blooded. Sure, she also appeared cheery and
rewarded obedience, but showed no compassion towards disobedience. She must’ve
killed over 4 digits by now when it came to just djinns.

“A lot of people have seen her with puffy eyes.”

Boss briefly imagined Wicked with puffy eyes, but found it difficult to picture any
djinn crying.

“Wicked must be super desperate for our help. She heard we reached the 29th floor
and wanted to ask if Black Lotus could help release her people.”

“And in return?”

Boss put on a menacing expression. She despised people who asked for favors
without offering anything.

“She’s offering us Pandemonium’s fighting arena. Remember how Wicked took over
the arena last time?”

“Hmm, arena… Tell her we’ll think about it.”

***

Meanwhile, Wicked lay in bed around the same time. She sighed and vacantly stared
at the ceiling with no idea how she got herself into this mess.

“Damn it.”

Every single one of her executives got imprisoned. She raised them herself and they
served her directly. All of them equaled at least a high rank, grade 4 hero. Wicked felt
extremely proud of her executive team since she rose to the top with them.

Of course, losing her executives didn’t mean she became weaker. After all, Wicked
could match any master rank hero. However, her group began to fall apart without
its executives. She couldn’t guarantee they would win against Terror now.

“Those sons of bitches.”

Wicked clenched her teeth when she thought about the 16th floor’s prison. She tried
using connections to get her executives out, but failed miserably. Her attempt to
physically destroy the prison also proved futile. The 16th floor’s NPCs all boasted
great strength and skills, but something called the [System] also drastically reduced
her stats.

— Wicked.

“What!”

She shouted at the voice over the intercom. Recently, she’d been overcome with the
horror of dying. Without her executives, she didn’t want to think about what would
happen if Terror allied with Destruction and raided them.

“Cough. Yeah, so what?”

Wicked jumped to her feet and feigned her usual cheerfulness in front of her
underlings.

— We’ve received a message from the Chameleon Troupe.

“What? The Chameleon Troupe?”

— Yes. I think they left a message regarding the issue on the 16th floor. They said
they’ll think about it.

Wicked’s heart immediately sank, but she feigned nonchalance and nodded.

“Pfft. The Chameleon Troupe wouldn’t be able to do anything we couldn’t. Tell them
we’ll be waiting and get back to your training!”

— Yes, understood.

Tk. Wicked sighed after the call disconnected.

“Dammit.”

She couldn’t believe a pack of thieves became her last hope.

How did it come to this? How can I, Wicked, be dragged down by a mere prison? Does
this mean the executives I raised lost to a bunch of NPCs?

She couldn’t comprehend the situation no matter how hard she thought about it. Her
downfall felt too disgraceful. Wicked trembled in anger with her eyes closed.

***

[Akatrina Continent]

Refugees continued to pour in until daybreak. We closed the gate after letting the last
one in. One of the refugees turned out to be the sword master, Raylen.
We planned to interrogate him, but he seemed to have lost his mind and kept
muttering to himself. We had no choice but to use Aileen’s hypnosis.

“Huu…”

The interrogation currently took place in the dungeon. I climbed back to the
reception room on the first floor and rested on a chair. My thoughts drifted to
Puharen. This quest just got much more difficult now that he fully devilized.

“So you came here.”

I contemplated how to solve this mess when Jin Seyeon approached me.

“Did the interrogation finish?” I asked her.

“No. He can’t form sentences very well, but I’m sure everything will work out since
Miss Aileen is doing her best.”

Jin Seyeon replied with a small smile, “More importantly, what do you plan on doing
now, Hajin?”

“I don’t know.”

I only had two options left after the situation spiraled to this.

“We can kill the devil or just run away.”

“Run away?”

“Yes, we can escape since Raylen brought the two remaining crystals.”

Of course, I didn’t feel too excited about running away. This world might only be a
manifestation of the past, but I grew quite fond of it. My synchronization must’ve
also affected me.

“Mmm…”

Jin Seyeon also suffered from the same dilemma. Nevertheless, we couldn’t just
attack him. Morax fully awakened as a devil and ranked 21st among all devils.
“The devil we’re up against is much stronger than the one Chae Joochul fought.”

This world didn’t have Kim Suho or Chae Joochul. Jin Seyeon fell silent at my remark.
This silence continued until the morning sun shone through the window.

“Hajin.”

Jin Seyeon finally opened her mouth. She wore a big smile on her face.

“This has nothing to do with our current situation, but…”

Her tone always sounded genuine without any pretense or insincerity. It felt
soothing just like I described in my settings.

“Do you know about the Kwang-Oh Incident?”

Her question startled me. Jin Seyeon already asked me about it when I disguised as
Black Lotus.

“I’ve heard of it, but why are you suddenly asking?”

“…”

Jin Seyeon mysteriously smiled in an all-knowing way.

“Honestly, I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while.”

She stared at me as if I had to absolutely listen to her next words.

“I also lost my parents to that incident.”

“…”

I froze for a long time and didn’t know how to respond to Jin Seyeon’s confession.
She spoke first as I pondered.

“It hasn’t been that long since I found out. I pestered my friend over and over again…
over again… Oregon…”

“Huh?”

My eyebrows furrowed at Jin Seyeon’s strange joke. She snickered and shook her
head.

“I’m just kidding. Sorry.”

“Erm… So you heard from your friend?”

“Yes.”

I stared at her. Jin Seyeon wasn’t meant to be an important character in the original
story. She didn’t receive much screen time despite being a master rank hero. I didn’t
write anything special about her background, so the co-author would’ve had free
rein to add whatever he wanted.

“Friend… Is it Yoo Jinhyuk?”

Only Yoo Jinhyuk knew about my past and would tell someone about it. I must’ve
guessed correctly as she slightly flinched.

“As I thought, you knew.”

“He’s a well-known person.”

“Cough… Honestly, he didn’t tell me much. I’ve known Jinhyuk since a young age, so I
could tell from his facial expressions. He can’t hide anything from me, hahaha.”

Jin Seyeon laughed, but suddenly looked bitter as she faced me.

“I knew a long time ago that someone had survived since I investigated it myself.
Two years ago, I found out that you might’ve been the survivor and wanted to meet
you ever since. Of course, I had to confirm my suspicions first.”

I listened to Jin Seyeon’s serious voice and remained silent.

“Then I went to see Jinhyuk. He didn’t answer my questions, but his expressions did.”

I didn’t have Chundong’s memories, so I didn’t know what Chundong knew about the
incident. This unexplainable past only proved that I didn’t belong here. I had only
replaced Chundong and Kim Hajin’s past didn’t exist in this world.

“My father died at the Kwang-Oh Evacuation Shelter. His name was Jin Younghwan.
He should’ve been the strongest and the bravest hero there. He died while protecting
the civilians.”

Jin Younghwan. I never wrote such a character, but I knew his name from the diary
Yoo Yeonha showed me.

“And what are you getting at?” I briefly spoke.

Jin Seyeon smiled. She must’ve prepared for this.

“We can’t just abandon this world even if it’s fake, like how my father didn’t run away
from Kwang-Oh.”

“…”

I looked at my hand. The lines of my palm stretched out like a complicated spider
web.

“I really like this quote from a book.” Jin Seyeon suddenly recited what she once read.

“To confront what must be confronted.”

“…?”

My eyes widened. In this world, Korean history became one of the most important
subjects. The book, Namhansanseong Fortress, should also be a best seller in this
world.

“I think I’ve read that book before.”

I bitterly smiled at what I shared with the people of this world, a part of my Earth
recorded in my settings.

“Let’s fight and not run away.”

Jin Seyeon spoke with a warm smile.

***

Aileen approached me the next day as I stretched.

“What beautiful weather.”

She looked at the sky with somewhat drowsy eyes. She seemed exhausted from
interrogating Raylen with her magic power.

“It’s the crystal shard’s effect that Raylen brought. It improves the weather within a 6
km radius.”

The two crystals Raylen brought contained different effects. The first one improved
the weather and the second amplified a weapon’s power.

“I see. I guess I’ll stretch too.”

One, two, one, two… Aileen stretched for about 15 seconds before stopping. Then she
stole a glance at me before crying out.

“Aah… I suddenly feel so dizzy…”

She stuttered like a falling leaf and collapsed to the ground. I blankly stared at her as
she spoke with rough breathing.
“I’m hurt.”

“…”

She simply wanted chocolate. I laughed and threw one over. Then she shot up
energetically.

“Anyways, are you confident?”

“Hm? What do you mean? Nom, nom.” Aileen asked while nibbling on the chocolate.

“I heard you decided to fight too.”

“Who do you think I am?”

Gulp. Aileen swallowed the chocolate and pouted at me.

“That old man Chae Joochul killed a devil by himself, so why can’t I?”

“I guess you’re right.”

I laughed and nodded. Then Aileen put on a strange expression.

“So what’s your relationship with Jin Sahyuk? I heard both of you talking about a fake
king and real king.”

“Oh, that? It’s a secret.”

“What?”

I threw Aileen another chocolate before she could get mad. Nom, nom, nom— She
quietly nibbled on it.

“Alright, let’s train.”

“I’ll let you off this time since this chocolate’s so good.”

Aileen and I headed to the training hall.

***
Misteltein also absorbed a portion of the tower’s essence when it destroyed the
outer shell. Absorbing this divine power finally completed Misteltein’s awakening.

[Awakened – Wish Sword] ▷ [Wish Sword] [Pinnacle Grade] [Composite Attribute of

Fighting, Light, and Holy] — Sword Resonance: The holy sword’s ringing will pierce the
mind and shake the heart. — Sword Crest: The height of all swords. You may freely
form sword qi and sword reinforcement. Will become one with the user and eternally
stay by the user’s side. — Divine Power Release: You may gather and release divine
power from your sword.

Misteltein’s final form, the Wish Sword, could form sword qi and sword
reinforcement without magic power. It could even cut space and time with Kim
Suho’s Sword Saint gift.

However, Kim Suho didn’t reveal this to the Hero Association. They questioned him
about his rewards for a long time, but Kim Suho only said he received 3 pieces of
paper and a single item. The association obviously didn’t believe him and even
invited an agent whose gift could detect lies. However, Kim Suho severed the
investigating agent’s gift and turned his lie into truth.

“Really? That’s all you received from the tower?”

“Yes.”

Even Yun Seung-Ah felt flustered. She looked forward to hearing about his rewards
and secretly hoped Kim Suho might now own the tower. At the very least, she hoped
he would’ve received an infinite supply of entrance tickets.

“That’s unexpectedly cheap. The journey must’ve been the reward.”

Chae Nayun widened her eyes at Yoo Yeonha’s assessment.

“Damn, can I quote you on that? The journey must’ve been the reward.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“So what items did you get?” Yun Seung-Ah quickly asked.

“Ah, it’s this.”

Kim Suho proudly told them about his rewards: the [Lv.11 Flying Cape], [Supporter
Summon Coupon], and two [Point Coupons]. The summon coupon meant he could
even summon the witch.

“Oh… I see.”

Yun Seung-Ah nodded. The summon coupon sounded useful, but the witch slightly
bothered her.

“Suho, can you write down your bank account?”

Yoo Yeonha tapped her smartwatch and asked. Kim Suho tilted his head.

“Bank account? Why?”

“Our guild placed a bounty on the tower. We’re supposed to reward whoever
conquered it.”

“What?”

Yun Seung-Ah openly expressed her discontent. “You put a bounty on it? Wasn’t that
only for your guild members?”

“No, we decided to give it to whoever conquered it. For the record, it’s 10 billion
won.”

“It’s fine. We don’t need it. We’re not that desp— Wait, 10 what? 10 billion?”

Yun Seung-Ah’s eyes widened and Yoo Yeonha proudly smiled.

“Yes, 10 billion won. Suho can also ask for items worth 10 billion won.”

Yun Seung-Ah became speechless. Korean won became the most stable currency in
the world, so 10 billion won wasn’t a small amount.

“You’re that rich?”

“Of course. Even the mansion I live in cost tens of billions.”

“…”
Yoo Yeonha furrowed her brows at the speechless Yun Seung-Ah.

“Aren’t you underestimating us too much? Including our subsidiary businesses, we

make more in a month than Creator’s Sacred Grace does in a year.”

“…”

Yun Seung-Ah could only keep her mouth shut. Essence Dynamics, Essential
Pharmacy, Essence University, Essence Foundation, etc. Indeed, Essence of the
Strait’s subsidiaries only gained more fame as time went on.

“Suho, give her your bank info. Let’s take the 10 billion,” Yun Seung-Ah spoke
dejectedly.

“Ah, okay.”

Kim Suho wrote down his bank account. Then he stared at Yoo Yeonha.

“So…”

His expression turned serious and he wanted to ask her several questions.

“Tell me about Hajin. I heard Orden kidnapped him.”

An uncharacteristic rage filled his voice.

***

[Akatrina Continent]

The battle’s preparation went smoothly. Plerion’s soldiers and knights trained every
day as we planned our strategy. Puharen should lack the ability to discern traps
because of his rage. We decided to use that to our advantage and spent the past 2
weeks digging a huge trap. Then we inscribed a magic power trap powerful enough
to blow up any monster.

Meanwhile, Prihi oversaw the cultivation of crops and livestock. Everyone regained
trust in their king thanks to her efforts and encouragement. Plerion felt more like a
country now. However, we didn’t have much time left.
“The devil is coming.”

Koong— Koong—

On a full moon night, the devil’s footsteps rumbled towards us after he destroyed
Schupert’s territory.

“Yes, I can see him.”

Civilians evacuated to the farthest part of the city while we came to the outskirts
with Plerion’s soldiers and knights. We stood on the castle walls and stared into the
darkness. A devil with a huge body and a bull-like head marched towards us.

“We’ll grow stronger by another realm if we can get through this. We can do it.” Jin
Seyeon encouraged everyone.

“We can return home once this is over, right?”

“Of course, don’t worry.”

Seo Youngji and Yi Yongha consoled each other. Did nothing really happen between
them?

“Quiet, you two. Stopping crying all the time.”

“He’s coming. Get ready.”

Everyone prepared for battle after Aileen grumbled and Shin Jonghak murmured.

I stared at the sauntering giant. The devil seemed to grow bigger as he arrived. My
heart pounded and fear overcame me. A part of me wanted to run.

“Huu…”

I took a deep breath and looked around. The Divine Archer Jin Seyeon, Spirit Speech
Master Aileen, Assassin Seo Youngji, Hellfire Yi Yongha, Final Boss Jin Sahyuk, and
Vegeta/Black Flame Dragon Shin Jonghak. I believed we could win since I also had
the authority, [Devil Hunter].

I took out my bullets with a trembling heart.

“Synthesis.”

Then I used [Lv.10 Synthesis] on my 300 sniper bullets. I fused hundreds of bullets
into one to increase its destructive power. I also added a [Continental Fragment
Piece] to the bullet.

[Continental Fragment Piece] — A crystal that maintains the recorded past. — Will
amplify the weapon it is embedded in.

Finally, I finished all my preparations.

“I’ll make the first move.”

I climbed the watchtower and activated my ultimate skill, [Complete Understanding

of Spirit Power].

Tzzzt…

Crimson sparks crackled around me and a sense of omnipotence surged within me

along with a bottomless supply of energy.

“Whew.”

I transformed the Desert Eagle into a sniper rifle and enhanced it with various
abilities.

I used [Random Consolidation] on the bullet and gun, boosted my stats with every
effect from [Medicinal Memory Physique], activated [Aether] and [Algorithm], used
[Partial Devilization] on my right arm, poured 5 streaks of stigma into my bullet, and
even used [Overclocking] to boost stigma even more.

“Auu…”

Overclocking used my life force to add additional streaks of stigma. The process
made me twist in pain as if someone stabbed me with a knife. Even so, I clenched my
teeth and endured until the 6th and 7th streaks of stigma went into the bullet.

Kwaaaaaa!

Stigma surpassed its limits and a visible aura erupted from the Desert Eagle. Magic
power and spirit power swirled together to form a huge whirlpool. I mustered my
strongest attack.

KOONG!

The devil finally stepped on the trap. Tree roots and magma erupted to restrain his
movements. Aileen activated her Spirit Speech at the same time.

“A lightning bolt will strike you down!”

Lighting flashed and briefly stopped the devil’s movements.

I aimed at the devil’s vital point around its belly button. A demonic energy barrier
protected him, but my anti-magic property should easily pierce it. I didn’t hesitate at
all.

Click!

I pulled the trigger. It felt like my soul also shot out. A loud bang reverberated and
my body flew back from the recoil. The Desert Eagle’s chamber also burst.

KWAAAAA!

The bullet spiraled with a huge torrent of energy. Even my eyes couldn’t estimate its
speed.

—!

Stigma’s magic power instantly destroyed the barrier and dug into the devil. Soon, it
pierced his body and destroyed his organs.

— Guoooo…

The devil screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing. Wait. Why
did he suddenly fall?

“W-What happened?”

Aileen’s voice rang out and she looked just as shocked as me.
Koooong…

A huge earthquake occurred after the devil fell. He didn’t move an inch and seemed
completely dead.

“The heck? Did he die?”

Aileen murmured. She wasn’t the only one surprised. Shin Jonghak jumped down
from the castle wall, Jin Seyeon had prepared to shoot her magic arrows, Yi Yongha
also had his hellfire ready, and Jin Sahyuk continued watching the entire scene.
Everyone looked at me in a daze.

Then Jin Sahyuk jumped to the watchtower.

“Kim Hajin, you…”

She paused in the middle of her words and looked shocked.

“Y-Your eyes are bleeding!”

“…”

I almost asked what the hell she meant when I coughed a mouthful of blood. Kuhuk!
Blood splurted out and my vision turned blurry. I staggered back and forth while
feeling nauseous.

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

Jin Sahyuk held me up as I emptied my stomach. Reddish-black blood and vomit

came out like a waterfall. Then I closed my eyes.

“Kim Hajin—”

Jin Sahyuk’s voice cut off and several alerts popped up in the darkness. [The devil…],
[Devil Hunter…], etc. Only one alert caught my attention.

[You have spent 3 years of your lifespan from Overclocking.]

“…”

My consciousness returned and I slowly opened my eyes. I felt a soft mattress

underneath me and read the sentences that blocked my view.

[New Episode Complete — You have succeeded in stopping the devil.] [Your authority,
Devil Hunter, has increased after inflicting fatal damage to the materialized devil.]
[You have acquired 485 SP] [Your Master Sharpshooter proficiency has dramatically
increased.] [Algorithm and aether’s maximum outputs have been enhanced.] [Aether
partially understands the existence of a devil now.] [Your physical lifespan has been
reduced by 3 years.]

Of course, the message about my lifespan stood out the most.

“Huuu.”

I raised my upper body with a sigh. I expected [Overclocking] to have some side
effects, but added 2 additional streaks of stigma because I thought it wouldn’t be
enough. Of course, I probably should’ve realized a materialized devil would be
weaker than an actual devil.

[Damage inflicted on the materialized devil Morax: 96%]

I either underestimated myself or overestimated the devil. I ended up inflicting 96%

of the damage by myself. My single attack probably left it on its last breath while the
others finished off the remaining 4%.

“How do you feel?”

I heard a voice as I checked my condition. Jin Sahyuk stood there as I turned around.

“Fine,” I briefly answered her.

I lost 3 years of my life, but didn’t worry much.

[Abnormal Status] Major wound — You have lost 3 years of life (Currently recovering
through the Orb of Regeneration).

The Orb of Regeneration already began to heal me. It would probably take 3-4
months to fully restore my lifespan.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk stared at me. Her strange gaze and silence felt unfamiliar. She finally
spoke after a while.

“I understand your intentions.”

“What? What intentions?”

How would she know when I didn’t myself? Jin Sahyuk turned back without replying. I
took out the magnifying glass and examined her emotions.

[Remorse, Resolution, Resignation]

I couldn’t understand her feelings at all. Kiik— The door shut amidst my confusion.

“What was that?”

I had no idea what she meant, but whatever. I had successfully claimed every reward
from this small arc by defeating the devil. This arc also allowed me to gauge my
strength and I seemed to be much stronger than I thought.

[Clear Rewards] — 1. Mysterious Magnifying Glass 2. Omnipotent Magic Pen 3.

Purifying Crystal 4. ???

“Mmm.”

Naturally, I grew most curious about the fourth reward. Tiriring— Suddenly, a
notification window popped up.

[You may ask me one question because you have completed this episode.] [The question
may also be a favor. I will grant it if it is within reason.]
“What?”

My eyes widened. I had never seen this type of message before. It clearly came from
an unknown existence with intelligence.

“What the, who are you?”

[Is that your question?]

“Huh?”

Calm down. You need to stay calm.

“No, no. That’s not it.”

I stared at the window in a daze. Was this the fourth reward? A chance to interact
with the co-author? If so, what should I ask? Gulp— I tried my best to come up with a
question. Then I came to my senses. I couldn’t decide on something like this right
away.

“Later.”

I shook my head and tried not to rush. I should wait until a more decisive moment
whether it be a question or a favor.

[I see.]

Thud!

“Hey, hey!”

The door burst open and several people rushed in: Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, Seo
Youngji, and also Prihi and her knights. All of them seemed surprised.

“What’s up with you? You said the devil was super strong, but you killed him by
yourself!” Aileen shouted in a cheeky tone.

“Ah, well, he turned out much weaker than I expected…”

Now I would have to spend hours explaining what happened. I smiled, but inwardly
sighed.

***

[Orden’s Kingdom]

Meanwhile, the assassination plans commenced on Earth. The djinns divided into
teams and proceeded into the western territory. Heroes, including those who
belonged to the association, proceeded into the eastern territory. The two parties
already made a secret pact.

“Damn, this place has a lot of monsters.”

Tak, tak— Cheok Jungyeong shook his hands and— Koong! Dozens of monsters fell
from the sky.

“That monster king sure lives up to his name. He’s got tons of monster followers.”

They had already entered the innermost underground tunnel outside Orden’s
kingdom. For an individual team, the Chameleon Troupe did better than everyone
else.

“Droon, how far are we from Orden?”

Boss asked as she tore apart monsters. Droon closed his eyes and measured the
distance.

“Around 6 km… I think.”

“Wow! I see something over there!”

A loud voice rang from behind them and Boss turned around. Wicked had lost all her
executives and only came with 4-5 subordinates. They looked more like a clique than
a gang.

“Wicked?”

Boss understood why Wicked came to them. She probably feared hanging out with
the other djinns like Terror and Dread without her executives.
“Haha, it’s great to see you again. The reason I came here is—”

“Boss, someone’s coming this way.”

Droon interrupted Wicked. Boss immediately activated her Yaksha transformation.

Her body turned black as a whirlwind rushed towards them. Boss already knew this
creature.

Kurukuru…

An insect’s faint buzzing resounded throughout the tunnel and Boss’ face distorted
into a frown. She didn’t care too much about Orden, but wanted to kill this damned
insect the most. Boss prepared to greet Kurukuru as a true Yaksha.

***

[Recorded Past — Akatrina]

Plerion quickly prospered with no more external threats. People throughout the
country rushed to the capital and the capital’s population exceeded 50,000. I easily
resolved the food shortages with my random dice and the crystal shards. The
country stood back on its feet as the job market and economy stabilized.

“Today is the last day.”

We walked around the central plaza and inspected the city one last time. The once
barren plaza became lively again. The surrounding landscape also contained signs of
life like ponds, trees, and shrubs.

“It’s regrettable that we have to leave,” Jin Seyeon bitterly murmured.

“It is.”

I replied and looked around. Our trip to Akatrina had been unexpected, but we
gained a lot from this experience like Shin Jonghak’s growth, Jin Sahyuk’s change,
information on Kim Chundong’s life, and a faint clue regarding my existence.

“We can’t stay here forever. We have to hurry back. Who knows how many years have
passed in the outside world?”
Aileen expressed her worries about the time difference.

"Well then, let's go."

We left the bench and headed towards the royal palace. The civilians busily went
around and didn’t mind us. I took it as a good sign.

We entered the royal palace as Prihi watched the flowers in the royal garden with Jin
Sahyuk.

“…!”

Prihi noticed that we returned, but seemed reluctant to approach. She must’ve
sensed that we would say goodbye today. I approached her with a smile.

“Your Majesty.”

“…”

Prihi didn’t respond. She wouldn’t even look at me. I kneeled on one knee in front of
her.

“Please don’t be upset. We’ll meet again someday.”

As I wrote the original novel, I regretted releasing so many meaningless chapters just
to meet the deadline. The co-author must’ve noticed this and probably rewrote this
arc to be useful later on.

“Is that true? Will we meet again?” Prihi asked in a voice mixed with doubt and
anticipation.

“Of course. I don’t lie.”

“…”

Prihi looked at me with teary eyes, but didn’t cry. She maintained her composure as
king. Jin Seyeon stood behind me and suddenly came forward.

“Those who meet must part and those who part will meet again.”
“Right, such is the way of the world.”

Prihi nodded and wiped her eyes. Then she took out the last piece of crystal she’d
been hiding.

“Here… take it. It’s the last crystal shard.”

[Continental Fragment Piece] — A crystal that maintains the recorded past. Will
increase the bearer’s wisdom and intelligence.

We finally possessed all 6 crystals, but Prihi also wanted to give me something else.

“Also…”

A baseball-sized crystal that shone white instead of blue.

“This crystal came out of the devil you killed. Take it with you,” Prihi explained.

I grabbed the [Purifying Crystal]. Prihi would need it as well, so I infused stigma’s
magic power into it. The crystal vibrated and split into two around an 8:2 ratio. I
returned the smaller shard to her.

“This crystal will prove useful to Your Majesty as well. Please protect your world
with it while you await our reunion.”

I suddenly felt a fierce gaze on the back of my head. I turned around only to find Jin
Sahyuk glaring at me. Her gaze contained a mixture of sadness, regret, anger, and
jealousy.

“Okay. Thank you. I’ll do as you say.”

Prihi nodded with a bright smile as Jin Sahyuk glared at her. I grabbed Jin Sahyuk’s
wrist and pulled her towards me.

“Yes. Well then, see you later.”

I brought the 6 shards together. Prihi and the knights surrounded us while
respectfully bidding farewell.

— Thank you for everything! It has been an honor to work with you!
The lies we told about being priests had long been revealed and we also said our
farewells with big smiles.

“It’s been an honor for us as well.”

I bowed and Prihi suddenly whispered to Jin Sahyuk.

— I’m not going to become you.

She might’ve been trying to insult Jin Sahyuk, but Jin Sahyuk looked surprised.

“Now go. Thank you for everything,” she said with a mysterious smile.

“Yeah, well, it’s been an interesting experience for us too.” Aileen calmly replied, but
looked like she might cry. Her nose turned red as a tomato. I brought the crystals
together before she started weeping.

“We’ll be off.”

The 6 crystals converged into one with a dazzling light as I infused it with stigma.

Chwaaa…

The crystal’s light obscured our vision.

***

[Orden’s Territory]

We found ourselves back in the real world exactly where we left. Jin Seyeon, Aileen,
Yi Yongha, Seo Youngji, and Shin Jonghak… Everyone except Jin Sahyuk could be
seen.

“Ah, so we’re back? I feel a bit sad now.”

Aileen stretched as a teardrop flowed down her cheek.

“What the… I-I’m not crying. I just yawned. I said I’m not crying.”

First, I checked my connection with Spartan, who informed me of the current

situation.

“It looks like we won’t have time to rest.”

“Hmm?”

Aileen tilted her head.

“Why?”

“The djinns’ Orden Assassination Mission is currently underway. The Hero

Association joined them as well.”

I tapped the smartwatch with a bitter smile.

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Please follow…”

I discovered something on the ground. It looked like a sparkling rainbow gem.

What’s this?

I bent over and picked it up.

[Tower Seed] — A seed containing the changed world of Akatrina.

“Ah, so the narrative contained another secret.”

This must be the chapter’s fourth reward. I thought it might be asking the co-author
a question, but this seed seemed like the real reward. Tens of thousands would
continue to live in this fake world within the tower seed. The Akatrina we
experienced would rise like a tower if we planted it in the ground.

“What will we do now? That Jin Sahyuk kid already disappeared.”

Aileen urged me as I pondered about Akatrina.

“Give me a minute. I need to do one more thing.”

First, I tried to create a new gift. According to Spartan, Kim Suho already cleared the
tower. The amount of SP to create my desired gift should’ve decreased.

[Buster Call] [Intermediate Rank] — Will summon loyal vassals from the Tower of Wish
using stigma’s magic power.

[Will you spend 8000 SP to create Buster Call?] [Would you like to save?]

The price decreased from 30,000 SP to 8,000 SP. I clicked yes without hesitating.
Immediately…

[A huge accumulation of luck has activated!] [All of your misfortunes may have been
for this moment! Your gift, Buster Call, has increased to high-intermediate rank!] [Your
luck doesn’t end here! Your gift, Buster Call, has increased to high rank!] [In addition, a
portion of SP (2000 SP) spent will be returned!]

Golden fireworks exploded before me.

***

[Orden’s Kingdom, Underground Prison.]

Kim Suho entered the underground prison with Yun Seung-Ah to rescue the
hostages. They easily broke in since Yun Seung-Ah already memorized the inner
structure.

However…

“Suho, doesn’t this place feel weird?”

Yun Seung-Ah noticed something off when they reached the prison. All the heroes in
the cells looked too healthy after being locked up for 2 months. Of course, Orden
might’ve treated them humanely, but…

“Hmm? What’s weird?”

Kim Suho stopped to ask after frantically breaking the cells open. The heroes who
had been locked up came out with big smiles.

“It’s just that… Ah!”

Yun Seung-Ah noticed someone and all her doubts melted away.

“Senior Hanho!”

Yun Seung-Ah rushed to meet Park Hanho, the Temple of Justice’s chairman. He had
been locked up in the innermost cell. Kim Suho also recognized him and quickly
followed.

Crack!

Kim Suho broke the prison cell with a single slash and freed Park Hanho.

“Ah, thank goodness. How did you get stuck here? Hurry on out.”

Yun Seung-Ah brushed the dust off Park Hanho.

“Are you okay?” Kim Suho asked worriedly, but Park Hanho didn’t reply. He only
stared at them with an expressionless face.

“Senior? I mean chairman? What’s wrong?”

Park Hanho remained silent and they felt a grim sense of foreboding. Park Hanho
usually acted kind and gentle, but currently seemed a bit ominous. Yun Seung-Ah
slowly backed away.

Tak—

However, she ran into something. The heroes that Kim Suho released already
surrounded the two of them.

“Chairman Park Hanho?”

Kim Suho muttered as he instinctively grabbed his sword. This kind of development
felt too familiar.

"Oh, yes, hello. I guess you two came to save me."

Park Hanho finally spoke without a hint of emotion. A certain premonition crossed
Yun Seung-Ah’s mind. She spoke while trying to suppress her doubts.
“Yes, we’re here to save you senior. You know, like how you saved me last time.”

“Hmm. I see.” Park Hanho nodded and his metal-colored magic power suddenly
blazed around him.

“You didn’t need to.”

Park Hanho’s magic power contained the rare unbreakable attribute. He always
stood in the front to protect his allies, a hero others revered and depended on.

“Suho, take out your sword.”

Something about him had changed. Yun Seung-Ah clenched her teeth and drew her
sword.

“I’m happy here,” Park Hanho whispered.

Guooooo…

Suddenly, a huge rumbling descended from the underground prison’s ceiling.

[Orden’s Territory]

I ran towards Orden’s castle and dismantled all the traps along the way with the
[Mystic Key]. We also plowed through all the monsters that blocked our path.
However, what we worried about most ended up happening. As we arrived closer,
more monsters appeared until it became overwhelming.

“Hey, there’s just too many.”

Even Aileen looked dismayed. I couldn’t blame her since over 10 million monsters
stood in front of us. I doubted even Chae Joochul could break through.

“I count roughly 12 million including the ones flying and hiding underground.”

Jin Seyeon estimated with her eyes. That amount sounded crazy.

“That many? Should we just go back? We can meet up with the Hero Association’s
forces.”

“No.”

Aileen suggested we retreat, but I declined. This seemed like the perfect chance to
test my new gift.

“I have a way.”

“What way?”

[Buster Call]

I spent 4.5 streaks of stigma to activate my new high rank gift and summoned the
Genkelope’s Battlecruiser.
Chwaaaa—

Stigma’s magic power shot up from my body and pierced the clouds. A hole appeared
in the sky and the light formed a portal.

“Uuu…”

My head and chest ached, but I finished summoning it.

Guooooo…

A fierce wind blew and dirt rose from the ground as a huge object appeared.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone fell silent.

Genkelope’s Battlecruiser descended from the sky, a product of transcendental

magic engineering only found inside the Tower of Wish. Earth’s current technology
couldn’t even build a tiny part of it.

[Genkelope’s Battlecruiser has been summoned through your gift, Buster Call.] [The
vessel and crewmen’s stats have increased by 30%.] [Special skill algorithm has reacted
to Buster Call. The vessel’s stats have increased by another 12.5%.] [Buster Call will
remain active for 36 hours and may be reused after 90 days.]

Such an overpowered gift also came with a huge restriction, but it even gained the
ability to boost its stats along with the crewmen after reaching high rank. I felt
genuinely shocked that its long cooldown might be the only downside.

— Hello, ship commander. Is this your world?

Horner’s voice rang in my ear.

“Huh?”
— Give us your command.

“Command…”

Only one command made sense in this situation.

“First, wipe out the monsters below you.”

***

[Orden’s Underground Prison]

Guooo…

A huge rumbling shook the underground prison. However, Kim Suho kept his eyes on
Park Hanho without moving an inch. Park Hanho’s killing intent felt all too real.

“Senior, snap out of it.”

Yun Seung-Ah infused her sword with white flames. She pointed her blade at the
man she once admired.

Park Hanho maintained his silence, but Yun Seung-Ah could almost read his mind.
She knew he had experienced several tragedies. Djinns had killed his wife and
younger sister. His only daughter also died from an illness. Even so, Park Hanho
performed his duty as a hero and Yun Seung-Ah felt proud to be his junior.

“This isn’t who you are.”

It seemed no one had known what he felt inside. Yun Seung-Ah sympathized with his
rage and despair.

“Senior—”

“Yeonhee could’ve been saved.”

Park Hanho spoke with a deep and dark sadness.

“Yeonhee would still be alive if those association fools shared just a tiny portion of
Yuri’s authority.”
He spoke with regret and sorrow. Neither Kim Suho nor Yun Seung-Ah could say
anything. Yun Seung-Ah had heard the rumors regarding the authority of healing.
That the old, power-hungry men in the association abused it to prolong their lives.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Park Hanho smiled and the corners of his mouth stretched to his ears. His eerie
smile sent chills down Yun Seung-Ah’s back.

“The king gave Yeonhee back to me.”

With that, Park Hanho unleashed his magic power. The heroes surrounding Yun
Seung-Ah and Kim Suho did the same.

“You’re out of your mind!” Yun Seung-Ah shouted as she took a few steps back.

“Suho! We’re going to die if we don’t kill them!”

“Yes!”

When Kim Suho and Yun Seung-Ah prepared to fight…

KOOOOONG!

A bigger rumbling shook the prison. Of course, they didn’t pay attention to it and
focused on the enemies in front.

Clang! Clang!

Swords clashed and sparks flew. However, their fight didn’t last long.

“—!”

When Kim Suho prepared to cut Park Hanho’s unbreakable magic power after 10
minutes of fighting…

Jiiing—

A laser rang out and created a circular hole in the ceiling. Dozens of soldiers hopped
down and wore power armor with [Genkelope] written across it.
— By the ship commander’s orders, we will suppress all who wish to harm you two.

The Genkelope soldiers entered the fray to protect Kim Suho and Yun Seung-Ah.
They moved quickly as expected of elite soldiers.

Jiing—

Magic powered lasers suddenly joined the fight between blades. Anyone could
predict the outcome.

***

A large battle took place near a trap called the Room of Foolishness a bit farther
away from the underground prison.

“Stay in your positions! Be careful not to get surrounded! We can get through this if
we stay sharp!”

Essence of the Strait’s high rank, grade 1 Kim Youngjin shouted. He entered Orden’s
territory as the leader of a 20 member team that included Rachel, Chae Nayun, Yi
Jiyoon, and Yohei.

“K-Kyak! Rachel! P-Protect me! Don’t let your supporter die!”

High-intermediate rank, grade 1 supporter Yi Jiyoon screamed for help as a high-

intermediate rank monster charged towards her.

“Fiery!”

Rachel sent her fire elemental to protect Yi Jiyoon and Fiery’s blast scorched the
monster.

“Haaat!”

Chae Nayun’s sword immediately slashed down. Her blade grew up to 10 meters
with her magic power.

“Tsk.”

The sheer amount of monsters overwhelmed them despite Chae Nayun’s powerful
attacks.

“Aaaagh!”

An hour had passed since the battle began. No one could see the end as more
monsters appeared.

“Why are there so many!” Chae Nayun angrily bellowed, which only made her the
target for more monsters.

Woong—

She swung her claymore and a crescent-shaped sword strike slashed apart dozens of
monsters.

“Know your place you damned fools!”

Koong! Koong!

A huge monster with heavy footsteps appeared.

Kwang! Kwang!

It stood 30 meters tall with a horn protruding from each of its two heads. It also held
a giant club. This twin-headed ogre posed more of a problem among high rank
monsters. It should be from a particularly elite breed judging from its black skin and
had to be at least grade 3.

“Hu-man! I – will – eat – you!”

The ogre screamed in human language. Everyone’s jaws dropped at the talking
monster.

“Be careful. It’s a humanoid monster,” Kim Youngjin seriously muttered.

Guooo…

The sky suddenly turned dark and a giant flying object descended from the clouds. A
fierce wind blew from the pressure.
“The hell is that? Wait, isn’t that?”

Chae Nayun stared at the mysterious object and shouted. She wasn’t the only one.
The other elite members from the Tower of Wish also recognized this mysterious
entity.

“That’s… Genkelope Vessel?”

The team members looked up in shock and awe.

Voooong—

The ogre swung its club at the battlecruiser.

“The – heck – are – you…”

The ogre couldn’t finish its sentence as the battlecruiser’s starlight cannon instantly
vaporized it.

***

[Central Africa]

Jin Sahyuk looked down from a height of 500 meters. She could see several battles
and countless magic power explosions.

“Aren’t you going to join them?”

Bell appeared next to her with his body wavering like water. Jin Sahyuk didn’t even
spare him a glance. She kept wondering why Kim Hajin sacrificed himself to save the
recorded past.

“…”

From her perspective, Kim Hajin did so to cast aside his longing for Akatrina. He had
let go of his past self. Jin Sahyuk had no choice but to give up on him. The man who
once served her became her enemy now. She had to admit it.

However, the image of Kim Hajin with Prihi flickered before her. Did we ever look like
that in the past? I never smiled at my servants. You always stood behind me, so I didn’t
know how you felt.

“Sahyuk?” Bell called her, but that name sounded odd to her today.

“What?”

“How was Akatrina? You still want to return, right?”

“Cut the bullshit.”

Jin Sahyuk swore to herself once again that she would return to her homeland. Even
if only death awaited her, even if no hope existed there anymore… She no longer felt
confident living in the same world as Kim Hajin. Jin Sahyuk only felt humiliation,
defeat, pain, agony, regret, and sorrow when she thought about him. She would do
her best to live in a world without him because she knew he would only continue to
resent her.

“Bell,” Jin Sahyuk seriously called him.

“Hmm?”

“You said the end is near.”

Bell nodded.

“Yep, it’s soon. You’ve heard of Baal, right? He can open the dimensional gate.”

“Right, Baal.”

Jin Sahyuk knew that name. Bell always told her to kill him and make a trade with
Baal to return to her world.

“When can I meet this Baal?”

“Mmm… I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll appear sooner or later.”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t like Bell’s ambiguous statement.

“Where is he now?”
“Who knows? Baal is everywhere. He could be next to you right now.”

Jin Sahyuk ignored his nonsensical joke. Bell grinned and looked at the sky.

“Just wait a bit. Once he descends, you’ll meet him even if you don’t want to.”

As Bell muttered those words… A giant portal over 100 meters in diameter suddenly
appeared in the sky.

“What’s that?”

Jin Sahyuk stared at the portal. A ship crossed through as a tempest blew. Its huge
body and pair of wings stretched out. Jin Sahyuk recognized this monstrosity created
from magic engineering.

“Genkelope?”

The battlecruiser opened its hangar and fired its cannons after appearing. Magic
powered lasers blasted down, cannon balls exploded, and fighter jets shot out from
the hangar.

“Ah, looks like Kim Hajin summoned it.”

“What?”

“He can do all kinds of strange things. Is this his ultimate skill? How interesting.”

Jin Sahyuk’s face immediately distorted. When did he learn something like this?

B-B-B-BOOM!

The battlecruiser rained fire on the monsters who stood no chance against the
ultimate product of magic engineering. At first, the battlecruiser only attacked
Orden’s monsters.

— Wait! A wanted criminal has been spotted on the east side!

Jin Sahyuk suddenly heard a familiar voice and a sense of foreboding overcame her.

“East side?”
A wanted criminal on the east side… Wait!

— I see her too!

— Everyone, change target!

— The ship commander’s mortal enemy has been spotted!

Whooosh—

The fighter jets changed course and coincidentally headed towards her.

“H-Hey, wait, wait, wait.”

Of course, she knew the wanted criminal they referred to meant her.

— Capture her!

Jin Sahyuk felt wronged and cursed out loud.

“Fuck, why me!”

The fighter jets already set their sights on her. Of course, Bell had already long
disappeared.

“Dammit!”

Jin Sahyuk began to run with no other options.

First, he thought the sky looked blue when he first opened his eyes. This thought felt
instinctual, yet unnatural at the same time. It came from his perception and
intelligence.

The monster stared at the sky in a daze. The blue sky looked beautiful, but this didn’t
seem like much of a revelation. He couldn’t tell whether the idea of a blue sky had
already been established in the past or just explored for the first time today.

The monster struggled within the swamp of his own mind. His intelligence opposed
his instincts and dominated him. He couldn’t find the answer to his existence.

— Grrr…

The monster heard another monster’s low growl amidst his confusion. It clearly
represented hostility.

A second thought rose in his mind from this encounter. Who is the monster facing this
monster? Is a monster that agonizes over its own existence a monster? His intelligence
felt like a burden that confused him and made him feel hollow.

In the end, Orden remained a hollow existence. No one could understand the first
monster born with intelligence. He wasn’t human, so he couldn’t become part of
society. However, he also couldn’t adopt a monster lifestyle with his intelligence.
Being born in the land of monsters only led to pain.

Orden never ceased to think despite his sense of emptiness. He broadened his
perception and trained his intelligence. He never stopped questioning himself. His
existence, his life, his identity, his emotions, his values…

However, he only grew more hollow as he tried to understand his origins. He

realized this existential problem could never be resolved.

Naturally, he turned to humans for answers. He studied them and their behaviors.
Orden wanted to feel comfortable with his existence like humans who freely lived.

Did Orden understand humans now? He could ingest them and give birth to
monsters with intelligence like himself. He could speak with the monsters he
created. He enjoyed it while it lasted, but his curiosity could never be satisfied.

Orden wanted answers. He assumed humans possessed what he searched for since
intelligence originally began with them. He also wanted to destroy humanity for this
very reason. Perhaps the answer would reveal itself when humanity went extinct.

Orden didn’t intend on ruling humans. His desire couldn’t be considered physical.
Orden, the monster king, sought to understand humans to understand himself.

His thoughts of the past continued to linger.

Tok, tok.

Small footsteps interrupted his train of thought. Orden opened his eyes and
discovered a small child. A girl who had already died once. Orden had ingested her
dead body and reconstructed her. The child came back to life, but not the same as
before.

“What are you doing here?” Orden asked the frightened child.

“Daddy told me to hide. He said this place is the safest.”

She meant Park Hanho, the most useful human he had convinced.

“Go back to your father.”

Orden coldly announced, but the child didn’t budge. He couldn’t tell if she feared him.
Orden looked down at her with slight discontent.

“Um… Umm… Ummm…”

The child opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. The king grew
impatient.

“Speak your mind.”

“Ah… it’s just that… Daddy is fighting right now… Can you help him? I don’t like it
when Daddy gets hurt…”

She made a bold request and laughter escaped Orden’s mouth. Immediately, he
wondered why he laughed.

“…”

Orden lightly rubbed his mouth and his lips curved into a twisted smile. The child
smiled at him, which confused him even more.

“Hey, you little rascal!”

One of Orden’s servants suddenly appeared. He hurried towards the girl and
snatched her wrist. Then he bowed to the king.

“I apologize! Come here, stupid human!”

However, Orden already stood up.

“No.”

Orden continued, still confused about his own behavior.

“She’s right. It’s time for me to step up.”

The monster king’s voice resounded.

“I shall punish those who defile my land.”

***

A mysterious beam of light from the battlecruiser lifted us into the vessel. Then we
found ourselves on the ship.

“This is Genkelope’s most powerful battleship. It can sustain up to 9000 passengers

and about 400 fighter jets.”

Horner, the ship’s captain, explained to us. The interior seemed pretty complicated
like it came out of a sci-fi movie, but some parts looked more straightforward.
“Wow, I haven’t seen this. Is it new?”

Horner nodded.

“Yes, it’s called the Genkelion. It’s an ultimate weapon created by Genkelope’s AI,
GenphaGo.”

“Ultimate weapon?”

“Yes.” Horner smiled.

“We plan to take back our homeland someday using this ship.”

“Ah…”

I quickly understood. The tower arc had ended, but the world inside persisted. The
15th floor, through indefinite development, now became the most profitable floor in
the Tower of the Wish. It wouldn’t be long before they recaptured their homeland,
the fallen Genkelope.

“More importantly, how are things looking below?”

I asked Horner and he pulled up a video.

“Well, we found lots of monsters. Not only on the ground, but also above and below
as well. You don’t have to worry though. Genkelion won’t be defeated by such
monsters.”

“Mmm.”

His confidence assured me about my decision to create Buster Call.

“Kim Hajin…”

Shin Jonghak suddenly interrupted us. He looked quite confused.

“What is this place?”

“A battlecruiser built by the people on the 15th floor, just as Horner explained,” I
immediately replied.
Shin Jonghak frowned and his eyes seemed to say, I know that much.

Now seemed like a good time to reveal my secret.

“I own the entire 15th floor.”

I had rescued its NPCs one by one using the [Mystic Key]. I had also acquired
GenphaGo, the AI that oversaw the 15th floor’s development, through my
negotiation with the 7th floor’s administrator. I even invested an astronomical
amount of TP to finally achieve my goals.

“Y-You own the 15th floor?”

Shin Jonghak, Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Seo Youngji, and Yi Yongha all dropped their jaws.

The 15th floor looked like a fantasy world with magical technology. They must’ve
never considered someone could own it.

“Yeah, but let’s talk about that some other time. Hmm?”

I turned to the video again and saw a group of fighter jets moving frantically.

“What’s that?”

Dozens of jets chased after someone. This person flying in the sky looked awfully
familiar.

— This is the last straw! Get lost or I’ll kill you all!

Jin Sahyuk shouted as she continued to run away. Horner called somewhere to check
and returned with an explanation.

“Oh, I think she’s the criminal you mentioned last time.”

— Get lost before I kill you!

Jin Sahyuk aimed her spears at the fighter jets, but they moved like the wind with
their 50% stat boost and easily evaded her attacks. The pilots scoffed and fired their
lasers.
— You crazy bastards. That stings! Fuck, that stings!

I slightly smiled as I watched Jin Sahyuk swear.

“Just let her go.”

“Pardon?”

“She’s alright now. You don’t have to be so hard on her.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

Horner ordered the fighter jets to halt and they promptly retreated.

“Next…”

Orden suddenly appeared on the roof of his palace as I prepared to give the next
order. He stood at the center of his spire and looked like a slightly big human that
resembled a lion.

Kwaaaaaa…

Orden began gathering magic power in his hands. His flow of magic power looked
rather unordinary. A magnificent beam of light stretched out and sucked the nearby
air currents.

That looks dangerous. I suddenly received a settings change notification.

[Problem – The third arc’s main boss died too easily.] [Solution – Orden’s potential has
increased to 9.9/9.9.]

I became speechless. A 9.9 potential basically meant he equaled a god.

“Horner, is it possible to bring in all the allies on the ground?”

“Yes, of course. Portals are always ready to be used,” Horner replied to my serious
question.

“Then please bring them in right now. We need to get out of here. We’re no match for
him.”
I didn’t know what Orden planned on doing, but we’d all die if we stayed. Co-author,
you son of a bitch.

“Yes sir.”

Horner nodded and dispatched the [Emergency Portals].

Jiiinng—

Beams of light stretched out from the battlecruiser and pulled all the heroes and
Genkelope crew members back inside. The fighter jets also returned to the hangar.

I ordered Spartan to take care of the Chameleon Troupe. Spartan could easily use the
authority of teleportation now at his current level.

“Activate the interstellar migration device.”

We escaped before Orden’s magic power exploded. The magical device we used
could fold dimensions and instantly travel across vast amounts of space.

Kwaaaa…

The battlecruiser disappeared from Africa and reappeared in Korea just as Orden’s
explosion almost turned the world upside down.

***

[The Next Day at Yoo Yeonha’s Mansion]

The association and djinns failed to defeat Orden and retreated. Orden became much
stronger than in the original story and his strength shocked the public. The
association learned the hard way that a head-on attack wouldn’t work.

“Huuu.”

The media began to discuss the fall of humanity. Meanwhile, I visited Yoo Yeonha
with Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho. The two of them looked pale and shocked by
whatever they saw.

“You can tell us what you saw.”

Yoo Yeonha seemed just as irritated as me. Yun Seung-Ah slowly raised her head and
proceeded with a deep sigh.

“She came back to life.”

“Came back to life? Who did?”

Yun Seung-Ah hesitated to answer. Yoo Yeonha and I folded our arms and waited. The
next words that came out of her mouth shocked us.

“Senior Hanho’s daughter.”

“Huh? Who?”

Park Hanho’s daughter should have died. Reviving the dead should be impossible
even in this world.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it means. Senior Hanho’s daughter is alive. I remember
visiting her in the hospital and I also went to her funeral, but…”

Yun Seung-Ah continued to explain. They discovered that Park Hanho betrayed us
when they went to rescue the hostages. She saw Park Hanho’s daughter curled up on
a bed and trembling in the corner while they all fought. The girl ran away and Park
Hanho knocked out the dazed Yun Seung-Ah.

“I… have no idea what’s going on. Yeonhee’s face…”

Yun Seung-Ah buried her head in her hands and Kim Suho didn’t look any better.

I watched them for a while before getting up. Then I signaled Yoo Yeonha to follow
me.

“What’s up?”

She asked as I took a deep breath. Now might be the time to gather the Nine Stars.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? So suddenly?” Yoo Yeonha tilted her head.

“Yes, we can’t deal with this situation on our own. We need help from the old
generation.”

“Huh? By old generation, you mean…?”

The old generation saved the world in the past and the new generation led the
present. However, the old generation could never be replaced. They simply
possessed too much power. Perhaps Kim Suho, Jin Sahyuk, Aileen, and Chae Nayun
could match the old generation, but only after completing all their future training to
realize their full potential.

“Do you mean the Nine Stars?” Yoo Yeonha muttered in a daze.

“Right, the Nine Stars.”

Orden’s strength went beyond my imagination, but other threats also existed. We
didn’t have much time and it would be too late if we contacted the Nine Stars after
the devils descended.

“You’re joking, right?” Yoo Yeonha became dumbfounded.

“Even for me, something like that’s…”

“Just fetch me their locations and I’ll do the talking. I already know Heynckes’
location, so don’t bother about him.”

I prepared to leave, but Yoo Yeonha blocked my path.

“Where are you going? You haven’t told me about the 15th floor and that
battlecruiser in the sky. Just what is dat, I mean, that—”

She became tongue-tied after trying to speak quickly. Yoo Yeonha coughed and
glared at me.

“The association is calling for you about that. You do know I’m holding them back,
right?”

“Ah, I’ll tell you about the ship later. I have a lot to do right now.”
“God.” Yoo Yeonha frowned. “What things?”

“Mmm…” I put on a solemn expression as if I’d been hiding something all along.

“I think… I’ll need to be serious from here on out.”

I hadn’t figured out everything about spirit power yet. I simply couldn’t leave
everything to Kim Suho anymore now that the situation escalated to this. I needed to
train and prepare for the upcoming battle.

“Serious?”

Yoo Yeonha looked at me in surprise.

***

[April, 1980]

Chae Joochul sensed nature among a destroyed civilization. The beat of the
beginning, which originated from destruction, could be felt. The Immortal released
his will into nature, two forces resonated, and nature returned its essence. The
essence rose slowly and formed a certain figure that merged with Chae Joochul. Then
he became one with nature.

Chae Joochul opened his eyes as nature’s incarnation. He began at sunset, but the
sun had already sat above his head. His whole body grew wet from blood and sweat.
He hadn’t noticed the passage of time or the toll on his body. Chae Joochul
reabsorbed his magic power.

Kwaaang!

The magic power exploded within him and seeped into his blood vessels. Chae
Joochul raised his body, which had turned slightly turquoise.

Swish!

He spread his folding fan and the essence of nature swirled in the air before turning
into a huge typhoon that engulfed the surroundings. A huge fire flared from within
the typhoon. The harmony of wind and fire looked breathtaking. This natural
phenomenon couldn’t be grasped by humans.
Such disasters occurred in succession. Red, green, and grey gathered to form a scene
of destruction. He put on a grand display of his gift, [Multi-Colored Immortality].

— It hasn’t withered.

A gentle voice flowed through the storm into Chae Joochul’s ears. He turned around
and spotted Shin Myungchul, the owner of Seoul and the present era’s strongest.

Chae Joochul silently stared at him.

— I meant this flower, not you.

Shin Myungchul smiled and fiddled with the flower on the side of the road. Chae
Joochul retracted his flow of magic power and his body returned to normal.

— Your power is amazing, but don’t overwork yourself.

Shin Myungchul spoke, but Chae Joochul didn’t reply. He didn’t think Shin Myungchul
came all the way here just to meddle with his training. Shin Myungchul always acted
easygoing and lazy. With a smile, Shin Myungchul sat on the ground.

— It’s funny. People who love nature are usually described as sentimental, but the
person most in touch with nature seems completely insensitive.

— It’s because nature doesn’t have feelings. Nature only comes and goes without
demanding empathy or rejecting destruction.

Chae Joochul answered indifferently.

That sounded very much like a Chae Joochul answer.

— You will become a pillar one day.

Shin Myungchul faintly smiled at him.

Chae Joochul awkwardly smiled while trying to imitate him. Then Shin Myungchul’s
expression turned solemn and he asked Chae Joochul.

— By the way, when are you coming back? Seoul needs you now.
Chae Joochul shook his head. He only planned on returning after learning how to
control his powers better.

— I see.

Shin Myungchul nodded and stood up.

— I won’t bother you. Send me a letter once you return.

Chae Joochul watched him leave. Shin Myungchul always seemed so leisurely and
elegant. Every time Chae Joochul looked at him, his heart faintly throbbed.

However, Chae Joochul couldn’t describe this emotion. Did he envy or hate him? He
couldn’t tell. Chae Joochul simply returned to his training. He closed his eyes again
and became one with nature. It felt a little better this time.

One day, two days, four days… two years passed.

Chae Joochul now perfectly understood his gift. On the other hand, his ability to feel
emotions deteriorated even more.

He climbed down the mountain and onto the battlefield of monsters. However, the
monsters could no longer stand up to him.

A typhoon appeared with the wave of his hand, lightning struck with the shake of his
fan, and an earthquake swept through the monsters with a single step.

Chae Joochul conquered half of Seoul with overwhelming strength like how humans
treated ants.

Whiiish—

“…”

Chae Joochul slowly opened his eyes as the wind passed.

A luxurious ceiling had replaced the distant memory. Chae Joochul realized he had
been dreaming. He hadn’t dreamed in a long time.

Nevertheless, Chae Joochul calmly got up from bed like usual. He cleared his throat,
straightened his clothes, took a quick shower, and checked his smartwatch.

Several messages came in today.

[Kim Suho wants to speak with you regarding the girl of authority’s kidnapping.] [Lady
Nayun appears to have met Kim Joongho.] [The association has called for a meeting
regarding Orden.] [Yoo Yeonha from Essence of the Strait wants to meet with you.]
[Various newspapers have asked for an interview…]

Chae Joochul’s deep gaze ran over the sentences one by one.

The name Yoo Yeonha stood out the most.

[Orden’s Territory, Underground Laboratory]

Orden visited his lab and the humanoid monsters there immediately stopped to bow.
These monsters didn’t physically excel in anything, but possessed extreme
intelligence. Orden particularly liked them.

“Stand.”

The king commanded and only then did they rise. Orden looked at the giant egg-
shaped capsule that stood out the most among various equipment. This capsule
could heal humanoid monsters.

“…”

Orden looked at Kurukuru inside. Only he survived out of the 6 humanoid monsters
that fought the Chameleon Troupe.

“Kurukuru lost, but he continues to grow.”

A voice explained to Orden, who turned around to face the human servant with a
scarred face.

“Kurukuru learns from his mistakes. He will become even stronger after recovering.”

Lancaster reported. The monster king glanced at his human servant and turned back
to Kurukuru.

Kurrr… Kurrrr…

Kurukuru’s eyes glowed crimson as he looked at the king. He wanted to express his
loyalty and joy.

“The synthesis of humanoid monster 2.0 has been completed.”

Lancaster’s words intrigued the king.

“Do any of them deserve to be called my servant?”

“Yes, of course. Four succeeded out of 31,103. The results are incredible despite the
low success rate.”

Lancaster explained as he led the king towards four capsules.

“This is it.”

Orden stood in front of the capsules.

“What do you think?”

The four humanoid monsters possessed both human and monster characteristics.
Orden began to gauge their origins.

The first one used to be a Himalayan mountain tyrant with a tiger-like appearance.
The second used to be a ghost with a translucent body. The third used to be a bird of
despair with a beak, mournful eyes, and peacock tails. The last one looked like a
golem that resembled a human with stones for hands.

“These four perfect humanoid monsters came into existence because of Your
Majesty’s grace.”

Orden possessed the ability to absorb and release energy like the qi absorption
technique often found in martial arts novels, but more elaborate and unrestricted.
He mixed various forces, reconstructed them in his gut, and released it out of his
mouth in the form of hearts. The researchers took care of these hearts until they
fully grew into humanoid monsters.

“Please name them.”

The king agonized over Lancaster’s request. He always struggled to come up with
perfect names. After a long time, the king finally announced his new servants.

“I shall call them Tigris, Xphil, Doloren, and Toji respectively.”

“Those are excellent names.”

Lancaster flattered the king while recording a video of the four capsules. He planned
to threaten England with it.

***

[Battlecruiser]

I spoke with the Korean government’s representatives inside Genkelion, the giant
battlecruiser I summoned. Genkelion remained even longer than 36 hours thanks to
the [Orb of Regeneration]. Aileen stood by my side and claimed the government
would dismiss my opinions without her support.

“Yes, this cruiser belongs to me.”

“Ah…”

One of the representatives exclaimed in amazement. SP +3, SP +1, SP +2, SP +3, SP

+4… Even now, my SP continued to increase as every media outlet covered the
Genkelion.

“I see.”

The other representative nodded. I wasn’t sure what position he held, but he seemed
important. I only knew his name since he introduced himself as Baek Joonghyun.

“We acknowledge your ownership of items from the Tower of Wish. However, we
cannot allow you to occupy our country’s airspace in the future due to public panic.
Of course, we thank you for safely returning our heroes this time. I believe you might
even be awarded the Order of Military Merit.”

Korea’s merit system seemed quite systematic and strict in this world. The Taeguk
Order of Military Merit basically made its recipient nobility.

“Yes, I understand.” I nodded.

“Will the ship permanently remain in its current position?”

“No, I can make it appear and disappear at will.”

“If that’s the case, would you be willing to help us during the third Orden
Assassination Mission?” Baek Joonghyun nonchalantly asked, but the idea of a third
mission distracted me. This arc should’ve originally ended with the second mission.

“I can help, but I believe it would be unnecessary to involve a large number of

individuals.”

I carefully offered my opinion. Orden’s explosion completely wiped out all the
monsters on land, so we wouldn’t require a lot of heroes this time. Instead, we
needed a small group of elite heroes to attack Orden’s palace.

“Yes, we agree. However, we haven’t decided on the team’s size. We won’t be able to
infiltrate Orden’s base without getting past his powerful servants. Victory will be
difficult with a small group.”

“Yeah, whatever. So what exactly will he be getting?” My self-appointed patron,

Aileen, decided to intervene.

“First, we’re offering a bounty for the humanoid monsters.”

“Bounty?”

“Yes, 100 billion won and an artifact per head.”

Baek Joonghyun muttered as he shook his head. “Though I’m not sure anyone would
willingly walk into the jaws of death.”

“No, not that.” Aileen suddenly frowned.

“You have to give him something for what he’s already done. He just saved hundreds
of heroes!”

Aileen’s sharp cry sounded dependable today.

“Yes, you’re right. I almost forgot.”

Baek Joonghyun calmly nodded and took out a piece of paper. The blank paper
surprised me.

“Please write down one artifact you’d like.”

“One? One? Seriously?”

Aileen put on a threatening expression. She looked rather cute than scary, but her
social status seemed to work against Baek Joonghyun.

“Then… please write down everything you want.”

“Mmm… really?”

I thought for a moment, but nothing came to my mind. I didn’t fight with artifacts in
the first place… Wait. An idea suddenly crossed my mind.

Why don’t I get something to use with [Synthesis]?

I looked at Baek Joonghyun and wrote down an artifact.

“Is this okay?”

I asked for [Napoleon’s Musket], one of the artifacts in the French Museum. It might
come in handy once I combined it with the Desert Eagle.

“Hmm…”

Baek Joonghyun silently stared at the paper before nodding.

“I believe it’ll be possible.”

“Really? Wouldn’t it cause a diplomatic problem? It’s Napoleon after all.”

“No country can defy us under the current circumstances.”

Baek Joonghyun smiled and explained in a chilling voice.

“Ah…” I realized the weight and power of my setting. Who would dare defy the
world’s most powerful nation?

“At any rate, please don’t concern yourself with politics. No diplomatic disputes will
occur. We’ll simply be trading artifacts.”

Baek Joonghyun remarked as he glanced at the clock. It struck exactly 6 P.M.

“Thank you for your time. I shall take my leave now.”

Baek Joonghyun stood up as the promised 30 minutes ended. He seemed extremely

punctual.

***

[England, Buckingham Palace]

The association’s mission failed, but they didn’t suffer much casualties thanks to
Genkelope’s battlecruiser.

“Phew…”

Rachel safely returned to the palace and sighed as she recalled her near-death
experience.

Tk, tk, tk, tk, tk.

The sound of typing rang out. Rachel tilted her head and looked at the couch.
Evandel sat in a cute dress while tapping on her smartphone and Rachel’s lips
naturally curved into a smile.

“What are you doing, Evandel?”

“I’m texting.”

Evandel smiled at Rachel’s question.

That’s right. She recently made some new friends. Rachel recalled the three children
Evandel spent time with: her best friend Yun Haeyeon, the 9 year old Leonardo also
known as Britain’s future, and Baire Moren’s 3 year old daughter. Rachel felt
surprised the first time she saw that girl. She found it strange that Baire Moren, who
once competed against Kim Hajin, already had a wife and kid.

“Are you texting Haeyeon?” Rachel lovingly looked at Evandel and asked.

“No.” Evandel shook her head.

“Then who…”
“I’m texting Hajin.”

“Hmm?” Rachel flinched, but soon nodded.

“Ah, I see. Have a great time.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Rachel turned around at the brief reply and feigned disinterest. She needed to deal
with lots of issues today as the guild leader. They had a meeting with Essential
Dynamics, the 21st recruitment of Tower of Wish challengers, hero deployments for
national defense, etc. However, Rachel’s eyes kept rolling to the side.

“Hehe. Tk, tk. Hehehehe. Tk, tk.”

The sound of typing and laughing continued. Rachel couldn’t help but wonder what
they spoke about. She wanted to ask Kim Hajin several questions as well. For
example, what happened with Shin Jahyuk and what was he up to these days? Rachel
straightened her posture to steal a glance when Evandel made eye contact with her.

“…”

“…”

Evandel slid her phone into her arms after 3 seconds of silence. She didn’t want
Rachel to see.

“No, that’s not what… Evandel, don’t you think it’s time for you to start using a
smartwatch?”

Smartphones became nothing more than relics. Only children used them before
moving on to the more complicated smartwatch.

“Master Ah Hae-In already taught me how to use one.”

Evandel replied as a notification rang. Tiriring— Her face immediately lit up with
another text from Kim Hajin. Rachel began to chew her fingernails as she looked at
the happy Evandel.
It’s not surprising Evandel doesn’t want me to see her phone. Is there any way I can
access those messages? Rachel thought to herself.

“Hacking?”

She never tried hacking before. Hacking, hacking… Rachel repeated to herself as she
searched her computer. Then she came to her senses and pulled up her messenger.

[Kim Hajin]

She stared at the name for a while before gathering enough courage to text him.
Rachel felt confident he would reply since he was texting with Evandel.

[Hajin?]

[Yes?]

He quickly answered as expected. Rachel took a deep breath and carefully tapped
her keyboard.

[Did something happen between you and Shin Jahyuk? Ah, it’s nothing serious ˃ᴗ˂; She
just hasn’t come to work ٩_٩]

[Ah lol Nothing happened. We just watched a movie. That’s all. We don’t talk anymore.]

[Oh, I see… Maybe that’s why •̀_•.]

She excitedly typed on her keyboard and felt a pair of eyes on her. Evandel fiddled
with her phone on the couch and stared at Rachel. To be more exact, she stared at
Rachel’s screen.

“…”

Rachel adjusted her monitor. Evandel didn’t show Rachel, so Rachel wouldn’t show
her either.

“No fair.”

Evandel puffed her cheeks and sulked.

[Public anxiety is growing every day because of the Orden Incident. How’s the situation
in Korea? I’ve heard that immigrants have reached an all time high. England is filled
with tension. The monsters in Africa might break into Europe at any moment…]

Tk, tk, tk, tk.

Nevertheless, Rachel continued to move her fingers across the keyboard.

Tk, tk, tk, tk.

Evandel also tapped on her phone.

Tk, tk, tk, tk, tk, tk, tk, tk…

The sound of two keyboards competed with each other and this childish situation
grew quite tense.

***

[Underground Training Room in Pandemonium]

I sat cross-legged on the ground with my eyes closed. Orden’s potential had changed
to 9.9 and anyone would struggle against him. However, we shouldn’t give up
because of a difficult opponent. We could also grow stronger like Orden. Unlike the
original novel, we now had the Tower of Wish on our side.

“Huuu…”

I took a deep breath and made a mental list of people and things from the tower that
could help. First, Medea had reached the verge of manifestation. Second, the cards on
the 21st floor could come in handy with my luck. Third, the tower contained
numerous spirits that could equal an entire army.

“Haaa…”

I paused my train of thought and opened my eyes. To my surprise, I found Cheok

Jungyeong’s face right in front of me.

“Geez, you scared me!”

“What’s there to be afraid of? More importantly, what are you doing here?
Meditation?” Cheok Jungyeong muttered while scratching his sideburns.

“Of course not. Anyways, how are you doing?”

I heard the Chameleon Troupe fought against Kurukuru and the other humanoid
monsters after they infiltrated Orden’s territory. Boss tore off Kurukuru’s legs, Cheok
Jungyeong crushed some monsters, and Droon’s rabbit swallowed 3 humanoid
monsters alive.

“Why would you worry about me?”

Cheok Jungyeong only snorted despite my concern.

“Those monsters are nothing.”

“Really? Then get out of my way. I have to train.”

“Meditation isn’t training. Why don’t you spar me?”

“No.”

“Tsk, tsk. What a wimp.”

Cheok Jungyeong grumbled and left.

The familiar silence returned. I focused on breathing again while sitting down. This
breathing exercise would increase the potential of my spirit power.

Ssp… Huu…

Spirit power fundamentally came from one’s soul. I tried to control the spirit power
condensed in my soul, but everything felt too unfamiliar. Nevertheless, I kept trying. I
already possessed [Complete Understanding of Spirit Power] as my ultimate skill, but
I needed to learn the basics to use it more effectively.

“Ugh, I have no idea how this works.”

I sprawled on the floor after 10 minutes. Breathing didn’t seem to work and I didn’t
know what else to try since I didn’t know anything about spirit power. Unlike the
main character, I always relied on modifying the settings to get through. Extras like
me didn’t achieve results with effort. Did I have no room for improvement left
because of my way of living?

“No, wait.”

I shook my head and pulled myself up. Why did I try so hard? I always got through by
modifying the settings. I could just do the same again.

[6,083 SP]

Fortunately, I accumulated quite a sum thanks to the Orden incident. Then I looked
at the [Arts] tab.

▷ Arts (2/3) 1. Parkour 2. Charming Voice

“Ugh, stupid charming voice…”

Seeing it only brought bad memories. I decided to add a third art to the last empty
slot.

▷ Third Art [Exuberant Spirit Power Technique] [Intermediate Rank]

[2500 SP will be used. Would you like to save?]

I pressed save without hesitation.

[Saving…] [A huge accumulation of luck has activated!] [What great luck!

Congratulations, your art has increased to high rank!]

A flood of ideas entered my mind about how to harness spirit power and how to use
spirit skills.

“Kim Hajin.”

Boss suddenly appeared from the other side soaked in sweat. It seemed she just
finished training.

“You don’t look too good. Are you stuck?”

Boss asked and my eyes sparkled. I wanted to experiment with the ideas in my head.

“Boss, stand still.”

“Stand?”

“Yeah, I want to try something.”

Boss tilted her head as I jumped to my feet and directed spirit power to my brain.
I redirected spirit power to my brain and it turned into something entirely different.
To be more precise, it turned into words.

[Constructing spirit power…]

Yellow characters appeared in the air like a pop-up ad.

[Completed.]

Spirit power fundamentally came from one’s soul. It measured one’s experience
accumulated over the years. As a result, the amount and application differed greatly
between individuals. It depended on what kind of life one led and what one valued.

However, my spirit power consisted of a more logical standard of measurement.

[Exuberant Spirit Power ▷ Your spirit power will resemble hardware with a specific
algorithm.] [You may create and use Rational Miracle, your body’s equivalent
software.] [However, you may only store up to 4 miracles due to your brain capacity.]

It took the form of a laptop because of my previous experience as a writer. My writer

consciousness remained because everything began with a novel and I carried a
heavy responsibility. The nature of my spirit power reflected this.

[Please enter ① Skill Summary, ② Activation Condition, ③ Consumption Value, ④

Ability and Effect.]

Spirit power transformed into a keyboard and my fingers danced as if possessed. My

will transformed into words and eventually formed a miracle.

[You have successfully created your first miracle.]

I understood the process after going through it once. I could always delete or modify
miracles without any SP, so I didn’t spend too much time on the first one.
[Summary — Will summon a spirit doll that consumes the opponent’s energy]
[Activation Condition — Must reveal the skill’s name to the opponent] [Consumption
Value — Will cost 0.5% of spirit power per second.] [Ability — The doll will adhere to
the opponent and absorb their energy] [Effect — Will recover 0.25% of spirit power
and reduce 0.5% of the opponent’s energy per second.] [Miracle creation has been
completed.]

Plop!

The miracle could be freely activated on its first time. A doll that looked like a devil
appeared in the air.

— Sweck, sweck.

It looked like a badger or maybe a raccoon.

“What’s this?” Boss widened her eyes at the strange creature.

“Um… It’s Little Kim Hajin.”

[Penalty for horrible name — Skill performance has greatly reduced.]

“No, wait, wait. That’s not it.”

I thought for a moment and changed it to a slightly better name.

“Bloodsucking Cleaner.”

[Plain name — Skill performance will remain the same.]

“It’s Vampire Scavenger.”

[Better name — Skill performance has slightly improved.]

“What does that mean?”

“Well, it’s a skill that only exists in my head.”

I stuck the Vampire Scavenger on Boss. It clung to Boss’ arm and strangely laughed.
— Huhuhung, huhuhung.

“What are you… Eh?”

It started sucking Boss’s energy and her shoulders trembled.

“How does it feel?”

“Weird… uuuu!”

“Why don’t you try pulling it off?”

Boss shook her arm with the [Vampire Scavenger]. She shook once, twice, thrice…
but the Vampire Scavenger didn’t flinch.

“You probably can’t take it off with raw strength.”

Only spirit power could counter spirit power. My first day of using spirit power went
surprisingly well.

“Huup!”

Boss activated her gift, [Infinite Shadow]. A huge shadow almost enveloped the
[Vampire Scavenger], but I quickly responded.

[Add Ability — Nullify the target’s gift.] [Warning — Consumption Value will increase
by 100 times.]

Nullifying a gift would make the [Vampire Scavenger] a significant weapon, but it
required just as much risk. I added a new condition to counter this risk.

[Condition — Must observe the opponent for at least 360 hours] [Your luck has
activated. Spirit power consumption will only double.]

I had already observed Boss for 360 hours, so it nullified Boss’ gift right away.

“What?” Boss felt shocked when the shadows by her side disappeared and she
looked at me dumbfoundedly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked while feigning ignorance.

“Is this spirit power?”

“Yes.”

“It’s strange. My shadows won’t come out.”

“Of course, it’s because I’m absorbing your gift.”

“Absorbing?” Boss frowned as I slyly smiled. Suddenly, I wanted to poke fun at her.

“It’s called succession. Your gift is mine now.”

“Don’t lie. Do you think I’m stupid?”

I didn’t say anything for 10 seconds and Boss began to worry.

“Take this raccoon off of me.”

“…”

“That’s an order!”

“Haha, I’m only joking.”

“Take it off right now!”

I laughed and took the [Vampire Scavenger] off Boss’ arm. She looked at my new
weapon disapprovingly. The [Vampire Scavenger] turned back into spirit power and
returned.

“So that’s spirit power?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“It’s similar to skills from the tower.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Spirit power formed the foundation of skills in the tower.

“Mmm…”

Boss stared at me before activating her gift again. She freely moved her shadows and
sighed in relief. I began to prepare another miracle to test on her.

I thought of [Spirit Bullet], a bullet that affected the nervous system and disrupted
physical movements.

***

[East Sea, Military Hero Academy.]

Many heroes hadn’t visited their alma mater in a long time. Normally, outsiders
couldn’t enter Cube due to frequent djinn invasions, but alumni gathered here today
for a great cause. The government sponsored a qualification exam to choose the elite
task force against Orden.

“A ton of people showed up today.”

A total of 9,000 from all around the world applied. They volunteered for a noble
cause, but the rewards also enticed them.

The first reward promised permanent residency or citizenship in Korea. This

privilege would also extend to the participating hero’s family. Most of the applicants
from foreign countries wanted this reward.

The second reward simply consisted of a 10 billion won down payment along with a
5 billion won monthly salary (the association assumed this mission would last a long
time). The participants would also be awarded up to 300 billion won after the
mission depending on their contribution.

The third reward immediately gave the heroes who passed the screening an artifact
of their choice.

Every applicant seemed eager because of these rewards.

“Geez…”

Of course, some heroes had no interest in them like Chae Nayun. She looked around
apathetically. France, Germany, Russia, etc. Heroes from all over filled the room, but
none of them interested her.

— Leclace, you’re here too?

— I don’t have a choice. This is my only shot after failing the qualification exam for
permanent residency.

— You too? Uhahaha.

Leclace and Levellock came from France and Russia respectively. They were quite
famous as high rank, grade 2 heroes. Still, Chae Nayun felt unimpressed. She
might’ve been amazed in the past, but things had changed.

“I’m so bored. When will my turn come?”

They prohibited all electronic devices, which meant no smartwatches or game

consoles. Chae Nayun thought she might die of boredom as she waited.

“What’s up?” A figure suddenly approached her. His voice sounded familiar, but he
looked quite different.

“Hey, goat beard.” Chae Nayun greeted Shin Jonghak with a giggle.

“Goat beard?”

“That’s what you have. Say baa. Baaaa—”

“Baa… No, no.”

Shin Jonghak frowned and stood next to her. Chae Nayun looked at him. He seemed
much older now, probably because of that ugly beard.

“What are you looking at?”

“Whatever. Did you already finish the qualification test?”

“I’m a judge.”

“What? Seriously? How?”

Shin Jonghak smiled and showed her his hero ID card.

[High Rank Grade 1 Shin Jonghak (Rank 315)] [Vice Leader Desolate Moon]

Chae Nayun’s jaw dropped.

“What the. How are you high rank, grade 1? No, more importantly, you’re ranked
315? Who did you bribe?”

“Ha, it’s simple. I just beat up another high rank, grade 1 hero.”

Shin Jonghak’s confidence dumbfounded her.

Then an announcement came on.

— Next up, Chae Nayun. Intermediate rank, grade 2.

Her rank seemed too pitiful compared to Shin Jonghak. Naturally, the waiting room
buzzed with voices.

— An intermediate rank came? How come this person didn’t fail the screening?

— Hey, isn’t that Chae Nayun, Chae Joochul’s granddaughter?

— No, she probably just has the same name. There’s no way Chae Nayun is only an
intermediate-rank…

Chae Nayun sighed.

“You’re still an intermediate rank?”

Shin Jonghak asked, slightly dumbfounded.

“Yeah, so what? I could beat you up if I wanted. I just didn’t get tested officially!” Chae
Nayun claimed.

Shin Jonghak only scoffed as she jumped to her feet, annoyed by his mockery.

“I’m going.”
Stomp, stomp.

“Kim Hajin won’t be coming.”

Shin Jonghak muttered from behind as she headed to the test room. Chae Nayun
stopped and he simply shrugged.

“Just letting you know.”

“I know.”

She only turned her head to face Shin Jonghak. Then she continued walking into the
test room. An unfamiliar scenery greeted her as she opened the door.

“I’m Chae Nayun.”

The test room looked like a vast field that stretched endlessly in every direction,
providing applicants with enough room to show off whatever they wanted.

“We will now begin intermediate rank, grade 2 Chae Nayun’s evaluation.”

The judges sitting across her announced. She knew both of them, Aileen and Yoo
Sihyuk. Chae Nayun smirked at her master.

“Wipe that smirk off your face and show us what you can do.”

Master rank hero, rank 23 Yoo Sihyuk sternly announced. Chae Nayun found it hard
to take him seriously.

“Okay, okay.”

Chae Nayun took out her sword. Her claymore stood 2 meters tall and towered above
her. She poured magic power into the weapon she had taken from the Tower of Wish.

Kwaaaaa…

Magic power blazed around the claymore and it grew about 10 meters tall, almost
touching the sky. Yoo Sihyuk smiled as Aileen watched expressionlessly.

“This is about 30%… Here I go!” Chae Nayun waved her sword with a shout.
BOOM!

Her attack continued to swell with heat and the wind around them rushed towards
the two judges. However, as her attack neared the judges…

“Stop.”

A small voice stopped her sword. The tiny fraction of Aileen’s Spirit Speech
transformed into a giant force that bounded Chae Nayun. Aileen glared at the
warrior in front of her and coldly announced.

“Intermediate rank, grade 2 Chae Nayun, you pass.”

***

I lay under the night sky that brightly shone with the moon and stars. The soft wind
brushed past my cheeks and the grass caressed my back. The sky looked like a
beautiful canvas with specks of light splattered over dark paint. This plain scene
couldn’t be found where I came from. To be fair, I had never looked at such scenery
back then.

“I also enjoyed today’s training.”

The beautiful scenery carried me away until I heard a voice. Boss sounded like usual
while I lay exhausted from all the training.

“Yeah.”

I gave her a small smile. We had trained together for the past week. Boss served as a
good opponent to test my spirit power. I didn’t have to go easy on her since she could
block any attack. I also enjoyed occasionally poking fun at her even though she never
seemed to realize it.

“Should we do this again tomorrow?”

“…”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I recalled what happened today. I gave Boss an afro with my
[Spirit Bullet], manipulated her nervous system to reverse the signals for her arms
and legs, and made her do a handstand.
“Let’s do this again tomorrow.”

Boss repeated. I thought she would find it bothersome, but she somehow enjoyed it.

“Well, we’ve already trained 12 hours a day for the past week.”

“So you don’t want to do it again?”

Boss pouted and I simply smiled.

“Can you take off that bear head now?”

Boss wore that bear head every day for the past week. I couldn’t understand why she
liked it so much.

“It’s still useable.”

Boss shook her head.

“What do you mean it’s useable? You can wear so many better helmets.”

“Enchant it for me with your four color enchantment. That’s a good skill.”

“I’d rather use it on another artifact. Why would I enchant something like that?”

Boss suddenly became quiet. She chewed her lips while sulking and closed the bear’s
mouth. Then her face disappeared under the bear's.

I smiled at Boss and turned back towards the sky. Suddenly, the [Mysterious
Magnifying Glass] crossed my mind.

“Boss?”

— What.

[Mysterious Magnifying Glass] [Pinnacle Grade Magic Artifact] ▷ Weakness

Identification — Will use magic power to identify the target’s weaknesses. ▷ Emotion
Identification — Will use magic power to identify the target’s feelings towards you.
(The identified weaknesses and emotions may be inaccurate when the user runs low on
magic power.)
I wondered what Boss currently thought and felt. With a grin, I held up the
magnifying glass.

“Wait a sec. I’m just curious.”

— Hmm?

I would need to spend all 5 streaks of stigma to figure out Boss’ weakness. However, I
could probably find out about her current emotions for less. I infused 2 streaks of
stigma into the magnifying glass.

“…”

Soon, letters appeared on the glass.

— What’s that?

Boss’ voice echoed inside the bear helmet and a cold breeze ruffled her hair. I froze
and remained silent until the wind scattered the fallen leaves around us.

— What?

The lens only displayed 3 phrases, but I couldn’t simply ignore them.

[Guilt, Desire to be together, Affection.]

The magnifying glass revealed 3 emotions.

[Guilt, Desire to be together, Affection]

I could understand guilt. After all, Boss confessed that she murdered Kim
Chundong’s parents. However, I didn’t understand affection. Of course, affection
came in many forms like between friends and comrades.

— Kim Hajin?

Boss suddenly called my name. I felt surprised, but replied as calmly as possible.

“Y-Yes?”

— Wicked asked us for a favor. She said she’d give us Pandemonium’s fighting arena
if we freed her executives on the 15th floor.

Boss changed the topic. Horner’s excessive loyalty had caused Wicked’s downfall. I
wouldn’t mind if Wicked collapsed, but she seemed more reasonable than the other
Nine Evils like Destruction, Terror, and Dread.

“R-Right… then I’ll work on taking them out one by one.”

— Mm, good.

Boss finally took off the bear head. We stared at each other and her eyes looked firm
as always. She probably didn’t know her feelings either. Boss spent her childhood
bathed in blood and death while being cursed and abused. An ordinary person
would’ve pissed their pants if they saw her. She should’ve lost all her feelings long
ago in that cruel hell.

The current me felt a deep familiarity with Boss and I genuinely relied on her. I
wondered why. Was it because I created her or did I also hold feelings for her? I
looked at the sky and avoided her eyes.

“Huuu…”

I subconsciously sighed. I would have to confess one day that I wasn’t Kim Chundong
if Boss’ affection stemmed from her guilt. The parents she killed had nothing to do
with me. I didn’t belong in this world, my past didn’t belong to me, and she didn’t
need to feel guilty.

A streak of light fell from the sky.

“Hmm?”

The shooting star sparkled.

“I-It’s a shooting star. Make a wish. I’m sure it’ll come true.”

Boss widened her eyes and murmured. I mustered the courage to stare at her
instead of looking at the shooting star. Boss looked at the sky and I genuinely
sympathized that she had to live through such a harsh life. Her wistful beauty made
my heart skip a beat.

“Did you make a wish?” Boss innocently smiled.

“No, I missed it,” I muttered in a daze.

“Don’t worry. Another one might appear. Keep your eyes out.”

We silently stared at the sky as Boss eagerly waited for another shooting star. Then
she turned back somewhat dejected.

“Hajin.”

She called my name and clearly not Kim Chundong’s.

“Yes.”

I answered indifferently. She looked into my eyes and muttered, “I’m sorry about a
lot of things. I can’t express it in words.”
Her voice touched my heart and made me feel guilty. I laughed and shook my head.

“I told you. You can forget now.”

She must’ve made a wish about it.

***

Boss returned to her room after saying goodbye to Kim Hajin. Spartan slept on her
bed and had turned it into his nest for some reason. Boss smiled and sat at her desk.
She still had to take care of several things before sleeping.

First, she messaged Wicked to ask about which executives needed to be freed first.
Then she replied to the Hero Association’s secret message regarding the Orden
Assassination Mission.

She suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart as she wrote her reply. Boss had no
choice but to put her pen down.

“…”

Exhaustion overcame her. She had already achieved most of her goals. The
Chameleon Troupe controlled half of Pandemonium. She had reclaimed the previous
boss’ authority over the city and engraved their name into the minds of djinns and
humans. Only revenge remained.

“Bell…”

Boss thought about Bell, the traitor who killed the previous boss and disappeared.
His name used to evoke uncontrollable rage, but her anger subsided as time passed
until it eventually froze.

“…”

Kim Hajin’s face appeared in her head along with Bell’s. At first, she only meant to
use him as a tool to kill Bell and planned to throw him away. However, Kim Hajin
held a different position now.

T-Thump—
“Hmm?”

A sudden pain struck her heart. Boss tilted her head and wondered if she had
suffered an injury while training. She couldn’t determine anything and turned on the
CCTV that monitored Yi Yuri.

— Droon, look at this.

— What is it?

Yi Yuri and Droon laughed and talked inside the CCTV. The two teenagers looked
happy together.

“These two…” Boss’ eyes burned as she saw them flirt.

— Look, these flowers are growing underground.

— Do you like flowers?

Only curses and abuse filled Boss’ childhood. Self-hatred consumed her formative
years. Not a single day passed that she didn’t resent her parents for giving birth to
her.

— Of course! They’re pretty! Do you not like them?

— Huh? N-No, I like them too.

She couldn’t understand the feelings between Yi Yuri and Droon.

“…”

Boss found the scene quite interesting and continued watching them for a long time.

***

Korea’s former president and the Hero Association’s current head, Kim Sukho, sat on
his elegant [Lv.6 Elven Chair] and received a report in his mansion.

— Yi Panho of the National Assembly was ambushed and killed last night.
— The association’s executive, Kim Yoonyong, passed away tonight.

— Kaiser, the CEO of Atro Technology, was found dead in his office.

— Black Lotus seems to be behind all these deaths.

Kim Sukho sighed after hearing the reports. Yi Yuri's kidnapping still bothered him,
but now he had to worry about Black Lotus as well.

“Are you positive they all became Orden’s dogs?”

— Yes, we found evidence supporting it.

“Tsk.”

Kim Sukho shook his head. Fools. I told them over and over again not to be greedy.

— What should we publicly announce?

“Bury it for now. What’s the situation on the special task force?”

— Around 177 members have been selected. They’re all trustworthy.

“Got it. I’m hanging up now. You know how to reach me if something happens.”

Kim Sukho finished his call with Violet Banquet.

“Huu… those bastards.”

Kim Sukho quietly cursed. He couldn’t believe his trusted aides all secretly
communicated with Orden. Their deaths turned out to be good news, but he still felt
a tinge of regret. Orden also reached out to him as well. Kim Sukho stood by his
decision to reject the monster king, but didn’t expect to lose Yi Yuri.

“Black Lotus…”

The new black seat of the hunting dogs he once used. He now realized they grew too
dangerous to be left alone.

“Hmm… I guess I have no choice.”

He could only think of one solution. A group unrelated to djinns with the power to
resist the Chameleon Troupe. A legendary mountain hermit had formed this group of
assassins long ago. Not many knew that they had revived in the far east. Kim Sukho
began writing a letter to their leader. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. He planned
to deal with those wild hunting dogs.

***

[Korea, Seoul]

Chae Joochul and Yoo Yeonha faced each other in a traditional house surrounded by
greenery. The young woman in her twenties didn’t cower in front of the Immortal.
Her heart stood firm.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet,” Yoo Yeonha spoke.

“I didn’t have a reason to refuse.”

Chae Joochul found no reason not to and simply felt bored. Other old chaebols got
together for fun or discussed the Truth Agency, but not him.

Yoo Yeonha carefully began their conversation. “I came to ask a favor. As I stated in
my letter—”

“You want to meet the Nine Stars.”

“Yes…”

Yoo Yeonha nodded under the immense pressure. The magic power Chae Joochul
subconsciously emitted carried the same power as an ordinary hero’s attacks.

“The Nine Stars won’t be of any help. They’re nothing but retired senior citizens.
Why do you think they’ve stayed silent? They’re all living in hiding, scared their side
effects might worsen.”

“It’s not that. I just wish to talk to—”

“Can you cure their side effects?”

Yoo Yeonha swallowed her saliva at Chae Joochul’s question. A method to cure the
side effects of their gifts. She had no clue, but chose to believe in Kim Hajin.

“Yes, I do.”

Yoo Yeonha made the biggest gamble in her life because she trusted Kim Hajin. Chae
Joochul’s eyebrows twitched and he glared at her.

“Can you bear the weight of those words?”

“Yesh, I can. I mean…”

Yoo Yeonha became tongue-tied for a split second. She made an uncharacteristic
mistake due to her nervousness and felt even more embarrassed by Chae Joochul’s
lack of reaction.

“Yes, I can.”

Beeeeeeep—

An alarm sounded from their smartwatches. Yoo Yeonha felt surprised, but her gaze
calmly remained on Chae Joochul.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes.”

Yoo Yeonha glanced at her smartwatch with Chae Joochul’s permission. Then her
eyes widened at the disaster alarm that signaled a worldwide attack.

***

[China, Shanghai]

The monster king spoke.

Let the world witness your strength.

The humanoid monster resembling a tiger infiltrated Shanghai. The king had named
him Tigris. He used to be the biggest mountain tyrant on the Himalayan mountains.
Now he stood like a human in the middle of Shanghai’s streets wearing a hoodie.
None of the civilians around noticed his identity.

Tigris carefully observed his surroundings and took off his hood. Then he shouted at
the top of his lungs.

“I CAME! I SAW! I CONQUERED!”

His roar emitted an omnidirectional shockwave that burst the brains of civilians
nearby. Screams rang out as buildings collapsed and he began eating the remaining
humans.

The city instantly fell into chaos, but China’s heroes quickly responded.

“Who are you?”

“Reveal your identity!”

The heroes pointed their weapons at Tigris, but he didn’t move an inch. He didn’t
need to as he stood tall like a tree and swung his fists.

Boom! Boom!

The heroes’ heads exploded. Tigris had killed them from 300 meters away with only
punches. His attacks went beyond common sense. Blows that defied distance. Tigris
could destroy anything within his sight and called this power, [Boundless Tiger Fist].

“Uhahahaha! Weak, you’re too weak!”

Tigris burst into laughter.

“My name is Tigris! I am the tyrant that will slaughter all of you!”

***

[France, Paris]

Doloren walked through Paris while whistling and humming. Her voice sounded as
beautiful as a nightingale’s.

“You will revive after a short rest.”

Her voice flowed into the ears of civilians, corroding their brains. The civilians who
died became zombies who followed her every command.

“Your corpses will revive.”

The zombies bit the other humans and Doloren smiled at this sight.

“I will lead you to immortality and you will bloom again!”

Paris’ heroes couldn’t stop her singing. Her voice enchanted them and they became
even stronger zombies. Doloren’s singing continued until death descended on the
entire city.

***

[England, London]

Toji arrived in London. He looked no different than a human besides his two hands
made from rocks. He finally stood in front of Buckingham Palace.

Destroy Buckingham Palace and murder Rachel according to the king’s wishes.

Lancaster had given him a special command.

“Here it is, Buckingham Palace.”

The earth dragged along with him as he walked and a shattering sound rang out with
every step.

“Stop th—”

“Who are—"

He killed everyone in his path and no one could utter more than two words. Toji
simply killed all of them by swinging his fists.

“…”

Then he stopped near the entrance because of a large wolf.

“Huh?”

Toji tilted his head. This wolf seemed too big compared to the wolves he knew.

“You. Die.”

His curiosity only lasted for a moment as he swung his fist once more. The earth shot
up like a whip towards the wolf. Crack! However, the wolf crushed the earth with his
teeth.

“Huh?”

Toji’s eyes widened.

“You, not, animal?”

— Grrrrr.

The wolf smirked. His name was Fenrir and his strength couldn’t be ignored as
Evandel’s first creation.

“I, see. Aha.”

Toji nodded. He understood, but didn’t react any differently. He swung his fists again.
Cracks appeared and turned into giant fissures.

BOOM!

The earth exploded, but the wolf used each shattered piece as a foothold to
maneuver.

Toji didn’t stand still either. He transmitted his will into the earth underneath the
wolf.

Something strange happened as Toji’s original body crumbled into dirt. He

reappeared from under the wolf and grabbed the beast.

“I, Toji. Earth is me. I am earth.”

Toji smiled and broke the wolf’s back.

Crack—

Toji tightened his arm around Fenrir and a pressure rivaling an earthquake crushed
the wolf’s back. Toji threw him aside as Fenrir rolled back and struck a wall.

“I… stronger.”

Toji smiled and murmured. Then he returned to annihilating the royal family.

— Grrrr.

However, another animal growled and Toji slowly turned around. This time, a tiger
as large as a house blocked his path.

“This… zoo?”

The tiger didn’t come alone and Toji had now been surrounded. A strange bird and a
horse appeared in the sky. He could also feel odd presences underground. Even with
his dull senses, Toji knew the odds had turned against him.

Ssss…

Fenrir stood up again after his bones and organs had been crushed. The regenerative
ability he gained from devouring a troll quickly healed his injuries.

“What.” Toji only grew more confused.

Guoooo…

An unknown magic power suddenly erupted. It came from a summoning spell that
called forth a mystical beast.

“Turtle.”
Toji mumbled as he saw the black turtle of the four cardinal guardians and the 8 star
magician, Ah Hae-In.

Ah Hae-In looked down at Toji from the turtle’s shell.

“You’re a new one, aren’t you?”

Toji looked back and forth between the turtle and the kid standing on top. The beasts
surrounding him quickly moved as he pondered.

— Kuooo!

— Grrrowr!

The tiger and wolf shot forward and restrained Toji’s limbs. Then the birds blasted
magic power at him.

“Hehe…”

However, Toji didn’t feel any pain. He changed his body into sand and entirely
negated their attacks.

“No pain, no pain… huh?”

However, he soon realized something began to absorb his magic power. His eyes
widened at the 6 female ghosts floating around the black turtle.

Ah Hae-In grinned. “They’re succubi that specialize in absorbing magic power.”

“N-No stealing!” Toji swung his arm, which turned into a whip that shot towards the
succubi.

The black turtle specialized in defense among the four cardinal guardians and
quickly formed a barrier.

Clang!

Toji’s attack couldn’t pierce the black turtle’s carapace. Ah Hae-In had never
experienced anything that could break through the black turtle’s defense.
Clang! Clang!

Even so, Toji continued to attack. To Ah Hae-In’s surprise, cracks began to appear on
the black turtle’s barrier.

“Hmm, you’re quite an amazing fellow.”

She didn’t feel threatened even though she acknowledged Toji’s strength. His magic
power would eventually run out.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Toji grew sleepier as he endlessly attacked the black turtle. His instincts told him to
retreat, which he could easily do. He just had to turn into sand and scatter away, so
he transmitted his will into the earth. However, a magic cage suddenly appeared
around him and he couldn’t transmit his will outside for some reason.

“What?”

This shocked him and he didn’t know this wasn’t a spell, but a change in reality.

Kwang!

Toji slammed his fists against the cage, but nothing changed. “What is, this?”

Kwang! Kwang!

The cage didn’t budge no matter how many times he struck. Strangely, attacks from
outside could enter as the succubi continued to drain his magic power.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

“That won’t do any good, idiot.”

A sharp voice rang out as Toji frantically pounded. Jin Sahyuk appeared in the air.

“…?” Toji stopped and stared at her.

“You won’t be able to escape.”

She had formed that blue cage with Reality Manipulation. The cage isolated Toji from
reality and only death awaited him inside.

“Really? Yaaawn.”

Toji’s drowsiness grew worse as his magic power disappeared. Growing sleepy
usually meant the end for a golem. He finally fell asleep.

“He’s sleeping?” Jin Sahyuk murmured dumbfoundedly.

“Wow! You’ve grown quite strong, knight Shin Jahyuk.” Rachel appeared and praised
Jin Sahyuk.

“Well, it’s nothing.”

Jin Sahyuk had visited Rachel to resign as the Crevon royal family’s knight
commander. Toji happened to attack, so she joined the battle out of boredom.

“I recently experienced another enlightenment.”

Jin Sahyuk could use her Reality Manipulation authority better now after
experiencing Akatrina’s recorded past.

Ah Hae-In approached them on the black turtle. “Shin Jahyuk, how do you plan on
dealing with that monster?”

“Huh? What do you mean? I can just kill him, right?”

Ah Hae-In and Jin Sahyuk had worked together before in Crevon.

“No, he probably won’t die.” Ah Hae-In shook her head.

“What do you mean?”

Jin Sahyuk shot a spear towards the sleeping golem, but it didn’t damage the curled-
up Toji at all.

“The heck?” Jin Sahyuk frowned as Ah Hae-In crossed her arms.

“The black turtle can appraise the strength of ores.”

According to the black turtle, Toji’s body boasted a 9.9 out of 10 strength.

“We can trap him, but it’ll be impossible to destroy him.”

Something with a 9.9 value could never be destroyed.

“It seems like Orden created some absurd monsters.”

***

[India, Himalayan Mountain Range]

I arrived at the foot of the Himalayas to meet one of the Nine Stars, Heynckes.
Traveling here didn’t pose any issues since I simply arrived with Spartan’s
teleportation authority.

“Mmm.”

I stared at Heynckes’ inn that hung on a cliff. It seemed as if it would fall with even
the slightest wind. The sign read, Himalayan Daybreak, and I mustered the courage
to enter.

Kiiik—

The door creaked open and the man behind the counter looked up as he listened to
the radio. He had tied his long white hair and his handsome face had a scar around
the left eye. He looked well-aged just as I described in my novel.

“Is it you?”

Heynckes spoke before I even entered. I stopped to think about what he meant since
I hadn’t expected such a greeting. Heynckes frowned after seeing my confusion.

“Are you the man who murdered my precious disciple’s brother?”

“Precious disciple?”

I felt dumbfounded at first. By disciple, he must’ve meant Chae Nayun. However, they
never even knew each other in the original novel and shouldn’t have spent that much
time together in this world.
“How long are you going to stand there? Come in. Don’t be a wuss.”

“Wuss?”

If anything, Chae Nayun seemed to have influenced the way he talked.

“What, you don’t want to?”

“No.”

I walked inside. Heynckes would obviously recognize me now that I thought about it.
As the Lord of Steel, all his tools possessed intelligence rivaling humans and they
shared a hive mind as well.

“Talking should be easier if you know me.”

I sat next to him and got straight to the point.

“I came to ask for your help.”

Coincidentally, the radio also reported why I came.

— Orden’s elite humanoid monsters have invaded several countries. A tiger monster
known as Tigris attacked Shanghai, a zombie apocalypse has been reported in Paris,
and—

Heynckes turned off the radio and looked at me. His towering stature made him look
more than just intimidating.

“Making such an absurd request on our first meeting. You’re just like my disciple in
that regard.”

Tk. Heynckes took out a wooden cup and poured some vodka.

“I said the same thing to her. My body can’t fight anymore.”

“If the Nine Stars won’t fight, then who—”

“The Nine Stars existed 50 years ago, kid.”

Heynckes cut me off and handed me the vodka. I looked back and forth between him
and the cup before chugging it. A small fire lit up inside me.

“Cough… I can help you if you’re worried about your side effect.”

Heynckes suffered from a side effect called steel transformation.

As the Lord of Steel, his body also transformed into steel. He turned his internal
organs, spine, and left eye into steel that possessed his will. However, his authority
didn’t stop there and continued to rampage.

To him, time became a one-way road to becoming complete steel. More parts of his
body would gradually transform, including his brain and blood. In the end, he would
become a chunk of steel and die. However, I possessed herbs that could only be
found in the Tower of Wish and should be able to create a medicine with the help of
settings intervention.

“I know how to heal the side effects you’re suffering from.”

The Nine Stars hated having their side effects mentioned, so I also risked my life
coming here.

“…”

Heynckes quietly looked at me and his left eye turned grey before I realized. This
steel eye experienced the world one-millionth times slower and could detect lies.

“Es ist wahr.” Heynckes glared at me and spoke.

I translated the German using the laptop in my head. He asked if I spoke the truth.

“Yes, it’s true.”

His eyebrows twitched when I answered. I grew nervous, but what he said next
caught me by surprise.

“You learned German?”

“Pardon?”
“I asked if you learned German.”

“Ah… Yes, a little.”

Heynckes’ left eye returned to normal and he seemed noticeably less cautious than
before.

“Why would you learn such a thing? It’s not the 1980s anymore.”

He gently smiled.

“Huh? Oh, um…”

This world greatly differed from my previous one since Korea became a superpower.
The entire world learned and spoke Korean. Not many interpreters or translators
existed and Koreans didn’t need to learn foreign languages since even academic
papers and official documents used Korean.

“I learned it because I know you’re German.”

“Mm, is that so? You’ve got manners. How much have you learned?”

“I should be able to communicate normally.”

“Oh, wirklich?”

Hyenckes laughed heartily. I didn’t remember giving him such a setting, but he
seemed like a big patriot.

“Well, that’s another story.”

Heynckes turned serious once again. “Unfortunately, I have no intentions of curing

my side effect.”

“Huh?”

Heynckes’ side effect should be one of the worst among the Nine Stars, but he didn’t
want to reverse it?

“I used to fear death when I was younger. That’s why I escaped to this place, but it’s
different now. If someone my age still fears death, then he hasn’t matured enough.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. However, I still want you to do one thing.”

Thankfully, I could do something else for him. I quickly nodded and Heynckes spoke
with a mischievous smile.

“Settle things with my disciple.”

Silence descended. I replied exactly 3 seconds later.

“Hah?”

“It doesn’t matter how. Just settle things with her.” An innocent smile emerged on his
face.

“You mean with Chae Nayun?”

“That’s right.”

I couldn’t accept such an offer so easily. I didn’t know what Heynckes knew, but my
relationship with Chae Nayun couldn’t be fixed with a few sentences.

“Um, that’s not something that can be solved so easily—”

“My disciple and I already know everything. Chae Nayun knows why you killed her
brother and what he would’ve become if you hadn’t.”

“I know.”

I also heard about it from Yoo Yeonha.

“Then that’s an even bigger problem. Why are you hesitating? What a wuss.”

Heynckes crossed his arms and looked at me as if I was a fool.

“…”
Chae Nayun might’ve said, That’s none of your business, old man! However, I wasn’t
her and stealthily checked Heynckes’ potential after thinking about it.

[Heynckes] [9.75/9.6]

A 9.75 out of 9.6 potential. The values didn’t make any sense.

“Ah.”

I quickly understood since Heynckes’ ability allowed him to surpass his potential. His
[Steel Transformation] side effect made him stronger as he neared death.

“So? What’s your answer?”

“…”

I silently stared at him. He could fight against Orden with a 9.75 potential. I had no
choice but to listen to his request.

“I will.”

Heynckes immediately smiled and nodded in content. Then he suddenly took out a
dagger.

“Feed this dagger your blood and make a vow.”

“A vow?”

“This dagger contains my Will of Covenant. It’ll pierce your heart if you don’t keep
your vow.”

“…”

I glanced at the dagger.

[Covenant Dagger] [Product of an Authority] [Steel Attribute] — A dagger containing

the will of Heynckes’ steel spirit. [Covenant] — You must keep the vow you make upon
feeding your blood to this dagger. — This dagger will pierce your heart if the vow is not
fulfilled. — The person whose heart is pierced will die.
The item’s description strongly emphasized its absolute ability and hinted at
Heynckes’ true strength. Only Shin Myungchul ever defeated him.

“I’m being generous since I think of you as a man among men from what my disciple
told me.”

Heynckes handed me the dagger.

“I, Heynckes, will do the same if you make this vow. I will kill this Orden you speak
of.”

“…”

I slightly hesitated, but this would be a cheap price to make one of the Nine Stars my
ally. Plus, I had to meet Chae Nayun eventually.

“Fine, I accept.”

I mustered the courage and nodded.

Yoo Yeonha finished her meeting with Chae Joochul despite the sudden calamities.
She achieved her initial goal through persistent persuasion. Chae Joochul promised
to introduce her to Oh Jaejin, a member of the Nine Stars. Afterwards, she staggered
back to her limousine.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Jin Sechan, Yoo Yeonha’s secretary, asked the moment she entered the car. She shook
her head and felt dizzy from Chae Joochul’s magic power.

“Let’s go home. I need to sleep.”

“Yes, miss.”

Like a competent secretary, Jin Sechan adjusted the limousine to its optimal
temperature and activated the mana stone with an air purifying function. Then he
turned up the speaker so his boss could listen to the reports from the Falling
Blossom guild members.

— China, four guilds based in Shanghai have been completely exterminated.

— France, Paris has been sealed off.

— England, they succeeded in the subjugation.

— Canada, sudden deaths continue to occur. Multiple witnesses have reported

sightings of a ghost.

Yoo Yeonha listened with her eyes closed. The humanoid monsters invaded several
countries and began killing civilians, but she felt no sympathy. Rather, she began to
calculate the profits her guild could make.

“Have we been asked for aid?”

“Yes, multiple countries have already asked for our heroes and potions. They would
like to discuss the prices later and—”

“Reject the request for heroes, but tell them we’ll provide potions. You know, the new
ones, [Essence of Recovery] and [Essence of Bravery].”

It would be foolish to dispatch her heroes to their deaths, but potions carried no
risks. Essence Pharmacy had recently developed two new potions. Giving other
countries these free potions would serve as good marketing since consumers didn’t
like purchasing anything new.

“Send the potions to them without charge.”

“Yes, miss.”

Those in dire need couldn’t be picky. She would use this opportunity to
simultaneously improve her company’s image and promote her products.

“Now, please let me rest.”

Yoo Yeonha leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

“Yes, miss.”

Jin Sechan cautiously drove to provide a comfortable ride. He glanced at Yoo Yeonha
through the rearview mirror. She looked incredibly beautiful in her sleep.

He couldn’t suppress the unbearable emotions in his heart. He told himself

thousands of times that his love would never come true, but it never died. Jin Sechan
tried to convince himself that he could still love her without calling her his own.

— We’ll let you have her.

The proposal from Orden’s servant suddenly crossed his mind.

“…”

He tightened his grip around the steering wheel and condemned his foolish desire.

***
I headed to the [World of Wish] after making my vow with Heynckes.

The Tower of Wish had been renamed after Kim Suho destroyed its outer shell. Its
slogan also changed from, The tower full of humanity’s wishes, to The world where
humanity’s wishes may come true.

I returned to the 15th floor on Genkelope's vessel to release Wicked’s executives as

promised.

“Are you sure?”

Horner worriedly asked in front of the most notorious facility on the 15th floor,
[Genekelope Prison]. I sympathized with him since he told me what these djinns
planned to do before he locked them up.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go inside.”

“Okay.”

I entered with Horner while disguised as Black Lotus.

“Hmm?”

The prison conditions seemed surprisingly good. Most rooms featured a bed and a
TV, a separate bathroom, and prisoners enjoyed decent food.

“This place looks quite nice.”

“Everyone still wants to get out. Inmates consist of around 300 players. Life inside
here is easy, but the labor is hard.”

I listened to Horner as we headed deeper into the prison. The hallway grew darker
and the facilities began to deteriorate.

“This is it.”

We reached the end of the basement floor.

“…”
I became speechless when I saw the inhumane conditions that Wicked’s executives
lived in. They didn’t even have a bed, let alone a TV. A separate bathroom didn’t exist
either. Filth covered the floor and walls. The cell looked completely empty, so they
had nothing to pass time with.

I carefully looked in the cramped cell with the 6 executives lying in silence.

“Wake them up.”

The prison guard rattled the bars at Horner’s command. Kwang, kwang, kwang!

“Huaaak!”

Startled, the executives shot up and looked at us. Their bloodshot eyes trembled with
fear and dread. I studied them for a moment before asking.

“Which one of you is Kirkin?”

“W-Why do you ask?”

The executives shuddered. Wicked’s executives should be as strong as high rank

heroes, so seeing them scared felt strange. I guess their poor physical health also
affected their mental health.

“Don’t make me ask twice.”

I coldly spoke and the skinniest djinn raised his hand while trembling.

“I-It’s me.”

Kirkin had been Wicked’s right-hand man, but his former glory could no longer be
seen with all the bruises on his body.

“Come closer.”

Kirkin obeyed as he trembled in fear. The long period of cruel treatment must’ve
conditioned him to follow orders.

“Open the door.”

“Yes sir.”

The prison guard unlocked the door and Kirkin stepped out with his head down.

“Kirkin, do you recognize me?”

“…?”

Kirkin slowly lifted his head. I wore a hood and robe, but anyone would recognize my
black lotus symbol. Kirkin widened his eyes and nodded.

“B-Black Lotus…”

“Correct. I’m here on behalf of your boss, Wicked. She asked me to release you.”

“Pardon?” KIrkin’s eyes twinkled with a glimmer of hope. He swallowed his saliva
and asked, “D-Does that mean…?”

I exchanged glances with the guard next to me.

“Inmate Kirkin, you have been granted ranker’s amnesty. You better thank ranker,
Black Lotus.”

***

[Wicked’s Sanctuary]

Four months have passed since the incident. Wicked, despite her success a few
months earlier, couldn’t step a foot outside her sanctuary. Everyone knew her
executives had disappeared, which made her an easy target.

“Huek!”

Wicked woke up shaking from a nightmare. Her soft skin had turned coarse and her
eyes that once twinkled had died. She looked completely ruined.

“Haaa, haaa…”

She tried to calm down, but tears gathered in her eyes.

“How did I end up like this?”

Her downfall happened so abruptly. She took control of the fighting arena not too
long ago and even declared she would bring Orden down. She thought the world lay
at her feet back then. Then she recalled her executives’ faces. They made so many
precious memories together.

Why did you guys get yourselves locked up? You should be helping me become the lord
of all djinns…

Tiriring—

She received a text message while lamenting.

[Kirkin released - Lotus]

It came from Black Lotus. She stared at the message for a while before jumping to
her feet. Immediately, the sanctuary door opened in slow motion. Wicked widened
her eyes as she stared beyond it. A dear subordinate she hadn’t seen in a long time
came sobbing.

“Kirkin!” Wicked shouted and rushed towards him.

“Boss…”

Kirkin greeted her with tearful eyes. Their touching reunion would make anyone cry.

“Kirkin, how did you escape?”

“Black Lotus helped me,” he replied with a whimper.

“Black Lotus did? How?”

“They had this thing called ranker’s amnesty.”

Kirkin explained that Black Lotus used his ranker’s amnesty, a special privilege given
only to the first rankers who helped free Genkelope. Of course, Horner made this up
on the spot.

“It's all thanks to Black Lotus.”

“Thank goodness!”

“How are the others?” Wicked asked as she patted Kirkin on the back.

“Not good. The prison is filthy. They force us to do hard labor and also torture us.”

Kirkin burst into tears. Wicked comforted him while holding back her own tears.
They had already forgotten about all the crimes they committed. Djinns had no
shame or conscience by nature.

“It’s okay. Don’t cry. I’ll have another talk with Black Lotus. We’ll get everyone else
out.”

She tearfully resolved as they enjoyed their reunion in each other’s arms. Wicked
became bound to the Chameleon Troupe now.

***

[21F, Card Kingdom.]

“You’re going to buy all these?”

“Yes, all of them.”

“You have that much TP?”

“So what if I do?”

“Well, I mean…”

Kim Hajin cleanly swept all the random boxes at the card store. He planned to boost
his strength with his luck. Several messages popped up before he even opened the
boxes.

[Your enormous luck has been working behind the scenes.] [A threatening opponent
has turned into a temporary ally.] [Luck that affects human relationships is always
special!] [Narrow Escape from Death (5/9) — Special stat, accumulation of luck, has
been partially activated!]

Kim Hajin had no idea what these messages meant.

 ***

[Korea, Underground Bunker in Gangwondo]

Two weeks had passed since the joint training camp for the national special task
force. The 177 heroes were divided into 13 different teams. As team 3’s leader, Yun
Seung-Ah led Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, Shin Jonghak, Yi Jiyoon, Yohei, and Shen Yuan.

“We will fight Orden head-on. The administration is depending on you, Suho.”

Team 3 went to the mission briefing inside their dormitory. All 13 teams received
different missions and team 3 had the most challenging one: confronting Orden.
Rumors floating around also mentioned that Aileen’s team 1 shared the same
mission.

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” Kim Suho confidently replied. As expected of the man who defeated
the demon king.

“You won’t even need to bother. I’ll take care of him.”

Chae Nayun interrupted with a smirk. Kim Suho glanced at her and shook his head.

“Okay, but take a look at this blueprint first. It’s from the Truth Agency.”

Team Leader Yun Seung-Ah drew everyone’s attention with a huge map.

“Whoa! The Truth Agency?”

“That’s right.”

Yi Jiyoon widened her eyes. Nowadays, the Truth Agency basically symbolized truth
itself. It had grown exponentially from the small website that only a few people used
to know. Yi Jiyoon clapped in excitement and asked.

“I heard you need a lot of money and some kind of divine blessing to hear back from
them! How much did you spend? No, wait, are you friends with the Truth Agency?”

“I didn’t spend any money, but the government did. And we’re not friends. I don’t
have enough money to hire the Truth Agency.”

“Ah… bleh.”

Yun Seung-Ah tried to ignore the last remark.

That brat. I only picked her because people called her a promising supporter, but she’s
so rude.

“Let’s get back to training. Prepare yourselves.”

Their training routine would be quite simple.

Clap, clap.

A sophisticated hologram popped up when Yun Seung-Ah clapped. It reconstructed

the area using the Truth Agency’s blueprint as a reference.

“The boss isn’t Orden, but the training area will be similar to the real thing. Get used
to it.”

They brought this training simulator from the Tower of Wish and their training
would consist of fighting the Lv.50 minotaur at Orden’s palace.

***

[Pandemonium Arena]

Boss visited the fighting arena that now belonged to the Chameleon Troupe.

“Please take a seat, master.”

“Sure.”

Boss felt slightly emotional looking down at the stage from the VIP seat. She used to
compete here in the distant past and also recently visited as an audience member.
This arena had become hers now.

— Welcome to the Pandemonium Arena! Today’s big match will be Big Boon vs Rain!
A fat djinn and a skinny djinn entered the stage. The audience cheered and Boss
could feel the excitement tingling on her skin.

— Begin!

The host shouted and the duel began. Big Boon tried to overwhelm Rain with his
physique, but Rain quickly dodged and attacked his opponent with small stabs. This
would become a battle between speed and endurance.

“Mmm.”

Boss watched the duel in excitement. Then someone suddenly appeared in the VIP
stand.

“…?”

This woman didn’t seem to have any ill intentions. Boss calmly turned to face the
uninvited guest.

“Hello.”

Boss recalled that this woman always accompanied Bell. Her name must be… Jin
Sahyuk.

“Have you been well?”

Jin Sahyuk smirked and sounded somewhat arrogant. Boss looked around since Jain
told her Bell always accompanied Jin Sahyuk. However, she couldn’t sense Bell’s
presence anywhere near.

“Where is Bell?”

“How should I know? I came alone.”

Jin Sahyuk shrugged with a smile as Boss glared at her. Her gaze seemed sharp as a
blade, but Jin Sahyuk didn’t feel intimidated at all.

“Is this our second meeting?”

“I’ll ask you again. Where is Bell?”

Boss’ voice filled with contempt. Nevertheless, Jin Sahyuk smiled leisurely.

“I already know what’s going on between you and Bell, but you don’t have to be so
desperate to kill him.”

Jin Sahyuk’s expression hardened and she continued in a low whisper.

“I’ll be the one who kills that bastard.”

— Ah, Big Boon just used his signature punch! It’s a direct hit!

Big Boon’s punch landed on Rain’s stomach and pushed him to the corner. Boss’ body
already turned dark as she activated her Yaksha transformation.

“Did you come to get yourself killed?”

Boss stood up from her seat. Both Bell and this woman seemed to possess a unique
talent for upsetting her.

“No, I’m here for a different reason and I’ll lay it out for you right now.”

Jin Sahyuk and Boss stared at each other intensely. A fire seemed to blaze in their
eyes as Jin Sahyuk continued.

“If I end up killing Bell…”

— Big Boon is the winner!

A round of applause followed the host’s announcement. Boss could hear Jin Sahyuk’s
voice despite the cheering.

“I can take Kim Hajin with me, right? You only dragged him in as a tool to kill Bell.”

Jin Sahyuk clearly tried to provoke her.

Boss’ gaze seemed to pierce her heart. Jin Sahyuk hadn’t felt such hostility in a while,
but didn’t back down. Time silently passed.

Jin Sahyuk always acted fickle. She might give up on something and change her mind
the next moment. As such, she spent a long time thinking about what to do. Finally,
she decided she couldn’t give up on Kim Hajin.

“Don’t be so mad. I’ll use him for a few years and return him.”

She didn’t exactly know Kim Hajin’s ability, but sensed something special about his
magic power from what she saw in Akatrina. She could tell because of her especially
high magic power sensitivity. Reconstructing Akatrina would require Kim Hajin’s
special power.

“I won’t hear any more of this.”

Boss spoke and hot magic power rose like a tornado from her rage and killing intent.
Jin Sahyuk quickly covered herself with a barrier.

“I won’t let you leave alive either.”

Shadows dyed Boss’ body black and her intent to fight filled the air. Jin Sahyuk
genuinely enjoyed this chilling moment before a heated battle.

“Do what you want.”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t plan on refusing a fight. She might not win, but she didn’t feel like
she would lose either. Moreover, she also wanted to estimate this woman’s strength.

“Try to escape if you can.”

Boss finished her brief warning and shadows rose from feet to envelop the
surrounding area. Her shadow barrier closed off any path of retreat for Jin Sahyuk.
“Pft.”

Jin Sahyuk smirked and unleashed her magic power. Guooooo… Hundreds of
weapons formed in the air along with a crimson aura.

A battlefield even deadlier than the Pandemonium Arena appeared. The two women
glared at each other before fighting to the death.

However…

“Huh? Boss?”

A coarse voice rang out and cooled the tension in the air. Boss and Jin Sahyuk turned
towards the voice.

“Is my probation over?”

Boss had placed Cheok Jungyeong on probation in her shadow barrier last week for
killing Terror’s djinns because they picked a fight with him. Jin Sahyuk didn’t worry
about Cheok Jungyeong. Boss didn’t seem like the type to allow any interference in a
1 on 1 fight.

“Yes, your probation is over.”

“Sigh, thank goodness. Your barrier is quite interesting no matter how many times I
look at it.”

Boss’ shadow barrier didn’t alter the surrounding space, but summoned beings into
it. They came inside and met Cheok Jungyeong.

“Gyeong.”

“Huh?”

Jin Sahyuk stretched as Boss and Cheok Jungyeong spoke. However, her relaxed
attitude didn’t last for long.

“Beat her up.”

“Oh?”
“What?”

Cheok Jungyeong and Jin Sahyuk’s eyes widened. They felt surprised for different
reasons.

“T-Two against one isn’t fair!”

Jin Sahyuk pointed at Boss while shouting, but Cheok Jungyeong ignored her. He had
been on probation for two weeks and couldn’t fight anyone. He starved for battle and
felt overjoyed at the worthy opponent in front of him.

“Kuhahaha!”

Cheok Jungyeong charged like a wild beast.

“Damn it!”

Jin Sahyuk quickly activated [Reality Manipulation] to escape, but they didn’t allow
her to do so. Kwaaaaa! Cheok Jungyeong’s energy blast destroyed the circular
pathway Jin Sahyuk forcefully created.

“Don’t run away!”

Cheok Jungyeong happily shouted as his fist flew towards Jin Sahyuk’s face.

***

[Orden’s Palace]

Tigris, Xphil, and Doloren returned to the palace without Toji after completing
Orden’s order to wreak havoc in several countries.

“Ah, I’m bored.”

Tigris didn’t feel content yet and the other two humanoid monsters felt the same.
They wanted to have more fun killing humans, displaying their overwhelming
strength, and bathing in the sense of superiority.

“The palace is boring.”

Orden ordered them to return before they could even fulfill half of their desires.
They felt slightly annoyed, but obeyed their king’s command.

“What the hell happened to Toji?”

Doloren murmured as she played with a human head she brought back as a souvenir.
The head belonged to high rank, grade 2 hero Peindal.

“That idiot. I’m sure he fell into a trap, but he’ll find his way back.”

“Right? Toji won’t die so easily with his tough body.”

“I’m tougher and harder to kill.”

They chatted as they walked towards the king’s court with a praying mantis standing
in front of the large gate. Kurukuru had lost a wing and an arm.

“Ew, gross. It irks me every time I see him. Why does he look like that?”

“That’s what I wanted to say.”

Doloren frowned as she stared at Kurukuru. Tigris approached Kurukuru and

thought the praying mantis looked even grosser up close. Kurukuru muttered as he
glared at them.

“Kururu, kururu…”

“What’s he saying? Idiot can’t even talk.”

“Kururururu.”

Doloren began to translate Kurukuru’s words.

“Why did you come so late? You should’ve returned the moment the king
commanded. That’s what he’s saying.”

“Pft.” Tigris sneered. “A mere praying mantis? You’re not worthy.”

Tigris slapped the huge insect. KWANG! Kurukuru flew to the side and rolled on the
floor.
“A lowly praying mantis that can’t even talk.”

Tigris snorted and walked into the royal court. Doloren faintly smiled at Kurukuru
before following Tigris.

“Kururu…”

“Lord Kurukuru!”

The servant humanoid monsters rushed to help him up. Kurukuru staggered up and
stared at the three humanoid monsters in front of the king. The king simply smiled at
the arrogant monsters who arrived late.

“Kurururu…”

Kurukuru clenched his teeth until his jaws swelled.

***

[Gangwondo, Underground Bunker]

The training for the Orden Assassination Mission finally ended. Team 3 successfully
defeated the minotaur inside the simulated palace. However, their teamwork
couldn’t be called perfect. Shen Yuan and Yi Jiyoon died before they reached the boss.
Kim Suho also ended up defeating the boss on his own.

“Why are the normal mobs so strong?”

Yi Jiyoon sighed and massaged her sore muscles. Meanwhile, Shin Jonghak stared at
Chae Nayun as she busily wrote something in her notebook.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Both Yi Jiyoon and Kim Suho turned around at Shin Jonghak’s voice.

“Huh?”

Chae Nayun stopped writing and smirked. “I’m talking with my master.”

“Master?”
“Yeah, this notebook works like the tower’s communication letter.”

Chae Nayun used it to communicate with the old man who suddenly became her
master. They usually exchanged light banter, but she also received valuable advice.

“Oh? Who’s the person on the other side?” Yi Jiyoon’s eyebrows playfully danced.

“I told you. It’s my master.”

“Master? Hero Yoo Sihyuk?”

“No, someone huge that none of you know about.”

Chae Nayun wondered how they would react if they found out about Heynckes, but
decided not to tell them. She shrugged and stored the notebook away.

“Oh right, I have to contact Hajin. Ah…”

Kim Suho’s few words made Chae Nayun’s heart sink. He subconsciously murmured
to himself and paused after realizing what he said.

“Oh? What about Kim Hajin?”

Yi Jiyoon mysteriously smiled and skipped over to Kim Suho.

“Uh, well… nothing.” Kim Suho coughed and avoided answering. He wanted to thank
Hajin for all the help, but didn’t have the chance yet.

“Cough, anyways…”

He turned to Chae Nayun, who stared at him intently.

“Chae Nayun, don’t let the boss find out about that notebook. She said no electronics
and that’s no different.”

“…”

Chae Nayun nodded with a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

“What’s no different from electronics?”

Their boss suddenly appeared. Chae Nayun and the rest of team 3 froze. Before they
could react, Yun Seung-Ah released her magic power and snatched away Chae
Nayun’s notebook.

“A-Ah! Give it back!”

Of course, Chae Nayun strongly protested.

“Quiet! Prohibited items will be confiscated upon discovery.”

Yun Seung-Ah easily suppressed all dissent and began to read the notebook with a
grin.

“Let’s see who our Nayun is dating.”

However, Yun Seung-Ah’s smile quickly faded because of a certain name in the
notebook. Ssk— Ssk— She turned a few pages before raising her head and
murmuring in a daze.

“Heyn… Heynckes? Is this… the Heynckes I know?”

***

[21F – Card Kingdom]

I spent 150,000 TP to pull three 8 star cards and one 9 star card. Even with my luck, I
could only pull that many because my settings limited 8 star and 9 star cards. Of
course, I didn’t complain since I could use all of them as effective goods.

“[Anything Checkbook]…”

I walked down the street while reading the cards’ descriptions.

[Anything Checkbook] [8 star] Effective Good — A checkbook that can pay out
anything. Whoever receives a check must also carry out what was paid for.

Most checkbooks handled money, but this magical one could handle TP, magic power,
and even feelings like trust that could be valued and given out.

What do I use this for?

As I pondered…

“Oh, who’s this?” Someone ran up to me while acting all excited.

“My, if it isn’t our dear master craftsman.”

Medea appeared with a blooming smile and spoke in a high-pitched voice.

“Great! Perfect timing!”

She acted like our meeting coincidentally occurred.

“Ah, yes.”

I looked at Medea with a flustered expression. It seemed she would soon descend
into the phenomenon realm since she entered the 21st floor as an administrator.

“What do you need?”

“Eh? No, it’s not like I need anything.”

Medea smiled and handed me a document.

“Here, take this. I waited until you came back.”

“…?”

I glanced at the document. It contained the words, [Complete Transfer of Prestige],

written across it. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets, but I swallowed hard
and calmed myself.

“What’s this?”

“I brought it just for you. I don’t need Prestige anymore.”

“You’re descending?”

“Yep! Uhuhuhu, uhuhuhu.”

Medea laughed like she had the world under her feet. She even twirled like a
ballerina.

“To finalize my descent, I wondered if you could make me a magician’s robe and a
ceremonial dress to wear underneath it.”

“…”

“I’ll prepare whatever materials you need.”

Medea looked so happy. I simply stared at her and pondered. I would have to
dedicate 2-3 hours every day for at least a month to make something that satisfied
her. Of course, I didn’t find that too difficult. Medea could become a powerful ally
once she descended. I only worried about what would happen to Earth if she
descended.

“You will, right?”

Medea urged me as I decided.

“I can.”

“Whoooo!”

She twirled and giggled like a kid. Her brain seemed to be missing a screw.

“However, I need you to make a vow.”

“I’m coming back alive, alive, aliiiiive!”

“Hello?”

“Yeees?”

I took out the covenant dagger that Heynckes left me and Medea’s eyes widened.

“Eh, what’s up with that blade?”

“I want you to make a vow in exchange for the robe and dress.”

I unleashed my spirit power.

“Spirit Power Copier.”

[You have activated miracle – Spirit Power Copier.]

A yellow aura condensed in front of me and formed a copy machine.

[Summary – A copier that can copy anything.] [Activation Condition – Must reveal the
skill’s name.] [Consumption Value – Will vary based on what is being copied.] [Effect –
Will copy anything using spirit power. (You must place the living being inside the copier
to copy it.)]

“What’s that?” Medea furrowed her brows.

“It’s nothing much, so don’t worry.”

I placed Heynckes’ dagger into the copier.

[Attempting to copy the covenant dagger…] [A problem has occurred! You may not
copy this item with spirit power.] [You must use stigma’s overclocking or set a penalty
with settings intervention.]

“Settings intervention.”

“Why do you keep talking to yourself?”

I added a penalty to the covenant dagger.

First, it could only be used on Medea and Kim Hajin. Second, it would require 4
streaks of stigma. Third, both sides would equally carry the vow.

[The covenant dagger has been imperfectly copied.]

“Mmm, there. We just need to feed it our blood and make a vow.”

Medea’s face returned to her past expression when she looked annoyed with me.

“What vow?”

“It’s simple.”
I had to ensure Medea would become an ally by tying her down. I didn’t know what
she might do once she descended. She might experiment with humans and monsters
to operate some kind of chimera business because of her fickle and curious nature.

“My vow will be: I will make Medea the most beautiful robe and ceremonial dress.”

“Most beautiful?”

All caution completely disappeared from her eyes.

“Yes, and yours will be: I will not harm humanity if I descend.”

I handed my copied covenant dagger to her.

***

“Auu…”

Jin Sahyuk groaned in a dark and unknown space as she rolled on the ground. She
finally escaped and couldn’t feel any presence nearby.

“Haa… haa… huu…”

She collected her breath and checked her physical condition. Fractured bones,
broken ribs, shattered teeth, and flowing blood… Her eyes had also been injured and
hindered her vision, but none of her injuries would be life-threatening.

“Those cowards…”

She spat out blood and cursed before healing her body. First, she restored her eyes
with her Reality Manipulation authority.

“Coward? You’re an idiot.”

A raspy voice entered her ears as she regained her vision.

Jin Sahyuk’s eyes shot open and she turned towards the unfamiliar voice. Jain smiled
at her.

“Who are you?”

“Me? You know me. I’m Rain.”

“Rain?”

“Yep, I guess my face looks different compared to back then. Of course, my real name
is a secret.”

Who is this woman? Jin Sahyuk wondered when she suddenly recalled the woman
who visited Bell long ago.

“Do you know how hard I tried to keep you alive? I convinced her by saying you’ll be
the perfect bait to drag out Bell.”

“What? Bell? Bait?”

Jin Sahyuk forced herself to stand up. Crack— Crack— Her broken bones screamed
in pain, but she bore it.

“Yep, you have to stay alive and kill Bell. Anyways, have you finished healing?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk nodded and Jain smiled before quickly moving and twisting Jin Sahyuk’s
wrists.

“What!”

Jain placed a [Magic Power Suppressor] on Jin Sahyuk’s wrists and ankles.

“You fucker! What are you doing?”

“Hmm? Oh, I’m just making you into proper bait. What bait would be allowed to use
magic power?”

“You bitch!”

Jin Sahyuk violently struggled, but Jain easily knocked her over by tripping her feet.
Thud! Jin Sahyuk fell face-first to the ground. However, she refused to yield and
shook her body side to side. She looked like a shrimp flopping on dry land.
“Let go of me!”

Flop, flop. Splash, splash.

“You cowards! Ganging up on me wasn’t enough?”

Flop, flop. Splash, splash.

Jain smiled at Jin Sahyuk, who acted like genuine bait. Then she spoke to Boss who
should be watching somewhere.

“Boss, I caught a shrimp for you.”

Orden sent out four monsters to wreak havoc around the globe. The humanoid
monsters made front-page headlines all over the world. Hopeless news continued as
people watched how the monsters destroyed their homes and killed their loved
ones.

— We’re currently in Shanghai, China.

The TV screen shifted and Rachel watched with a heavy heart.

— Downtown Shanghai has been completely destroyed.

The sidewalks had been overturned and skyscrapers that once reached towards the
sky became nothing but rubble and ashes.

— Approximately 1,300 heroes arrived to fight one monster.

Painful cries resounded over the wreckage and the blurred corpses of heroes
sprawled on the ground.

— Mei Chun, considered one of China’s most promising heroes. Tulei, who returned
home after graduating rank 6 from Cube. Li Jufeng, China’s leading high rank hero…

The reporter gravely continued.

— A total of 987 heroes, including the three mentioned, fell while protecting their
country.

A streak of tears trickled down Rachel’s cheeks. She grieved from the bottom of her
heart despite their diplomatic competition and petty disagreements with China.
Humanity suffered a great loss with the deaths of all those heroes.

— This is a photo of the monster that caused this destruction.

Tigris, the monster that resembled a tiger. However, his figure looked too much like a
human to be called a bipedal tiger. His thick fur and sharp claws also couldn’t be
considered human.

— Paris is still under attack by zombies. These zombies transform their victims into
even more zombies. Authorities have not been able to stop their spread.

Orden succeeded if he wanted to warn humanity. The world trembled in fear when
they witnessed his cruelty.

— Not every country failed. England successfully stopped their humanoid monster
with the help of Lady Ah Hae-In, an 8 star magician who happened to be in England,
and player Shin Jahyuk who served as knight commander of Crevon’s royal knights.

However, Orden failed if he intended to destroy Earth. England successfully defeated

a monster and immobilized it.

— England’s defensive tactics proved successful as the World of Wish continues to

grow more popular among citizens. Experts attribute the growth in popularity to the
widespread rumor that the World of Wish will remain even when Earth shatters to
pieces.

“Princess?”

Rachel’s old butler returned and she brushed away her tears.

“Yes?”

“You should come on out. The guests will be arriving soon.”

“Ah, is it that time already?”

The heads of several countries would visit England today. Rachel had to greet them
along with the prime minister and his cabinet. She quickly got up.

“Evandel, get some rest.”

Before she left, Rachel patted the sleeping Evandel on the couch.

“Uuuee…”
Evandel slightly nodded with her eyes barely open. She must be tired from taking
care of all the wounded spirits yesterday. Rachel gently kissed Evandel’s forehead and
left.

It only took 10 minutes to reach Toji’s jail cell from Buckingham Palace. Magicians
continued to charge the cell that Shin Jahyuk specifically built for Toji.

“Thank you for coming, Princess.”

“It’s nice to see you.”

Rachel smiled and exchanged greetings with their defense secretary. Other ministers
busily prepared to welcome the VIPs as Rachel studied their faces.

"Cut down all the trees around here."

"I heard the Immortal loves nature."

"Really? Uh… Then get some more trees from somewhere else."

Chae Joochul wanted to come and observe Toji. Yoo Yeonha, currently in demand by
every authority in the world, would also visit. England’s citizens held high hopes, but
the prime minister who should be leading currently spoke on the phone in a corner.

“Did you arrive safely in Busan? Yeah, sure. I’ll take care of the permanent residency.
Don’t worry.”

The prime minister spoke in Korean even during personal calls.

“Huh? Yes, I’ll be right with you. My term will end soon anyways.”

Rachel couldn’t help but frown. That man secretly evacuated his entire family to
Korea. How could he place his family first before the country he led? Rachel felt
shocked.

Koong—

A portal activated with a huge tremor as she approached the prime minister.
Essential Dynamics called it the portable portal, but the device weighed 3 tons. Still,
only this device could allow people to travel to specific destinations without using
gifts or skills.

“Everyone get ready! They’re coming through!”

The technician shouted and the cabinet gathered near the portal. Rachel stood next
to them as well.

Jiing—

The portal glowed blue and they could see a man and woman on the other side. Chae
Joochul arrived first as Yoo Yeonha followed.

“Welcome!”

The prime minister approached the two guests.

“I’m Ray McKean. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

Chae Joochul shook hands with him and Rachel quickly stepped up.

“I’m Rachel Elizabeth Louise. It’s an honor to finally meet the Immortal."

Rachel held out her hand, but Chae Joochul only stared at her with a mysterious look
in his eyes.

“…?”

Should I withdraw my hand or keep it still? Rachel wondered when Chae Joochul
finally spoke.

“You seem to possess a similar gift to mine.”

“…?”

Rachel tilted her head in confusion. However, she soon realized Chae Joochul had
praised her and could hardly breathe.

“P-P-Pardon?”
The Immortal just announced that they shared something in common. Does that
mean he’s been watching me? Rachel felt joy and pressure from that thought.

“Oh, r-really?”

“Yes.”

Of course, Chae Joochul meant something completely different. Similar gifts meant
similar side effects. He continued staring at her to see how she would react.

“Ah, t-thank, thank you.”

As expected, this generation’s heroes didn’t know about side effects. Chae Joochul
passed her without a handshake.

“Good to see you.”

A woman came up and grabbed Rachel’s trembling hand.

“Ah, yes, Yeonha. It’s nice to see you too.”

“Could you show me Toji?” Yoo Yeonha smiled and cut to the chase.

“Of course, follow me.”

Rachel tried to calm her pounding heart as she led Yoo Yeonha and Chae Joochul to
Toji’s cell. The blue cubic prison could be seen from miles away. Yoo Yeonha looked
at the cube with slight admiration.

“That’s the jail cell? I’m surprised it’s holding up.”

“Yes, but the magicians have to keep injecting their magic power to maintain it.”

Jin Sahyuk’s Reality Manipulation possessed one limitation. The product required a
steady supply of magic power, but that also meant it could be maintained forever
with continued support.

“Is the monster sleeping?” Chae Joochul asked as he studied Toji.

“Yes, he’s been asleep for a while now.”

Rachel replied as Chae Joochul approached the cube and knocked on it.

Tok tok—

“What are you—” Startled, Rachel awkwardly lunged at Chae Joochul.

“How do I get inside?”

The Immortal appeared calm and simply asked.

“Pardon? Inside?”

They couldn’t penetrate Toji’s defense, so Rachel and Ah Hae-In agreed to imprison
the monster for as long as possible. Chae Joochul had already been informed of their
decision.

Still, he seemed slightly confused by Rachel’s reaction.

“I have to get inside or I won’t be able to kill that monster.”

“Ah…”

Of course, the strongest man in the present era felt confident about such a task.

***

[Central Asia, Pandemonium]

The presidential suite residents of Pandemonium’s most extravagant hotel, Sauron’s

Respite, enjoyed a peaceful afternoon despite all the commotion in the world. The
room featured a perfect temperature, tranquil classical music, and beautiful scenery
outside.

“Bell! They took Sahyuk!” Rumi shouted out of frustration.

“Yeah, I heard you.” Bell flatly replied as he lay on the couch.

“Aren’t you going to save her?”

“No. Why would I when I sent her there?” Bell smiled at Rumi.
“What?”

“I sent her there.”

He spent a long time making Jin Sahyuk think she acted according to her own will.

You won’t be able to change anything even if you go. Don’t go. You’ll just end up getting
beaten. I’ll do anything you say if you win against Byul.

Bell provoked her and she fell for it. He originally planned to introduce her to the
Chameleon Troupe, but also wanted to bring her down a peg or two. Recently, she’d
been too arrogant for his taste.

“A-Are you insane? Who knows what they’ll do to her?”

“Nothing. They’ll leave her alone. Yaawn.”

Rumi glared at the relaxed Bell. “How can you be so sure?”

“They’re not a group of thugs. Especially with Byul as the boss and Kim Hajin
controlling them.”

The word director suited Kim Hajin quite well. Boss depended on Kim Hajin and
wouldn’t do anything to upset him.

“Just let her be. Sahyuk will only grow stronger by overcoming obstacles.”

Bell simply needed to save her if something did happen, but Jin Sahyuk’s resilience
could be compared to a cockroach.

“What are you going to do about Orden?”

“Ah, Orden?”

Recently, the name Orden became synonymous with fear. However, Bell only smiled.

“I don’t know. I’m not too worried about him.”

“Why not?”
“Orden admires humans too much to eradicate them.”

Bell looked at the ceiling from his couch. To destroy humanity required Orden to
truly loathe humans, but he didn’t. Bell knew this all too well.

***

[Orden’s Palace]

“You have to eat. No, no snacks. You have to eat real food.”

The 3 year old Yeonhee playfully spoke to her two dolls as monster king Orden
watched.

“Your name is Cindy and your name is Yeonjoo. Wow! Yeonjoo, you’re such a good
eater!”

Suddenly, Orden wondered where this child came from. Two humans originally
birthed her, but she died from an illness. Afterwards, Orden reconstructed her body
and soul. Then who would be considered her parents now?

“Cindy! You should learn from Yeonjoo!”

Orden continued to watch her play with the dolls. The girl placed them in front of her
and beamed. Are all human children like this or is something wrong with this one?
Orden thought to himself.

“Nom, nom.”

Playing with dolls in front of the king would definitely be considered disrespectful.
Orden would’ve immediately disintegrated his servants for doing the same. However,
he didn’t feel angry at all and a strange desire to watch the girl overcame him.

“T-This is where you were.”

Park Hanho rushed to his daughter and held her in his arms. “I sincerely apologize.
My child is still young and foolish.”

Park Hanho bowed to the king.

“…”

Orden stared at Yeonhee in Park Hanho’s arms. She tried to wriggle out of her
father’s arms to pick up her dolls. Orden stretched his magic power towards the dolls
and delivered them to the girl.

“I see her wander here and there. Are children supposed to be like that?”

“Yes, most young children naturally act curious.”

“I see.”

Orden turned his gaze to the child again. Yeonhee smiled at him, grateful that he
returned her dolls.

“Well then, we’ll leave now.”

Park Hanho lowered his head once more and Yeonhee did the same.

"Good morning.”

However, she said the wrong greeting and Orden unconsciously smiled.

"No, Yeonhee. You have to say goodbye.”

"Oh, goodbye. Cindy and Yeonjoo say goodbye too."

Yeonhee tilted the dolls forward. Orden silently stared at her as they turned around
and left.

She’s quite cute.

Orden surprised himself with such a thought.

***

[Pandemonium, Shady Alley]

I left the World of Wish. The sun began to set as I walked through an alley in
Pandemonium while looking at requests. Some came from the Truth Agency, others
came from Jeronimo Mercenaries, and the rest from the Chameleon Troupe. I
attributed my overflowing mailbox to those four new monsters.

“So many came in.”

The Truth Agency became flooded with questions about Orden. I answered what I
could with the Book of Truth and declined most requests for Fenrir to exterminate
the monsters. As I kept walking…

“Eh?”

My body suddenly floated in the air. I didn’t realize until I already flipped upside
down. Fortunately, aether protected me from the impact, but the next attack came
even quicker.

Multiple assassins appeared. One sliced the aether shield open, the other pushed a
dagger through the gap, and yet another slashed my Achilles tendon. I felt a burning
pain from my shoulder and ankle. The dagger seemed to be coated with poison.

Thud—

I collapsed to the ground as all this happened in less than a second.

I tried to activate bullet time, but my gift didn’t respond. Only then did I realize why I
hadn’t detected the ambush.

A gift that nullifies other gifts.

I recalled discarding this setting about a group of assassins. One of its members, the
Mountain Sage, possessed such a gift. I didn’t know why he appeared here when he
should be working in the Middle East.

Too bad assassination doesn’t work on me.

His gift nullified mine, but I could still use my skills. I activated time reversal before
the blade reached my throat.
The Mountain Sage rose from the Middle East as the successor to the legendary
assassin, Hassan-i Sabbah. Their roots dated back to 1990 when the world entered a
period of rest after Outcall. It all began with a young Iranian youth who awakened
the gift, [Shackles].

This gift could restrain humans on a small scale and even time and space on a larger
scale. As if this wasn’t enough, the Iranian youth also awakened a second gift, [Void
World]. Finally, the successor to the Order of Assassins had returned after a thousand
years. The youth changed his name to Hazen and officially inherited the Sabbah.

He used his previous title as Lord of Alamut and called himself the Mountain Sage.
They only accepted direct descendants in their assassin group.

Hazen secretly worked in the Middle East and calmed the chaotic political scene by
killing militant leaders. He disguised their deaths as accidents and used the ensuing
chaos to assassinate the djinns and humans behind everything. He continued this
mission for 30 years.

Kim Sukho only recently discovered their secretive group. He had stepped down as
president, but his desire for power never subsided. The Mountain Sage’s Order of
Assassins would be the perfect tool to deal with the Chameleon Troupe. Hazen had
already died, but he left behind a powerful legacy. Kim Sukho liked their meticulous
assassinations and their sole desire for gold.

He used them from the shadows to eliminate his opponents. They also dug into other
politicians for weaknesses that Kim Sukho could take advantage of. Through this,
Kim Sukho formed a stronghold even more powerful than when he served as
president. He had some doubts in the beginning, but Hazen’s descendants now filled
him with confidence.

Hazen’s descendants had figured out Black Lotus’ identity through a simple, yet
difficult method of tracking all his whereabouts. Their third executive possessed the
gift, [Colossal Search], and didn’t take long to find out the truth after they accepted
the request.

Their assassination of Kim Hajin almost succeeded. No, it already succeeded once.

“Kim Hajin is Fenrir and Fenrir is Black Lotus.”

Hassun, the first of Hazen’s 5 descendants, spoke in the thick darkness. They hid
while waiting for Kim Hajin to show up.

“Interesting.”

Hayre, the youngest descendant, smiled despite his usual cold attitude.

“We don’t have to report this to our client?”

“Our mission is to assassinate Black Lotus. Further talk is unnecessary. Is he coming

yet, Hazehre?” Hassun asked the third descendant.

“Yes, Kim Hajin will be arriving soon.”

[Colossal Search] could even predict its target’s future location with incredible
calculations.

“He’s coming.”

The 5 descendants in hiding sensed a presence and activated the gift they shared,
[Void World]. Their bodies turned transparent as they camouflaged with their
surroundings and darkness slowly spread out. Enemies could no longer use their
gifts inside this dark domain. Black Lotus would die just like their past targets.

“Come out.”

However, the target’s voice rang out before they even could do anything. The 5
assassins slightly flinched, but didn’t believe they had been discovered. They thought
Black Lotus randomly murmured as one would when returning to a dark, empty
home.

“Otherwise, I’ll come instead.”

The target suddenly revealed himself.

“…?”

The 5 assassins tilted their heads. The target, Kim Hajin, emitted some kind of
strange aura.

Kim Hajin called his awakened spirit power the Author’s Spirit Power. It could
materialize any setting he wanted at any time. As such, Kim Hajin created [Catch
Field], a skill that could detect anyone within 500 meters.

He also sent Spartan to fetch a trustworthy backup.

KOONG!

An eagle and a burly man appeared next to Kim Hajin. Hazen’s descendants finally
realized something had gone wrong.

“What is it all of a sudden?” the burly man, Cheok Jungyeong, spoke.

“Look over there.”

Kim Hajin pointed at Hazen’s descendants in hiding. His aura shot out and lit the
area. Cheok Jungyeong furrowed his brows and followed Kim Hajin’s finger.

“Should we run?” Hayre murmured.

“No, it’s already too late.”

“…!”

Cheok Jungyeong’s husky voice rang out behind them and the next sequence of
events happened too fast.

Kwang! Thud! Boom!

The 5 descendants did their best to resist, but assassins didn’t excel in direct fights.
On the other hand, Cheok Jungyeong specialized in direct combat and could be
considered an unbeatable existence.

***
[England, London]

A rowdy event took place in the evening near Buckingham Palace.

Booom!

Lightning shot up from the prison cell that Jin Sahyuk created. A flaming whirlpool
appeared along with winds sharper than blades. This phenomenon easily surpassed
what could be found in nature.

Kooong!

The series of disasters shook the prison cell that contained Toji. Hundreds of
magicians poured their magic power to maintain the cell. However, dozens of them
lost consciousness in 10 seconds as Chae Joochul shook the cell.

— Uaaaaaah…

Toji’s scream rang out. His skin melted from the extreme heat, but he maintained his
form. The metal-attribute wind slashed him, but couldn’t sever his body.

Chae Joochul poured his powerful attacks into the cell from outside. The injured Toji
screamed, but only briefly. Toji’s body regenerated as though nothing happened after
the round of attacks. Then he peacefully fell asleep again.

“He truly is an interesting one.”

Chae Joochul paused and apathetically murmured. Tap, tap. The magicians supplying
magic power fainted one by one.

“Amazing. I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“A-As expected of the Immortal…”

Yoo Yeonha and England’s prime minister couldn’t help but express their awe as
Rachel stood next to them with a wide-open mouth.

Heavenly natural disasters just occurred inside a tiny, 30 square meter cell. The
Immortal’s power felt even more unbelievable in person.
“External attacks seem to work, but indirect attacks from outside won’t be enough to
bring him down.”

“That was indirect?” Rachel swallowed her saliva at Chae Joochul’s casual words.

“Wouldn’t he at least suffer mental damage?”

The prime minister carefully asked. Chae Joochul knew that Toji had already
forgotten pain. Not even imagined pain stemming from fear existed in that monster’s
mind.

“No. Besides that, where is the person who created this prison?”

Chae Joochul took interest in another matter. He hadn’t seen an ability that could
endure his power in a long time.

“A player created it. She’s gone now.” Rachel stepped up and explained.

“Gone? So she died?”

“Pardon?”

Rachel thought he might be joking until she met his emotionless eyes. She felt a chill
run down her back from the deep void in his eyes and squeezed out an answer.

“No, she, she went back to the tower.”

“It looks like someone else will have to handle him. Someone who can stop him from
regenerating.”

Chae Joochul stepped back with dignity. His words made everyone think of one hero,
Sword Saint Kim Suho, who achieved the greatest title for a swordsman in his mid-
twenties.

The prime minister gave the princess a heartfelt look since Rachel knew Kim Suho.

“No need to call any brats, old man.”

A deep voice suddenly rang out. He sounded like Chae Joochul, but even deeper and
more sonorous.
“…?”

Chae Joochul revealed a hint of surprise as he turned towards the voice.

The government officials quickly parted when they met Chae Joochul’s gaze and the
owner of the voice revealed himself like Moses who split the Red Sea.

Dark blue eyes with a scar on the left, long braided white hair, and wide shoulders
with a shabby steel sword by his waist.

Everyone knew this legend and Chae Joochul hadn’t met him in a long time.

“I’m a bit tired from traveling…”

The man smiled and Yoo Yeonha’s jaw dropped when she realized his identity.

“I’ll personally deal with him tomorrow morning.”

Dresden’s Miracle where one man slaughtered 10,000 monsters. Operation Krahan
when a large djinn group disappeared overnight. The legendary hero behind
numerous tales. He stood second only to Shin Myungchul among the Nine Stars.

Steel Spirit Heynckes had appeared. Yoo Yeonha couldn’t maintain a straight face
from the shock.

“Heynckes.”

Chae Joochul sounded as apathetic as before. Chae Joochul knew about Heynckes’
side effect, so he only gave him a dry look.

“Will you be able to do it?”

“It’s time for me to help the new generation as an artifact of the past,” Heynckes
simply replied.

Objectively speaking, nothing special occurred between Chae Joochul and Heynckes.
They both kept a set distance and only stared at each other.

However, everyone else could only silently stare at the two titans. It felt like
experiencing an important moment in history, but no one dared to take any photos.
They simply watched this once-in-a-lifetime moment in a daze.

“It’s been a while.”

Only one person managed to muster enough courage to speak.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Heynckes.”

She also arrived as Chae Joochul’s acquaintance.

“My name is Yoo Yeonha, the Chief Strategic Officer of Essence of the Strait.”

***

[Buckingham Palace]

Yoo Yeonha stayed overnight at Buckingham Palace. She began studying German,
German history, Heynckes’ life, and more for their meeting tomorrow. Falling
Blossom continued to gather topics for their discussion.

— Tok, tok.

Someone knocked as she worked.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Rachel carefully walked in. She placed a tray with red tea and
dessert on the table.

“Ah, thank you. I felt a bit tired.”

They exchanged smiles as Rachel sat across from her. The two women leisurely
enjoyed the sudden tea time.

Yoo Yeonha sipped on the red tea while looking over documents. Rachel watched her
for 30 minutes or so before finally working up the courage.

“Yeonha, about the guild alliance that Essence of the Strait brought up…”

“…”
Yoo Yeonha looked at her without speaking. Rachel grew a bit nervous, but England’s
unrest would greatly subside if they could ally with Essence of the Strait. Even the
prime minister who planned on leaving for Korea might change his mind.

“Would you like to team up with our guild? We’ll do our best to meet any demands.”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t say anything, so Rachel quickly continued.

“We discovered several artifacts from the Middle Ages recently. They can be lent to
Essence of the Strait’s members if our guilds become allies. Ah, Essence of the Strait
can also use the rights and interest we possess in Prestige…”

Rachel and Yoo Yeonha began to negotiate when…

Thud!

The door burst open and they turned without much thought.

“Yaawn… You were here?”

Evandel stood there with half-closed eyes.

“…!”

Rachel jumped from her seat and Yoo Yeonha’s eyes also shot open.

“What?”

Yoo Yeonha possessed an excellent memory. She would remember even if she had a
horrible memory because that child looked like a cute fairy who came out of a story.

“Wait…”

That child was with Kim Hajin the last time Yoo Yeonha saw her.

“Ah!” Rachel quickly ran towards the door and picked up Evandel.

“Wait, wait, who’s that?” Yoo Yeonha asked, but Rachel hid Evandel behind her and
shook her head.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“What? What do you mean? Who is she?”

“Nothing!” Rachel didn’t have the confidence to explain and ran away.

“Where are you going!” Yoo Yeonha shot up and chased after them.

“Tell me who that is! Hold on a minute. I think I’ve seen her before in Seoul!”

Tadadadat—

Yoo Yeonha shouted as she ran across the hallway.

“As I said, it’s nothing…”

Tadadadat—

Rachel ran, almost in tears.

Yoo Yeonha knew she couldn’t catch up to Rachel, so she utilized the tools at her
disposal.

“There won’t be any alliance if you don’t come back! I was going to agree, but not if
you run away!”

Rachel didn’t stop running. In fact, she used her elementals to escape even faster.

“Haa, haa.”

Yoo Yeonha looked around the empty hallway in a daze.

Rachel and the mysterious child had disappeared. Yoo Yeonha wiped the sweat from
her forehead.

“What the heck?”

So many questions and doubts filled her head that day.

 ***

I returned to the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout with Cheok Jungyeong and 5

prisoners. Koong! Cheok Jungyeong threw the unconscious assassins on the floor.

“Why did you bring them back?”

A family of assassins, 2 in their thirties and 3 in their twenties. We could interrogate

them since I only vaguely knew about them through my settings, but Cheok
Jungyeong replied with a grin.

“To use for training.”

“Training?”

It sounded like a typical answer from him. I built the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout
with magic engineering that could remove the exit. Naturally, this would keep them
locked up.

“Will you be fine?”

“Of course! I’ve been bored, so it’s perfect. There’s Orden, but we have some time
until I get to fight him!”

Cheok Jungyeong grinned and smacked his chest. He acknowledged Orden as a

powerful enemy, but we hadn’t even set a date for our mission yet. A spy had
infiltrated Orden’s palace and would let us know when the right time came.

“These guys have a gift for critical attacks. I can use them to train how to avoid such
attacks.”

“Um… sure. Make sure you find out who’s behind them.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. Oh right, Boss recently caught someone. Her name’s Jin
Sahyuk. You know her, right?”

My eyes shot open. Jin Sahyuk?

“Jin Sahyuk and Boss? What happened?”

“Who knows? Boss said she’ll use the kid to lure out Bell. Mmm.”

Cheok Jungyeong stretched.

I pondered about the relationships between Jin Sahyuk, Bell, and Boss. It didn’t seem
like Bell would save Jin Sahyuk from what I knew about his personality.

“Hmm.”

I lightly sighed and asked Cheok Jungyeong.

“Where is she imprisoned?”

***

I went to the Chameleon Troupe’s lowest floor. It looked more like an undeveloped
floor than a prison. Jin Sahyuk curled up like a shrimp in this empty place with magic
power suppressors around her hands and ankles.

“…”

She looked feeble like she hadn’t eaten or drank in days. A blindfold also covered her
eyes.

What idiotic thing did she do this time?

I suddenly felt sympathetic looking at her. I developed this side effect after finding
out about Kim Chundong’s past. Kim Chundong and Jin Sahyuk occupied most of my
recent worries.

“Tsk…”

Someone with the highest potential in my novel kept getting thrashed all the time.

“Who is it!”

Jin Sahyuk heard me click my tongue and shouted. She raised her head, but sighed
after realizing the blindfold still blocked her vision.

“I-Is it Bell?”
Bell? Did she lose her intuition after being locked up for too long?

I approached with a wry smile. Then I placed my hands on her blindfold.

“Uk.”

Jin Sahyuk trembled, but sensed my intent and didn’t resist.

“Whew… It’s Bell, right?”

She sighed in relief as I carefully lifted the blindfold.

I carefully removed the blindfold and she slowly opened her eyes. Jin Sahyuk
frowned from the light and looked up at me.

“You’re not Bell…”

She tilted her head and sat motionless for the next 3 minutes.

“What are you doing here?” I sighed and spoke first.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t reply and only dropped her gaze to the floor. Her cheeks grew
slightly flushed from embarrassment.

“I’m leaving if you’re not talking.”

Jin Sahyuk flinched as I stood up. She bounced desperately like a fish out of water.

“Wait! Don’t leave!”

I stopped and looked at her. “Why?”

“Release me…”

I scanned her carefully. The magic power suppressors, an effective good from the
Tower of Wish, suppressed all her magic power.

“How did you get caught in the first place?”

“I…” Jin Sahyuk opened her mouth, but shook her head with a sigh.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Then I can’t release you either.”

“Why?”

She glared at me full of resentment. Our fruitless conversation continued when…

“She said she wanted to borrow you.” I heard a voice from behind and turned to see
Boss.

“Borrow me?” I felt slightly confused.

“That’s right.” Boss scowled at Jin Sahyuk.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk averted her gaze without a word.

I could somewhat imagine what went down between them.

Jin Sahyuk thinks I’m Kim Chundong, so she probably told Boss she would take me back
to Akatrina. That probably led to them fighting, but I’m not sure why Jin Sahyuk would
say that to Boss.

“Hajin, she’s dangerous. She’s planning to kidnap you,” Boss said as she stepped on
Jin Sahyuk’s foot.

“Kuaak—” Jin Sahyuk screamed, but also bit Boss’ shoe.

“She’s quite vicious as you can see. You can’t let her go.”

Boss stared at me with a mysterious look. I understood her gaze even without using
the magnifying glass. She simply worried about me.

“…”

I awkwardly scratched my neck. Of course, I didn’t intend on returning to Akatrina

with Jin Sahyuk. However, I would also have to leave Boss one day. I didn’t technically
exist in this world and a bittersweet taste lingered in my mouth.

“Well, it sure isn’t going to be her if I end up kidnapped. You don’t have to worry—”
“You still can’t set her free. I have to take care of other business, but if this scoundrel
isn’t here when I get back…” Boss looked at me sternly.

“I won’t show any forgiveness even if it’s you.”

She coldly warned and left.

Well, nothing I can do at this point.

I shrugged at Jin Sahyuk. She raised her head and looked at me.

“Just secretly release me,” she whispered.

“Are you crazy?”

“At least give me something to eat.” Jin Sahyuk frowned.

“Eat?”

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

She probably couldn’t withstand hunger and thirst anymore with her magic power
sealed.

“Fine. Give me a moment.”

I went upstairs to the kitchen. Then I finished cooking some porridge with braised
beef and kimchi. Dwarf’s Dexterity made cooking quite easy.

Sniff, sniff—

Jin Sahyuk enjoyed the smell before I even came down.

“Here.”

I placed the tray in front of her, but she only stared without laying a finger.

“What?”

“Untie me so I can eat.”

“You know I can’t.”

“What, so you expect me to lick it like a dog?”

Jin Sahyuk glared and wouldn’t endure such disgrace as a former king. I scooped the
porridge with a spoon and offered it to her.

“Open wide.”

“Fuck…”

Jin Sahyuk realized this might be the best treatment and ate the porridge without
resisting. However, the moment she tasted it…

“…!”

Her eyes widened.

“Pfft.”

I burst into laughter since I expected such a reaction. Even the most expensive
ingredients couldn’t recreate this amazing taste. This simple porridge reached
perfection thanks to [Young Dwarf’s Dexterity].

“It’s good, right?”

“I-It’s… Give me more. I need to taste more for an honest assessment.”

I smiled and stuffed the porridge into her mouth. Soon, Jin Sahyuk lost all sense of
shame.

“Give me that kimchi.”

“The braised beef too.”

“Give me one more bowl.”

“More.”

“Hey, don’t you have any radish kimchi?”

Jin Sahyuk ate like she had been starving forever.

***

Rachel escaped to her room with Evandel. Her heart still thumped, but she felt
relieved to see Evandel already asleep in her arms.

“Phew…”

Rachel sighed in relief. She thought Evandel fell asleep when she left. Did she wake up
because I wasn’t by her side? She felt a sense of pride, but soon worried when she
recalled what Kim Hajin and Ah Hae-In told her. They both insisted Evandel be
hidden as long as possible. Every royal servant swore a silent oath for this reason.

Rachel could always claim Evandel as a relative, but everything happened so fast and
she didn’t want to lie to Yoo Yeonha.

Yoo Yeonha would do anything for her guild’s honor and glory. Rachel didn’t want to
expose Evandel to such an ambitionist, but it seemed like Yoo Yeonha already knew
Evandel. Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about how Yoo Yeonha said she saw Evandel
in Seoul.

“Hmm…”

She carefully placed Evandel in bed. Zzzz— Zzzz— Evandel fell deeper asleep in a
more comfortable position. She looked lovely as always. Rachel got rid of all her
worries and lay next to Evandel.

“Guild alliance…”

Yoo Yeonha’s words suddenly popped up in her head, but she discarded such
thoughts. She didn’t want to use Evandel as a means of negotiation. Rachel patted
Evandel’s head until her breathing softened. Soon, she began to feel sleepy as well.

“Yaawn.”

She closed her eyes and her hands stopped patting Evandel. The pair fell into a deep
slumber.

On the other hand, Yoo Yeonha couldn’t sleep at all.

“What was that?”

Yoo Yeonha muttered as she twirled a pen between her fingers.

She had returned to her room after losing sight of Rachel and definitely recalled
seeing that little girl with Kim Hajin.

“That girl clearly doesn’t have Kim Hajin’s genes. She only looks like Rachel.”

Yoo Yeonha wrapped her hands around her head. She suspected all this had
something to do with Kim Hajin. He always wanted to help Rachel one way or
another. For example, he pushed for the negotiation between Essential Dynamics
and the British government months earlier.

Then are Kim Hajin and Rachel really… Wait. What about Chae Nayun?

“I don’t understand.”

Was Kim Hajin a womanizer who chased after girls? No. He might be a sociopath, but
he’s definitely not a player.

Maybe he made a momentary mistake? That made more sense. Anything could
happen between a man and a woman on the spur of the moment.

“Oh my god.” Yoo Yeonha covered her flushed cheeks.

“Oooh.”

So that means… That girl seemed to be at least 5 years old, which meant it must’ve
happened at Cube…

“Oh god, I can’t believe him.”

Yoo Yeonha felt betrayed as her imagination intensified.

***

Rachel slowly opened her eyes the next morning. Evandel already left for her
morning meditation with Ah Hae-In.
“Yaawn…”

She stretched as someone knocked on the door.

— Tok, tok.

It should be her butler like usual.

“I’m awake.”

She replied and the old butler entered.

“Did you get a full night's rest?”

“Yes, is Evandel…?”

“Lady Ah Hae-In picked her up this morning for their morning meditation. Would
you like a cup of tea?”

Rachel nodded and pulled herself out of bed.

“Yes, black tea please.”

A few servants brought the tea when the butler clapped. Rachel combed her
disheveled hair and sat at the table.

“Enjoy your tea.”

The butler left and Rachel poured the tea into a cup.

As she began another beautiful day with a sip of bittersweet tea—

— Excuse me, you can’t do this.

A small commotion occurred outside her room.

— Stop!

— This place is off-limits to outsiders!

What’s happening? Rachel curiously turned towards the hallway.

— What do you mean off-limits? I’m the princess’ teacher and I need to speak to her
right now!

She recognized that familiar voice and flinched. Immediately, the door swung open
and a woman entered.

“Ah, I knew you’d be here.”

“…!”

Rachel tightened her grip around her cup when she saw that woman.

“How have you been?”

Her former teacher, the elementalist Shin Yeohwa, suddenly appeared. Rachel felt
dizzy as she recalled all those horrible days she spent with Shin Yeohwa. She had
been beaten, insulted, and humiliated for no reason. Rachel wanted to erase that past
from her memory forever.

“Why haven’t you been keeping in touch? Do you know how much I missed you?”

However, Rachel chose not to take any action against Shin Yeohwa. She feared Shin
Yeohwa’s reputation as Earth’s best elementalist, but also didn’t want to betray her
teacher.

“Why won’t you answer me?”

Shin Yeohwa, oblivious to her former student’s generosity, took advantage of

Rachel’s publicity and promoted herself as Rachel’s master.

“Don’t you know better than to ignore your teacher?”

Shin Yeohwa slyly smiled.

***

[Gangwondo, Underground Bunker]

Three weeks had passed since the training camp began. Chae Nayun stayed awake all
night again because of Heynckes’ message the day before.

— By the way, I met Kim Hajin last week. He seemed like a feisty lad.

Chae Nayun couldn’t find the right words to reply. She didn’t know how she felt
about Kim Hajin anymore. She only knew she wanted to see him badly.

Chae Nayun spent the night in distress and morning came before she realized it.

Tiriring—

Everyone got out of bed as the alarm rang and formed a line in the middle of the
bunker.

“Did you sleep well?”

Team leader Yun Seung-Ah appeared with a rather unusual guest, Spirit Speech
Master Aileen.

Aileen stood beside Yun Seung-Ah with a stern look and a pair of short legs. Yun
Seung-Ah looked down at Aileen with mixed emotions. She sighed and began her
speech.

“So… today is the day we begin our mission. Miss Aileen will explain the details.”

Surprised murmurs filled the bunker as no one expected the mission to begin so
abruptly.

“My team 1 and your team 3 will enter Orden’s territory today. We’ve been keeping
the exact date hidden for confidentiality. I hope you understand.”

Aileen explained, but the declaration still felt so sudden.

“No need to worry. Our first and foremost goal is to build an outpost. We’re simply
setting up a place to eat, sleep, and rest while we fight Orden.”

Aileen took out a card from her pocket.

“This is a 7 star card called [Building Fortress].”

[Building Fortress] [7 star] Effective Good ○ Will instantly build a fortress above the
sea, beneath the earth, over a cliff, or anywhere else. ○ The fortress will possess Lv.7
Defense and is equipped with a portal that only the card owner’s allies may use.

“This card can build a fortress anywhere. We’ll use it to build our underground
outpost near Orden’s palace.”

Aileen stopped and laid out various camping gear on the ground that had been
reduced in size with magic engineering.

“All of you, take one each.”

The stunned heroes quickly retrieved their gear from the ground.

“Now, I will introduce the man who will help us travel to Orden’s territory.”

A dense fog rolled over the bunker as Aileen finished speaking and a robed man
appeared.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Rebe.”

Bell introduced himself as Rebe and smiled at the heroes. The task force members
destined to become future leaders looked like gold mines to him.

“Is he an outsider?” Kim Suho asked, slightly suspicious.

“Yes, he is,” Aileen briefly replied.

She also felt suspicious about this outsider and only agreed because the
administration insisted he could be trusted.

“Ah, please do not worry. I am already under her Spirit Speech seal as well as an oath
and vow.”

Bell signed all sorts of contracts, which proved his pure intentions. He didn’t need to
lie about Orden because his goals aligned with the government.

“Unni, your Spirit Speech seal is that thing where…”

“Yeah.” Aileen nodded to Yun Seung-Ah.

“His heart will burst and he’ll die a painful death with one word if he betrays us.”

Everyone felt surprised. This meant Bell basically entrusted his life to Aileen.

“Well, in that case…” Kim Suho nodded and stepped back.

“Thank you for trusting me.” Bell spoke while keeping his voice modulation under
control.

“I only have one simple role in this mission. I will transport all of you to Orden’s
territory using my skill, mass teleport. I guess I shouldn’t waste any more of your
time. Everyone, please gather around me.”

Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Yi Jiyoon, Yi Yeonghan, and the remaining
Team 3 members carefully approached Bell.

“Please hold each other tightly so you don’t end up outside the spell circle. Ah, but
don’t be too nervous. You’ll be returning here as soon as you finish setting up the
outpost.”

Bell released his magic power and violet air currents swirled around him into a
complicated geometric shape.

“Here we go!” he cheerfully shouted.

Guoooo…

The spell circle finished forming and Bell’s mass teleport activated.
[Mass Teleport] brought the team 3 members to Orden’s territory, but they didn’t see
anyone from Team 1. Only the team 3 members stood on a vast field in Africa.

“Eh?”

Yun Seung-Ah grew worried when a second flash occurred.

Shoooong…

A violet magic power lit up and transferred the others: Aileen, Yi Yongha, Jin Seyeon,
Nicholas, Parma, and Seo Youngji. Team 1 only consisted of 6 heroes, but everyone
other than Seo Youngji and Jin Seyeon belonged to the Temple of Justice. All of team
3, except Shin Jonghak, stared at them with wide eyes.

“Is everyone here?”

Aileen stepped up and took attendance. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye for
some reason. This [Smart Eyepatch] from the tower could easily perform
complicated calculations and deductions.

“Mmm, great. Everyone’s here.”

Aileen smiled after receiving the results from her eyepatch. Rebe approached Aileen
and softly spoke.

“My role ends here, but I can tag along if you wish.”

“What help will you be?” Aileen furrowed her brows.

“For example, I can carry your bags. I’ve already made a vow, so you can order me
around as you please. Think of me as your sla—”

“Hold on a minute.”
Aileen took out her radio. The Hero Association discovered Orden could detect magic
power within 500 km of his palace, so they decided to use electronic equipment.

“This is Aileen. We’ve safely arrived.”

— We can hear you. This is Commander Yi Gongmyung.

Yi Gongmyung’s intelligence and strategic mind rivaled the level of a gift. He became
minister of national defense at just 30 years old.

“What should we do next?”

— We deployed a drone and dug a tunnel. It should be nearby, so please confirm.

“A tunnel?”

Aileen looked around. Indeed, some leaves and rocks covered an entrance.

“I found it.”

— Go inside. Orden and his servants’ magic power detection should become weaker
underground. For everyone’s safety, don’t use magic power until I give the signal.

“Got it.” Aileen turned around and faced the others.

“Follow me, everyone!”

Team 1 and team 3 marched behind Aileen. The drone had dug a dark and deep
tunnel. Click— Aileen turned on her flashlight.

“Hey, what do you think, Kim Suho?” Chae Nayun tapped his shoulder.

“I don’t know, but didn’t we expect something like this?”

Kim Suho smirked and Chae Nayun faintly smiled.

“I guess so. I don’t mind since it’s fun.”

“Same.”
“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not.”

Tak, tak— Only footsteps rang out as Shin Jonghak cut in between Chae Nayun and
Kim Suho. The three of them proceeded forward side by side. Chae Nayun walked
while playing a mini-game on her phone.

The tunnel ran diagonally until it grew flat at a certain point.

“How have you all been?”

A voice rang out as the tension died down. Kim Suho turned around in surprise and
saw Jin Seyeon smiling.

“Ah, senior.”

“I-It’s been a while.”

“Hello.”

Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and Shin Jonghak greeted her respectively.

“I wanted to see you all.”

Jin Seyeon felt uncomfortable with team 1’s stiff atmosphere and preferred being
with her juniors. First, she tried to estimate Kim Suho’s strength. She didn’t need to
fight him and only looked into his eyes. As expected of the man who recently gained
the title, Swordsman of Wish, Kim Suho grew strong enough to make her smile.

“Um, do you know who that senior is?” Kim Suho pointed at Bera and asked.

“Mmm…”

“Think of me as a hidden powerhouse.” Bera possessed excellent hearing and replied

before Jin Seyeon could say anything.

“A hidden powerhouse?” Chae Nayun frowned at the grinning Bera.

“Yes, many hidden powerhouses exist in this world like Heynckes who appeared
again or Black Lotus. Ah, we could also include Orden.”

“You know Black Lotus?” Kim Suho’s eyes slightly widened.

“Mmm… Maybe I am Black Lotus.”

“No, that’s impossible.”

Aileen listened in and firmly interrupted.

“Black Lotus isn’t so frivolous.”

“Cough.”

Aileen’s sharp tone made the atmosphere awkward. Tzzzt— Tzzt— Her radio turned
on.

— Everything is going as planned if you haven’t been discovered yet. Walk 200 km
from there. You can buff yourselves with magic if you want.

“200 km…” Aileen turned towards the two supporters, Yi Jiyoon and Parma.
However, Parma specialized in healing, so Yi Jiyoon would buff the team.

“Supporter Yi Jiyoon, please prepare [Haste].”

“Yes!”

Yi Jiyoon carefully took out her bow. Then she weaved her buff arrows with magic
power.

“One for each of you.”

“Can’t you just cast a spell or something?”

Aileen didn’t like syringes and didn’t seem happy about being pierced by arrows.

“It’s more effective this way.”

“Tsk. Go easy.”
Aileen reluctantly closed her eyes as Yi Jiyoon shot the arrows. Being shot caused a
slight pain, but anyone could bear it.

“Let’s go.”

With Yi Jiyoon’s haste buff, the group moved so fast they left behind afterimages and
traveled the 200 km distance in just 3 hours.

— This is Yi Gongmyung. Use the card if everyone has arrived at the destination.

They found themselves in a spacious area that looked more like a room than a
pathway.

“Understood.”

Aileen took out the fortress card.

“We will be using it now.”

She infused her magic power into the 7 star [Building Fortress].

“I want a tough fortress capable of holding 300 people.”

Shoong— Aileen added her Spirit Speech to the card as it turned into magic power
and seeped into the ground.

No rumbling or magic power undulation occurred. Only a faint wind blew before the
space began to warp. Tough iron fencing rose from the ground and dozens of small
barracks appeared. A headquarter building stood in the middle.

“Wow, it’s a real fortress.”

“Amazing.”

Kim Suho and Chae Nayun murmured in awe. Everyone else felt the same. Even
Aileen, who activated the card, stared in shock.

“A-Alright, let’s go inside and unpack. This will be our base of operation for the
upcoming Orden Assassination Mission.”
Aileen proudly announced as she walked into the fortress.

***

The fortress featured 99 barracks. Three people had to share one considering the
number of heroes that would use the base. Chae Nayun, Yi Jiyoon, and Jin Seyeon
ended up sharing the same barrack.

The three women unpacked their belongings in the small log cabin.

“Hmm? Nayun?” Jin Seyeon suddenly called her.

“Yes?” Chae Nayun tilted her head as she changed her clothes.

“You dropped this. What is it?”

Jin Seyeon picked up a piece of paper that fell on the ground. It looked all wrinkly
from being kept in a pocket all the time.

“Oh, that?”

Chae Nayun bitterly smiled as she received the [Invitation Letter to the Loveroom].

“It’s an effective good that can summon a person.”

“Summon?”

“Yes, I just need to know the person’s tower nickname.”

“Wow, really? Who are you going to summon with that?”

Yi Jiyoon overheard and jumped in.

“Hm? Oh, I have someone in mind.”

Chae Nayun immediately thought of her game master, Extra 7. He saved her when
she almost died in the tower. A couple of years had passed, but she never had the
chance to use it.

“I think I’ll use it soon.”

Chae Nayun planned to use it before fighting Orden. After all, it would be a waste if
she died. Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon looked at the summoning paper with sparkling eyes.

“It’s a great item. I’d love to have one too. Ah, do you want to exchange it for this
card?”

Jin Seyeon took out a card.

[A Thousand Day Wait] [6 star] — May be used 1000 days after acquiring it. After this
card is activated, you will coincidentally meet the person you want to see the next day.

“Nah, I have to wait 1000 days to use it. That’s terrible.”

Chae Nayun read the item description and shook her head.

“No, no, think about it. It’s better since you don’t need to know your target’s player
ID.”

“It’s fine. I already know who I’m going to summon.”

Chae Nayun pushed the card away. Jin Seyeon pouted and placed it back in her
pocket.

“Who are you going to summon? Can you tell us his player name? Let’s hear it.”

Jin Seyeon narrowed her eyes at Chae Nayun. Yi Jiyoon also stared with eyes full of
anticipation. Of course, Yi Jiyoon already knew who Chae Nayun wanted to summon.
It had to be Kim Hajin.

“Technically, I don’t know who he is either. Ah, senior might know since you’re an
expert.”

Chae Nayun cleared her throat. “Extra7… Have you heard of him?”

“Mmm… He does sound familiar…”

Jin Seyeon furrowed her brows and pondered. Chae Nayun focused on her and hoped
for an answer. After all, Jin Seyeon also became a famous ranker in the Tower of
Wish. Neither Jin Seyeon nor Chae Nayun paid any attention to Yi Jiyoon.
However…

“…?”

Yi Jiyoon knew because she had a huge hint. She easily connected the dot between
Extra7 and what Kim Hajin secretly told her after curing Chae Nayun’s curse.

— Tell her an extra came to help.

“Gulp.”

She finally found the answer to the lingering question on her mind since that day. So
that’s what he meant by extra. Yi Jiyoon swallowed hard.

“Haha, sorry. I’m not sure. I’ll try to find out later.” Jin Seyeon scratched her head and
laughed.

“Ah, it’s fine. He likes to keep his identity hidden, so it’s not too surprising.”

Chae Nayun casually waved it off.

“…” Yi Jiyoon stared at them with a wry smile before heading out of the barracks.

— Ah, why don’t you summon him now?

— Eh? Ah, no. That’s a bit… haha. I want to, but we’re in the middle of a top-secret
mission.

— Of course, I’m kidding. What are you going to say when you meet him?

— Nothing much. I just have a few questions to ask him, but I want to thank him
most of all. He saved my life.

Yi Jiyoon left them and went to find Shin Jonghak.

***

[England, Buckingham Palace]

Spectators gathered around the illusory prison trapping Toji as the sun rose from the
east. The prime minister, vice-minister, their secretaries, Princess Rachel, Yoo
Yeonha, etc. Everyone except Chae Joochul and Heynckes had arrived as they waited
for Heynckes to kill Toji.

“Hey, who was that kid from yesterday? Why won’t you answer me?”

Yoo Yeonha nudged Rachel standing next to her. Rachel maintained a blank
expression and shamelessly replied, “What do you mean?”

“What do you mean? Is that all you have to say? You’re joking, right?”

“Huh?”

Rachel’s innocent face dumbfounded Yoo Yeonha.

“Wow, look at you. Did you lose your memory?”

Honestly, Rachel didn’t feel like dealing with Yoo Yeonha right now. She already had a
headache from Shin Yeohwa trying to make a nest in her bedroom.

“Um… I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Excuse me! Don’t you want to form an alliance?”

“Ah! Lord Heynckes is coming!”

Rachel quickly pointed into the distance. Tak, tak— As she said, Heynckes leisurely
approached the crowd. Yoo Yeonha decided to place her suspicions aside and ran up
to Heynckes.

“Lord Heynckes, I’m Yoo Yeonha. I introduced myself yesterday. How are you feeling
today?”

Yoo Yeonha spoke in German. Heynckes seemed happy as his eyebrows danced.

“You’re Yoo Jinwoong’s daughter. I’m feeling fine and your German sounds excellent.”

“Haha, yes. I enjoy German culture.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yes, German beer is the best in the world.”

“Hmmm…”

Yoo Yeonha showed off the German skills she acquired through her crash course last
night. Heynckes happily chatted with her as he walked towards the illusory prison.

“It’s time for business. We can talk later.” Heynckes ended their conversation.

“Yes, thank you.”

Yoo Yeonha backed off, satisfied with her results. Crack, crack— Heynckes loosened
his neck and shoulders.

“Now, let’s do this.”

“Lord Heynckes, we’ve also prepared a buff magician.”

“That’s unnecessary.”

The prime minister made a suggestion, but Heynckes declined and took out his steel
sword. He had already finished all his preparations. His body no longer felt like it did
in the past, but he honed himself last night until his resonance with the steel sword
became clear again. That would be more than enough.

Chwiik—

Hyenckes swung his sword and unleashed his magic power. The illusory prison
shattered and steel magic power spread in every direction to form a new prison that
encased Hyenckes and Toji.

“What?” Toji woke up with a dazed expression and noticed his surroundings had
changed.

“What…”

He curiously stood as Heynckes swung and pierced his chest.

“Ak.”
Toji screamed and stepped back. The pain angered him and he glared at Heynckes.

“You, kill.”

Rocks crumbled from Toji’s body and shot towards Heynckes. However, mere rocks
couldn’t hurt Heynckes. His steel displayed an absolute superiority against Toji’s
earth.

“You! Kill!”

Toji swung his fists after seeing that long-ranged attacks wouldn’t work.

Koong! Koong! Koong!

Hyenckes easily avoided the inexperienced attacks and perfectly countered them.
Wounds began to cover Toji’s body.

“I, no pain.”

Even so, Toji remained unbothered. His body could endlessly regenerate, so he never
feared.

However…

“…?”

Toji soon realized his body wouldn’t move as he wished. His arms felt heavy and his
chest felt stuffy. The soil that made up his body gradually hardened. Toji had no
choice but to stop attacking.

“What?”

“Dull little rascal, you just realized?” Heynckes grinned.

“Real… ize?”

“You’re experiencing my steel transformation. I injected my magic power into your

head.”

Toji’s body consisted of earth and metal would always defeat earth.
“Now you’re also experiencing the symptoms that are killing my body.”

The steel transformation quickly took place and devoured Toji.

“This…”

Toji could no longer move. He stared as his body solidified and became metal.

“What an anticlimactic ending.”

Heynckes felt Toji’s final moments would be no different than his own. He knew he
would meet the same fate one day.

“It’s hard to see it any longer.”

Heynckes raised his sword. Toji stood still with his head down like a wind-up doll
that stopped working.

“Haaa…”

Heynckes sighed and swung his steel sword.

***

[Africa – Orden’s Territory]

I arrived in Orden’s territory along with Spartan on a winter afternoon.

“Black Lotus. I just arrived.”

The Hero Association had assigned a secret mission to the Chameleon Troupe.

— Yes, confirmed.

The commander of the mission, Yi Gongmyung, answered from the radio. I created
him as a genius character in tactical warfare and strategy, so I felt confident about his
abilities.

— I’ll signal the spy soon.

I didn’t know how, but he managed to plant a spy in Orden’s territory. The
Chameleon Troupe had to safely retrieve this spy. They would reward us with an
astronomical amount of money and cancel the bounty on us. We had no reason not
to accept.

“What comes after the signal?”

— You can go to the underground fortress we prepared.

“Fortress?”

An underground fortress sounded quite grand and surprised me.

— Yes, we prepared a fortress as our base camp. I’m afraid I can’t tell you too much.

“…”

Well, nothing seemed impossible in this world. I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlantis

existed too.

“Understood. Contact me after signaling your spy.”

— Yes, understood.

A signal began beeping after we cut off communications. The Morse code relayed a
coordinate.
Beep— Beep—

The association needed the strongest and stealthiest Chameleon Troupe member for
this Orden spy retrieval mission codenamed Sunrise. Boss seemed like the most
suitable member, but I volunteered in her place. A strange feeling overcame me and I
simply worried about her. I could turn back time if anything happened, but she
couldn’t. I didn’t want to see her getting hurt.

Beep— Beep—

Boss must’ve thought the same. We argued over who would participate until I
eventually won. However, she probably still kept an eye on me from somewhere.

Beep— Beep—

I took out the [Mysterious Magnifying Glass], which allowed me to identify other
people’s emotions and weaknesses. The emotions I saw from Boss that day still
lingered on my mind.

“Haaa…”

I heaved a sigh and recalled that 8 years had passed since I woke up in this world.
That amount of time equaled both middle school and high school. I spent more than
half of those years with Boss.

Beep— Beep—

We gradually changed each other and shared laughter together. Boss and I grew
quite close before I realized it.

“Yi Byul…”

I muttered her name and found the pun quite ironic. Her name could also mean
farewell, but we only grew closer.

Beep— Beep—

My thoughts strayed as the Morse code finally stopped. I turned my attention

towards the screen displaying a pair of numbers.

[7.273853, 20.141379]

I converted it into latitude and longitude coordinates: [7º16’25.9” N, 20º08’29.0” E].

“What the…”

According to the map, these coordinates led to the center of Orden’s palace. To be
fair, the rewards wouldn’t have been so great if this turned out to be an easy mission.
I picked up the radio and whispered.

“I have the coordinates.”

— Roger that. Contact us after rescuing our agent. Please wear the camera we gave
you. We’ll notify you of the underground fortress’ location after we confirm our
agent’s safety.

The radio cut off and I took out the [Book of Truth] to make sure this wouldn’t be a
trap. Is this mission a facade for capturing the Chameleon Troupe? The answer came
back as a no.

“What a waste.”

It sounded simple, but this question took 2 streaks of stigma because it required
understanding human psychology. Fortunately, it would take only 3 hours to fully
recharge stigma thanks to the Orb of Regeneration.

“Mmm…”

I stretched before beginning the mission. Then I wore some armor and other
equipment. First, I equipped my new [Black Lotus Uniform], a carbon fiber armor
reinforced with magic, rare ores, and enchantments.

[Black Lotus Uniform] [Masterpiece] [Composite Attribute] A masterpiece achieved

from great dexterity. One can’t help but admire the dwarves’ craftsmanship when
looking at this uniform.

[Defense — 7/10] [High Rank Shock Absorption] [High Rank Magic Power Circulation]
[High Rank Physical Strength Enhancement] [High Rank Magic Power Reinforcement]
[Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration]

This uniform weighed like a t-shirt, but its sturdiness matched a military tank. I also
added 4 high rank and 1 pinnacle grade enchantment with my four colored
enchantment skill. The last option, [Pinnacle Grade Instant Acceleration], required
some extra effort.

“I’ll try it out today.”

Boss severed one of Kurukuru’s wings a while ago. I ground it into powder and used
it as material for the four colored enchantment. As a result, I could momentarily
reproduce Kurukuru’s speed.

Next, I wore the [Black Lotus Robe] over the [Black Lotus Uniform]. My creativity had
reached its limit, so I ended up naming all my equipment after Black Lotus. Their
names somehow made them feel more luxurious.

[Black Lotus Robe] [Luxury] [Multiple Attributes] A masterpiece achieved from great
dexterity. One can’t help but admire the dwarves’ craftsmanship when looking at this
robe.

[Defense — 5/10] [High Rank Shock Absorption] [High Rank Concealment – Stealth]
[High Rank Anti-Magic Force]

This robe featured a stealth and anti-magic power function. It made me immune to
most weak spells.

Furthermore, I also wore the [Black Lotus Walker], which increased my speed, and
the [Black Lotus Wrist Protector], which increased the power of my arrows.

Click— Click—

The complete set of Black Lotus attire covered me from head to toe. Lastly, I placed
the invisibility cloak over Spartan, who sat on my shoulder.
“Are you ready?”

— Pururu.

Spartan had fully grown to the length of my forearm.

“Let’s go rescue that agent.”

— Pururu.

Spartan already knew the coordinates from earlier. He closed his eyes and began
vibrating. Soon, his long-range teleportation authority activated.

I found myself in front of Orden’s palace when I opened my eyes.

“Spartan, you should head back now.”

— Pururu?

He shook his head, but this place would be too dangerous. One wrong hit and he
could die. I didn’t want to risk losing Spartan, so I forcefully sent him away.

I turned on the camera from the association after making sure Spartan left. It hung
around my neck like a necklace.

“This is Black Lotus. I turned the camera on. Can you see?”

— Yes, thank you for your cooperation. Please capture the palace as much as
possible.

***

Aileen created her own island inside the underground fortress’ commander tent. She
built walls with boxes of snacks and placed cute stuffed animals here and there for
decoration.

“Mm… Mmm…”

The combination of snacks, a penguin plushy, and a shark plushy looked beautiful.
“Aren’t you all the cutest?”

Some might criticize Aileen for being so laid-back during a serious mission, but she
always acted like this.

Aileen never experienced real fear because she had always possessed incredible
power even as a child. She always took first place and everyone revered her. Most
expected her to become the strongest hero in history.

However, Aileen only grew lonelier as she became stronger. She reached high rank at
the tender age of thirteen and never had any friends. Aileen turned to stuffed
animals to soothe her loneliness.

A penguin with glasses and a baby shark that could sing.

“Huhu…”

She stepped back to admire her decorations. Her satisfaction increased the longer
she looked at them. Now this is worth saving the world. Aileen nodded when…

Tok, tok—

Someone knocked on her door and she flinched.

“Go hide for a minute.”

Aileen whispered and her Spirit Speech immediately activated. Sssss… Her Spirit
Speech descended from above like a powder and concealed the animals.

“Okay, come in.”

Aileen returned to her chair and took out her laptop as the door opened. She even
pretended to work by typing.

“Oh, what are these? You have a ton of snacks here.”

Aileen recognized Jin Seyeon’s voice right away.

“I’m not going to give you any, so go awa…?”

Aileen turned around to reject Jin Seyeon, but another guest also came. Chae Nayun
accompanied Jin Seyeon and awkwardly scratched her neck before bowing.

“Haha… How are you, Captain Aileen? It’s me, Chae Nayun.”

“Who are you? Where’s your team leader? What’s Yun Seung-Ah doing right now?”

“She’s training with Kim Suho.”

“She’s flirting during a serious mission?”

Tzzt— Tzzt— Aileen frowned and the radio began crackling. A window popped up
on her laptop for a video call.

— I’ve been informed that you finished setting up the fortress.

Yi Gongmyung appeared on the screen.

“Yep, we did. What’s next?”

— Another mission is currently taking place. Soon, the person we hired will be
rescuing our spy from Orden.

The association dispatched a spy into Orden’s territory about 3 months ago. They
won over a few people Orden tried to recruit.

“Hired?”

— Yes, he’s skilled enough to break in unnoticed.

This didn’t convince Aileen. The association deployed spies several times, but Orden
always uncovered them.

“Are you sure that spy’s trustworthy? What if he betrays us?”

— You can trust him.

The vow that all spies took had caused a problem. A vow served as a safety net to
prevent spies from turning on the association. However, Orden possessed the ability
to discern vows because of the magic power attached to them. This time, they sent a
spy without any vow, oath, or even a seal.

“Well, I guess I have no choice. How’s the mission going?”

— The rescue agent departed a few moments ago.

“Who is this rescue agent?”

— It’s someone you all know well.

Yi Gongmyung sounded confident, but his answer didn’t satisfy Aileen. She folded
her arms and frowned.

“What’s his name?”

She asked and Yi Gongmyung replied straightforwardly this time.

— Black Lotus.

“What! Black Lotus?”

“For real?”

Not only Aileen, but Jin Seyeon and Chae Nayun also felt shocked.

— Yes, we entrusted Black Lotus to rescue the spy.

“Are you serious?”

— Why would I lie?

“Uh… Cough. No wonder that old geezer from the association kept brimming with
confidence.”

Aileen met Yi Yukho, the current association chairman, a week ago and that bald
codger kept telling her not to worry.

“Black Lotus seems like a safe bet as long as he doesn’t betray us.”

She sounded calm, but felt quite surprised. She never imagined the association
would hire Black Lotus. Once again, the present circumstances reminded her of their
mission’s grave importance.

— Right, Black Lotus is currently heading towards… Ah, he turned the camera on.

“Camera? Please show us!”

Jin Seyeon shouted out in surprise. Chae Nayun also pushed her head towards the
laptop screen.

“Ugh, all of you get out of my way! Hey, do you even know who Black Lotus is?”

Aileen placed her hand on Chae Nayun’s cheek and pushed her away.

“Of course I do, but I’ve never met him.”

“Then you don’t know him. Move!”

— I’ll share the view from Black Lotus’s camera.

Yi Gongmyung turned on the view connected to Black Lotus’ camera. Pat! The screen
flashed and switched to Orden’s palace.

— This is Black Lotus’ point of view. Coordinates are being updated in real-time, so
please assist him if the situation gets out of hand.

“Okay, okay.”

Aileen, Chae Nayun, and Jin Seyeon gathered around the screen. Black Lotus seemed
to be aimlessly wandering the palace at first. Then he suddenly rushed towards the
gate at the speed of light.

“Wow! Oh wow, he’s so freaking fast. Er, I mean… he’s really fast.”

Chae Nayun became awestruck at Black Lotus’ speed, but realized her inappropriate
language and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“You’re right. He’s quite fast. He… seems to have gotten stronger.”

Jin Seyeon muttered. She didn’t know that the increase in Black Lotus’ speed came
from his equipment. Aileen also nodded.

“He moves like lightning.”

“It’s almost too pretentious for an archer.”

Suddenly, they heard an unfamiliar voice.

— I’ve entered Orden’s palace.

It came from the laptop as Black Lotus spoke.

Black Lotus spotted a humanoid monster as he turned the corner. The monster
seemed to be a guard on patrol and he quickly hid behind a wall.

“…!”

“Look!”

The trio flinched in surprise.

— A monster is coming this way. I’ll dispose of him.

Black Lotus remained calm and took out his bow. He readied an arrow. Then
something mysterious happened.

Chwaaa—

The monster stood on the right side of the corner, but Black Lotus aimed straight
ahead. The arrow flew in a straight line before suddenly warping to the right.

Crack!

An impossible attack from a blind spot. Naturally, the humanoid monster couldn’t
avoid it and collapsed to the ground with an arrow piercing its neck.

“That arrow just bent on its own. I’ve seen him do that before.”

Aileen muttered while pointing at the screen.

“Oh, you’re right. He didn’t even use a magic arrow. Interesting…”

Chae Nayun also chimed in, but stopped when she felt a sense of deja vu.

A self-bending arrow. Where have I seen that before?

“His skill is almost god-like.”

Black Lotus’ skill also intrigued Jin Seyeon. Then…

“What’s going on here?”

The door swung open and Yun Seung-Ah entered the tent. Kim Suho, her training
partner, also arrived with her.

“Shhh. Be quiet. We’re watching Black Lotus right now.”

Yun Seung-Ah widened her eyes at Aileen’s remark and Kim Suho couldn’t help but
shout in surprise.

“Black Lotus!”

“Yeah, we recruited him for the mission. He’s on our side for now. How’s that? Our
connections are pretty amazing, right?”

Aileen smirked. Black Lotus might be fearsome as a foe, but more dependable than
anyone else as a friend. Aileen knew how annoying Black Lotus could be from the
time he blocked the bridge on the tower’s 8th floor. They didn’t need to fear anything
this time since everyone worked on the same side.

“Oh, let me see. I want to watch too.”

Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho joined the trio. The tent grew a little cramped, but it still
fit everyone.

“What? Black Lotus?”

However, the entire fortress started buzzing from Kim Suho’s shout earlier.

“Where?”
“Did you just say Black Lotus?”

More people kept pouring in until Aileen’s tent went beyond its maximum capacity.

“Dammit, I can’t see! All of you get lost!”

Aileen shouted in annoyance, but no one seemed to care and even pushed her away
as they all nestled in front of the screen.

“Heh, so this is from Black Lotus’ point of view? I actually felt quite curious about
him. Let’s see how he plays.”

Nicholas, from the Temple of Justice, seemed especially excited. The Temple of
Justice somewhat formed a rivalry with the Chameleon Troupe as the latter began to
gain recognition among the public.

— I believe the spy is in a different building.

Black Lotus spoke again as he entered the palace. The spacious interior contained
several buildings.

— I’ll head there right away.

Black Lotus rushed towards one of the buildings, but the scene on the screen looked
absurd.

“Huh… that’s… a lot of monsters.”

Jin Seyeon muttered.

At least a hundred monsters on land and a dozen in the sky guarded that building.

— Can you make it?

Yi Gongmyung asked Black Lotus. He hadn’t expected so many guards.

—…

Black Lotus faintly laughed after a brief moment of silence.

— Piece of cake.

The screen quickly changed. Black Lotus moved fast as lightning, but silent as the
wind. He appeared at a completely different location in only a second.

“Oh, look at him go.”

Nicholas licked his lips with a grin.

“He’s really, really fast.”

“And he doesn’t make any sound when he moves.”

Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho voiced their opinions. The audience gathered in the
commander’s tent admired Black Lotus’ every move.

The first mission finally began.

Orden’s mansion looked quite luxurious. I didn’t know how he constructed such a
building, but it impressed me nonetheless.

— Can you make it?

A worried voice came from the radio as I examined the mansion.

“Piece of cake.”

I activated the [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration] attached to my suit.

“…!”

My body moved faster than expected at a speed far beyond sound. I couldn’t control
this speed, so I activated [Bullet Time]. The world around me instantly slowed. I
moved like the wind and quickly entered the mansion.

— Successful infiltration confirmed.

Wow, that crazy speed surprised me.

I calmed myself and looked around. The walls became transparent as I took in the
entire mansion at a glance. The number of humans totaled 33, including Park Hanho,
the former Temple of Justice member, and his revived daughter. Park Hanho was
currently reading a book with his daughter. It looked like a typical peaceful scene.

More importantly, where is the spy?

I slowly scanned the rooms one by one and discovered a likely candidate in the guest
room on the 5th floor. The woman’s eyes kept nervously wandering. A machine used
to send Morse code sat at the foot of her bed.

“I think I just found the spy. Please confirm.”

I used [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration] again. Monsters filled each floor, but they
didn’t sense me as I passed them like how I couldn’t sense Kurukuru in the past.

Chwaaaa—

I arrived at the guest room on the 5th floor and quite literally appeared like the wind.

“Ah!”

The woman shook in surprise from my sudden appearance. Her strawberry blonde
hair and tall height stood out. She swallowed hard as she looked at me.

“…”

I silently waited for confirmation.

— Yes, she’s the one.

“Hello…”

The woman spoke.

“My name is Rumi.”

She calmed down and even offered me her hand. For some reason, I felt like I’d seen
her before.

— You may use the [Return Scroll] now.

I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

“Do you have any belongings?”

“I have them with me already. I brought my inventory from the tower.”

Rumi nodded.

“If you say so.”

I took out the [Return Scroll]. As I prepared to tear it in half…

“Hi.”

An unfamiliar voice suddenly approached like a blade. I tore the scroll without
looking back. Chwaaak! The sound of paper tearing rang out.

“Huhu. Where do you think you’re going?”

However, the scroll failed to activate due to magic power that obstructed it. I turned
around and sighed in annoyance. A humanoid monster who looked like a giant
peacock stood before us.

“Good thing I decided to act on my hunch. I knew you were a traitor.”

This monster seemed like a female from her appearance and tone.

“Who are you?” I frowned at her.

“Mmm… That’s none of your business.”

The humanoid monster began to sing.

“Here is the inescapable mystery…”

Her voice sounded mesmerizing with perfect rhythm and her melody spread an
abnormal magic power into the surroundings. It melted the room and reshaped our
surroundings into a concert hall. Everything grew dark and silent. The stage and the
seats separated from each other and a spotlight shone over center stage. It felt as if
classical music would start playing as I looked around in a daze.

“What kind of ability is this?”

“She’s one of Orden’s elite monsters. Her name is Doloren and she can imbue her
songs with magic power. It’s similar to Spirit Speech, but also quite different. We’re
inside Doloren’s barrier right now,” Rumi quickly explained.

“Ah.”

So that’s Doloren, one of the four new monsters added to the setting. Does she shed her
feathers because she’s a bird? She’s different from what I saw on TV.
“We… should’ve escaped before she set her barrier. It’s too late now.”

Despair filled Rumi’s voice. She bit her lips so hard they began to bleed. It seemed
she had already given up.

“It’s just a barrier. Why are you so scared?”

“You can’t just simply escape from Doloren’s barrier. It’s more like a world of its
own.”

As expected of the spy, Rumi knew a great deal about Doloren.

“Only two audience members, but that should be enough.”

Doloren muttered as she climbed the stage. She stood on the podium like a
conductor and looked down at us. Rumi turned white with fear, but I felt confident in
breaking through this situation.

“It’s fundamentally just a barrier, no?”

“Pardon?”

I pulled Rumi into my arms and took out the [Mystic Key].

[Mystic Key] [Magic Artifact] — A mystical key.

○Evolving Item — EXP [90000/10000] ○Lv.8 Unlocking (Has been converted into an
effective good through the 8 star card, [Card Conversion].)

I upgraded the mystic key using a ton of [Item Experience Coupons]. Even the most
solid barriers should become powerless.

“The first number is Messiah by George Frideric Handel. Cough…”

Doloren began warming up. She seemed completely at ease because she already
concluded we could never break out.

I thrust the key into the ground and its tip sunk until… Click— It reached the
barrier’s core.
Woooong…

I imbued stigma’s magic power into the key to reinforce it. Then I turned it to the
right with all my strength.

Koong!

It sounded as if someone pressed all the lowest keys of a piano at once. Doloren’s
concert hall suddenly turned into gravel.

“What? What’s going on? Where did my concert go?”

She looked around in confusion.

“Let’s run.”

“Excuse me? What are you— Kyak!”

I picked up Rumi and retreated.

I used [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration] for the third time, but moved just as fast
as my first time. I could use it without limitation as long as I possessed the Orb of
Regeneration.

***

Meanwhile, everyone eagerly waited outside their tents at the underground fortress.
They all witnessed Black Lotus’ triumph from the camera around his neck. Their
hearts sank when Doloren appeared since everyone knew she could match a master
rank hero. However, Black Lotus defeated her quite easily and escaped with the spy.
He perfectly executed the mission.

“I knew he would be a good bet.”

Aileen nodded in satisfaction. Today, she witnessed Black Lotus’ true strength.

“Right, I’m curious how he broke that barrier. What do you think, Aileen? That
barrier didn’t have any noticeable weaknesses. That monster looked confused too.”

Excitement and curiosity overcame Nicholas.

“Hey Nayun, do you think he’d take a photo with me? I think I’ll be able to get 300
million likes online.”

That last remark came from Yi Jiyoon. All the heroes looked forward to meeting
Black Lotus. They didn’t expect him to answer their questions, but felt thrilled to
finally meet him.

“Ah, he’s here!”

Jin Seyeon spotted him first at the other side of the tunnel with her extraordinary
eyesight. Everyone turned to where she pointed as two silhouettes appeared. The
heroes went to greet Black Lotus and Rumi instead of waiting. Aileen stood in front
of Black Lotus as the commander in chief.

“Oi, it’s been a while.”

Aileen greeted him.

Black Lotus remained silent and handed Rumi to Parma, who some called a saint.
Rumi had fainted from Black Lotus’ supersonic speed.

“Hey, don’t you remember me?” Aileen frowned after Black Lotus ignored her.

“I do,” he briefly replied.

“Then why are you ignoring me?”

“It’s not my job to look after you.”

“…”

Aileen’s face turned slightly red and a few muffled laughter broke out behind her.

“I never asked you to look after me! Be courteous, you!”

“…”

Black Lotus looked past Aileen. He gazed over Kim Suho, Nicholas, Yun Seung-Ah,
Shin Jonghak, Jin Seyeon, and Chae Nayun. His eyes lingered slightly longer on Chae
Nayun, who also noticed this and tilted her head in confusion.
“I’m leaving now, but be sure to tell me what the spy discovered.”

Black Lotus turned around, but Aileen’s high-pitched voice stopped him.

“Do you have any other business to take care of?”

As an ally, Black Lotus would be more dependable than anyone else. Aileen wanted
to keep him around until they defeated Orden. Black Lotus could secure the rear,
attack the front, and even assist from behind. He would be the perfect addition to
any team.

“…”

However, Black Lotus didn’t look back or speak a word. An eagle flew from the
distance and landed on his shoulder.

“Hey! Answer me before you leave!”

“Contact the Chameleon Troupe if you want to recruit me,” Black Lotus nonchalantly
answered Aileen.

He didn’t say anything else.

“Excuse me, can you maybe take just one photo with m— Uup!”

Chae Nayun and Kim Suho managed to stop Yi Jiyoon before she could finish. Then
Black Lotus turned into a handful of dust and disappeared into thin air.

Silence descended in the fortress. The heroes all stared at the spot where Black
Lotus just stood. The man came and left like the wind. Black Lotus should’ve been
their enemy, but a sense of gratitude filled their hearts.

Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Yi Jiyoon, Jin Seyeon, Chae Nayun and Yun Seung-Ah… Each
task force member had their own version of the Black Lotus story to tell. Their
stories would soon spread across the world as rumors.

***

[World of Wish, 8F Crevon]

Margrave Tomer had tea with a guest in her reception room on a starry night in
Crevon. The atmosphere felt rather grave. Tomer sighed as she stared at the dark
clouds outside.

“A lot has changed ever since the 30th floor crumbled.”

Crevon underwent a state of emergency after Kim Suho cleared the final floor. Cults
heralded the end of Crevon and some sought to overthrow the current regime.

This period of turmoil only served to bring Crevon together. Araha, the fifth princess,
declared herself king and finally unleashed her hidden ambition after all these years.
She launched a series of innovative and radical policies to address the people’s
concerns.

Araha also recruited many skilled players and regularly sent them on expeditions to
the 9th floor. Half of the 9th floor that once crawled with mythical monsters had now
been cleared. It represented a triumph on her part.

“What do you think?”

Tomer asked the guest while sipping her tea. Recent changes had placed her in a
rather tricky political position.

“I am worried.”

The clinking sound of iron resounded along with the low-pitched voice. The guest, a
giant man, stared at the tiny cup in front of him before picking it up and placing it on
his palm. Tomer smiled.

“So even you’re scared, Lu Bu?”

“…”

Lu Bu didn’t reply. He only grabbed his square sky halberd with his other hand. Then
he raised his head again and stared into Tomer’s eyes.

“I heard Earth will also transform into the demon realm.”

“Yes, that’s what the prophecy states.”

The highest ranking administrators of the tower like Buddha, Jesus, and other saints
already ascended to heaven. They left behind a single prophecy.

[Demonic energy shall invade the blue world. We hope you will all work together to
overcome this ordeal.]

“The prophecy only applies to the outside world.”

Tomer muttered and glanced at Lu Bu.

She now referred to Earth as the outside world. Tomer recalled her parents. Earth
had left nothing but scars on them. She never wanted to leave Crevon for this reason
and cherished the peaceful life she found here.

“Do you wish to descend as well, General Lu Bu?”

Others held very different opinions. Not only the administrators, but also Lu Bu,
Lancelot, and practically anyone who originated from Earth wanted to descend. Lu
Bu slowly turned and glared at Tomer.

“I’m merely following my lord.”

“Right. Your lord resides in Crevon, yet you worry about Earth.”

“…”

Lu Bu clenched his teeth, which made him appear more threatening. Tomer stared
back without being intimidated. As the atmosphere between them grew hostile…

Guoooo…

A strange vibration shook their surroundings. Tomer and Lu Bu stopped and looked
around in confusion.

Soon, a message popped up in front of Tomer.

[The system has undergone a huge change.]

Only Tomer could see this message as an NPC and a player. Her eyes widened as she
read it.
 ***

The sky grew dark without a hint of light as I returned to Pandemonium. I headed
straight to Boss’ office after a quick shower and gave her my report.

“You’re back.”

Boss greeted me with her usual nonchalant look.

“I already heard you succeeded.”

“Did you get the reward already?”

“Yes, the Chameleon Troupe has officially been pardoned. I’m not sure how long
that’ll last though.”

Boss chuckled and stood up to approach me.

“You did well.”

She stared at me before leaning over and hanging a necklace around my neck.

“This is better than the one I gave you before when you first joined. I received it from
the association in exchange for their request. You earned it, so you keep it.”

[Heimdallr’s Necklace], it sounded as priceless as its appearance.

“This is…”

I felt surprised she gave it to me since I knew from her official setting that she loved
jewelry. I gratefully held up the necklace and examined it.

Guoooo…

A huge vibration echoed off the walls. Several windows popped up and blocked my
view.

[Outline — The current narrative has caught up to the original story. The remake story
will now fully take over.] [Problem — The last arc before the hiatus felt too dull.]
[Settings Change — A huge system overhaul has been incorporated to minimize
dullness.] [Original Author’s Privilege — Your eyes may now see an individual’s life
force, among other stats…]
[England, Buckingham Palace]

The English government provided Heynckes with the utmost hospitality after he
subjugated Toji. Heynckes didn’t want the public to find out about his return, so
England did its best to stop the information from leaking. As a result, Heynckes
stayed in England for two more days before returning to the Himalayas.

“Hmm…”

With Heynckes gone, today would be the last day that Yoo Yeonha stayed in
Buckingham Palace. She checked her outfit in front of the mirror in her room. She
wore a black dress designed by the world-class designer, Yi Yoojoong, along with a
pinnacle grade artifact called Siren’s Black Pearl Necklace and an ancient Silla
artifact called the Bronze Necklace. The beautiful Buckingham Palace complimented
her own beauty.

“Huhu.”

She couldn’t help but thank her parents every time she saw her reflection. How did
they pass down only the best genes?

She tried various poses full of confidence: smiling like a cute girl, biting her lips like a
seductress, and looking stern like a CEO.

Yoo Yeonha knew the benefits of her beauty and experienced it firsthand in business.
Her appearance exuded trust and evoked admiration, further boosting her guild’s
image. She became the face of Essence of the Strait for a reason. However, her
appearance never garnered love from anyone.

“Tsk.”

A sense of doubt suddenly swept her. Yoo Yeonha clicked her tongue and turned
away from the mirror, but the hopeless feeling didn’t go away. She subconsciously
thought of Shin Jonghak. She had liked him ever since a young age, but gave up after
realizing he would never be hers.

How did I come to like him?

It happened a long time ago.

“Haaa…”

Yoo Yeonha sat on the corner of her bed and recalled her first meeting with Shin
Jonghak.

They officially called it the Guild and Business Friendship Conference. A social
gathering for corporate leaders and guild executives to network.

Adults attended with their children. The 5 year old Yoo Yeonha looked forward to the
conference. She held the same ambitions back then as she did now.

That day, she tried on dozens of dresses with her mother. Her mother felt quite
passionate, but Yoo Yeonha seemed even more heated. What dress to wear, what
accessories to choose, she spent 7 hours worrying about her outfit.

— How do I look, father?

She finally picked a dress that resembled what she wore now. A black dress and a
necklace that made her look more mature.

— You look adorable, Yeonha!

— A-Ah, stop! You’re going to wrinkle my dress! Stooop!

Her father hugged her with a hearty laugh and Yoo Yeonha recalled being angry at
him for wrinkling her dress.

Her uncle Yoo Jinhyuk, a rising star at the time, also arrived after she picked out her
dress. They all headed to the conference at the garden of Chae Joochul’s grand
mansion.

— Wow…
Classical music played in the background and beautiful flowers glistened under the
sun. Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened at the scenic view. She came from a rich family, but
the Immortal’s grand mansion held a certain noble charm that couldn’t be found
anywhere else.

— Oh, if it isn’t Air Blitz Yoo Jinwoong!

— Haha, leader Yoon Youngho. It’s nice to see you.

— No need for greetings. Follow me. Shin Myungchul brought an amazing child with
him. Her name is Aileen and she possesses an extremely rare gift called Spirit
Speech.

— Oh?

Her father and mother disappeared with leader Yoo Youngho. Uncle Yoo Jinhyuk led
her to the place where all the children gathered, a playground built just for kids. Yoo
Yeonha puffed her cheeks unhappily.

— Uncle Jinhyuk, can’t I say hi to adults too? Kids are boring.

— Nope, you can’t.

— Why?

— The goal of this conference is to make connections. Your parents will take care of
the adults and your job is to connect with the other kids. Your parents' connections
will eventually become yours one day. Plus, you’re only 5 years old. Don’t go around
calling kids boring when you’re one too.

Yoo Jinhyuk’s words made sense, so Yoo Yeonha went to the playground with no
other choice. There, she spotted 10 or so other kids her age.

Huu… huu…

Yoo Yeonha collected her breath before approaching them.

— Hello, my name is Yoo Yeonha.

She captured the hearts of the other kids in 30 minutes with her conversational
skills and beauty. When she felt like she had become the main character…

— Ugh, annoying.

A boyish girl appeared wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The upset girl sighed and sat on a
nearby chair.

Yoo Yeonha felt dumbstruck at first. How could someone come to such a noble
meeting dressed like that?

She chose to just ignore that girl. Yoo Yeonha snorted and invited her new friends to
eat some pudding.

— This pudding is great. Would you like to try… some?

However, most of them had already disappeared. Where did they go? Yoo Yeonha
looked around in confusion. Then she saw them flattering the boyish girl.

— Eh?

The name Nayun entered her ears and she realized that girl’s identity.

Chae Nayun, Daehyun’s youngest daughter and the granddaughter that Chae Joochul
adored.

Yoo Yeonha met Chae Nayun for the first time and also felt inferior for the first time.
However, she refused to yield and believed in her superior appearance.

— Hello, how old are you? I’m five.

She tried her best to recapture the other kids, but the sons and daughters of these
mid-sized guilds left for the nobles.

The nobles didn’t include just Chae Nayun. Sons and daughters of more honorable
guilds and corporations all seemed to possess something more important than
appearance.

Yoo Yeonha realized she could never be the main character. She only served the role
of an extra. The young and proud Yoo Yeonha felt sad about not being at the center of
attention. She resented Chae Nayun, who stole the spotlight in only jeans and a t-
shirt.

Yoo Yeonha held back her tears and glared at Chae Nayun, who seemed annoyed by
all the attention.

— That girl… stupid, idiot…

Yoo Yeonha ate her pudding as she sobbed. Only the sweet pudding comforted her.

Then Shin Jonghak appeared in her life.

— Is that pudding good?

His voice sounded childish, but full of confidence. He didn’t use polite speech either,
but Yoo Yeonha didn’t mind. Someone came to me! Just that one fact made her happy.
Yoo Yeonha elegantly wiped her tears and turned around.

There, she saw a handsome boy who looked like a painting.

— Who are you?

She asked in a daze.

Shin Jonghak smirked and proudly declared.

— Shin Jonghak. My grandfather is Shin Myungchul.

— Shing Myungchul?

— It’s Shin Myungchul, not Shing Myungchul.

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened. Everyone in the world knew Shin Myungchul. Shin
Jonghak liked her huge reaction and stayed to comfort her.

— Don’t worry about those guys. They’re only puppets for their parents.

Shin Jonghak must’ve spoken out of jealousy since he liked Chae Nayun for the
longest time. He must’ve felt annoyed seeing Chae Nayun surrounded by other boys,
but Yoo Yeonha didn’t know that at the time.
— Those who chase after special people without trying to become special
themselves only end up as trash.

He sounded just as arrogant back then.

— Un, okay…

He also seemed like the coolest and most wonderful person.

Her heart didn’t thump like it used to when she recalled that childhood memory.

Yoo Yeonha met another man about 12 years later. A man who didn’t have anything
to his name, but continued to get on her nerves. She even ignored and reproached
him, but he ended up saving her life. Not only that, but he forever turned her life
around.

Kim Hajin.

Thanks to him, she became the noble person she always wanted to be. Essence of the
Strait became the number 1 guild in the world and entered the top 10 corporate
entities. She achieved the ambition she always…

Tok, tok—

A knock interrupted her recollection and Yoo Yeonha shot up from her bed.

“Who is it?”

— Um, it’s Rachel. I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off.

“Hmm…”

Yoo Yeonha straightened the hem of her dress and opened the door. Rachel stood in
front of her and seemed tired from dealing with Shin Yeohwa. However, she still
greeted Yoo Yeonha with a bright smile.

“You look great. Are you ready to go?”

“…”
“Yeonha?”

Yoo Yeonha silently glared at her. Rachel always acted subservient and modest. Yoo
Yeonha knew why since she could now determine the fate of a country. Without
exaggerating, she could literally end England if she wanted to.

“You.”

Yoo Yeonha felt displeased with Rachel’s attitude. The emotions towards Chae Nayun
that day surfaced once again. She couldn’t hold back anymore and released the pent-
up feelings in her heart.

“What relationship do you have with Kim Hajin?”

Rachel’s shoulders flinched. “Pardon? What do you mean—”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Yoo Yeonha turned serious. “The child you ran off with two days ago. I saw her in
Seoul. She wasn’t with you, but with Kim Hajin.”

“…”

Rachel didn’t say anything. That silence might as well be an answer.

“I’ll ask again.”

Yoo Yeonha looked serious as ever. She clenched her teeth and asked
straightforwardly while sharpening a knife in her heart.

“Did you sleep with Kim Hajin?”

The moment she asked…

Guoooo…

Boundless magic power poured from an unknown place.

***
[Final Arc ▷ You Can’t Jump Off a Running Train] [Earth’s Demon Realm
Transformation… 3% Complete.] [Calculating towers that have not been conquered.]
[Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of
Despair…] [A total of 13 towers have been found. The power of these 13 towers will be
released to the outside world.]

“Hajin, magic power just—”

“Fuck, what now?”

“Eh… W-what?”

A sudden change to the system and a new arc. I couldn’t hold back my anger and ran
to look out the window. Then I became speechless.

Chwaaa—

Thousands of shooting stars fell from the sky and illuminated the dark. A meteor
shower and only I could see the writing that kept appearing.

[Enough time has elapsed since the destruction of the Tower of Wish’s shell. During this
time, humanity paid little attention to conquering the remaining towers because of the
great enemy known as Orden.

Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of

Despair… A total of 13 unconquered towers have released their powers because of the
negative force from the Tower of Wish materializing. Their powers will serve as a
catalyst to hasten Earth’s demon realm transformation.

Meteorites will fall across the world. They contain hundreds of demonic monsters,
demon merchants, and hungry demons. The demon realm transformation will now
begin.

However, this demon realm transformation will not resemble the same phenomenon as
found in the Tower of Wish. Not all demons will be enemies. The demon realm
transformation will bring about a new age…]

“You piece of shit! The fuck does that mean?”

I cursed at the sky and looked at the words I couldn’t understand. Then…
KWANG!

A few meteorites exploded as they landed. The earth rumbled and smoke filled the
air.

[Rewards have been granted to all of humanity for clearing the Tower of Wish —
Blessing of the Saints has been activated.] [A new system has been initialized.] [Your
system has reached level 6, the only player to have surpassed level 4.]

I used [Consolidation Coupons] to level up my system as I climbed the Tower of Wish.

[Your stats have been condensed to 5 attributes.] [Your attributes are 1. Sharpness 2.
Tenacity 3. Creativity 4. Materialization 5. Consolidation]

“Boss?”

I turned to Boss. She seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon as she stared
into the air.

Grrrk— Grrrk—

Strange roars resounded and I looked outside. Grrrk— Hundreds of demonic beasts
crawled out from the meteorites that landed.

[Arc Progress – Demonic beasts from the demon realm have invaded humanity.]
[Countless dungeons, mirror worlds, and other battlefields will be created.] [You will
receive DP (Dark Points) every time a dungeon is cleared or a demonic beast is killed.]
[DP can be gained by anyone and may be spent in demon towns or with demon
merchants.] [Note: Demon merchants and demon towns are not your enemies. These
neutral entities only seek to benefit from this war.] [You may convert SP to DP.]

Clang!

A black demonic beast jumped through the window and landed on me. I
subconsciously swung my hand and cleanly slashed him in half.

“The hell?”

I looked at my palm, which suddenly became sharp.

[7 points of sharpness will be added to all your actions.] [You have obtained 5 DP from
killing a demonic beast.]

“What just…”

“Hajin?”

Boss called my name as I murmured in bewilderment. I turned on the TV without

answering her.

— Emergency report. The world is experiencing an unprecedented meteor shower.

These meteorites are causing huge explosions. Civilians are recommended to stay
inside…

“No, Hajin.”

Boss tapped on my shoulders like she felt frustrated.

“Yes?”

“L-Look over there.”

“Huh?”

I turned towards where Boss pointed. This vast field in Central Asia contained
nothing 3 minutes ago. That no longer seemed to be the case.

General stores, clothing stores, weapon stores, magic stores, benches surrounding a
pond, and a plaza with 4-story inns. Existences that looked like people. A meteorite
struck and a new town appeared.

“What’s that?”

The system replied to my confusion.

[These demon merchants have come to Earth through the meteorites. Demon
merchants behave fundamentally different from demons, devils, djinns, and demonic
beasts. Demons are not a single race and only refer to those who originate from the
demon realm. Demons possess different settings depending on their race.]
[Devils will employ djinns and demonic beasts to conquer Earth. Humanity must stop
them. These demon merchants only desire to reap the benefits from this war.]

[They will sell anything including technology to annihilate their own race, weapons,
magic, etc. As long as you pay the required DP.]

[How is it? Not so boring anymore, right?]

“You son of a bitch! Are you kidding me?”

I couldn’t hold back my anger at the last sentence.

“Huuu…”

Anger wouldn’t change anything. I calmed myself and needed to do something. I took
out the [Purifying Crystal] from stigma’s storage.

Boss suddenly discovered something else.

“Hajin.”

She pointed at the sky with a trembling hand. What now? I looked up, somewhat
afraid of what I might discover. Immediately, my thoughts froze.

“A dragon…”

Boss murmured as we looked at the sky in a daze. Not the Human Dragon Aileen, but
an actual dragon circling the moon. A member of the mystical race that no longer
existed.

“Jesus Christ, is this fucking for real?”

I couldn’t help but curse. I hadn’t cursed in a long time, but this damned co-author
just wouldn't let me be.

Chap—

“Uk!”

Boss covered my mouth with her hand and gave me a coy look.
“Don’t curse.”

“Ah, okay.”
[44 days left until the Advent of Calamity.] [You may access the development’s outline
as the original author with your gift, Observation and Reading.] [Don’t forget, you may
still ask me one question or favor.]

Boss and I ran to where the meteorite landed. After 3 minutes of running, we spotted
the village that suddenly appeared. It looked similar to the one I saw in Akatrina
with houses made from bricks like in the Middle Ages.

“What’s this?”

Pandemonium djinns and mercenaries also gathered at the village. A few noisy
djinns anticipated a fight, but most calmly observed the demon village shrouded in
dark fog.

“As I thought, you came too.”

A familiar voice called us and I pulled my hood down. Boss glanced at our business
partner, Wicked.

“Do you know anything about the current situation?” Boss asked her.

“No, I don’t.”

Wicked shook her head and the 3 executives with her did the same. So far, I only
released 3 of her 6 executives. I set aside the remaining ones in case we needed to
negotiate with her. I intended to keep it this way for a while since Wicked’s gift made
her stronger as her followers increased.

“This phenomenon seems to be related to the demon realm. How can you not know
what’s going on? Aren’t you a djinn?” Boss probed Wicked.

“Djinns aren’t from the demon realm and I only serve my lord devil. I have no idea
what’s going on either. Let’s head inside and find out together.”
Wicked’s explanation made sense, so we headed to the village. It looked quite big
with different sectors. We continued to walk and took in our surroundings until an
Aileen-sized demon jumped out from a street corner.

— Hello!

I felt as surprised as Boss and Wicked, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to jump in
fear. Wicked exchanged glances with her underlings and one of them stepped
forward with a stern look.

“Who are you? Reveal yourself.”

— Mmm. So we can communicate. That’s good.

As expected, the demon spoke Korean. He looked quite small with big, curved horns
growing out of his temples.

“Tell us about yourself and what you’re doing here.”

— My name is Kuong and I’m a merchant. I’m still trying to figure everything out
myself.

I used my [Original Author’s Privilege] on the demon.

[Demon Realm Merchant Kuong] [Life Force 100/100] [Alignment – Neutral] [Realm –
Stage 1 Average] [Job – Middle Grade Merchant] [Status – Speaking the truth.]

— I sell a lot of useful things. Please take a look.

Kuong showed us his shop's catalog.

[Special Potion] [Protective Wall] [Artifacts From Another Dimension] [Mercenary for
Hire]… [Body Enhancer] [State of Existence Enhancer]

— You can buy these items with DP, which is the currency we use in our world. You
earn them by hunting demonic beasts. Ah, do you know about demonic beasts?
Monsters contaminated in the demon realm become demonic beasts. I highly
recommend this item here, [State of Existence Enhancer]. It’s expensive, but worth
the cost!
“The demon realm? Are you referring to the demon realm transformation?”

Boss frowned. Players from the Tower of Wish somewhat knew about the demon
realm transformation.

— Yes, today’s meteorites mark the beginning of the demon realm transformation.
Earth will transform into the demon realm in no time if you fail to work together.

All three of us fell silent from the shock. I looked at the demon merchant Kuong and
spoke in an intimidating voice.

“We get DP from killing demonic beasts, so what happens if I kill you?”

— Pardon?

“Can I earn DP by killing you?”

— Oh, you can’t kill me because I’m only a hologram. My physical body is in the real
demon realm.

[Status – Speaking the truth.]

I didn’t plan on killing him, but not being able to do so irked me.

“I see.”

— You won’t gain anything from killing us. We’re willing to do whatever as long as
you pay the DP.

“Geez, another form of currency?”

All this DP, TP, and SP became a bit confusing. We had no reason to refuse and I did
have a talent for making money. I could survive anywhere in this world even if I
became stranded. Success only required a tiny amount of skills and a lot of luck.

“Do you have casinos here?”

— Ah, the higher grade merchants run them. I have lottery tickets though!

“Yeah?”
— Yep, they cost 20 DP per ticket and you’ll instantly get the results. The first place
winner receives 1,500,000 DP, second place wins 150,000 DP, third place wins
15,000 DP…

I could make 1.5 million DP with just 20 DP. Of course, the chances of winning any
lottery would be slim to none. Kuong proceeded to explain.

— The probability of winning first place is 1 in 30,000,000. Second place is 1 in

9,000,000 and third place is 1 in 300,000…

These numbers seemed insanely low. However, the corners of my mouth couldn’t
help but twitch from joy. I tried to appear as calm as possible.

“That’s pretty bad.”

— The chances are low because we sell these tickets in other dimensions and
worlds. I hope you understand.

“Well, that’s alright.”

I felt confident with my superhuman 9.1 luck stat no matter how low the chances.

***

[Africa, Underground Fortress]

[VIOLET’s Gossip – Black Lotus Q&A]

Q. Why does Black Lotus oppose Orden?

A. I don’t know the details, but I think he has a reason for his hostility. Maybe Orden
murdered his family or something.

Q. How strong is Black Lotus?

A. I can confidently answer this question. Black Lotus is as powerful as, if not more
than, Chae Joochul. Chae Joochul is old, so I expect Black Lotus to take the lead as time
goes on.

Q. Really? We know Kim Suho, the Swordsman of Wish, is also quite powerful. Fenrir
killed Black Lotus once before too.

A. I heard Kim Suho acknowledged Black Lotus. He might be stronger than Black Lotus
in a fair 1 on 1 fight, but no hero can stand against Black Lotus in a real battle. As for
Fenrir, no comment. I still think Black Lotus is stronger than Fenrir.

Q. What kind of atmosphere did Black Lotus have?

A. He looked sad and acted quite cold, but I could spot a very human weakness in him.
It felt like he carried a deep scar in his heart that couldn’t be erased. Even his
nonchalant attitude couldn’t hide his sorrow. He seemed like a wounded beast or a
fragile snowflake.

Q. If that’s true, why do you think Black Lotus feels so hurt?

A. I’m not sure. Many reasons could exist like his battle against Orden, the duel against
Fenrir in the Tower of Wish, or maybe the association’s oppression. More than
anything, I think it’s because Black Lotus has the world at his feet and leads the
Chameleon Troupe. The higher you go, the colder and fiercer it gets.

Meanwhile, Yi Jiyoon continued to spread rumors about the Violet Banquet. These
rumors only stemmed from her delusions, but she didn’t feel guilty at all. In her
mind, they wouldn’t cause any harm to Black Lotus. Plus, she really believed in her
analysis.

Tap, tap, tap—

She accumulated more Violet Banquet points as her typing grew louder. Yi Jiyoon
possessed an astounding [Blue Diamond] Violet Banquet ID grade, so everyone
believed her words without cross-checking the facts.

“Mmm. I should check my social media now.”

She turned off Violet Banquet after finishing the Q&A and pulled up her official social
media account.

[Yi Jiyoon] [Posts 2,480] [Follower 36.3M] [Following 103]

“Huhu.”
Fellow members of the Orden Assassination Team treated the high-intermediate
rank, grade 1 Yi Jiyoon as nothing but an immature supporter. However, she became
an extremely popular celebrity online thanks to her excellent marketing strategy.

She gained worldwide popularity by posting photos of herself with other famous
heroes like Chae Nayun, Yoo Yeonha, Kim Suho, and Shin Jonghak. She also ran a
secret website called [VIOLET’s Gossip] on Violet Banquet where she posted gossip
like the earlier Q&A. Initially, she only wanted to earn Violet Banquet points, but
gained a lot of followers along the way.

— So all you do is sell?

“They’re still not done?”

Yi Jiyoon turned off her smartwatch and stood up from her seat. She slightly opened
the door and peeked through the gap. Aileen continued to interrogate the demon.

— Yes, all we do is sell goods.

“How do you expect me to believe that?”

The underground fortress went through a huge change after countless meteorites
landed on Earth. One meteor passed through the ground and became a shop just
outside the fortress.

— Look at us. We’re not built to fight. I’m shorter than you.

The demon twirled.

“You’re kidding, right? Well, it’s true you are shorter than me.”

Yi Jiyoon stepped out and stood next to Chae Nayun and Kim Suho.

“Nayun, Suho, is she still not finished?”

“Hmm?”

“No, but I think it’ll be over soon. Ah, right. What kind of stat did you get?”

Stat? Yi Jiyoon wondered what Kim Suho meant. Then she realized he meant the
great change that happened last night.

“Oh, I received a buff. How about you two?”

“I got tenacity and extreme limit.”

“Mine’s amplification.”

“Huh? Why do you have two, Suho?” Yi Jiyoon asked.

“Um… I’m not sure.”

“Maybe because he cleared the Tower of Wish?”

Chae Nayun tapped Kim Suho’s chest and he retreated while covering his torso.

“Ah, that makes sense.”

The conversation between Aileen and the demon finally ended.

“So you promise not to tell anyone about our fortress?”

— Of course.

“We just want to kill Orden.”

— Sure. I don’t know who that is, but we can help as long as you have the DP!

“Whatever. Hey, come on out everyone!”

Aileen shouted and all 177 special task force members appeared from their tents.

“We’re going to start training!”

Aileen took out the [Training Simulator]. This device had been updated to reflect
Rumi’s report on Orden’s Palace. It became even more realistic and accurate now.

“The mission’s date won’t change! We will strike in 3 weeks as planned and kill
Orden!”
Aileen’s high-pitched voice echoed throughout the underground cave.

“Furthermore!”

The association told Aileen they would try and negotiate, but she decided to
announce this beforehand to lift their morale.

“Black Lotus will be joining us on this mission!”

Thankfully, the members took the news well. Shin Jonghak widened his eyes, Chae
Nayun seriously nodded, Kim Suho recalled the image of Black Lotus, and Yi Jiyoon
hoped to finally take a selfie with him.

“Unni, is that true? I thought they were still negotiating.”

Only Yun Seung-Ah knew the truth and whispered in Aileen’s ear.

“I heard the cost is quite high. Rumors are saying the down payment is 50 billion
won.”

“Whatever, that’s the old geezer’s problem. We need Black Lotus to end Orden for
good.”

Aileen declared despite Yun Seung-Ah’s concerns.

***

[Demon Town in Central Asia]

I returned to the demon town after hunting exactly 100 demonic beasts with Boss
and Wicked (she insisted on following us). Currently, the demon realm
transformation only progressed to 3% and the demonic beasts felt as strong as
intermediate rank monsters.

I greeted Kuong when we returned.

“I’ve got 1000 DP, so give me 50 lottery tickets.”

— Ah, we don’t sell them here.

With a smile, Kuong led us to the general store around the corner.

— Welcome! Come in.

I entered first and found all sorts of cool stuff inside. The shop owner looked like a
giant as big as Cheok Jungyeong. I approached him and spoke.

“Hey.”

— Nice to meet you. I’m Deong.

“Do all of your names end in ong?”

— That’s right.

“Oh… Well, I’ll cut to the chase. Give me 50 lottery tickets.”

— You won’t win. It’s a 1 in 30 million chance. Humans never win.

For some reason, Deong didn’t want to sell me the lottery tickets.

“I’ll show you my luck is beyond a human. Just give me the tickets.”

—…

Deong seemed discontent, but eventually gave in as I continued glaring. He handed

me 50 tickets.

— It’s not going to work out for you.

I scratched the 50 lottery tickets on the spot.

The first ticket won 6th place for 100 DP. The second ticket got nothing. The third
won 6th place again for 100 DP.

Boss widened her eyes.

“Oh, it comes out pretty often for a 1 in 30 million chance.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s 1 in a 30 million chance for first place. Everything else has a higher
probability.”

“Uh… I see. Cough. I’ve never bought a lottery ticket before.”

Boss cleared her throat in embarrassment as I scratched my tickets.

The fourth ticket won 5th place for 500 DP. The fifth ticket won 3rd place for 15000
DP.

— Wow! You won third place! Congratulations!

— 3rd place? That’s something.

“Oh, you’re quite lucky.”

Kuong, Deong, and Wicked congratulated me, but I didn’t feel satisfied yet. I
scratched through my remaining tickets: 15th, 23rd, 33rd, and 50th. I didn’t win first
place from my first 50 tickets, so I bought another 150 tickets with the DP I just won.

I started scratching through them again: 69th, 75th, 83rd… Finally, I saw a golden
glimmer at my fingertips when I reached the 109th lottery ticket.

“Ah, this one’s first place.”

I felt this before as I confidently scratched the ticket.

[First Place]

As expected, I smirked and shoved the first place ticket at Deong.

“You see? Now give me that DP.”

***

[Seoul, Korea]

Ten days had passed since the demonic meteor shower and humanity quickly
adapted to the sudden changes. They defined the differences between demon
merchants and demons as the initial confusion settled down. Heroes began
purchasing useful weapons from demon merchants to hunt monsters and demonic
beasts.

Articles about Black Lotus began increasing after last week. I didn’t know why, but
just let them be since they more or less worshipped Black Lotus. It probably had to
do with my luck.

“When is she coming?”

I waited in Seoul for Yoo Yeonha to arrive. We planned to meet Oh Jaejin, a member
of the Nine Stars.

Oh Jaejin’s original setting only consisted of two simple sentences: The only magician
among the Nine Stars. He is also the only 10 star magician in the world.

What should I talk about with Oh Jaejin today? Does he know about demon merchants
and DP?

“Ah, here she comes.”

A limousine covered in bullet-proof material appeared in the distance.

“Hey, over here.”

I waved from the sidewalk. Chweek— However, the limousine coldly passed by.

“What the…”

Did that just happen or did I make a mistake? I asked myself in confusion when…

Chwaaa—

A gust of wind blew.

“Huh?”

The dwarven supercar I gave Yoo Yeonha appeared in front of me.

“Phew.”

Yoo Yeonha sat in the seat with a helmet on.

“Oh, you look nice today.”

I smiled as Yoo Yeonha took off her helmet. Her long hair fluttered in the air, but she
seemed to be frowning for some reason. She glared at me with a vicious look and
tapped on the seat behind her.

“What’s with the face?”

“Just get on. I have a lot of questions for you, but we won’t be able to meet Oh Jaejin if
we’re late.”

“Mm? O-Okay. Sure.”

I got on behind her as she grabbed the handlebars and stepped on the accelerator. It
only took 0.3 seconds for the dwarven supercar to start.

“Why can’t we meet him if we’re late?” I asked Yoo Yeonha as we traveled at 500
km/hr.

“It’s not that we can’t meet him. It’s more like we won’t be able to have a
conversation with him.”

“What’s his side effect?”

I didn’t know since I never went into the details.

“Dementia.”

“Ah… What?”

I nonchalantly asked as Yoo Yeonha leered at me.

“His side effect is dementia.”

Yoo Yeonha and I arrived in North Pyeongan Province. This place used to be
abandoned when we attended Cube because of its arid land filled with monsters. The
barbaric djinns from Manchuria also resided nearby.

“A lot has changed.”

North Pyeongan Province looked completely different as if we arrived somewhere

else. They didn’t construct any tall buildings because of potential monster attacks,
but magic engineering transformed it into a high-tech city. AI robots ran around the
streets and soldiers carried magic lasers instead of guns.

“You told me to invest in abandoned land, so that’s what I did. More immigrants will
come flocking here,” Yoo Yeonha curtly spoke.

“Oh, yeah. I did say that.”

I awkwardly scratched my cheek. I recalled texting her about a few business ideas,
but I never expected the proud Yoo Yeonha to follow through with them. Maybe my
luck caused this too.

“A lot of foreigners settled here.”

People from all over came because their home country grew too dangerous or they
simply admired Korea.

“All the land here belongs to me. Not just North Pyeongan Province, but also North
Hamgyeong Province, Chagang Province, and Yanggang Province. Essence of the
Strait reclaimed all the land abandoned during Outcall.”

“Oh? Good job.”

“North Hamgyeong Province and North Pyeongan Province went through the biggest
changes. They even have schools, academies, and hunter associations among their
residential buildings now. It still can’t be compared to Seoul, but about 2 million
immigrants live there. As you can see, we’re doing our best to contribute to society.”

“Yeah, that’s great.”

I listened to Yoo Yeonha’s self-praise as we walked past the immigrants speaking

Korean. Then we arrived in front of a hospital surrounded by a magic barrier.

A nurse waiting for us led us inside. We followed her past an empty hallway and into
an elevator.

Yoo Yeonha pressed the button to the 6F basement. Soon, the elevator door opened
with a ding.

“Are we in the 70s?”

The 6th floor basement looked like we traveled back in time with traditional houses,
old TVs, and even rotary phones. Yoo Yeonha explained as I looked around in
confusion.

“They purposefully built it like this so Nine Stars Oh Jaejin wouldn’t go berserk. He
used to live in an old village on Jeju Island and this floor is a replica of that village.”

“I see.”

I imagined the damage a 10 star magician could cause. It would be best to eliminate
anything that could provoke him.

“Follow me.”

We entered a large house. Yoo Yeonha took off her shoes and stood in front of the
main room’s sliding door. I followed after her.

Tok, tok—

Yoo Yeonha knocked and a woman’s aged voice immediately replied.

— Come in.

“Excuse us.”
I walked into the room with Yoo Yeonha. Its warm, rural appearance reminded me of
my grandparents’ house. A husband and wife waited for us inside.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Yeonha. This is Kim Hajin.”

“Hello.”

We both bowed and the old couple smiled at us.

“Nice to meet you both. My name is Yi Yoon-Ok. Dear, you should say hello too.”

“I’m Oh Jaejin.”

Oh Jaejin briefly replied. As I expected from a magician, he seemed cold and sharp
with long hair and a beard.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Let’s cut to the chase since I don’t have much time. I hear you have a way of curing
my side effect?”

“Yes, it’s possible.”

Yi Yoon-Ok’s face brightened after my confident reply, but Oh Jaejin remained silent.
He stared at me and blinked a few times. Then he turned to his wife.

“Mom, I’m hungry…”

“Ah, there he goes again. Don’t worry. Just tell me and I’ll relay the information to
him later.”

“I’m hungry. I’m hungry. I’m hungry!”

The old Gandalf began to throw a tantrum.

“I’m hungreeeeeey!”

It caught me off guard, but I didn’t panic and took out the ingredients along with a
mortar.
“Shamrock plant, otoren, pure light plant, essence of emerald, and the minotaur’s
horn. They’re all medicinal ingredients from the Tower of Wish.”

“I’ll eat them!”

Oh Jaejin tried to snatch the ingredients, but I placed them in the mortar before he
could touch them. I crushed the ingredients and forged them into a pill with
astonishing dexterity and stigma’s magic power. Yi Yoon-Ok, Yoo Yeonha, and Oh
Jaejin all observed my godly alchemy skills in a daze. Soon, a total of 5 pills came out.

[Miracle Pill]

The pills came with various effects, but I deleted them with settings intervention and
added [Dementia Side Effect Reversal] as their only effect. Each pill took 70 SP and
the ingredients cost 100,000 TP in total. Spending 350 SP and 100,000 TP would be
worth it if I could win over Oh Jaejin.

“These pills will cure Nine Stars Oh Jaejin’s side effect.”

Yi Yoon-Ok looked at the pills in my hand with a shocked expression.

“However, I would like you to promise me one thing.”

He just had to take 1 pill every 2 weeks.

“He must help humanity once he’s cured.”

I handed Yi Yoon-Ok the pills and she firmly nodded.

“Of course, he will want to do that more than anyone even if I try to stop him. My
husband is the most heroic person I know.”

Unsurprisingly, she held great trust in her husband.

***

Yoo Yeonha spoke as we left the hospital.

“That went better than expected.”

“Yeah.”

We didn’t need to convince them much. As expected, the Nine Stars possessed both
strength and character. Only their side effects stopped them from helping humanity.
Most of the Nine Stars would happily help if I solved that problem.

“By the way, do you know about this?”

Yoo Yeonha still had more to say.

“This is top-secret info, but I heard Black Lotus helped the Hero Association with
their Orden Assassination Mission.”

Black Lotus. That name made me flinch every time I heard it, but I casually nodded.

“That’s interesting.”

“Right, so… are you not going to participate?”

“Me? I care about my life. What if Black Lotus kills me?”

“Pft… Right, you did kill Black Lotus in the tower. I guess you brought it upon
yourself.” Yoo Yeonha giggled, oblivious to the truth.

“You’re quite amazing now that I think about it.”

“Thanks. By the way…” I quickly changed the topic before our conversation grew
more difficult to navigate.

“What are you up to these days?”

“Busy as always. Even busier, actually.”

“Why?”

“You know, with the demon towns and demon merchants suddenly appearing… I
have to think of ways to earn DP.”

“What are you going to do with DP?”

I won 1.8 million DP from the lottery, so Yoo Yeonha might give me some good ideas.

“Buy artifacts from other dimensions. Most importantly, DP acts like an instant
currency. If you want a building, you can buy it. If you want gold, you can buy it. If
you want a weapon, you can buy it. You can build an entire city in 3 seconds with
enough DP.”

“Mmm, I see.”

“DP can become anything, which makes it revolutionary. We don’t have to wait for a
project or for research to finish.”

“Ah…”

I nodded and took out the [Anything Checkbook].

[Anything Checkbook] [8 star] Effective Good — A checkbook that will pay out
anything. The person who receives this check must also carry out what was paid for.

I wrote down 1 million DP and handed the check to Yoo Yeonha.

“What’s this?”

She strangely stared at me.

“One million DP.”

“Come again?”

Yoo Yeonha took the check with a bewildered expression.

“You’ll have a million when everyone else only has a thousand. You should be able to
control the market, right?”

“Um, what is this again?”

“It’s a check for DP. Just tear it and you’ll receive 1 million DP.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yoo Yeonha grumbled as she tore the check in half. My DP immediately fell into her
hands and only 800,000 DP remained.

“…!”

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes popped out about 2 meters into the air. She looked even more
shocked than when she found out I hadn’t died.

“W-What’s this?”

I grinned at the flustered Yoo Yeonha.

“I’m investing 1 million DP. I’m not giving it away for free, so use it to drive the
market. You can do whatever you want, but half of what you achieve will be mine,
okay?”

“That’s obvious, but how did you make 1 million DP? Hunting demonic beasts
shouldn’t be enough to…”

No, wait. Am I dreaming? Yoo Yeonha shook her head and slapped her cheeks. She
snapped out of it after her cheeks turned red.

“Wow… hehe, hehehe.”

Yoo Yeonha smiled after realizing it wasn’t a dream. She felt pure bliss from being
able to surpass her competitors.

***

A meeting currently took place within the Hero Association. Honestly, it seemed
more like a debate than a meeting with only 3 individuals in attendance.

“I heard Heynckes has returned.”

Yi Yookho, the current Hero Association’s chairman, spoke. His bald head shone
under the room’s light.

“What do you think? Chae Joochul and Heynckes should be able to kill Orden if they
work together.”
Kim Sukho, the former Korean president, replied.

“It’s not impossible, but I don’t think Chae Joochul would be willing to risk any loss.”

“It should be easier with Black Lotus and Kim Suho.”

Kim Sukho flinched when he heard Yi Yookho mention Black Lotus. He even hired
the Mountain Sage’s group to assassinate Black Lotus, but lost contact with them.
They clearly failed, so Kim Sukho didn’t like the Black Lotus idea.

The third member of their meeting spoke up.

“Black Lotus is too expensive. Accepting their price would put the association in a
deep hole.”

He brought up their financial concerns.

“They’re skilled, but too expensive. Those dogs don’t know what they’re worth.”

“It’s better than losing to Orden. Didn’t you see the decree that arrogant fool sent?
Feeding those hunting dogs won’t be a waste. The tougher they grow, the more you
have to feed them,” Yi Yookho retorted.

This week, Orden threatened the Hero Association and various countries with an
official decree. He would declare war if they didn’t publicly release his message.

The third member nodded in response to Yi Yookho.

“Then I guess we have no choice.”

Kim Sukho stared at their third member with anticipation. If each of them held 33%
authority over the association, the final 1% likely belonged to the third member
because of his strength.

“We’ll just have to put down the dog after the hunt.”

Kim Sukho liked that idea.

***
I returned to Pandemonium the next day and wore my Black Lotus uniform. The
Chameleon Troupe would officially participate in the Orden Assassination Mission.

“Are you ready?” Boss asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh, black does look good on you.”

Cheok Jungyeong commented from the side.

I shrugged and asked, “What happened to the assassins? Did you find out who hired
them?”

“No, they wouldn’t spit it out no matter what we did.”

“Mmm… Well, that’s to be expected from the Mountain Sage. What about Jin Sahyuk?”

“She’s still imprisoned. She’s a tough one too. We even sent Droon to scare her, but
she only grew feistier.”

Droon’s Mimyo possessed multiple abilities like an illusion spell called Illusory Death
that specialized in torture. It probably didn’t work on Jin Sahyuk.

“She withstood the banshee’s curse, so it’ll be hard to crack her.”

Anything less than the banshee’s curse wouldn’t leave a dent against her top-notch
endurance.

“Mm, I see… Oi, get over here you guys!” Cheok Jungyeong suddenly shouted.

The slower Chameleon Troupe members rushed over.

“Geez, stop being so loud. It’s unsightly,” Setryn muttered.

“You don’t need to roar for us to hear you.”

Khalifa, Jin Yohan, Droon, Jain, and Kaita (who managed to not die) followed her.
Eight of us, including Boss and I, would participate in today’s mission.
“Quiet. Khalifa, open the portal now that everyone’s here.”

An oval portal appeared according to Boss’ command and a burning heat blew from
it.

Then an emergency rang from my smartwatch after we stepped into the portal.

— Emergency news. The monster king Orden sent a video to news agencies all over
the world along with a decree. He has threatened to declare war if his decree is not
publicly released. As such, the government has decided to release this decree after
careful consideration.

***

“Huu, huu.”

Click!

Jin Sahyuk barely managed to remove the magic power suppressors on her wrists
after the Chameleon Troupe members left for Africa. She sweated all over and sighed
in relief.

“Sigh…”

Fortunately, Jin Sahyuk gained 2 new stats from the recent incident. [Nonobservance]
allowed her to partly ignore the magic power suppressors and [Distortion]
strengthened her Reality Manipulation.

“Bastards, just you wait…”

Jin Sahyuk staggered up. The Chameleon Troupe imprisoned her for quite a long
time, but she still heard about the changes outside. The demon realm transformation
had begun and demon merchants appeared. Things progressed as Bell foretold, so
Baal would descend next. It wouldn’t be long until she could return to Akatrina.

“Huu, huu…”

Jin Sahyuk closed her eyes and transmitted her will after collecting her breath and
recharging her magic power.
— Bell, you son of a bitch, where are you?

She hardly ever used mental transmission, but succeeded with sheer talent.

— Oh? You got released, Sahyuk?

— Shut it. Where are you?

— I’m with Rumi in an underground fortress.

— Underground fortress?

Jin Sahyuk frowned.

What the hell happened while I got locked up?

— It’s an advance base built in subterranean Africa to kill Orden. Kim Suho’s here
too.

“What?”

I missed out on so much fun!

Jin Sahyuk thought to herself and frowned.

— I’m heading over too.

— Mm? No, you can’t. Kim Suho will find out. Plus, something urgent just happened.

— What?

— Orden wants to talk to the public.

Talk to the public? The hell does that mean? Jin Sahyuk wanted to ask, but the mental
transmission gave her a headache. She made a portal to escape this damned prison.

“No…”

Leaving this place would end her relationship with the Chameleon Troupe. Perhaps
she should stay here for Kim Hajin. A lightbulb suddenly went off in her head.
“Oh, right.”

Jin Sahyuk materialized the inventory she made from Reality Manipulation and took
out a card.

[Body Double] [6 star] Effective Good — Will create a puppet that looks and acts
exactly like you. (Keyword – Actualize) — The puppet will last for 150 days and you
may switch places with it at any time.

“Actualize.”

A puppet identical to her appeared when she muttered the keyword. Jin Sahyuk
placed the magic power suppressors on the puppet and commanded it.

“Act like me as much as possible. Go crazy.”

The puppet blankly stared at her before nodding.

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Jin Sahyuk stepped through her portal with a satisfied smile.

[Underground Fortress in Africa]

“He’s planning on building a nation.”

Rumi gave her last testimony as a spy.

“A nation?”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon wrote down Rumi’s words and tilted their heads.

“Yes, he’s already built several villages in Africa. Didn’t you say some people went
missing after the recent monster incident?”

“Huh? Yeah, I did, but… that can’t be right.”

Rumi sipped her glass of cold water and sighed.

“You guessed correctly. Orden probably forced those missing people to his villages.
Your drones couldn’t detect it because his hypervigilant monster birds destroyed
them beforehand.”

Rumi’s explanation made sense. The government dispatched 1000 drones to Africa,
but 990 of them had already been destroyed. They used the remaining 10 to plan
their safe route. Unexpectedly, Orden kept the missing humans alive and even built a
place for them to live.

“Trust me. I’ve seen his papers. They made me assign the categories.”

Rumi continued her testimony.

“Categories?”

“Yes, I ranked their monsters and villages.”

Rumi recited the settings of Orden’s kingdom. All monsters received a category
between sacred bone and true bone and rank 1 to rank 9. Similarly, all villages
received a low, middle, or upper rank.

“So you’re saying these villages exist?”

“That’s right. They’re human villages run by monsters since the number of humanoid
monsters can’t compare to humans. However, Orden also has scientists researching
ways to turn those kidnapped humans into monsters.”

Aileen frowned when their conversation reached that point. Yi Gongmyung also
wore a similar expression on the laptop screen.

— We’ll hear about the details from the others.

Yi Gongmyung informed them.

“Hmm?”

Aileen and Jin Seyeon seemed confused. Does he mean other spies besides Rumi?

“What do you mean by others?”

— Oh, I just received some good news.

Yi Gongmyung sighed in relief and relayed the message from his superiors.

— Black Lotus and the Chameleon Troupe will also participate in this mission.
They’re traveling by land, so they’ll run into those villages first.

***

We arrived in Africa. At first, we wondered if we arrived at the wrong place. A lot had
changed since we last visited.

“Isn’t that a village?”

Jain muttered in surprise. The other members, including me, felt shocked as well.

“Yes, that appears to be a village.”

The land that once crawled with monsters became a suitable habitat for humans. No
skyscrapers existed here, but several round buildings formed a rural scenery.

“Where are we exactly, Khalifa?” Boss asked the Chameleon Troupe member who
transported us.

“I’d say we’re on the outskirts of Orden’s territory. We should reach Orden’s palace in
700 km.”

Orden would instantly notice a portal near his palace, so Khalifa created his portal
on the outskirts of Africa. This village sat in the middle of the shortest route to
Orden’s palace.

“Those villagers don’t seem to be monsters.”

Cheok Jungyeong narrowed his eyes and peered into the distance before tilting his
head sideways.

“You’re right. They’re all humans.”

I possessed even better eyesight and noticed the moment we arrived. Only humans
lived in this village.

“Ah, I heard the number of missing people skyrocketed after the recent monster
incident. He must’ve brought all of them here. Looks like he even brainwashed them.
How interesting.”

Jain chuckled. Monsters still infested the Middle East and Western Europe. The
number of missing people surpassed their casualties. It made sense for the village to
be so big considering all the missing people.

“Hmm. Well, let’s see what Orden has to say first.”

I pulled up the live broadcast of his declaration on my smartwatch.

— First, I demand humans to be sent to Africa. Each country will send 200 million
people. I promise to keep the hostages safe.

— Second, I demand official acknowledgment and respect for me and my servants as

neohumans. Neohumans are superior to humans. Humans should be grateful we
choose not to eliminate or forcefully rule over them.

Orden’s demands sounded quite absurd. No country would ever agree to send over
200 hundred million citizens to any entity, much less a hostile one.

— As a tolerant ruler, I am willing to offer humanity a grace period of 6 months.

“That’s enough crap for today. Seems like Orden built this village.”

I turned off the smartwatch and looked at the Chameleon Troupe members.

“Well, why don’t we build an outpost first? Like the underground fortress the special
task force built.”

“Outpost?” Jain tilted her head.

“Yeah, this mission will take a while.”

“Why don’t we just use that village as the outpost?” Cheok Jungyeong suggested.

“Mm, that sounds like a good idea.”

“I guess even a bonehead like you can be useful once in a while.”

Not only Jin Yohan and Setryn, but even Jain agreed.

“Uh…”

“Why are you hesitating? We could wipe that place out in a second.”

I finally realized our party’s true strength. Honestly, Cheok Jungyeong and Boss
would be enough to overwhelm most humanoid monsters.

“Okay then.”

With a smile, I pointed to the center of the village.

“How about that castle over there? Seems like the village lord would live there.”

The castle only stood slightly taller than the surrounding buildings.
“Good, let’s head there.”

We moved like the wind at Boss’ command.

***

[Crean, A Low Rank Village Located in the Far South Corner of Orden’s Kingdom]

“Hmm…”

The humanoid monster, Tenzuhar, served as lord of Crean. He looked like a small
lizard and only became the lord because he could speak eloquently and possessed a
rare ability called brainwash. The stronger humanoid monsters preferred to stay in
the central palace rather than rule over humans.

“Hmm.”

Tenzuhar pondered while shaking his leg. How can I win Orden’s affection and
acquire fame and fortune? I can’t possibly satisfy my ambitions on the outskirts of a
country like this.

“Surely improving the village won’t be enough. Slurp.”

Only humans resided in Crean. Some monsters lived in the villages deeper in the
mainland. However, he’d have to be at least rank 1 to take over such a village.

“Slurp. All the ores end up going to the middle and upper rank villages even if I dig
the mines.”

Crean was only a low rank mining village.

“I’ll end up getting punished if I don’t produce anything. Slurp.”

This village contained a large amount of premian, the most delicate magic ore on
Earth. They kidnapped humans for this reason since monsters would crush the
premian to dust with their sharp claws.

“I can’t find any way to stand out… Slurp.”

Tenzuhar smacked his lips. Most small humanoid monsters possessed a great desire
to succeed. They received this genetic predisposition as compensation for lacking
strength compared to other monsters. Tenzuhar felt dissatisfied with the village even
though he didn’t deserve such a position.

“Damn it. Guard!”

He felt irritated and called in a guard to satisfy his hunger.

— Krrrk!

A rank 4 monster who couldn’t speak or think complex thoughts served as his guard.
He only received a rank 4 monster because that would already be strong enough to
win against a high rank, grade 3 hero.

“Give me something to eat!”

— Krrk!

The guard nodded and left.

“Tsk.”

They only recently developed the criteria for classifying monsters. Most monsters
fell into a class between rank 1 and rank 9. Only a select few could become a true
bone or sacred bone.

“Slurp. What can I do with underlings that can’t even speak?”

The ability to speak served as one of the primary criteria for classifying monsters.
You would only become rank 2 at best if you couldn’t properly speak. The next most
important criteria included strength, intelligence, and any special abilities.

Tenzuhar didn’t possess much strength, but could be considered rank 3 because of
his fluent speech. He also possessed a decent ability and an above average
intelligence.

Crash—

Suddenly, he heard a ruckus downstairs and angrily stood up from his seat.
“Slurp! He can’t even do something as simple as bringing me food! Slurp.”

Tenzuhar stomped towards the door to scold his guard. Kiik— The door opened. No,
someone opened the door. Confused, he looked at the human beyond the gap.

“…?”

The human appeared quite huge with muscles the size of his head and legs as thick
as his waist.

Did we have a resident who looked like that? Tenzuhar pondered.

Ssk— A sharp blade touched Tenzuhar’s neck and he gasped at the coldness.

“Quiet.”

“…”

Tenzuhar glanced at the enemy behind him. He couldn’t see the intruder’s face, but
noticed the black robe with an embroidered lotus.

Black Lotus.

Orden’s monsters knew this symbol well and Tenzuhar began drooling in fear.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Black Lotus asked and Tenzuhar replied under the overwhelming pressure and fear.

“Spare me… I know nothing. Slurrrp. Slurp, slurp. Slurrrrp…”

He rapidly rolled his tongue until he lost consciousness. Kim Hajin glanced at his
stats.

[Life force 33/100] [Name – Tenzuhar] [Alignment – Misdemeanors / Ambitionist]

[Realm – Stage 1 Average] [Potential – Stage 3 Average] [Job – Low Rank
Administrator] [Status – Unconscious from fear.] [Special Ability – Low-intermediate
Rank Brainwash] [Potential to coax – Surprisingly high]

This humanoid monster didn’t possess any abilities to remotely call for help, so Kim
Hajin threw him on the floor.

***

We easily took over the castle. I tied up Tenzuhar and hung him upside down. Then I
settled down on a nearby couch.

“Hmm. The view looks surprisingly nice from here.”

“Now that we’ve taken care of the outpost…”

Boss looked outside the window as Jain muttered with a map in her hands.

“Only 4 villages remain from here to Orden’s palace.”

“…!”

Tenzuhar regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

“Huuak!”

“Eh? What the… You didn’t kill this guy, Lotus?”

“No, I thought we could use him later.”

“Slurp. Please spare me. Spare me, slurp. Slurrrp…”

Tenzuhar fainted again after briefly waking up. What a strange monster. I ignored
him and summoned a demon merchant.

[You have spent 1000 DP to summon the demon merchant Kuong.]

— Nice to see you! I’m the visiting demon merchant, Kuong!

The only neutral demon merchant I met so far appeared before us.

“I need a communication device to contact an underground fortress. Do you have

anything like that?”

— Yes, of course. One for you and one for the fortress. That’ll be 1250 DP including
the delivery fee.

Kuong handed me a black handheld transceiver after I paid him 1250 DP through the
system.

— Thank you. Is there anything else?

“Uh… Maybe?“

The demon merchant system turned out to be more useful than I thought. As Yoo
Yeonha said, being able to get anything for a price felt quite convenient. I stroked my
chin and spoke.

“Hey.”

— Yes?

“Is there a way to, um, make DP without doing anything?

— You already did with the lottery!

“Well, that’s true. However, you said the number of first place tickets is fixed. It’s also
tiring to scratch all those tickets.”

The DP lottery consisted of different rounds with only 10 first place tickets per
round. The chances of winning decreased along with the number of first place
tickets. I didn’t know how many first place tickets might be left considering this
lottery took place in multiple dimensions.

— Mmm. Then would you like to try the minigame?

“Minigame?”

“Hey, Lotus. Are you having fun with the merchant?”

Jain interjected, but I pushed her away.

“What is it?”

— Please look over here.

Kuong spread his palms and a video popped up.

[A dimension within a dimension. Your DP donation may save other subdimensions.]

It sounded like a line from a public service advertisement. A sphere appeared above
Kuong’s palms after about 5 seconds.

“What’s this?”

— This is a game of luck similar to the lottery. This planet is called Lailos. It’s a
subdimension of Earth.

“Subdimension?”

— Yes, a dimension lower ranked than Earth. The difference between Earth and
Lailos is like the difference between reality and a novel.

“Why would you compare it to a novel of all things?”

— It’s just an example. Anyways, look here.

Kuong shook his hand to zoom in on Lailos and the sphere transformed into a plot of
land. A group of knights stood there as Kuong spoke.

— Lailos is also fighting against a demon realm transformation. You, a being from a
higher dimension, can help the people of Lailos.

“Why would I help them? I’m busy taking care of myself.”

— By sponsoring an individual, you can earn DP every time that person kills a
demonic beast.

“Hmm. Really?”

I looked closely at the knights.

One, two, one, two!

Hundreds of tiny knights continued training hard.

You won’t kill a single demonic beast if that’s all you’re capable of!

Even the superior knight scolding them sounded cute.

— Why don’t you give it a try? Be careful though! You can only sponsor up to 3
individuals. It’s usually only one, but you get extras because you have 5 stats! Try
picking someone with a high potential.

“Ah, so that’s why you said this would be similar to the lottery.”

— That’s right! You should pick the strongest and most diligent one! Time also flows
faster in this dimension. A year in Lailos equals 30 days in this world. You’ll be sitting
on a mountain of DP in no time!

“I got it.”

The conditions seemed extremely advantageous. I didn’t even have to use my luck as
I looked over the knights. I didn’t care about their current strength and only focused
on their future potential.

One knight possessed a potential of [Stage 3 Average], another had [Stage 4 Rare],
and the superior with the loud voice only seemed to be [Stage 5 Rare].

Does anyone here possess actual talent?

I carefully studied the knights.

“Ah, found one.”

A woman hid behind a tree and watched the other knights train. She looked young
and still had some baby fat, but seemed upright and determined.

[Life force 100/100] [Name – Litrain] [Alignment – Good / Ambitionist] [Realm —

Stage 0 Below Average] [Potential – Stage 9 Extraordinary] [Job – Squire] [Status —
Feeling envious of her seniors] [Potential to coax – Looking for a master to serve]

She possessed an astounding potential of 9. I didn’t know how good that might be in
their world, but surely such a talent would bloom. I chose Litrain as my beneficiary.

[You have chosen to sponsor Litrain, a squire.]

— How much would you like to donate?

“100,000 DP.”

— Wow, you’re so generous!

[You have donated 100,000 DP to Litrain. She has gained the feature, status window.]
[Litrain will gratefully use your donation.]

Litrain’s eyes widened and she looked confused at first. However, these donations
appeared to be a well-known phenomenon as she clenched her fists and jumped in
joy.

— Hooray! I was chosen!

She shouted and all the other knights turned towards her.

“What’s this? She looks super happy.”

— Ah, the people of Lailos are quite familiar with donations. Hmm? Something
strange happened during the donation process!

Kuong’s eyes widened and several system messages blocked my view.

[Your interdimensional luck has activated.] [Litrain’s physical ability has increased as a
result of your luck!] [Litrain’s growth has accelerated as a result of your luck!] [You will
now receive 100% of the DP that Litrain earns from hunting demonic beasts.]

— Congratulation! This character will soon become very strong! You should recover
your initial 100,000 DP donation in just 2 months.

“Mmm, that sounds great.”

I observed the joyful Litrain jumping up and down and turned off the minigame.

“Now then, shall we move on.”

I grabbed the transceiver that I just bought and turned around.

“Underground fortress, can you hear me?”

They quickly replied from the other side.

— Yes, we can. This is Aileen. Are you… Lotus? I received the transceiver. It’s good to
hear from you again, I guess?

Aileen sounded cheerful as usual and I spoke in Black Lotus’s typical nonchalant
voice.

“This is Black Lotus. We have taken over one of Orden’s villages.”

— Village? A village exists in Africa?

Aileen’s tone went up in surprise. I looked at the map on the village lord’s desk.

“Yes, the village is called Crean. We just took down the lord.”

— What? It even has a lord?

“His name is Tenzuhar, a humanoid monster that looks like a lizard.”

—…

Aileen went quiet as other voices buzzed from the other side.

“Ah, it’s that kid again?” Jain grumbled unhappily. I smirked and turned off the
transceiver.

“I’m curious, Jain. How do you know Aileen?”

“Me? Mm, it’s nothing special. I used to act as a hero and she was my superior. That
stupid brat is only 2 years older, but always acted all important because of her gift.”

Tzzt— The transceiver buzzed as Jain finished.

— Who’s living in the village?

Yun Seung-Ah spoke instead of Aileen. Jain also had a bad relationship with her and
frowned. I cleared my throat and changed my voice to Black Lotus.

“Humans.”

— Are they doing okay?

“They’re physically healthy, but look like they’ve been brainwashed. It doesn’t seem
like they’ve suffered any abuse though. They think they’re miners who have been
living here for a long time.”

—…

It became silent again. I didn’t hear any static either, so I assumed they turned off
their transceiver to discuss among themselves. I checked the minigame as I waited.

[Half a day has passed since you chose Litrain. Many knights have congratulated her,
but they obviously envy her. Litrain’s physical strength immediately improved and she
received approximately 130,000 points. No one has ever seen such a sponsor before.
The knights cannot fathom why such a rich sponsor chose Litrain.

They only considered her an uneducated squire who arrived in the capital without a
plan. A country bumpkin who would only remain a baggage carrier.

No one knows if Litrain ever felt their dissatisfaction, but she turned her life around
after being chosen. She set up a shrine for her sponsor in her small room and continues
to pray before every meal. Being chosen has always been her dream. Her happiness
knows no bounds now that she has achieved it.]

“Hmm.”

Things seemed to be progressing well. She didn’t need to worship me, but I watched
her pray and contemplated.

[Buster Call] [High Rank] — You may summon loyal vassals from the Tower of Wish
using stigma’s magic power.

I checked my only active gift, Buster Call. I felt like I could also summon Litrain if I
added another word or two after the Tower of Wish. For example, [… from the Tower
of Wish or another dimension…].

“Oi, Kuong.”

I spoke to the demon merchant silently standing around.

— Yes?
“You said we live in a higher dimension, right?”

— Yes, compared to the minigame’s dimension.

“Then is it possible to summon a being from a lower dimension to a higher

dimension?”

— Mm, I’m not sure since I’ve never tried. It might be possible. After all, you’re from
a higher dimension.

“What’s the difference between a higher dimension and a lower one?”

— Simply put, higher dimensions are more stable. Beings from higher dimensions
are like gods to those from lower dimensions.

Stable… I thought about this word when Kuong kindly explained.

— More stable dimensions have weaker humans. An individual would have the least
freedom to interfere with nature in the most stable dimension.

I thought of my original world. The Earth I came from didn’t have any magic, gifts, or
anything of that nature. Humanity created technology to overcome nature, but
countless died during that process. My original world sounded like the one with the
least freedom to interfere with nature.

I stared suspiciously at Kuong, but he only grinned without saying anything.

“Now then…”

Tzzt— The transceiver buzzed again and Kuong announced that he ran out of time
before disappearing.

— This is Beetle. Can you hear me?

“Beetle?”

— It’s a codename. What do you plan to do now?

“We plan on using the village lord as our pathfinder.”

— Pathfinder? Ah, understood. Let us know when you reach the next village. I have a
meeting to attend.

The transceiver went quiet and I looked at Tenzuhar dangling from the ceiling. His
eyes remained closed, but I could see his status.

[Status – Nervous he might be discovered.]

He only pretended to be unconscious.

“Open your eyes. Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”

“…”

“Five, four, three…”

“I, I’m awake!”

His eyes shot open before I even reached two.

“Oh, he was awake?” Jain grinned and approached him.

Tenzuhar submissively smiled and rubbed his hands.

“Slurp. I, I just woke up… Slurp.”

“…”

I left him dangling in the air.

“Oi.”

“Yes?”

“Can you act as our pathfinder?”

“Pathfinder?”

“That’s right. We have to keep going.”

We could avoid traps with my excellent eyesight, but that couldn’t compare to a
humanoid monster who already knew the area.

“O-Of course! Slurp.”

Tenzuhar briefly pondered, but quickly agreed. He must’ve realized his only option
to live.

[How have you been, hyung?]

A message suddenly popped up.

[It’s Jajangman. Sorry, it’s been a while lol ^^]

“What’s this?”

[I stopped by the Tower of Wish to pull some cards. I’m messaging you because I pulled
something cool. Hold on, let me see if I can send you the info.]

“The hell?”

Chae Nayun’s voice accompanied the message and gave me a slight headache.

[Look at this! I screamed when I pulled it. Lol It’s my first ever 8 star card!]

The card info popped up in front of me.

[Infinite Communication] [8 star] Effective Good — You may select 55 players to

infinitely communicate with. — Text and voice will be simultaneously transmitted. The
receiver cannot reject your communication without the 7 star card, [Refuse
Communication]. — This card’s user will become immune to mental interference
effects.

[Hahaha, how is it hyung? Have you pulled an 8 star card before? Ah, it’s been a while
since I quit the tower, but pulling cards makes me want to go back. I have an important
mission right now…]

“Geez, so loud…”

Wasn’t she supposed to stay in the underground fortress? Why did she return to the
tower?

[Ah, oops, my bad. I put the sound too high.]

Chae Nayun finally noticed her voice sounded like a roar and decreased it to a
whisper.

“Haa… haaa…”

[Ah, I set the communication to be bi-directional hyung. Just text me if you want to say
anything.]

“What kind of a card is this?”

How did she pull an 8 star card with her horrible luck? I clutched my head and
collected my breath.

***

Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, and several other heroes returned to the underground
fortress after pulling some cards in the Tower of Wish. Aileen ordered them to in
case they pulled anything useful for the mission.

Kim Suho pulled an 8 star card and three 7 star cards while Chae Nayun pulled two 8
star cards.

[Ah, ah, Kim Suho, can you hear me?]

“Yeah…”

Kim Suho continued to suffer from Chae Nayun’s attacks.

[My voice isn’t loud anymore, right?]

“Yeah…”

[Isn’t this card amazing?]

“It is.”
Kim Suho sighed and replied.

[I got slightly mad when the first 8 star card I pulled turned out to be some
communication nonsense, but I love how you can’t reject it!]

“Can’t you just talk?”

Kim Suho couldn’t stand it anymore and nudged Chae Nayun standing next to him.
However, she remained silent and simply shook her head.

[No, I have to get used to this. It’s harder to use than you think.]

“Sigh, do whatever you want.”

Kim Suho could only shake his head.

The tent door opened and Aileen walked in as they tested their new cards. She
glanced at Kim Suho and Chae Nayun before shouting.

“All members! Come out!”

Her voice carried a small amount of her Spirit Speech power and all 177 members
walked out of their barracks in a daze.

“Everyone bought cards yesterday, correct?”

Aileen seemed satisfied as they lined up.

These elite heroes didn’t like serving others and unenthusiastically replied.

“Tsk, I’m sure you know what cards will be useful. Exchange them if you have to.
Anyways, the reason I called you is…”

Aileen turned serious and continued, “…to tell you that villages exist in Africa.”

“Huh?”

Chae Nayun and the other heroes paused from taking out their cards and tilted their
heads.
“Orden kidnapped humans and built villages. The association says it’s to deter us
from dropping nuclear bombs, but who knows? We decided to form a
reconnaissance team.”

The chief strategist, Yi Gongmyung, ordered them to form a reconnaissance team and
scout the surroundings.

“Let me know if you want to participate. It’s going to be dangerous, so I’ll offer my
three 7 star cards.”

“I’ll participate!”

Chae Nayun shouted and raised her hand the moment Aileen finished. She recently
took a liking to dangerous missions.

“I’ll participate too.”

“Same here.”

“I’ll go as well.”

Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, and Jin Seyeon quickly followed. The reconnaissance team
consisted of 4 people now.

“Mm, great.” Aileen nodded in content.

“I’ll be the pathfinder.”

The man who introduced himself as Rebe also spoke up. He stayed in the
underground fortress after his mission and worked as their janitor.

“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s finding the correct path.”

Bell smiled at Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, and Chae Nayun.

***

Meanwhile, Jin Sahyuk established her own path.

“Fuck… shit… I’m going to burn to death.”

She cursed with every step through the African landscape. Jin Sahyuk toiled under
the hot sun to find Bell, who cut off all communications.

“Huu, huu… huu…”

She walked through the desert without any equipment and simply killed any
monsters or humanoid monsters with her magic power. More appeared as they
smelled blood or detected her magic power, but she quickly killed these patrols as
well.

Killing, walking, killing, walking…

She repeated this cycle for a long time before noticing a scent in the air. This person
smelled familiar.

“This… sniff, sniff.” Like a dog, she sniffed the air in every direction.

“It’s Bell.”

Not just Bell’s scent, but at least four more.

“What is that son of a bitch planning this time?”

Jin Sahyuk closed her eyes and sent a transmission again.

— Bell, you better answer. I’m in Africa and I caught your scent. What are you
scheming?

A reply came back 5 seconds later.

— Oh, you came to Africa? I’m scouting the area with my companions right now.

— Companions?

— Yep, I’m with Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, Shin Jonghak, and Jin Seyeon. You know
them, right?

Jin Sahyuk detested Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak the most. Her face quickly distorted
into a frown.
— What are you planning to do with Kim Suho? Get over here now.

— I can’t. I’m restricted by Spirit Speech. I have to obey them until Orden dies.

— Stop fooling around, you son of a bitch. I know you can easily get rid of that.

Jin Sahyuk kept sending mental transmissions, but Bell cut off all contact again after
she began cursing. She could only stomp in anger.

“You motherfucking piece of shit! Wait until I get my hands on you!”

She wanted to ask about the demon realm, demon merchants, and Baal’s descent.
However, Bell kept avoiding her like he developed a new hobby for leaving people on
cliffhangers.

“I’ll kill you.”

Bell, the eternal death you desire so badly. I’ll personally grant it when I see you. Jin
Sahyuk clenched her teeth and chased after Bell’s scent.

***

The sun finally set in Africa and a freezing cold replaced the scorching heat.

I used this opportunity to leave Crean with Boss, Cheok Jungyeong, and Tenzuhar. We
headed to the second village with Tenzuhar guiding us.

“Not all humanoid monsters are loyal to Orden, slurp. We instinctively desire and
admire strength, slurp. Orden’s humanoid monsters will naturally turn on him if a
humanoid monster stronger than him appears, slurp.”

Tenzuhar insulted Orden to gain our favor.

“This is a secret, but I never liked Orden. Slurp. Honestly, I’m on the humans’ side.
Slurp. I’ve been planning on taking Crean’s humans and escaping from Africa, slurp.”

He obviously lied, but I let him be.

“So what do you want us to do about it?”

Cheok Jungyeong seemed to think otherwise and placed his hand on Tenzuhar’s
head.

“Ah, hahaha, n-nothing. I-It’s just that I, I wanted you to know that humanoid
monsters like me…”

“I’m looking at a humanoid monster like you right now. Stop blabbering nonsense
and explain where we’re going.” Cheok Jungyeong glared at Tenzuhar.

“Y-Y-Yes, of course. A middle rank village called Lupiton is up ahead. Lupiton’s lord is
Pleron, a snowbird humanoid monster.”

Tiriring— Boss received a text message from Jain.

“Mmm, Jain says she’s excavating ores.”

“Great.”

Premian, a treasured ore, could only be found in Africa. Most ores in Africa would be
considered precious since I designed Africa to be a high-risk, high-return place.

“Looks like it’s time to upgrade my equipment.”

The delicate premian ore could be applied to an item’s surface and improve its
toughness by several times. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if I overgeared
myself to victory.

“…”

Boss looked at me somewhat enviously. I smiled and found it cute.

“I’ll make one for you too, Boss.”

“Mm, I won’t decline.”

“Make me one too, kiddo. I don’t need anything grand, just shoes. Not many fit me
and they always break when I find a pair.”

Cheok Jungyeong requested new equipment as well when Tenzuhar suddenly looked
back. His lizard eyes sparkled and I curiously waited for him to speak.
“Slurp. I, I’m afraid I’ll be assassinated… slurp.”

“What? Did this lizard go mad?”

“Ah, hehe, I’m kidding, slurp.”

Cheok Jungyeong prepared to smack Tenzuhar when… Chwaaaa— A wind blew and
shook the area.

“…?”

It had been quiet until now, so I easily noticed. Furthermore, the air contained a faint
scent of magic power. I turned towards where the wind came from and infused
magic power into my thousand-mile eyes.
Kim Suho left the dark underground fortress and stepped onto the hot African soil.
They had been tasked to investigate the villages and confirm the number of
residents. Hopefully, they could figure out why Orden built these villages in the first
place.

“Wait a minute.”

The reconnaissance team consisted of Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun, and Jin
Seyeon. Bell and Rumi also accompanied them as guides. The team had to move
stealthily, so Kim Suho took out his collection of cards.

[Stealth Powder] [7 star] Effective Good — A powder that will erase your presence
(200g) — The effect will last 24 hours per 3g.

This card he recently obtained would be perfect for their secret mission.

“Everyone, sprinkle this on your body.”

Kim Suho used it without hesitation. The powder concealed their presence as the
team began their mission.

“Let’s go.”

They moved in complete silence and arrived at a rainforest after 4 hours. Bell led
them through the dense forest with Rumi’s help. The monsters didn’t even notice
them passing by.

[Hey. Hey, hey, Kim Suho.]

Chae Nayun sent Kim Suho a message as they pushed through the forest.

[You received a quest too, right?]

Kim Suho knew exactly what she meant.

[Quest – Reconnaissance Mission] [Completion Reward – Gain DP. Tenacity stat will
slightly increase.]

This quest alert suddenly popped up when he first received the mission. It seemed
similar to quests from the Tower of Wish, but also somewhat different. Kim Suho
replied without a word.

[Yeah, I received it, too.]

[Hey, what rewards does it say you’ll get?]

[DP and a stat boost.]

[Oh, same here.]

Bell led the team from the front and suddenly stopped. Kim Suho also paused and
looked forward.

“Looks like we’re here.”

Bell informed them as the rainforest ended at a certain point. The team approached
and finally saw the view up ahead.

“…”

Their jaws dropped in shock. They knew this part of Africa contained vast fields with
sunset-colored grass and tropical trees. Savannas usually looked like that.

“Wow.”

However, the scenery before them surpassed their expectations. It looked more like a
city than a village. Only a trace of the savanna remained where the tall buildings
lined up. A 6 story building stood at the center of what seemed to be a shopping
district. The downtown and the residential areas sat apart from each other as
humans and humanoid monsters crowded the streets.

“This village is called Lupiton. It’s one of Orden’s biggest mid-rank villages. Most
humans who live here have been brainwashed. The population is about 300,000-
500,000 if you also include humanoid monsters. It’s basically a medium-sized city.
The lord of this village is a true bone rank humanoid monster named Pleron.”

Rumi explained as they looked at the village.

A mid-rank village called Lupiton? Chae Nayun thought to herself. How big is an upper
rank village if this is only mid-rank?

“Then how big is an upper rank village?” Chae Nayun couldn’t help but ask.

“Upper rank villages aren’t too big. They’re actually laboratories where Orden’s
scientists transform humans into humanoid monsters.”

“What? Laboratories?”

“Yes, Orden has brainwashed these people into wanting to become residents of an
upper rank village. First, they have to increase their rank through self-cultivation.
However, they only become material for humanoid monsters when they arrive at an
upper rank village.”

A vicious hostility descended upon them as Rumi continued explaining.

“I finally found you.”

The team turned towards the voice.

“You son of a bitch.”

They saw a single figure in the spotless African sky. Jin Sahyuk glared at Bell and
Rumi with blazing anger.

Bell gulped and Rumi quickly hid behind Chae Nayun and Jin Seyeon. Her reaction
suited a scared spy, so Chae Nayun and Jin Seyeon protected her without question.

“Jin Sahyuk.”

Kim Suho uttered her name, but Jin Sahyuk didn’t even care about him. She directed
her anger towards the hooded man, Bell.

“You fucker—”
— Sahyuk. Can you please calm down?

Bell quickly sent her a message before she could finish.

“What? You—”

— I’m sorry. I really am. I never expected you to find me so fast. It seems you’ve
grown again, Sahyuk. I’m proud of you.

Bell didn’t lie when he said Jin Sahyuk had grown. She probably had the highest
understanding of the new stats, [Nonobservance] and [Distortion].

“Yeah, that’s why I—”

— Just let me go this one time. You’ll ruin everything if you cause a ruckus here. Can’t
you see Chae Nayun and Kim Suho?

“Bullshit…”

Jin Sahyuk’s anger couldn’t be stopped like an erupting volcano. Bell had no other
choice and dragged Kim Hajin into their conversation.

— Chae Nayun here has a history with Kim Hajin. Some of the things she knows
don’t seem to match what you know.

“What?”

— You think Kim Hajin is your servant, right? Chae Nayun’s memories tell a different
story. You know about the skill I picked up from the Tower of Wish, right?

Bell learned an ultimate skill called [Sea of Memories]. It allowed him to explore
other people’s memories while they slept or remained unconscious. Bell peeked into
a lot of memories during his stay at the underground fortress. Chae Nayun became
one of his easiest targets. Her traumatic and emotional memories couldn’t be
overlooked.

“…”

— Sahyuk, it’s possible Kim Hajin is lying. Shouldn’t you make sure he isn’t?
Jin Sahyuk knew Bell spoke the truth.

— Aren’t you curious what Chae Nayun knows about Kim Hajin? I bet you’d be
surprised if you knew.

Indeed, she also felt curious about Chae Nayun’s memories and wondered what
made Bell so confident.

— Just act like you don’t know us, Sahyuk. Can’t you tell from the fact that Rumi is
here? We’re doing all this for you?

“…”

Jin Sahyuk decided to let Bell trick her just this once.

“K-Kim Suho, you bastard. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

She pretended to target Kim Suho instead, but sounded so awkward even Kim Suho
felt confused by her sudden change in demeanor.

“Me?”

“Yes, you traitor. You god damn traitor.”

“…”

“I’ve been looking for you. Kim Suho, you son of a bitch, you disloyal dog, brainless
bull. You turtle look-alike, rodent eater. You’re so dead!”

She sounded a bit strange, but her anger felt real. Kim Suho gripped Misteltein and
glared at Jin Sahyuk.

“Okay, but maybe try to hold it in? We’re right next to Orden’s village. If we fight here,
we’d all disco—”

“What is that bitch saying?”

Kim Suho tried to appease Jin Sahyuk, but another member couldn’t gloss over her
insults. Chae Nayun angrily stepped forward to confront Jin Sahyuk.
“Who the hell are you? Where did this crazy bitch come from?”

“What? What did you say? You vermin.”

“You’re the vermin.”

Chae Nayun and Jin Sahyuk scowled at each other and sparks seemed to fly between
them. They began a staring contest when…

“What are you all doing here?”

A man appeared from behind the bushes and everyone turned towards him. No one
knew him, not even Bell or Rumi. This man seemed to be in his 30s and held a basket
and sickle in each hand. He seemed to be one of the brainwashed villagers and
blankly stared at Kim Suho before stepping back.

“Are you people… outsiders?”

He grabbed his smartwatch and obviously intended to report them. Everyone

nervously exchanged glances and Rumi spoke first.

“No, we’re also from the village.”

“Village?”

“Yes, Lupiton. We came to gather some crops and a fight broke out.”

“What kind of crop?” the man doubtfully asked.

“Laurail.”

This useful crop could be made into medicinal pills or used when forging weapons. It
only grew in Africa.

“Mm. So you are Lupiton residents.”

The man smiled and hung his sickle around his waist.

“You should stop fighting and leave. This is a dangerous area. It’s under strict
supervision because sacred bone Lord Tigris will visit in a week. You could be
imprisoned if the police catch you.”

“Ah, I see. Let’s go together then.”

Rumi and Bell followed the man first.

“Chae Nayun, let’s go.”

Kim Suho grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away.

“Jin Sahyuk, we haven’t seen each other since Akatrina. I see you’re also acquainted
with Kim Suho.”

“Stop talking to me.”

Shin Jonghak and Jin Sahyuk awkwardly walked side by side as Jin Seyeon whispered
to a radio in the back.

“We found a village called Lupiton. We’re heading inside.”

— Inside?

“Yes, the situation has deviated from our original plan. The people here don’t suspect
us because of the high population, but Orden has already brainwashed all the
residents.”

— Brainwashed? Mmm… Okay, but keep the reports coming. Send me some photos
too.

“Yes, I'll request help if anything happens.”

Jin Seyeon continued walking while observing Jin Sahyuk.

***

I faced the wind and focused on my thousand-mile eyes. My vision instantly

expanded and reached the source of that faint magic power. I spotted… an insect the
size of my hand.

“What’s that?”
The insect glowed golden and looked like a dragonfly scurrying away.

“It’s a golden dragonfly.”

“Slurp. Golden dragonfly?” Tenzuhar’s eyes widened.

“Do you know what it is?”

“Slurp. Of course.”

The dragonfly had already arrived when Tenzuhar nodded. It moved as fast as
Kurukuru, but I activated bullet time and used [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration] to
catch it.

I looked at the dragonfly in my hand.

[Second Golden Dragonfly] [Pinnacle Grade Lucky Item] — A lucky item that’s hard to
catch, but something good will happen if you keep it with you.

[Will produce 50 DP per hour.] [Every stat, except for invariable stats, will increase by
1.] [Lucky Bonus — This dragonfly will boost certain attributes, so keep it safe.]

“What’s this?”

“Oh, slurp. Congratulations, slurp. This golden dragonfly is a very rare insect that all
sacred bone and true bone humanoid monsters have been looking for. Slurp. They
say you’ll become stronger if you catch the dragonfly. Slurp. It’s an insect that
suddenly appeared along with demon merchants. Slurp.”

“Hmm.”

I threw the dragonfly into stigma’s storage without thinking about it. Suddenly, I felt
a massive headache.

“Agh…”

The pain felt familiar, but less severe than previous times. I clenched my teeth and
looked at my shoulder. A streak of stigma became partially engraved. It only looked
like 0.4 of a streak in terms of length. I stared in confusion before realizing the cause.
It must be from the lucky bonus effect since I placed the dragonfly inside stigma.
“Lotus, are you okay?” Boss worriedly asked.

“Y-Yes. I’m fine.”

The lucky dragonfly somehow became mine, but I wondered what this insect ran
away from and stared into the distance.

“Huh, both humanoid monsters and djinns are together.”

They continued chasing after the dragonfly. The djinns wore robes embroidered with
the symbol of Brutality, one of the Nine Evils. I also spotted a humanoid monster
with a pair of bat wings.

“Hey, that monster over there has bat wings. Do you know him?”

“Pardon? Ah, I do, slurp. That’s Lacurdra, the youngest sacred bone lord.”

“I see where the name comes from, but… what’s this sacred bone thing?”

“Sacred bone refers to humanoid monsters very similar to humans, slurp. They have
reached genetic perfection.”

Confronting them head-on didn’t seem like a good decision.

“Boss, Cheok Jungyeong, let’s take a detour.”

They couldn’t see what I saw and simply shrugged.

“Tenzuhar, lead us.”

“Of course, slurp.”

The humanoid monsters and djinns continued to rampage in the distance for the
dragonfly that already became mine.

We finally arrived at the second village after 2 hours.

“Ah, finally. That’s Lupiton, slurp.” Tenzuhar pointed at Lupiton and we became
speechless.
“What…”

The scenery before us—

“Isn’t that a city?”

It looked exactly like a human city.

***

The full moon hung above the night sky.

The reconnaissance team infiltrated Lupiton and divided themselves into two teams
to explore the city. Kim Suho volunteered to partner with Jin Sahyuk in case she
exploded.

“We just acquired some crucial information. Tigris, the one who attacked China, will
be coming. Maybe we can assassinate him.”

Kim Suho spoke as he walked down the streets with Jin Sahyuk and Rumi. He hoped
Jin Sahyuk would help them, but she didn’t even bother listening.

“Yaawn.” Jin Sahyuk only nonchalantly remarked.

“Whatever. More importantly, what’s your relationship with that woman?”

“That woman… You mean Chae Nayun?”

“Yeah.”

Jin Sahyuk nodded and Kim Suho thought for a moment.

“We’re friends.”

“Geez, you sure have a lot of friends. Maybe you should think twice before
befriending someone so dumb.”

“She’s nicer than you.”

“Tsk.”
Jin Sahyuk clicked her tongue and looked around. This village of monsters featured
several interesting facilities like an arena, a training ground, a magic power
invigoration facility, and more.

Then Jin Sahyuk suddenly stopped and looked at Kim Suho. He walked ahead before
also turning around to look at her.

“What now?”

“…”

What’s the relationship between Kim Hajin and that woman? Jin Sahyuk wanted to
ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Instead, she turned to Rumi. Things felt a
little awkward between them since they pretended not to know each other.

“Where’s Kim Hajin?”

Jin Sahyuk finally uttered a different question. At that moment, Kim Suho also heard
Chae Nayun’s voice.

[Hey Kim Suho, we found a place to stay. I’ll send you the address, so come over when
you’re done. Just ditch that crazy bitch.]

That sounded like Chae Nayun. Kim Suho smiled and replied.

[I’m keeping an eye on her. Please don’t fight and try to talk instead.]

[I can’t help it. The way she talks is so irritating…]

Jin Sahyuk frowned.

“What are you laughing about?”

“Mm? Nothing.”

Jin Sahyuk’s face only further distorted.

“Yeah right. Tell me what you just did.”

“I said nothing.”
“You just spoke with Kim Hajin, didn’t you? Did you send him a mental transmission
or something?”

“I said it’s nothing.”

A huge shadow towered over them as they argued and Jin Sahyuk bumped into
something firm.

“Ah, what now?”

She felt annoyed and looked up with a frown.

“…”

A tough-looking figure looked down at her. Both Kim Suho and Jin Sahyuk knew him.
He left quite a lasting impression on Jin Sahyuk.

“Kuuum…”

Cheok Jungyeong growled like a beast as Jin Sahyuk and Rumi widened their eyes at
him.

“Why are you here?”

He sighed and asked. Cheok Jungyeon knew all three of them too and had a rather
complicated relationship with Rumi.
“What are you doing here?”

Cheok Jungyeong’s voice weighed heavily on them. Kim Suho and Jin Sahyuk stared
at him full of tension.

“Hmm.”

The giant pointed at Kim Suho and Jin Sahyuk while pretending not to see Rumi.

“I’ve seen you in the tower, and you…” Cheok Jungyeong sighed.

“You managed to escape.”

“So?”

Jin Sahyuk curtly replied. Her usual dignified manner disappeared and she slightly
trembled. She didn’t fear him, but he couldn’t easily be dealt with. They fought before
and she realized his physique had reached absolute perfection. It felt surreal when
he destroyed her manipulated realities with only raw power. He reminded her of Kim
Hajin, but slightly different.

“You lot are from that fortress, right?” Cheok Jungyeong asked Kim Suho.

“Yes.” Kim Suho nodded.

“Not this one though.”

Cheok Jungyeong pointed at Jin Sahyuk and Kim Suho shook his head.

“No, she’s also one of us.”

“Pft.” Cheok Jungyeong snorted.

“Funny, I beat her up not too long ago and locked her in a cell.”

The startled Kim Suho glanced at Jin Sahyuk after hearing this.

“Is he telling the truth?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t reply and only furrowed her brows.

“Boss would beat you to a pulp and cut off your limbs.”

Cheok Jungyeong grinned at Jin Sahyuk. He didn’t discriminate based on gender or

wealth and only treated people differently based on their age. Only the young and
old could be excused.

“However, I have no reason to fight you right now. It’s not the right place and we’re
allied with you lot from the fortress.”

Cheok Jungyeong acted uncharacteristically rational. He didn’t want to start a fight as

Rumi stared at him with a somewhat sad expression.

“I’ll let you go this time, Jin Sahyuk.”

Cheok Jungyeong remembered her name after acknowledging her strength.

Of course, Jin Sahyuk didn’t understand and contemplated attacking him to regain
her dignity. Thankfully, Rumi pulled her back.

“He’s letting us go. Let’s just leave.”

“Hmm.” Jin Sahyuk reluctantly sighed, but recalled something as they left.

“Oh right. Oi!”

“…”

Cheok Jungyeong looked back at her. His eyes under the moonlight flashed with
killing intent. Most people would tremble in fear, but Jin Sahyuk maintained her
composure.
“I just want to know something. Are your friends here too?”

“…”

“I’m talking about Black Lotus.”

Jin Sahyuk already knew about Black Lotus’ real identity. Cheok Jungyeong didn’t
respond.

Prrrrr—

The wind blew and a pair of wings resounded. They immediately looked up at the
humanoid monster in the air. Soon, he descended between them.

Koong—

The humanoid monster landed with a heavy thud and seemed to be wearing a police
uniform.

Tap, tap.

The humanoid monster shrugged and approached the group. Everyone’s expressions
stiffened as they stared at the unexpected guest.

Kim Suho wondered if he should attack and didn’t sense any other presence nearby.
If the humanoid monster suspected them, he would immediately cut him down. As
Kim Suho carefully gripped Misteltein…

“Only humanoid monsters may wander outside from 1 A.M. to 6 A.M. You have 10
minutes left, so hurry back. You will be punished if you’re found after 10 minutes.”

The humanoid monster informed them.

Prrrr—

The humanoid monster flapped his wings and flew away. They stared at him in a
daze as Cheok Jungyeong smirked.

“Strange, isn’t it? Most humanoid monsters act like that. They won’t even check your
identity unless they’re unusually picky. Maybe too many people live here.”
Cheok Jungyeong murmured and a voice suddenly rang in Kim Suho’s head.

[Hey, where are you? It’s an emergency!]

The voice grew louder before Kim Suho could even reply.

[Emergency! Emergency!]

[What?]

Kim Suho wanted to spare his ears and quickly replied.

[Answer faster next time! I’ll give you our coordinates, so come immediately. We’re
together with residents who escaped the brainwashing.]

[What?]

[Some people here are no longer brainwashed!]

Kim Suho’s eyes widened.

[Hurry over with Rumi and lose that crazy bitch.]

Chae Nayun sent him their location and Kim Suho entered the coordinates into his
smartwatch. They seemed to be about 20 minutes away.

“Did something happen?”

Rumi asked after seeing Kim Suho’s change in expression. He stared at Rumi, Jin
Sahyuk, and Cheok Jungyeong. Chae Nayun told him to ditch Jin Sahyuk, but…

“Something urgent came up with the other team. Follow me.”

***

The coordinates that Chae Nayun sent led them to a grocery store. It didn’t look new
or old, just a typical store with one floor.

Kim Suho carefully walked inside.

Shoong—

The automatic door opened and 3 human employees and 1 humanoid monster
stared at him.

“I…”

A puppy-like humanoid monster hopped over before he could say anything.

“Are you with Jin Seyeon?”

“Ah, yes. I am. They are too.”

Kim Suho pointed at Cheok Jungyeong, Jin Sahyuk, and Rumi.

“Follow me.”

The four of them followed the humanoid monster. Wag, wag— The group arrived at a
secret passageway after a few minutes of staring at the wagging tail.

“This is…”

“Go on in. Your friends are inside.”

A secret passageway peeked out of a manhole hidden under a shelf. A ladder leading
underground could be seen. They stared at each other before going down one by
one.

“Are you sure this isn’t a trap?”

Cheok Jungyeong asked once they arrived underground. They found themselves in
an empty, dark room with nothing inside and stood around confused until the wall in
front of them suddenly shifted to reveal a hidden room.

No one expected the scene beyond the wall.

The smell of rice and magic power flowed out. People swung swords and spears
against dummies. Dozens of houses lined up along the huge training ground and
Chae Nayun stood in the middle with a smile.
“You’re here.”

“Uh… W-Where are we?” Kim Suho became speechless.

“We’re at the resistance village. People who escaped the brainwashing secretly built
this place underground.

Cheok Jungyeong walked past them and stood in the middle of the underground
village.

“Now this is interesting… Oi.”

He shared his vision with Kim Hajin who watched from a distance.

“Can you see it?”

— Yes, I can. Looks to be around 300 people. Mostly heroes from what I can see.
Continue looking around.

Kim Hajin replied.

“Sure.”

“Isn’t he a humanoid monster? He has to be, right? Can a human be that big? He must
be an ogre humanoid monster.”

Cheok Jungyeong heard the muffled whispers around him as he spoke to Kim Hajin.
His dignified stature seemed to have surprised the residents. Cheok Jungyeong
grinned and announced.

“I’m human! One that crushes humanoid monsters!”

Jin Seyeon came out of the village hall with a blonde man after hearing Cheok
Jungyeong’s voice.

“Suho?” Jin Seyeon’s eyes widened when she saw Cheok Jungyeong.

“Oh, it’s been a while, Jin Seyeon.”

The corners of Cheok Jungyeong’s mouth curled up. The unexpected encounter
surprised Jin Seyeon, but she soon nodded with a smile.

“Yes, it has. You’re our ally, correct?”

“I wouldn’t say an ally. A temporary comrade is more like it.”

“Mmm, that’s perfect.”

Jin Seyeon called Kim Suho’s group over.

“This is the resistance village. Ellio here found us scouting the village upstairs and
brought us over.”

Jin Seyeon explained and pointed to the blonde man next to her.

“Ellio, please introduce yourself.”

“Yes.”

The handsome Latino man greeted the new group. “Hello, I’m Spain’s high rank hero,
Ellio. I have been leading the underground resistance in this place. It’s an honor to
meet you, Kim Suho and…”

Ellio looked up at Cheok Jungyeong. The giant’s towering height and intimidating
face made him seem like a tyrant.

“I’m Cheok Jungyeong.”

“Pardon? Cheok Jungyeong?”

Ellio’s eyes widened and Cheok Jungyeong smiled.

“Haha, you know my name?”

“Of course, Korean history is a required course.”

“Hahaha, right, that’s me! I’m Cheok—”

— Don’t get too excited. You’re not going to start talking about your past life, are
you?
Kim Hajin interrupted him as he happily laughed. Cheok Jungyeong frowned and
shut his mouth.

— You became a better listener. I like it.

“What did you say?”

Cheok Jungyeong wanted to snap back at Kim Hajin, but—

“Are you talking with Black Lotus right now?”

Jin Seyeon noticed something off and Cheok Jungyeong slightly flinched.

“What? Black Lotus?”

Chae Nayun’s eyes widened and Jin Sahyuk began grumbling.

“Haa, I knew you unfair cowards wouldn’t be walking around alone.”

Jin Sahyuk still recalled the 2-on-1 fight she endured.

— Ah, they found out because of you. Damn it.

“Why is this my fault?”

— Just make something up.

Cheok Jungyeong sighed as everyone looked at him.

“You bastard, what am I supposed to say in this situation?”

***

One hour later, Kim Suho’s group and Cheok Jungyeong sat inside the village hall.
Ellio explained how the resistance village came to be.

“At first, we thought we always lived here and didn’t doubt our daily tasks. However,
Yurang helped to undo our brainwashing.”

“Yurang? Is that the humanoid monster we met?”

Ellio nodded at Kim Suho’s question.

“Yes, Yurang served as the manager of this grocery store. He’s very supportive of
humans and we don’t refer to him as a humanoid monster.”

Cheok Jungyeong sneaked a glance at Rumi as they listened to Ellio’s explanation.

“Many people regained their memories with Yurang’s help. However, Yurang’s
method requires magic power training, so we could only awaken intermediate rank
heroes or higher.”

Jin Sahyuk looked around the village hall and only half-listened to Ellio. She searched
for Bell, but he had already disappeared.

“So how did you make this village? The houses here look no different from buildings
in Seoul.”

Kim Suho asked and Ellio nodded with a smile.

“That’s a good question. You see, we used DP to build this town. In other words, we
received help from a demon merchant.”

“A demon merchant?”

“Yes, we found a dungeon nearby with demonic beasts that could be hunted for DP.
The demon merchant agreed to help us with any trades that didn’t involve escaping.”

“What’s your plan now?” Jin Seyeon asked.

“…”

Ellio fell silent. He looked around the room and took a deep breath before answering.

“To assassinate Tigris, one of Orden’s four great generals.”

His voice sounded quite heavy. As Kim Suho prepared to say something…

— Captain! The demonic beasts are running wild!

A loud voice rang from outside. Everyone other than Jin Sahyuk immediately shot up.
“The dungeon is this way. Follow me!”

***

I came out to Lupiton with Boss the next day at 10 A.M. The village of humanoid
monsters and humans bustled with activity. However, only humans seemed to be
working.

Orden’s villages consisted of a clear hierarchy from my observations yesterday. They

even divided humans between rank 1 and rank 3. Of course, a rank 1 human couldn’t
compare to a rank 6 humanoid monster in terms of authority. Lupiton’s humanoid
monsters lived like nobles and oversaw the humans who lived like peasants or
slaves.

“They have restaurants, cafes, and even a bowling alley.”

“Right, how interesting.”

Humans carried out all sorts of jobs. Some harvested crops, mined ores, worked as
chefs, sold smartwatches developed by humanoid monsters, and more. The
brainwashed citizens went about the village in a perfectly natural way.

“Hajin, it’s an execution.”

Boss pointed into the distance. I turned around and— Crack! A humanoid monster
resembling a crocodile chopped off a human’s head.

Humanoid monsters with the manager role could hand out immediate punishment
to humans. Unsurprisingly, they resorted to executions.

“I expected something like this, but not as extreme.”

“Agreed.”

Tiriring—

Jain messaged me.

[Hajin, I finished collecting the premian ores. What should I do now?]

Jain currently disguised herself as Tenzuhar, the lord of Crean. She ordered
Tenzuhar’s servants to gather all the gems and ores from the deepest parts of the
mine.

[Come to Lupiton.]

Jain had to make physical contact with a target to use her gift. Many high rank
humanoid monsters lived in Lupiton, so she could easily obtain a higher authority
than Tenzuhar.

[Okay, I’ll be there soon.]

“Slurp. What will we do now, Boss? Slurp.”

Tenzuhar had grown used to calling me Boss before I realized it.

“Jungyeong wants to kill Tigris, but…”

Tenzuhar’s expression paled when he heard that name. “Lord Tigris? Slurp.”

“Yeah, have you seen him before?”

“N-No, not at all. He’ll kill me if I do. Slurp, slurp, slurp.”

Tenzuhar became tongue-tied for a moment. I placed my hand in his mouth and
untied it myself.

“Keheuk. T-Thank you, slurp.”

Honestly, I grew curious about Tigris since he caused such a mess in China and
escaped unharmed. The rumors stated he might be even stronger than Chae Joochul,
but I would have to see for myself before making any judgments.

“Boss, let’s deal with the village lord first.”

“Village lord?”

“Yes, we’ll take over this city like we did in Crean.”

Jain’s gift would be perfect to win without any bloodshed.

“Oi, Tenzuhar.”

“Yes? Slurp.”

“Are you acquainted with Pleron?”

“Uh…”

Tenzuhar hesitated. Slurp, slurp, slurp. I patiently waited at first, but began to frown
when his slurping grew annoying.

“You don’t want to talk?”

“Slurp… You see… we… we have a senior and junior relationship.”

“Senior and junior relationship? What’s that?’

Tenzuhar scratched his head and mumbled in embarrassment.

“Slurp. Pleron used to be my junior at the Humanoid Monster Academy.”

“What?”

Boss and I became speechless.

“Slurp… However, genetic differences are impossible to overcome. Slurp. I ranked

higher in theory tests, but Pleron quickly shot ahead as a mythical snowbird. Slurp.”

Tenzuhar seemed embarrassed that his junior surpassed him, but we didn’t care
about that at all. Only one thing caught our attention.

“What the hell do you mean by a Humanoid Monster Academy?”

The reconnaissance team returned to the underground village after fighting the
demonic beasts for 12 hours. The resistance members participated in such fights
every day. They had to hold back their magic power, but the younger heroes like Kim
Suho and Chae Nayun didn’t even need to use magic power to defeat the beasts. The
battle only lasted half a day because of the sheer number of demonic beasts.

They still couldn’t rest after the fight. Jin Seyeon connected Ellio to Aileen over the
radio. For the next 3 hours, Ellio explained their plan to assassinate Tigris.

Tigris would visit Lupiton on Friday. He held great influence over the central political
system and led several factions as one of the most famous sacred bone humanoid
monsters. They could create tremendous confusion by assassinating Tigris who
oversaw the entire eastern region of Orden’s kingdom. The resistance planned to
take advantage of the resulting confusion to escape Africa or revolt against Orden.

Ellio’s plan still contained many holes in its initial stage. Yi Gongmyoung joined their
conversation and began planning in detail. They finally finished at 1 A.M. and only
then did the reconnaissance team rest.

Chwaaa—

“Phew…”

They all had a brief free time before going to bed. Chae Nayun deeply sighed in the
warm hot spring. A bath like this wouldn’t be possible at the underground fortress.
The warm water melted away all her worries and fatigue.

“Huhuhuhu… this feels great.”

Chae Nayun spoke like an old man and wanted to stay here forever. Unfortunately,
their mission would resume tomorrow.

“Mmm.”
She stretched and stood up. Suddenly, a warm languidness filled her.

“Ah, the water here feels so much better for some reason.”

She staggered back to the changing room.

“Hmm?”

Chae Nayun put on her clothes and prepared to head back when she noticed a mirror
on the wall. Her hair used to be short during her Cube years, but it grew quite long
now.

“So bothersome.”

Chae Nayun clicked her tongue. Long hair only annoyed her during fights. Her hair
poked her eyes countless times during the most recent battle.

“Tsk.”

She gathered magic power around her hand. Her hair brushed against her arms and
fell to the ground. Then Chae Nayun cleaned up the mess and left the hot spring.

“Bell, where are you?”

She heard a faint voice. The satisfying bath heightened her senses and even the
smallest sounds couldn’t escape her ears.

Chae Nayun frowned and slowly walked towards the voice. Even Yoo Sihyuk and
Heynckes praised her special stealth technique.

“Where the hell did you disappear to?”

Jin Sahyuk whispered to someone over a walkie-talkie in a remote corner. Just seeing
her soured Chae Nayun’s mood.

That crazy bitch.

Chae Nayun turned around to leave, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind and
she hid to eavesdrop.
“You blocked my mental transmission again! Where did you go?”

Jin Sahyuk kept speaking into the walkie-talkie with a red face. She looked somewhat
funny trying to keep her voice down.

— I’m in the middle of a humanoid monster village. I would get discovered right
away if I use any strange techniques like mental transmission. I had no choice but to
block it.

Bell’s voice flowed from the other side of the radio. Chae Nayun recognized it as
Rebe’s voice.

“Bell, don’t make me mad and explain.”

Bell? Who’s Bell?

“Why did you go into the village?”

— That’s none of your concern.

“The fuck…”

Jin Sahyuk pounded her chest and desperately held back her anger while Chae
Nayun listened.

“Tell me what you saw through your ultimate skill. About that woman.”

— Mmm. Maybe later, but I can tell you one thing.

Bell picked up a non-combative ultimate skill called [Sea of Memories] from the
Tower of Wish. Jin Sahyuk couldn’t learn any ultimate skills, so Bell’s choice seemed
rather strange. However, that didn’t matter right now. She only wanted to know what
Bell found out.

— Kim Hajin might be deceiving you.

“About what?”

“…!”
Kim Hajin. That name popped out of nowhere and Chae Nayun froze.

— Kim Hajin might not have been your servant. I’ll tell you the details later. I’m
actually tailing Kim Hajin right now to confirm. I have to go.

“Haa…”

The call ended and Jin Sahyuk leaned against the wall with her head in her hands.
She stayed like that for a while and slowly breathed in and out to relieve her anger.
Chae Nayun continued watching her.

“Just what is he?”

Jin Sahyuk muttered. However, Kim Suho soon approached and handed her a key.

“What’s this?”

“Your dorm key. Yours is 205.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t take the key and only viciously glared at him.

“I see you’re used to casually speaking to me now.”

“…”

Kim Suho didn’t reply and only bitterly sighed at her. Then he dropped the key into
her hand.

“I’m leaving.”

Kim Suho turned around and Jin Sahyuk also left in the opposite direction.

Chae Nayun pondered alone after they disappeared.

Jin Sahyuk definitely knows Kim Hajin. She called him her servant.

“What the hell does that mean?”

Maybe it’s not servant, but serpent? Or maybe fervent?

So many questions remained, but she knew one thing. Jin Sahyuk and Kim Hajin had
some sort of relationship.

“Well then…”

I don’t want anything to do with her, but I guess I’ll have to become closer.

Chae Nayun clenched her fists and checked her room number. Room 207.

It’s 3 people per room and Jin Sahyuk is in room 205…

“I’ll have to change rooms.”

Chae Nayun hurried to the village hall.

***

[Lupiton, Mid-Rank Humanoid Monster Village.]

“Mmm. I can see it now.”

I peered inside the village lord’s mansion from a hotel many miles away. The
mansion’s structure resembled Buckingham Palace. It featured magic traps and
humanoid monsters all above rank 3.

“What kind of monster is the lord? What does he look like?”

Jain asked with a smirk. She and Khalifa arrived only 3 hours ago. Khalifa left right
away to take Tenzuhar back to Crean.

I didn’t worry about Tenzuhar since he valued his life and wouldn’t do anything rash
with Droon, Jin Yohan, and the other Chameleon Troupe members around.

“I wonder.”

I searched for the most private and safest place in the mansion. Right away, I found a
fancy room at the center with a humanoid monster that looked like Pleron.
“He looks just like a human, but with wings. He has pale skin and wings made of ice.”

“Is the lord a boy or a girl?”

“He… ah, it’s a she. Looks like the lord is a woman.”

“Is she pretty?”

“Why does that matter?” I frowned at Jain’s weird question.

“You know I had to be a lizard for an entire day. I’d much rather transform into a
pretty humanoid monster.”

“Well, about that…”

I looked at Pleron again.

“You won’t have to worry this time.”

Pleron inherited the genes of a snowbird and looked undoubtedly beautiful. She
appeared completely human except for pointy ears and wings. Her refined facial
features also matched her pale skin.

“That’s a relief.”

Jain smiled mischievously and gazed at Boss, who stared into space while muttering
something. She must be exchanging messages with someone through the Tower of
Wish’s system. Players could use the system anywhere now after the tower opened
to the public.

“Boss?” I called her.

“Cough. I just spoke to Wicked.”

Boss glanced at me and cleared her throat.

“We’ll strike when it’s dark. Our plan is simple. We go in, capture Pleron, and Jain will
take her place.”

Quietly and gracefully like always. We nodded at Boss’ words.

 ***

— We’ll strike when it’s dark.

Meanwhile, Bell hid in the air and watched them.

— Our plan is simple. We go in, capture Pleron, and Jain will take her place.

Bell looked at Yi Byul. She had matured into a beautiful woman and he recalled how
she only used to be a cute, pitiful girl.

“Haaa…”

Bell deeply sighed. Byul had changed because of the man standing next to her. She
finally found someone she could rely on.

“But Byul…”

He continued to mutter.

“He’s…”

Kim Hajin. His memories seemed to be disconnected from this world. Perhaps Kim
Hajin might be the same as himself.

“He can’t be with you.”

He would leave one day and Byul would experience an even greater pain than when
she lost that man she considered her parent.

“Haa…”

Bell also recalled when he killed his best friend. Even now, the pain felt unbearable.

He lived for hundreds of years and knew eternal death would be a thousand times
better than eternal life.

However, he couldn’t die. This fact remained the same in reality, different
dimensions, and even the Tower of Wish. His body would simply scatter and turn
into magic power. Then a new body would reconstruct itself. Bell never feared death
for this reason.

“Mmm…”

Bell stared at Kim Hajin. Honestly, he always considered that man worthless. Kim
Hajin didn’t possess the ability to kill him as he confirmed it in the tower. More
importantly, Kim Hajin had ruined Yi Byul. Bell considered her to be his masterpiece.

However…

Bell had glimpsed Kim Hajin’s memories through the [Sea of Memories] and they
showed a completely different world.

“Hmm. I guess I have no choice.”

Bell finally decided. “I’ll have to take him with me.”

He felt the need to explore Kim Hajin’s memories in detail. He managed to look into
Kim Hajin’s memories for about a minute, but it would take at least a week to figure
everything out about Kim Hajin. He had no choice but to kidnap Kim Hajin.

Whish—

A gust of wind blew and Bell entrusted himself to it. Soon, his body turned into dust
and scattered in the air.
[England, Buckingham Palace]

Buckingham Palace’s most famous guest, Ah Hae-in, stared outside the window. She
looked like her usual calm self, but something felt different.

The number of stars inscribed on her robe now numbered nine. Last week, she had
been promoted to a 9 star magician. Her ability to summon three of the four cardinal
guardians gave her this honor. The 9 star realm had only been achieved by 30 people
throughout history. As such, Ah Hae-In felt the world looked a bit different today and
immersed herself in England’s beauty.

Tak, tak.

A certain child skipped over to Ah Hae-In. Evandel curiously glanced at her and
imitated her solemn expression. The two magicians stood side by side and stared out
the window. Rachel had brought Evandel and tried to hold back her laughter.

“Congratulations on your portion, Master.”

Evandel cutely spoke to the elder magician.

“It’s promotion, not portion. Also, you don’t need to congratulate me. You will
become one soon enough.”

“Eh? Me too?”

Evandel’s eyes widened and Ah Hae-In gently smiled.

“Yes, you’re already at 8 stars.”

The quality of Evandel’s summons equaled an 8 star magician. The sheer quantity of
her summons had already reached the 9 star realm. It wouldn’t be long until she also
reached 9 stars and the 10 star realm wouldn’t be out of reach.
“Ah, thank you.”

Evandel bowed. Ah Hae-In found the child she watched over quite adorable. She also
worried as well. The outside world would be cruel and full of schemers. Ah Hae-In
wondered if such an innocent child could endure that.

“Evandel.”

“Yeees?”

Time couldn’t be stopped. Even the clearest water would muddy and generations
would inevitably change. Evandel would eventually reveal her overwhelming power
and countless people would try to take advantage of her.

“It’s time to train.”

Ah Hae-In decided to prepare Evandel for that inevitable day.

“Traiwing?”

Evandel nervously spoke and her pronunciation sounded a bit off because of her
missing front teeth.

“Yep.” Ah Hae-In smiled.

“Evandel, it’s time to create your domain.”

One had to grow stronger to protect others. Connections and fortune wouldn’t be
enough. One needed absolute strength to tower over all adversaries.

“Domain?” Evandel tilted her head.

“Yes, a domain.”

Most magicians possessed their own workshop regardless of their level. A workshop
served as a fortress to develop their magic and keep outsiders away. Magicians
conducted research there and frequently fought off intruders. Ah Hae-In also
experienced countless battles before arriving at the 8 star realm.

Evandel would need more than a workshop. Even the higher concept of a workshop,
a stronghold, wouldn’t be enough to contain her talents. She needed a domain.
Something no other magician, not even Ah Hae-In or Nine Stars Oh Jaejin, could
achieve.

“It’s going to take a long time and you won’t be able to meet anyone.”

Evandel could definitely achieve it, but this technique required staying alone in one
place for a long time.

“It’ll be lonely and tiring, but this domain will be of great help.”

The strength to survive even if the world falls. The power to act as one wished
without being used by anyone. Ah Hae-In wanted Evandel to develop such autonomy.

“Are you ready?”

Ah Hae-In turned around and Rachel worriedly stared at her. The process could take
anywhere from 6 months to 10 years.

“Don’t worry. Evandel is stronger than you think.”

Ah Hae-In only smiled at Rachel and looked down at the pondering Evandel. The
image of Fenrir whimpering in pain from Toji’s attack surfaced in her mind. He had
fully healed already, but that deeply hurt Evandel and she felt powerless for the first
time. Neither Fenrir nor her other summons would’ve been hurt if she possessed
enough strength.

“…”

Evandel raised her head with determined eyes. “I want to get stronger.”

“Good.”

“B-But before then…” Evandel stuttered.

“I, I want to see Hajin.”

***

[Africa, Mid-Rank Village Lupiton]

The sun had set and darkness descended on the village. The human residents all
returned to their homes as we prepared to invade the lord’s residence.

“Get ready.”

Boss spoke as we headed out. She would infiltrate the residence as a shadow, I would
use my [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration] to burst in, and Jain would disguise
herself as a humanoid monster to enter through the front door.

“We’re ready.”

Just as our plan began…

— Tiriring.

I received a video call on my smartwatch.

“Oh? It’s from Evandel.”

I would ignore it if Kim Suho or Yoo Yeonha called, but Evandel took priority over
everything else. I asked Boss for some time and picked up the call.

— Hajin.

Evandel’s smiling face came into view.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

I smiled back and Evandel giggled.

— I wanted to see you.

“Suddenly? What happened?”

I’d been calling or texting at least once a day and often visited with Spartan before
we arrived in Africa.

— No reason.

“Did something happen?”

I noticed the heavy atmosphere from her expression.

— Mmm… Well…

She briefly hesitated before dropping her head.

— I don’t think I’ll be able to see you for a long time.

My heart sank when I heard those words. I hadn’t felt so flustered for the past year
and quickly asked.

“W-Why?”

— Ah… um… I decided to create a domain with Master…

“Domain? Ah.”

Thankfully, nothing life-threatening had occurred. Evandel would only create a

domain now like in the original novel.

— Yes, so I won’t be able to see you. The domain will get weaker if anyone enters
while I make it.

“Don’t worry about that. We can meet whenever you want.”

The [Black Lotus Uniform] not only erased my presence, but also my existence. Not
even Chae Nayun’s supernatural intuition could see through it and it shouldn’t affect
Evandel’s domain either.

— Eeeh?

Evandel tilted her head.

“Don’t worry about not being able to see me and work hard at creating your domain.
Make it strong okay? I’ll come by often.”

— Really?

Evandel looked surprised because she must’ve struggled to make such a difficult
decision.
— Really, really?

“Of course. Have I ever lied to you? Listen to Master Ah Hae-In and work hard. I’ll
come see you next week.”

— Un! Okay!

Evandel smiled brightly and nodded.

“I’m a bit busy, so I’ll call you when I’m done.”

— Okay!

Evandel’s lively voice refreshed me.

“So cute.”

I smiled and hung up the call. Boss and Jain’s gazes felt a bit bothersome, but I
ignored them.

“Cough, alright. Let’s go.”

“You sure are close to her.” Boss sounded a bit jealous.

“She’s just a kid.”

“Anyways, let’s get going.”

***

Ten minutes later, I entered the lord’s residence and Boss followed as a shadow. Jain
would casually walk in later, so we made our move first.

“Should we kill her or imprison her?”

“We don’t need to kill her since it might alert someone. We’ll imprison her as
planned.”

“Got it.”
I took out two 8 star cards, [Isolated Prison] and [Soundless Space].

[Isolated Prison] [8 star] Effective Good — Will imprison a target in an isolated space.
— The imprisoned target will maintain their current physical condition. — The target
may destroy the prison and escape.

[Soundless Space] [8 star] Effective Good — When activated, all sounds within a 1 km
radius will be silenced. — This card may be destroyed by an impact above a certain
level.

[Soundless Space] functioned quite easily compared to [Isolated Prison] and its
unique mechanism.

— The imprisoned target will maintain their current physical condition.

A target with a fatal injury wouldn’t heal or die after being imprisoned. We just had
to beat up Pleron and trap her inside.

“Let’s go.”

We moved silently towards Pleron’s bedroom on the highest floor. I easily

maneuvered through all the traps with my eyes.

“…”

Then we hid behind the wall after arriving at the bedroom. Two guards kept watch
outside as Boss and I exchanged glances.

I shot 5 arrows that pierced the eyes, heart, head, and leg of the guard on the left.
Boss handled the right guard and sliced up his body with her shadow blade.

Then I immediately activated the 8 star card, [Isolated Prison], to get rid of the two
bodies.

“Hi.”

Jain appeared at the perfect time disguised as a humanoid monster. The three of us
entered Pleron’s bedroom.

Pleron slept on a large bed as Jain carefully approached and touched her.
“Perfect.”

“…?”

Pleron woke up from her touch and saw someone who looked just like her. Of course,
Jain already transformed into her.

“Pieek! Who are you!”

Pleron exclaimed. Her magic power shot out and instantly cooled the surroundings.
However, Boss quickly slashed Pleron’s wings with Kurukuru’s scythe.

“Pieeek!”

Pleron screamed, but [Soundless Space] prevented her voice from leaking out.
Everything went according to plan.

“Pieeeek!”

Boss dealt a fatal injury and I activated [Isolated Prison]. It sucked Pleron inside and
left behind no trace.

Suddenly, bullet time forcefully activated.

“…?”

The world slowed and I could feel the air’s movement around me. I rolled my eyes
and checked for any signs of danger. It didn’t take long to spot the current of magic
power descending from the ceiling. None of us would be able to easily endure this
powerful magic explosion. I tried to activate [Time Reversal], but a strange
phenomenon occurred.

“What…”

A golden current erupted along with the magic power explosion. I knew very well
what this meant. Narrow Escape from Death. My luck guided me towards the
explosion and told me not to use time reversal.

[Narrow Escape from Death (6/9) – Special stat, accumulation of luck, has become
partly unlocked!] [A momentary misfortune will lead to the ideal ending.]
I threw myself into the center of that golden current when I read that alert.

“Hajin…” Boss tried to grab me.

Boom!

However, the explosion erupted and I blacked out.

***

Tk, tk, tk…

A fire crackled in the dark.

“Ah…”

Boss regained consciousness after momentarily blacking out and a strange scene
reflected before her eyes.

“Hey, Byul.”

Bell, the man she had been hunting for years, stood in front of her. Blood rushed to
Boss’ head when she saw him carrying Kim Hajin over his shoulders.

“Be…”

“You won’t be able to move or talk. I made that explosion from a part of my body.
Even you’ll be incapacitated for at least 30 minutes. You should know how strong I
am, right?” Bell smiled bitterly as he spoke.

“I’m quite touched. He even tried to protect you two.”

Bell glanced at Kim Hajin on his shoulders. Kim Hajin reacted faster than anyone else
and threw himself forward to protect them. Byul and Jain only ended up paralyzed
thanks to Kim Hajin’s sacrifice.

“I’m tearing up.”

“Bell…”
Boss growled and glared at him. Blood flowed from her eyes as she eeked out his
name. She clenched her teeth and unleashed her killing intent.

“I’ll take Kim Hajin with me. I need to discuss a lot with him.”

Bell acted as leisurely as always.

“Bell…”

Boss reached forward as her vision turned red, but she didn’t give up. She
commanded her limbs with all her effort. Move, move, move!

“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him. I don’t plan to either.”

“Let him…”

Bell already turned around as she reached out with tremendous effort. Humanoid
monsters who noticed the commotion also flooded in.

“You won’t be able to stay with him forever.”

Bell continued talking as Boss moved her legs. She stepped forward with a broken
ankle and forced her broken knees to stand. Boss awkwardly staggered up like a
wooden puppet.

“Let him go.”

She demanded, but couldn’t muster anything else. Bell faintly smiled at her.

“Sorry that this happened again.”

Then he jumped out of the mansion. Boss tried to follow, but couldn’t move. Her
body screamed for rest after taking Bell’s attack head-on.

“Keruk! What happened? Keruk! Who are you?”

The humanoid monsters also arrived. Boss continued to glare at where Bell
disappeared.

Thud!
She finally collapsed.
Last night’s attack on the lord’s mansion caused quite a commotion. The higher
authorities replaced most of the guards with stronger and smarter monsters. Even
monster king Orden sent a personal letter to Pleron encouraging and praising her
prompt countermeasures. Any servant would’ve been honored to receive such a
letter from their king.

“Hmm. Yeah?”

Cheok Jungyeong entered the lord’s mansion amidst all the chaos. No one stood
guard to stop him as he walked down the hallway.

“Explosion? Geez, you’re all nothing without me.”

Cheok Jungyeong muttered as he looked at Boss lying in bed.

“It’s not that we’re weak,” Jain bitterly remarked.

“Bell’s just too strong.”

The public considered either Chae Joochul or Heynckes the strongest of the present
era. However, they didn’t know about the relationship between Bell and Shin
Myungchul, who everyone revered as the strongest in history.

“Anyways, this guy is pretty good at writing. Don’t you think his servant wrote it for
him?”

Jain faintly smiled as she read Orden’s letter. She also momentarily blacked out after
the explosion, but her disguise remained intact since she stood farthest from the
impact and her gift couldn’t easily be canceled.

“It’s Hajin, so I’m sure he’ll manage.”

Jain placed Orden’s letter away and transformed into Pleron. She felt quite fond of
the ice wings and could freely control them.

“You’re calm.”

Cheok Jungeyong appeared discontent compared to her carefree demeanor and

asked about the perpetrator.

“So are you looking for Bell?”

“Of course, everyone thinks Bell is the terrorist. I told them he came alone and even
fluttered my wings for some authenticity.”

Jain smiled. Kim Hajin locked up Pleron in his card, so the entire village now
belonged to Jain.

“I even ordered a composite sketch of him. My monster servants will find him in no
time.”

“Uk…”

Jain confidently declared when Boss suddenly made a sound.

“Ah, Boss!”

“Boss, are you awake?”

Cheok Jungyeong and Jain checked on her. Boss tossed and turned before finally
opening her eyes.

“…!”

Her upper body bounced up like a spring.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Boss gasped for air as Jain worriedly approached.

“Boss, are you okay?”

“Is it you, Jain?” Boss frowned at her disguise.

“Yep, it’s me.” Jain reverted her face to normal.

“I see. Huu…”

Boss closed her eyes and recalled what happened before she lost consciousness. She
quickly grasped all the events that led to their current situation. Their attack on
Pleron, Bell’s subsequent ambush, and Kim Hajin’s abduction. She felt an
unimaginable rage after remembering everything.

“Bell…”

Boss clenched her teeth and looked at Jain. The blood vessels in her eyes almost
burst from anger.

“Bell, where is that son of a bitch?”

“We’re looking for him.”

“And Hajin?”

“Same goes for Hajin.”

Boss’ face distorted from sadness to fear and anger. She looked truly worried and
Jain had never seen her like this before.

“Don’t worry. He’s the type to thrive no matter what.”

Jain tried to comfort her, but Boss’ expression remained the same. The situation only
worsened when Boss began blaming herself. Jain felt sorry and reluctantly glanced at
Cheok Jungyeong.

“Boss, Cheok Jungyeong says he found an underground village.”

Cheok Jungyeong flinched as Boss raised her head.

“Underground village?”

“Yeah, it’s a village made up of resistance members or something. Kim Suho, Jin
Seyeon, and everyone else are there according to Jungyeong.”
Boss usually showed no interest in heroes, but everyone kept saying Kim Suho would
become the youngest master rank hero in history.

“Do you want to visit them?” Jain asked. Boss frowned as she contemplated. They
should grasp any straws available.

“Yes.”

She finally nodded.

***

[Lupiton, Underground Village]

“We’ve obtained information about Tigris’ travel route.”

Their mission proceeded as planned. Lupiton’s surveillance had increased after last
night’s incident, but their number of resistance members also increased. They didn’t
feel particularly worried.

“Tigris will be giving a speech in Doloren Square?” Aileen asked. She secretly arrived
last night and stared at the document outlining Tigris’ route.

“Yes, but we’ll stay put while he’s giving the speech. We’ll strike afterwards when
he’s leaving.”

Ellio explained the plan he devised with Yi Gongmyoung.

“The most important piece of this mission is Tigris’ horse.”

“Horse?”

“Yes, he’s called Horseless and is known to be violent towards everyone other than
his owner. Tigris is extremely fond of this horse. Rumor has it he even loves him.”

Ellio showed Aileen a photo of the horse. Horseless looked beautiful with a white
mane that contrasted with his pitch-black body. Aileen couldn’t imagine this horse
being violent, so Ellio’s next words shocked her even more.

“Horseless eats humans.”

“What? Humans?”

“Yes, he literally consumes them.”

Ellio showed her more photos of Horseless chewing a human arm as Tigris watched
in the background.

“He’s nuts.”

“Tigris rides Horseless wherever he goes.”

“And?”

“General Tigris is notorious for his temper even among monsters. He pretends to be
kind, but can never hold back his anger.”

“Ah, I see where you’re going with this.”

Jin Seyeon nodded as Aileen looked confused.

“You’re planning to kill Horseless.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Tigris will definitely lose his temper if Horseless dies. He’s also
known for killing his own comrades when things go wrong. Can you imagine what
would happen if his beloved horse dies in front of him?”

Ellio slightly smiled.

“He’ll go berserk and won’t be able to tell right from wrong. Everything in his line of
sight will be destroyed. We’ll jump in after he kills all his guards.”

This would be the best case scenario.

“Sounds like a good plan. Leave Horseless to me then.”

Ellio nodded at Jin Seyeon’s remark. Killing a horse would be simple for the Divine
Archer.

“I’ll take on Tigris.” Kim Suho suddenly announced and looked around the village
hall.
Aileen frowned at him. “Hey, I’m the commander, not you! And one particular person
isn’t in charge of Tigris. We’ll all—”

“He’s invincible unless we fight him at close quarters. You've all seen the videos from
the Chinese government.”

Kim Suho had witnessed the heinous crimes Tigris committed. He massacred
countless civilians and heroes for pleasure. Kim Suho couldn’t understand or forgive
such evil deeds.

“Please let me take him on.”

The Sword Saint wished to cut down Tigris’ madness. Aileen stared at him for a
while before nodding.

“Okay, fine. Only because it's better to minimize the heroes on this mission. I'll be
watching and we’ll intervene if things get out of hand.”

“Thank you.” Kim Suho nodded with a big smile.

KWANG!

The village hall door burst open and high rank hero Seo Youngji rushed inside.

“Commander Aileen! The Chameleon Troupe is here!”

“What?”

“Please come on out!”

Aileen jumped to her feet and hurried outside. “Where, where?”

“Over there.”

Seo Youngji pointed to the entrance. Three individuals stood there, but not Black
Lotus. Aileen tilted her head in confusion when the Chameleon Troupe’s boss
stopped in front of her.

“What happened?” Aileen asked.

“We…”

Boss opened her mouth, but stopped when she sensed a certain gaze.

“That woman…”

“What? That woman?”

They planned on using that woman as bait to lure Bell.

“…!”

Jin Sahyuk shuddered when they made eye contact. Boss immediately moved and Jin
Sahyuk watched her charge like a ray of light.

“I’m already used to this.”

Jin Sahyuk could only smile. She’d been beaten too many times to be surprised and
gracefully formed a barrier to prepare for impact.

Crack—

“…?”

Boss’ punch easily pierced her barrier.

“What?”

Her punch landed square on Jin Sahyuk’s right cheek.

Whoosh—

Jin Sahyuk flew and slammed against the wall.

***

[England – Borand Forest]

Evandel, Hayang, Ah Hae-In, and Rachel arrived at a forest despite all the commotion
in Africa.
“Wow!”

They had come to a rank 1 danger zone.

“Evandel, do you remember what you need to do first to establish a domain?”

Ah Hae-In asked inside the forest full of monsters above high-intermediate rank.

Evandel wondered for a moment in her training uniform before shouting.

“You have to grasp the nature within the domain!”

“Mmm. You’re wrong.”

Ah Hae-In shook her head. This confused Evandel, but she soon came up with
another answer.

“Then… you have to befriend the nature within the domain!”

“How? How do you befriend it?”

“Um… That’s…”

Evandel glanced at Rachel for help.

“Hu… hu, hu…”

However, Rachel already lamented their imminent parting. Evandel gently held
Rachel’s hand.

“You don’t have to try so hard. That answer was wrong too.”

Ah Hae-In smiled and stroked Evandel’s head.

“The first and foremost thing you should do before establishing a domain is…”

She raised her head and looked at the surrounding nature. The grass, trees, and
streams all contained magic power. This land would make an excellent domain.

“…Buying the land.”

“Ehh?”

Of course, children wouldn’t know about such grown-up interests. Evandel blinked a
few times in confusion.

“First, you have to legally make this land yours. Even magicians need to abide by the
law.”

“Mm… Then…”

“Evandel doesn’t need to worry though.”

Ah Hae-In twisted her words again and Evandel slightly frowned.

“Kim Hajin has already purchased all the land from here to there.”

“Ah?”

Evandel wiggled her eyebrows and Ah Hae-In beamed. To be more precise, Kim
Hajin’s money purchased this land. So far, he had paid her a total of 40 billion won
for Evandel’s lessons. Ah Hae-In purchased this land in his name using that money.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“Yes!” Evandel nodded with a big smile.

“Good. Now, don’t hold back and summon your beasts.”

“Whew…”

Evandel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she sat on the grass and
emitted her unique magic power signature. She embedded a single message in her
signature, Come to me.

“The next task is simple. You’ll strengthen this land with the help of your spirit
beasts. Make this land acknowledge you as its rightful owner while you live here and
create new spirit beasts.”

Evandel nodded with her eyes tightly shut. She focused on emitting her magic power
signature for the next 5 minutes. Vibrations and noises could be felt from far away.
Tens of thousands of spirit beasts she released began to return.

“They’re coming.”

“Yes.”

Ah Hae-In and Rachel waited for the spirit beasts to appear.

Uuuuu… The faint vibration soon turned into a roar and majestic footsteps filled the
earth and air. The two adults felt overwhelmed by Evandel’s approaching spirit
beasts. They all surrounded Evandel. Rabbits, lions, tigers, horses, hippopotamuses,
wolves…

One would be lucky to witness such a spectacle even once in their lifetime.

“Now, open your eyes.”

Evandel opened her eyes and mischievously smiled at the spirit beasts around her.

“Let them freely roam. Your spirit beasts will consolidate your domain for you.”

“Okay!”

Evandel set them all free.

Tudududu—

Hiiing—

Footsteps, roars, and fluttering wings resounded. Her spirit beasts jumped into the
air and ran around. They left their marks all across the surroundings.

***

I woke up in a dark room and felt a soft mattress underneath me.

“…?”

I blinked a few times and assessed the situation. I felt confused and recalled being
swept up in a huge explosion. However, I didn’t sustain any injuries and my head felt
clearer than ever. Perhaps the Orb of Regeneration helped, but I felt strangely
refreshed. Did I just get a good sleep or did my luck cause this?

“You’re awake.”

A voice interrupted my train of thought. I slightly tilted my head and spotted the
handsome man smoking a cigar.

“It’s you again.”

I couldn’t spot any hostility in Bell’s eyes. The way he wearily opened his eyes only
made him more attractive.

“What’s your deal this time?”

I asked and he slowly spoke while rubbing the dark circles under his eyes.

“Ah, nothing much. I just looked into your memories… with my ultimate skill. For 10
minutes or so…”

“What?”

“I can’t keep it up any longer than that. Your memories are too complex. I only saw
bits here and there. Ah, it’s not like I have a voyeurism fetish.”

“No, that’s not what I—”

I frowned and clearly recalled killing him once in the Tower of Wish. I fired directly
into his head, so he shouldn’t have an ultimate skill.

“Didn't I kill you once in the tower?”

“Ah, right. That did happen, but you can’t kill me. My body is made of magic power
thanks to my authority, [Magic Power Body]. Yaawn.” Bell stretched as he explained.

“No, but I did kill you.”

“Hmm? Ah, you’re right. Your anti-magic power did break my magic power, but it
didn’t destroy my authority.”
“Mmm… Tell me more.”

“Hahaha…”

Bell laughed and continued explaining.

“You should just consider me as nature. This world has already recognized me as
part of nature like how the wind blows, rain falls, and flowers bloom. Nature
automatically rearranges my existence when I die. This phenomenon is only possible
because I’m entirely made up of magic power.”

“…”

“In short, I can’t die. I’m bound to live forever.”

I became speechless. Magic Power Body did exist in my original settings, but I
deleted it because it felt too overpowered. Still, I never included resurrection as part
of it. He smiled when I doubtfully looked at him.

“By the way, aren’t you curious about the fact that I looked at your memories?”

“Huh?”

My heart sank. The fact that he looked at my memories meant he now knew all my
secrets.

“Yeah, that’s how you should react.”

Bell smirked and sat next to me. “I never imagined there’d be another transmigrator
other than Jin Sahyuk and Kim Suho.”

“Transmigrator?”

What Bell said sounded strange. I felt confused at first, but soon realized he
misinterpreted my memories.

“Yeah, a transmigrator. Kim Hajin and Kim Chundong are the same, yet completely
different. That’s why Jin Sahyuk thought you were her servant. You took over Kim
Chundong’s body and Kim Chundong became Jin Sahyuk’s servant in Akatrina.”
“…”

“I understood that much. I also saw the world you originally came from, but I
couldn’t figure out how you came here since that information is securely blocked.”

I remained silent and stared at him.

“Another Earth in a parallel universe. It turned out to be a boring, but fascinating

story.”

Bell leisurely smiled as I looked into his deep blue eyes. This man didn’t exist in my
original novel or my setting.

“Do you want to know who I am?” Bell muttered as if he read my mind.

“Will you tell me if I ask?”

“Of course, it’s a give and take. I figured out your identity, so you should know mine
too.”

I looked at Bell as if to say, Then tell me.

“Okay. First, have you heard of Baal?”

I froze at that name. Baal ranked first among Solomon’s 72 devils. He boasted the
most power and fame among all the devils along with Satan.

“So you do know. Then you also know a devil needs an incarnation body to descend
on Earth, right?”

Bell smiled as I listened to him in a daze.

“You’ve probably figured out where I’m going with all this. I’m Baal’s incarnation
body. I only have 6 months left at most. In 6 months, Baal will be born from my
head.”

His sudden declaration would’ve shocked anyone else.

“So?”
Bell slightly frowned at my nonchalant reaction. “I said I’m Baal. The world is
doomed when I become Baal. You’ll never be able to kill me.”

“And?”

I remained calm because I arrived here as a result of my [Accumulation of Luck]. I

could still see the sentence that popped up during the explosion. [This momentary
misfortune will lead to the best ending.]

This meeting with Bell resulted from the purest of luck.

“Sigh.” Bell finally gave up.

“Okay, I’ll get to the point.”

His gaze suddenly sharpened.

“Chundong…”

Bell became one of two people who knew about Kim Chundong.

“Kim Chundong.”

Only he had witnessed the root of Kim Chundong’s existence.

[Your synchronization with Kim Chundong has increased in response to being called.]

Something in my heart responded to his voice. I glared at him as he asked.

“Do you think you’ll be able to betray Byul?”

I raised my body without replying as Bell continued.

“The demon realm transformation is progressing as we speak. It’s still faint, but it’ll
soon spread to the heart of Earth.”

My story’s final setting, the demon realm transformation, would erode this world.
We headed towards the ending now.

“No one can stop the demon realm transformation. It’s the prelude to the descent of
devils.”

Kim Suho had to eliminate the devils and save humanity for a happy ending.

“Trust me if you want to stop the demon realm transformation.”

I couldn’t help but doubt Bell. Somehow, he sounded even more confident about the
ending than me.

“…”

I glared at him and he leisurely received my gaze in the dark.

“I want to make you a simple offer.”

Bell finished his cigar and burned it with his magic power. Then he spoke within the
acrid smoke.

“Help Sahyuk kill me.”

“What?”

My eyebrows furrowed, but Bell smiled even wider.

“I know you have a complicated relationship with Jin Sahyuk, but she’s the only one
who can kill me.”

I finally realized what felt so off about Bell. He didn’t have the desire to live that all
humans naturally possessed. Did he want to die because he was Baal’s incarnation? I
couldn’t understand.

“Can’t you just let Jin Sahyuk kill you? What’s so complicated?”

“Ah, if only it was that easy.” Bell wore a sad expression.

“I just want to die. I’ve lived too long, but my survival instinct still remains. This
instinct stems from Baal who resides in my head.”

“Didn’t I easily kill you before?”

I only killed his body at the time, but I still didn’t sense anything from Baal.

“I told you. I won’t die even if I’m killed. Baal only reacts when my existence is at risk
of annihilation. When that happens, Baal will shoot out of my head and lose control.”

Bell paused as if to recall something from long ago.

“I’ve killed many because of this instinct.”

His bitter smile disappeared as he continued in a leisurely tone.

“So I want you to help Sahyuk. She can become much stronger than she is now. Help
her grow enough so she can kill me.”

“…”

“If she doesn’t, Baal will destroy this world once he descends. That’s something
neither you, me, nor that monster king wants.”

I still had many questions and doubts, but I could tell he mostly told the truth thanks
to my newly upgraded [Observation and Reading].

[Life force 100/100] [Name – Bell] [Alignment – Neutral] [Realm, Potential – Cannot
Estimate] [Status – Being honest]
Of course, being honest didn’t mean I could trust him yet. I changed the topic before
digging deeper into his explanation.

“What do you mean by betraying Boss?”

“Mm? Oh, Byul?” Bell grinned.

“You don’t have to if you can find a way not to betray her. However…”

Bell’s expression turned serious.

“I doubt she’ll accept the fact that you’re cooperating with me. Byul resents me for
killing Yeonjun.”

I frowned at the unfamiliar name.

“And who’s Yeonjun?”

“Oh, that’s the Chameleon Troupe’s previous Boss. I guess Byul never told you. Well,
it’s not surprising given how sensitive the topic.”

Bell coughed and continued.

“Anyways, I told Byul she would end up betraying you for Yeonjun. I didn’t know
things would turn out this way, but it kind of makes sense. Hahaha.”

Bell proudly shrugged and tried to act cute. I would have found it disgusting if he
didn’t look so handsome. In any case, I understood what he meant.

He resembled me in his attempt to conclude this story. Bell chose Jin Sahyuk for his
ending and I chose Kim Suho. The growing main character and the growing final
boss. Technically, the growing final boss also became a protagonist in the story’s
latter half.

“Think of yourself as a princess maker. After all, Sahyuk is a princess.”

Bell rested his chin on his hands and stared at me.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Chundong became Sahyuk’s servant.”

“Don’t talk about Chundong in front of me.”

The synchronization increased every time I heard Kim Chundong’s name. It already
reached 10.9% and my feet could be considered Chundong’s now.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Bell smiled and placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Will you do it? I’ll support you so Sahyuk becomes yours.”

I frowned at his words. “I don’t want Jin Sahyuk.”

“Just think of it as my dying will,” Bell casually replied.

***

[Underground Resistance Village]

The commotion finally settled after sunset. Cheok Jungyeong and Aileen managed to
calm the berserk Boss. Jin Sahyuk shuddered at the unjust treatment.

“I’m leaving.”

The heroes prevented the fight from breaking out, but Jin Sahyuk had no reason to
stay after Bell left.

“Here, take this.”

Only Kim Suho saw her off and handed her a bag filled with bento boxes and other
dried food that would last 2 weeks.

“…”

Jin Sahyuk glared at him, but took it anyways. She knew the importance of food from
her last experience.

“Sorry. I tried, but we’re currently allied with the Chameleon Troupe.”

“Chameleon Troupe.”
Jin Sahyuk turned around with the bag under her armpit.

“Don’t trust them. They’re worse than me.”

She grabbed the ladder and Kim Suho watched her leave. Eventually, he couldn’t help
but shout.

“Oi!”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk turned around. Kim Suho once served her as a knight and still felt
complicated feelings towards her.

“Didn’t you come for me? You’re just going to leave without fighting?”

“Bastard, do you have crush on me?”

Jin Sahyuk blankly stared at him before snickering. She didn’t say anything else and
disappeared up the ladder.

“Sigh…”

Kim Suho still had mixed feelings. He already settled his past, but Jin Sahyuk hadn’t
and regarded him as a traitor. He didn’t feel good looking at her back.

Aileen approached him as he fell in thought.

“Don’t worry about someone like her. Tigris will be arriving in 2 days.”

She crossed her arms and turned serious. “The rehearsal will begin soon, so follow
me.”

“Yes.”

Kim Suho nodded and turned around. Then he trudged towards the village hall with
Aileen.

***
“I will say this again. We will be victorious!”

Humans and humanoid monsters gathered at Doloren Square as Tigris’s voice rang
out. His roar shook the heavens and earth. Everyone applauded after his speech.

“Great! Lupiton feels quite satisfactory.”

Tigris nodded in content before walking down from the podium.

“Lord Tigris, Lord Tigris.” An ant humanoid monster walked up to him.

“Village Lord Pleron would like to invite you to a banquet.”

“No need. She should be satisfied seeing my face here. I don’t want to waste any
more time. Rather than that, where’s Horseless?”

“Ah, Lord Horseless is currently enjoying a nap.”

Tigris’s secretary didn’t forget to respectfully address Horseless. He knew dozens of

humanoid monsters had been beheaded for casually addressing the horse.

“We’ve been quite busy lately, so he must be tired. Thankfully, tomorrow is the last.”

Tigris headed to the mansion where Horseless slept. Around 66 rank 1 humanoid
monsters followed him. These elites all possessed equivalent strength to high rank,
grade 1 heroes.

“Mmm, there he is.”

Tigris arrived at the well-decorated stable built just for Horseless. It featured
beautiful rare plants and flowers.

“Horseless!”

The horse instantly reacted to his voice.

— Hiiing!

“Hahaha, you wanted to see me too?”

Tigris embraced Horseless, who ran into his arms. They had only been separated for
4 hours, but acted as though they had reunited after years. Tigris stroked Horseless’
mane and listened to his whisper. He froze for a moment before nodding.

“Oi, did you feed this child?” Tigris asked the human in charge of the stable.

“Yes, we served him the best food available.”

“And what did you feed him?”

“T-That’s…”

The human didn’t reply and Tigris didn’t expect to hear anything either. He
immediately crushed the human’s head and turned him into pulp.

“Fool.”

Tigris glanced at the corpse and hopped on Horseless. The horse happily greeted his
owner.

“Make sure to prepare proper meat in the next village. Otherwise, you’ll be the next
to die.”

Tigris’s solemn warning caused all his servants to bow.

“Let’s go!”

Tk, tk. Tigris galloped away on Horseless as Lupiton’s residents continued to clap.

“I can’t get used to seeing humans all happy. Don’t you think so? If it wasn’t for King
Orden…”

Tigris grumbled after he left the village.

“Yes, I am always amazed by Lord Tigris’s patience and virtue.”

The ant secretary eagerly played along with Tigris. Their group slowly headed to the
next destination and soon reached a vast wilderness.

“Yaaawn!’ Tigris yawned, but it sounded more like a roar.

“What villages are left?”

“Crean and Loren. Crean is a low rank village and Loren is a mid-rank—”

An arrow flashed across the sky as the ant secretary recited their itinerary.

Paaaang!

A huge wind pressure also swallowed the surroundings. This came from Tigris’
punch as he tried to deflect what came towards Horseless.

However, the Divine Archer’s arrow couldn’t be blocked so easily. It multiplied like a
spider web and assaulted them.

Whish!

Jin Seyeon’s magic arrow dug into Tigris’ arm and pierced Horseless’ heart.

“…!”

Tigris fell forward and safely landed, but the same couldn’t be said for Horseless. The
horse helplessly collapsed after being pierced in the heart.

“…”

Tigris’ thoughts stopped as he ran up to Horseless in a daze.

— Hi… iing…

Horseless gasped for air and looked at his beloved owner with his final breaths.

—…

Soon, his breathing stopped and the horse died with his eyes open. Tigris stared at
his beloved horse. Everything felt surreal and his brain refused to accept the current
reality.

“This… what…”

The ant secretary slowly approached Tigris and could only see his trembling back.
“Um… Lord Tig—”

The ant secretary couldn’t finish his sentence.

“—!”

Tigris roared with uncontrollable rage. He stood up and glared at his servants with
tearful eyes that had already lost focus. Tigris turned into a beast that instinctively
destroyed everything.

***

Jin Sahyuk traveled deeper into Africa. She came to find Bell at first, but now she
possessed a new goal to become stronger.

She felt like she had grown complacent, especially after being so powerless against
the Chameleon Troupe’s so-called Boss.

Jin Sahyuk chased after the scent Bell purposefully left and simply killed everything
that appeared.

“Hmm… Did Bell intend for this to happen?”

Thousands of monsters surrounded her.

Jin Sahyuk released countless weapons that shredded them and built a mountain of
corpses. However, their numbers never seemed to end.

“Give up, Jin Sahyuk. Kereuk.”

A humanoid monster resembling a drake spoke and seemed to be the army’s

commander.

Jin Sahyuk’s eyes widened. “You know my name?”

“Kereuk. Of course, you became the king’s servant before betraying him and running
away after one week.”

“Oh, you’re talking about that?”

Jin Sahyuk had received Akatrina’s crystal from Orden, but didn’t recall becoming his
servant.

“Are you prepared to die, kereuk?”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk checked her physical condition without replying. She had been pushing
herself for the past month without any proper rest. The fight from 2 days ago also
affected her.

“Are you ready to die?”

Jin Sahyuk pushed herself into a corner to overcome her limits. She felt confident in
her potential.

“Kereuk, foolish human!” the drake shouted and spat out a fireball.

Kwaaaa!

Jin Sahyuk jumped to dodge, but flying monsters also charged at her. She
manipulated the air current and strangled them to death.

“How do you lot breed so quickly?”

The humanoid monsters continued attacking. She possessed limited magic power,
but never thought about escaping. The endless fight left numerous scars on her body.
The bleeding never ceased, her armor tore apart, and her hair became severed.
Overcoming the situation seemed impossible and it only worsened as time passed.

As Jin Sahyuk continued fighting alone…

“Kereuk! Die, traitor…?”

An arrow pierced the roaring drake’s throat. Then the arrow flew up and pierced the
drake’s head.

“Kereeeuk.”

The drake died, but the mysterious arrow continued.

Chwaaaa—

A total of 5 black arrows flew across the sky. They drew black traces in the air and
moved like autonomous birds.

“…?”

Jin Sahyuk stared at the arrows in a daze. They moved at an incomprehensible speed
and killed numerous monsters. The lines drawn by these arrows resembled modern
art.

Kuak, keuk, guuuk!

Monsters fell one by one. The death toll reached two digits, three digits, then four
digits. All this happened in less than 3 seconds.

“Who is it.”

The owner of the arrows appeared when she asked.

“Over here.”

The voice came from above. Jin Sahyuk looked up and saw Kim Hajin standing on a
nameless mountain. She furrowed her brows as Kim Hajin spoke.

“Come up.”

“What?”

“For the next 6 months…”

Kim Hajin nocked another arrow. This pure white arrow contrasted with his
previous black ones. Jin Sahyuk wouldn’t know about the mythical [Lv.11 Athena’s
Moonlight Arrow].

“I’ll be by your side.”

Kim Hajin finished his sentence, but Jin Sahyuk didn’t understand him for a long
time. Three seconds? Five seconds passed. Her eyes widened once the words sank in
and Kim Hajin released his bowstring.
Kwaaaaa!

Athena’s moonlight arrow, infused with stigma’s magic power, shot towards the army
of monsters.
The Greek goddess of wisdom’s arrow released the purest light after being amplified
by stigma. The [Lv.11 Athena’s Moonlight Arrow] silently flew and devoured its
surroundings. The world turned white and it burnt all the nearby monsters alive.
Only its overwhelming moonlight shone in the afternoon sky.

“Come up here.”

I gestured to Jin Sahyuk, who stared at me. She looked confused, but I didn’t have
time to spare.

“I’m going to leave if you don’t move.”

Guooo… Yet another army of monsters approached from beyond the horizon. Jin
Sahyuk glanced at them and looked back at me. Then she jumped and landed on the
cliff where I stood.

“What’s with you? Why did you suddenly appear and…”

She continued to babble as I activated my spirit power. I set the coordinates in my

head and mimicked Khalifa’s portal gift. I barely had enough streaks of stigma left
after that last attack.

Psssst…

My spirit power formed a portal and I pushed Jin Sahyuk inside. We arrived at a dark
cave on the coast of Africa.

“You bastard! You kicked me out, so why did you come back?”

She suddenly grabbed me by the collar as I stared into her eyes.

“What, you’re just going to ignore me? Huh? Is that it?”

Bell told me a lot about how she lived on Earth after dying in Akatrina, what path she
took to arrive here, and the pain she lived through.

“Hey, Kim Hajin! Kim — Hajin! Kim — Ha — Jin!”

I felt hopeful that maybe my novel’s ending could change after listening to Bell. In my
novel, Jin Sahyuk acted like an unforgivable villain and a hopeless tyrant. However,
she changed in this world after meeting Bell, a character who didn’t exist in my
original story.

“Are you deaf or something?”

Of course, I didn’t completely trust Bell. I still harbored my doubts, but none of that
mattered right now. I could always use the Book of Truth later.

“Answer me!”

Jin Sahyuk began shaking me from side to side. My body swayed like a doll from her
enormous strength.

“It's only natural for a servant to be with his king, right?” I nonchalantly replied and
Jin Sahyuk froze. Her hands remained around my neck as she coldly muttered.

“That’s bullshit.”

“What do you mean?” I shrugged.

She looked extremely suspicious about me being Kindspring.

“I will replace Bell and train you for the next 6 months. Maybe shorter if possible.”

“What?” Jin Sahyuk tightened her grip. “Training? Cut the crap. You met Bell? What
did you two talk about?”

“Well, can you let go first?”

I looked down at my collar. Frankly, I couldn’t move at all because of the huge
difference in our base stats.

“Why would I—”

“Let go.”

I scowled, but she still didn’t loosen her grip. Not a single trace of fear appeared in
her eyes.

She couldn’t even properly speak to me a while ago.

“Do you think I’m a joke because I’ve been going easy on you for the past few
months?”

“What?”

Jin Sahyuk clenched her teeth. Well, I should set the record straight. I only had one
streak of stigma left, but I felt confident in winning. I would never lose to Jin Sahyuk
with [Fate].

“Let go of me before I count to three.”

I held three fingers up.

“One, two…”

My fingers gradually folded.

“Three.”

The last one came down, but Jin Sahyuk simply smirked with her hands still around
me.

“Just come at me, bastard. You think I’ll be scared of you forev—”

I immediately activated [Fate] and all my stats increased by 300%. The sensation of
absolute power filled me. This time, [Fate] also included the [Pinnacle Rank Instant
Acceleration] from my Black Lotus uniform. My blood began to rush as the world
slowed to a stop.

Meanwhile, Jin Sahyuk…

“Y… o… u…”
I punched her in the stomach and her eyes widened. She coughed blood and pulled
back while clutching her stomach. Jin Sahyuk seemed to be in the process of flying
backwards.

“Ku… uek…”

I grabbed her by the shoulder and kicked her in the stomach. Tears flowed from her
eyes as she tried to counter with Reality Manipulation.

Chwaaak—

A sharp blade of magic power left a scar on my cheek.

“Hm? Oh, wow.”

As expected of Jin Sahyuk, I couldn’t let my guard down even in my [Fate] state. I
acknowledged her strength and—

“Uk! Uuek! Kuek!”

Proceeded to earnestly beat the crap out of Jin Sahyuk.

***

It only took Tigris 3 minutes to annihilate his own guards. He killed all the guards in
the front before they could even do anything. The others who understood the
situation tried to fight back, but miserably failed.

— Get ready, Suho. We’ll cover you.

“Roger.”

Only Tigris remained and the best opportunity to strike finally arrived. Kim Suho
dashed forward with Misteltein.

Pang!

However, Tigris swung his fist before Kim Suho could reach him. His special
[Formless Tiger Punch] flew towards Kim Suho from 500 meters away.
Clang!

Kim Suho blocked it with Misteltein.

“…?”

Only then did Tigris show some interest. Kim Suho stared at the enemy and
whispered into the radio.

“I’ll prepare for a long battle.”

— Yes, it’s better that way. We’ve got the Chameleon Troupe with us, so don’t worry
about any reinforcements coming to help him.

[Formless Tiger Punch] seemed almost invincible. It could instantly close any
distance and attacked everything in Tigris’ 320 degree field of view.

However, it still depended on magic power. Naturally, Tigris only possessed a small
capacity for magic power as the descendant of a Himalayan mountain tyrant.

A chance would eventually arise if one could endure until Tigris ran out of magic
power. Kim Suho planned on doing exactly that. His speed could evade the attacks
and his gift could sever the [Formless Tiger Punch].

“Tigris!” Kim Suho shouted as Tigris slowly stood up. He glared at Kim Suho and the
anger in his eyes seemed to have subsided.

Kim Suho shouted at him once more. “I killed Horseless!”

Constantly driving Tigris mad would deplete his magic power the fastest.

“—!”

It turned out to be a wise decision. Madness filled Tigris’ eyes once again and
countless punches flew towards Kim Suho.

Pang! Pang!

They came from every direction with no distinguishable pattern and each felt
equally life-threatening.
Despite this, Kim Suho managed to block everything. The Sword Saint slashed
diagonally and severed the punches.

B-B-B-Boom!

Kim Suho closed his eyes amidst the endless attacks and heightened his other
senses. He only relied only on his intuition to attack and displayed the peak of
swordsmanship.

Koong!

Tigris continued using the 108 consecutive punches he took pride in. No one had
ever survived.

Ssssk—

Kim Suho sheathed his sword and drew it again as he swung forward.

Chwaaa!

His sword drawing technique spread out like a wave and stopped Tigris’ 108
consecutive punches.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Indeed, Kim Suho’s swordsmanship suited his Sword Saint title. His state of existence
fully revealed itself now.

***

[Africa, Undersea Cave]

Our first training, a mock battle in grappling, ended in 3 minutes. Jin Sahyuk lay sick
in bed while I sat on the chair next to her. Honestly, I also suffered from the side
effects of [Fate].

“Let’s not talk about all that king and servant stuff right now. Cut off the root of the
problem. We’ll only get headaches if you keep bringing it up.”

“…” Jin Sahyuk silently glared at me with a threatening look.

“Wipe that scowl off your face.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk sighed and turned over in bed while muttering, “What are we doing for
half a year?”

“First of all, we’ll conquer dungeons.”

“Dungeons?” She showed some interest.

“Yep, Africa is full of interesting dungeons. I even heard there’s one called the quiz
dungeon. They’re quite dangerous, but feature amazing rewards.”

I needed to hunt for certain items. Clearing dungeons would help Jin Sahyuk and also
allow me to secure the materials for new equipment. I planned to dismantle existing
artifacts with [Young Dwarf’s Dexterity] and recreate them with greater quality.

“Do you even know where those dungeons are?” Jin Sahyuk bluntly asked.

“Of course.”

I opened the Book of Truth and turned the pages. Then I recalled the name that Bell
mentioned, Yi Yeonjun, the former Chameleon Troupe’s boss.

“What are you looking at? Show me.”

She seemed intrigued by my serious expression, but I closed the Book of Truth and
returned it into stigma.

“What? What is it this time?” Jin Sahyuk flinched, slightly intimidated by my gaze.

“Hey, do you know Yi Yeonjun?”

I thought Jin Sahyuk might know.

“No.”

“I guess you wouldn’t remember someone else’s name. You’re too busy being snotty.”
“You bastard! There you go again with your insults!”

“Stop calling me names.”

I placed my hand over her head and she began trembling in fear because of the
earlier incident.

“For now, let’s just eat in peace.”

I went to the fridge in the corner of the cave and took out some ingredients: beef,
green onions, garlic, chives, rice, cooking wine, etc. Something crossed my mind and I
turned on my smartwatch.

“Maybe I’ll ask Yoo Jinhyuk.”

After all, he still ran a business. I might as well text Boss and let her know nothing
happened to me. Bell said I would have to eventually betray Boss, but I disagreed.

“Mmm.”

‘Yeah, let’s do that.’

First, I texted Boss.

***

Bell returned to his shelter and sighed. Darkness surrounded him without a speck of
light. This sanctuary existed in the deep sea and didn’t suit humans.

“Hmm…”

So the Chameleon Troupe arrived at the underground village. Rumi probably escaped.
Did Kim Hajin meet Jin Sahyuk as planned?

Many thoughts filled his head.

Tssk—

Bell drew the blinds and sat on a chair by a small table. The deep sea’s dim light
came through and he felt a little more comfortable.
…

Bell poured tea into his cup and turned towards the faint murmur.

“Are you awake?”

No one answered, but a disapproving sigh confirmed another presence. Bell smiled
and sipped his tea.

“Why don’t you have some tea as well? I brought it from the tower.”

Bell spent an entire day revealing his secret plans to Kim Hajin. However, he still kept
one thing hidden.

“Haaa.”

The sigh grew louder and Bell called his name.

“Yeonjun?”

Some loved this man and others loathed him. He died a long time ago, but came back
to life after a long sleep.

“What,” Yi Yeonjun reluctantly replied. He kept glancing at the window and appeared
uncomfortable.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No.”

He frowned and his brown eyes turned sharp. His overall expression stiffened.

“Mmm. How do you feel? It hasn’t been long since you woke up.”

“Three months is long enough.”

Yi Yeonjun stood up from the bed. Creek, creek. He limped with one leg and walked
towards the chair facing Bell.

“Did you have time to think about what I said?”

“Thinking is difficult right now. I can’t think for long.” He sounded stern and rigid.
The way he spoke resembled Byul.

“That’s why I said you shouldn’t stay here for too long. It’s been 10 years.”

Yi Yeonjun woke up from his deep slumber just 3 months ago.

“I couldn’t do anything else. My entire body had been destroyed and I didn’t want to
wake up in such a state.”

“Sure. More importantly, aren’t you going to meet Byul?”

A lot of time had passed since they last saw each other and Bell didn’t know if Byul
still felt the same about his friend.

“Pft, why would I meet Byul?”

Yi Yeonjun slightly smiled and shook his head. Bell looked at the characteristic
dimples that always appeared when Yi Yeonjun smiled. He once thought Yi Yeonjun’s
smile captured the purest form of evil. It contained a child’s mischievousness and
innocence.

“She’s doing fine without me.”

Yi Yeonjun felt quite proud of Byul from the way he smiled. However, he didn’t take
pride in her as a person. It felt more like how a swordsman looked at his sword.

“So you’re not going to ever see her?”

“I’ll see her when the time is right. Don’t rush me.”

Byul would probably never know that Yi Yeonjun had pushed her into the pit of
despair.

Byul, Yeonjun deceived you with salvation.

He sighed when he thought of her.

“What do you plan to do now, Yeonjun?”

“I’ll take some time to recover before going after Chae Joochul.”

Chae Joochul destroyed Yi Yeonjun a long time ago. It hadn’t been Bell, but Chae
Joochul’s schemes buried the truth.

“By the way, I’m surprised the Chae Jinyoon plan failed.”

Yi Yeonjun had planted the devil’s seed in Chae Jinyoon. He probably also incited the
assassination of Chae Nayun’s mother.

“Right.”

Bell knew a real monster sat in front of him, but he had grown used to calling this
person a friend. He smiled and placed his hand on Yi Yeonjun’s head.

“First things first, you should trim your hair.”

“Hair?” Yi Yeonjun frowned.

“No need. I’ll stay hidden for a while longer. It’ll also help with the disguise.”

“Tsk. Then I take it your next goal after killing Chae Joochul remains the same?”

“Yeah, it became even clearer the longer I slept. As if someone breathed the answer
into my head.”

“Really? That sounds interesting.”

Bell also knew Kim Hajin would have to kill this man to reach his own ending.

I might feel a bit sad when that time comes.

Bell thought to himself.

Byul would betray Kim Hajin for that reason. She would never be able to forgive Kim
Hajin for killing Yi Yeonjun.
[Africa – Desolate Wilderness]

The northern winds blew across the cold wilderness as the 4 hour long battle came
to an end.

The enraged Tigris grew weaker over time, but Kim Suho maintained his initial
prowess. Tigris couldn’t overcome the Sword Saint’s clean movements and splendid
swordsmanship.

“I’ll admit that Sword Saint is a fitting title.”

Cheok Jungyeong observed and commented from afar.

Kim Suho’s impeccable swordsmanship gave him a strong urge to join. However, he
knew how disgusting it felt to be interrupted during a fight and held back.

“Huhu, how is it? He’s stronger than you, right?” Aileen also stood by and spoke with
her arms crossed.

“It’s not a matter of strength, but a matter of circumstance. I wouldn’t have forced
Tigris into such a cowardly situation.” Cheok Jungyeong glared at Aileen.

Tigris boasted remarkable strength, but he revealed his full strength too easily when
Horseless died. He even killed his own comrades and their battle felt far from fair.

“Cowardly? Oh please, think about what they did to the abducted people. You
shouldn’t be one to talk either. I saw what you guys did 20 years ago.”

“We didn’t do that, dumbass.”

“Then who did?”

“…The old us.”

“Are you kidding?” Aileen frowned at Cheok Jungyeong’s vague words.

“Cough.” He dodged her gaze and seemingly ended their conversation.

“Tsk.” Aileen clicked her tongue and picked up her transceiver.

“Jin Seyeon, Kim Suho, it’s time to end this tiger hunt. We can’t wait much longer.”

They had waited a long time for Kim Suho to cut down Tigris. The Chameleon Troupe
took over Lupiton and prevented any information from leaking, but they could only
maintain that for so long.

— Yes, understood.

Jin Seyeon replied as Aileen formed a magic power spear. Jin Seyeon also nocked an
arrow from 3 kilometers away.

“This is a tiger-killing spear.”

Aileen infused the special attribute into her spear. She stroked the shaft and
murmured like a mother caring for her child.

“It will display great power against tigers and paralyze the target with a single hit.”

Aileen prepared her Spirit Speech while Cheok Jungyeong stared at her in disgust.

“You! Damn! Human!” Tigris roared and shot towards Kim Suho.

“A mere human!”

Kim Suho had been waiting for this moment when the [Formless Tiger Punch]
weakened enough that Tigris had to close in.

He recalled a certain piece of information Kim Hajin told him a long time ago about
the mountain tyrant’s vital point. A blue mark should be on the heel of its hind leg.

Kim Suho smiled when Tigris charged. The humanoid monsters hadn’t overcome
their vital points and mountain tyrants likely didn’t know their own weakness.

“Huup!”
Kim Suho thrust forward with Misteltein. Tigris grabbed the sword without any
suspicions as Kim Suho attacked his heel with the scabbard.

“…!”

Tigris’s legs immediately went numb. Aileen and Jin Seyeon used this opening to
make their moves. Tigris had no chance of dodging.

Crack!

A spear and an arrow pierced Tigris’ heart and stomach. He suffered fatal injuries,
but refused to let go of Misteltein.

“You… coward… my Horseless…”

Tigris furiously glared, but this didn’t faze Kim Suho at all.

“You should’ve known the people you killed also meant something important to
others if you treasured that horse so much.”

“Shut your mouth. A mere human dares to… kuhuk!”

Kim Suho infused his magic power into Misteltein. A brilliant light rose as Tigris
clenched his fists.

“—!”

The Sword Saint’s sword clashed with the tyrant’s fist.

Kwaaaaa!

The burst of magic power shook the heavens and earth.

“…”

Their battle finally came to an end. Kim Suho sighed and looked at Tigris. The
humanoid monster’s breathing gradually slowed with Misteltein piercing through
his heart. However, Tigris’ eyes remained open and he glared at Kim Suho full of
rage.
“Humans… I will curse you… even in death…”

Misteltein activated its effect and absorbed a portion of Tigris’ gift after destroying
his heart.

[You have acquired Tigris’ gift – Formless Tiger Punch]

Thud—

Tigris’ heavy body collapsed to the ground.

[Your close range attacks will also reach into the distance when you activate
Misteltein’s Formless Tiger Punch.]

Kim Suho sheathed Misteltein as a light breeze blew his hair.

“Haaa.”

He felt slightly bitter after winning. It hadn’t been a fair fight, but he couldn’t do
anything about that.

Kim Suho couldn’t help but wonder if he had the right to punish humanoid monsters.
Until now, he killed countless monsters without guilt, but humanoid monsters could
think and talk like humans.

Kim Suho gazed into Tigris’ eyes with complicated thoughts.

***

[Africa, Nameless Dungeon]

Jin Sahyuk and I arrived at a nameless dungeon. The Book of Truth called it the
[Basilisk Dungeon with Puzzles and Quizzes].

“This is a dungeon?” Jin Sahyuk looked around with a scowl.

“It looks a bit odd.”

I probably wore a similar expression. This place resembled more of an arcade with
all sorts of games displayed on a black background.
“Looks like a stage type dungeon. We probably have to clear each game.”

I used [Observation and Reading] and looked over the different games.

[Quiz Game 1, 2, 3, 4 – Test your intelligence. The numbers represent the level of
difficulty.] [Puzzle Game 1, 2, 3, 4 – Test your creativity. The numbers represent the
level of difficulty.] [Clearing all games will allow you to enter the final stage – Defeat
the Basilisk.]

“How are we supposed to do this?”

“Wait.”

I started the quiz game first.

— Ding, ding! The quiz game will now begin!”

“Ah, geez! That surprised me!”

A robotic voice rang out from the ceiling and Jin Sahyuk slightly jumped.

“Say something before doing weird stuff!”

“Shut up and follow me.”

“What’s happening?”

The quiz game began with a riddle.

What does a fire become when it dies? Why did the ice cream melt? I found most of
them laughably easy, but each riddle appeared in ancient runic language. Of course, I
had no problems translating them.

“Sapphire because it’s cold, scarecrow, and almond.”

“…?”

Jin Sahyuk furrowed her brows at me and I simply explained.

“I’m smart.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. Even in Akatrina, runic language is—”

Jin Sahyuk stopped talking and suspiciously glared at me. She should’ve realized by
now that I wasn’t Kim Chundong. I focused on solving the quizzes and puzzles. It
only took 30 minutes to plow through all of them.

— You have cleared all the quizzes and puzzles! You have now reached the basilisk
stage!

Dududu… A secret passageway opened after some rumbling and a purple world
appeared beyond it. The sky looked purple with crimson land. The basilisk also had
black spider underlings around it.

“You’ll be the tank. I’ll support you from behind.”

“What? Do you know what kind of monster a basilisk is?”

“Of course.”

I created the basilisk in my original setting. A half-snake, half-dragon monster with

sharp fangs and skin tougher than any qi reinforcement. Its eyes could also shoot out
petrifying waves.

The basilisk could be considered a high rank to pinnacle rank monster and its spider
underlings all seemed to be around high-intermediate rank. I also knew the basilisk’s
fatal vital point.

“Just trust me and protect me. That’s all you have to do.”

“You bastard! Basilisks were calamity level monsters even in Akatrina. A single one
of them required hundreds of knights.”

“I’ll do more than hundreds of knights, so just do as I say.”

First, I transformed the Desert Eagle into a machine gun. I had thousands of bullets
and this gun fired at 2000 rpm.

The basilisk’s flaw lay in its defense. Honestly, this flaw only existed because of my
settings.
[Basilisk’s Skin – Will reduce 90% of physical damage and 99% of magical damage.]

That meant it couldn’t avoid 10% of the damage and became the perfect target for
my machine gun. It should eventually die as long as I kept attacking. Of course, I also
knew about the vital point under its jaw.

“No, do it by yourself.”

“No, you’re coming with me.”

For the record, Jin Sahyuk’s attacks only caused magical damage and that wouldn’t
work against the basilisk. She knew about this unfavorable matchup and refused to
fight.

“You…”

Tudududu! I began firing and the basilisk, who hadn’t noticed us, quickly charged
over.

“You son of a bitch!” Jin Sahyuk cursed with no other choice left.

— Kiaaak!

“Dammit!”

The secret passageway closed and trapped us inside. Now she had no choice but to
fight.

“Move faster! Think about all the equipment we can make from that guy’s corpse.”

A basilisk’s skin and fangs made for excellent equipment. Its flesh, eyes, and heart
could also be used to make medicine. This dungeon should also contain a decent
clear reward. I felt quite excited about clearing it.

“You bastard!”

Jin Sahyuk released her magic power and used her Reality Manipulation as I fired my
barrage of bullets.

Tudududududu!
Hundreds of bullets killed the spiders before aiming at the basilisk next.

— Kiaaak!

The enraged basilisk spat out green, venomous flames. Thankfully, Jin Sahyuk took
care of it.

“Huup!”

She extinguished its poisonous breath by isolating its path from reality.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but hurry up!”

She shouted, but I didn’t reply and only continued firing.

Tududududu…

I could feel the stress leaving my body like a real arcade game.

***

[Korea, North Pyeongan Province – Silver Essential Hospital]

Yoo Yeonha rushed over after receiving an emergency call at 3 P.M.

“Um, Chairman Yoo, about this…”

“It’s fine.”

The hospital employees worriedly flocked over as she got off the dwarven supercar.

“I’ll see what happened with my own eyes.”

Yoo Yeonha entered the hospital and soon arrived on the highest floor where Oh
Jaejin stayed.

“Haaa.”

Essence of the Strait had turned this penthouse into a village from the 1970s for Oh
Jaejin and his wife. However, this penthouse looked empty now and the wooden floor
felt freezing cold after they turned off the heat.

“How long has it been like this?”

“He was still here when we checked last night.”

Yoo Yeonha closed her eyes and sighed. Something hot began to boil inside her.

“He ran away.”

They must’ve wanted to live the rest of their lives in peace after curing Oh Jaejin’s
dementia.

“W-We’re deeply sorry!”

The hospital employees bowed to their waists, but Yoo Yeonha didn’t say anything.
The couple’s betrayal angered her, but she couldn’t bring herself to curse out loud.

In the first place, Oh Jaejin received the honorable Nine Stars title after sacrificing
himself to save the world. He had no reason to save the world again if he might die.
Asking him to sacrifice himself twice always sounded unreasonable.

“It’s fine. None of us could’ve done anything if he wanted to run away.”

Yoo Yeonha bitterly turned around when a new alert popped up on her smartwatch.

[You have gained DP! You have obtained 12,328 DP!]

The character she sponsored, Lailos, helped her earn even more DP. The news
brightened her up, but she maintained a stiff expression while ordering the present
employees.

“First, change the floor back to VIP rooms. Don’t try to find Oh Jaejin. Hmm?”

She smelled the scent of kimchi stew.

“What’s this smell?”

“Ah… the esteemed Oh Jaejin and his wife made kimchi stew before they left.”
“Ha, how kind of them.”

Yoo Yeonha laughed and walked into the elevator.

It does smell nice. I guess I’ll have kimchi stew for dinner. Kim Hajin’s food tasted so
good. I wonder if he’ll cook for me again.

Yoo Yeonha swallowed her saliva and closed the elevator door.

***

Four days passed since Tigris’ assassination.

A bloody wind blew in Lupiton. The village lord, Pleron, escaped in fear of being
punished and Lupiton’s residents had their curfews pushed to 9 PM. More
importantly, the enraged Orden made a formal declaration to the world.

“Hmmm…”

A storm of war brewed and the underground fortress went through heavy
construction to build a tunnel.

“Orden’s palace is right above this place?” Aileen asked.

The special task force paid the demon merchant and arrived at the foot of the palace.

“Yes, we did it carefully. Not even Orden should’ve detected anything,” the demon
merchant replied.

“Great, then what about what we asked for?”

“It’s the same.”

Commander Yi Gongmyung had asked the demon merchant to dig 18 different

entryways. The special task force’s 177 members would split into teams of 10 and
infiltrate the palace while Hyenckes and Chae Joochul dealt with Orden.

“Aileen.”

“Huh? What’s up?”

Yi Yongha followed Aileen and excitedly muttered.

“The Immortal and the Lord of Steel are working together for this operation. Isn’t
that amazing? I’m already getting goosebumps.”

“Shut it, fool. We only have 4 days left until D-Day. Prepare yourself.”

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers would gather in Africa for their dual-pronged

operation. Orden would naturally focus on the large army as the special task force
secretly struck.

“You’re right. We only have 4 days left.”

“Are you nervous?” Aileen turned around and faced Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, and Yun
Seung-Ah.

“No, I’m okay.”

“I’m fine too.”

“I’m a bit angry.”

Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, and Yun Seung-Ah responded respectively. Yun Seung-Ah
kept sulking and Aileen sighed at her.

“Why do you look like you stepped on poop? Are you a kid?”

“Me? You’re the one who didn’t tell me Jain also came.”

Jain told Aileen that she disguised herself as Pleron. Aileen only just found out that
Jain belonged to the Chameleon Troupe.

“It’s politics.”

“U-Unni! You know what she did to me in the past—”

“Think of the bigger picture. Leave the team if you can’t cooperate.”

“…”
Yun Seung-Ah bit her lips and glared at Aileen before turning around. Koong, koong!
She openly expressed her anger by stomping away.

“She’s sulking. Kim Suho, you deal with it.”

Aileen shook her head and Kim Suho wryly smiled at her order.

“Oh, right!”

Chae Nayun’s eyes suddenly shot open. Aileen and Kim Suho tilted their heads at her
as Chae Nayun took out the [Invitation Letter to the Love Room].

“Hm? What’s that?” Aileen gave her a curious look.

“This? You see…”

Chae Nayun wanted to use it before the mission. She didn’t want to die without
knowing Extra7’s identity.

“Well, it’s nothing.”

However, she knew she couldn’t just bring an outsider into their top-secret mission.
Extra7 also told her to only call him when she experienced life-threatening danger,
so she decided to save it for later.

“What, so boring.”

Aileen frowned. Kim Suho knew about the item’s effect and placed his hand on Chae
Nayun’s head.

“Ah, what are you doing? Get over yourself.” Chae Nayun struggled to push his hand
away.

“Why?”

“Do that to Seung-Ah unni, not me.”

“Cough, why do you all keep mentioning guild leader Yun Seung-Ah.” Kim Suho
cleared his throat with a flushed face.
“All of you should leave now. You too, Yi Yongha. I have something to do.”

Aileen shooed them away and the tunnel became silent.

“Huuu.”

Only 4 days remained until their mission to annihilate the humanoid monsters.

“This tunnel will be perfectly concealed so no one can discover it.”

Aileen enhanced the tunnel with her Spirit Speech.

Essential Armory made their magic bullets from tempered steel and condensed
magic power. Each bullet sold for 100 million won and its destructive power equaled
a low-intermediate rank hero’s steel sword.

I further strengthened these bullets to high-intermediate rank, grade 1 by enhancing

them with random consolidation and combining them with the Desert Eagle and
aether.

Jin Sahyuk only relied on magic power, so she couldn’t inflict any physical damage on
her opponents. She could always alter the physical laws, but that also greatly used up
her magic power.

[Basilisk’s Skin — Will reduce physical damage by 90% and magic damage by 99%.]
[Basilisk’s Fang — Will shatter magic by directly biting it.] [Basilisk’s Mystic Eyes —
Gaze of Deceleration: Will slow down the magic power circulating in target's blood.]

These magnificent effects completely nullified magic power. Many also called the
basilisk the scourge of magicians. This mystical beast specifically countered people
like Jin Sahyuk. She could never win against a basilisk by herself.

I could easily win as long as I kept hitting its vital point. This basilisk would
eventually collapse.

“Ah, fuck!”

Of course, it turned out much harder than I thought because of the co-author.

“Can’t believe I wasted 3 days in this shithole!”

Currently, we hid in the cave to escape from the basilisk and Jin Sahyuk shouted in
my ears.

“…”
I silently leaned against the wall and turned towards her. Jin Sahyuk continued
yelling, but occasionally shuddered in fear when she thought the basilisk might’ve
heard her.

“Cough…”

Honestly, the difficulty of this basilisk went off the charts. Its recovery ability became
way more overwhelming than in my original settings.

[Stage Effect — The basilisk has been blessed by the stage’s effect. Its recovery rate has
increased by 300%.]

The basilisk hadn’t changed, but it instantly recovered from my bullets thanks to this
stage effect.

We could only clear this dungeon by defeating the basilisk. In other words, we
remained trapped inside and couldn’t escape.

“Why don’t you say something?”

Jin Sahyuk hissed and I finally spoke.

“This is actually good.”

“…”

I sounded surprisingly calm. Jin Sahyuk became speechless and looked at me in a

daze.

“What the hell do you mean? No, wait, why do you only use that weapon? Go beat
that snake up like you beat me!”

Jin Sahyuk demanded. She overestimated me because of my fate skill. Contrary to her
belief, I couldn’t just go around beating everyone up.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Certain conditions had to be met to register a new target for [Fate]. With Jin Sahyuk,
I only had to exchange dialogue with her at least 30 times. However, the conditions
became harder the more I used it. The second target required me to exchange
dialogue at least 50 times. Obviously, I couldn’t achieve that in these circumstances.

“I’m your trainer, not someone who clears the dungeon for you.”

I made up a simple excuse.

“What the fuck…” A look of despair crossed Jin Sahyuk’s face and she dropped to the
ground with a sigh.

“Haa…”

Time continued to pass with nothing to do in this dark cave. I searched for a way to
clear this stage with [Observation and Reading].

Growl—

Suddenly, I heard a stomach rumbling. I looked at Jin Sahyuk, who closed her eyes in
thought.

“Hey, are you hungry?”

“No.” Jin Sahyuk slowly opened her eyes.

“Oh, but I think you are.”

She frowned at my sarcasm.

“Don’t underestimate me. Hunger used to be my best friend. Have you ever survived
by eating only grass?”

Her anger felt justified. Slightly embarrassed, I nodded and turned away.

Hisss!

The basilisk ordered the spiders around. It probably said, Find those two imbeciles
and bring them to me! Hissss!

I watched the basilisk for a while and suddenly recalled the mini-game.
[Extra’s chosen Litrain has become the youngest high-intermediate rank knight in
history. However, things haven’t been going too well for her recently. She borrowed
money to build a temple for Extra, but failed to capture the people’s attention. She also
ran out of DP and felt as if her growth had stagnated. That troubled her the most. She
wanted to become a high rank knight as soon as possible to repay Extra’s kindness. The
other knights insisted her sponsor abandoned her ever since she stopped receiving
donations. Litrain believed that if she tried hard enough, Extra would reach out one
day and praise her. She felt like she would be able to do anything after hearing those
words.]

“What the… Why is she so nice?”

I had been busy, so I left her alone for almost 2 months. That equaled 2 years in her
world, but she still built a temple in my name.

I checked the amount Litrain made me so far: 53,271 DP. I added 46,729 DP and
donated a grand total of 100,000 DP to her.

[You have donated 100,000 DP!] [You have successfully left a message — You did well.
Keep it up.] [Litrain is surprised. She’s moved to tears and the hard times have passed.]

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jin Sahyuk suddenly leaned towards me.

“Huh? Oh, I’m thinking of ways to kill the basilisk.”

I did have a 9 star card with me.

[Story Of A Legend On The Mural] [Individual] [9 star] Effective Good — A legend will
manifest to assist you.

I could easily defeat the basilisk with this card, but it would be a huge waste. I’d been
saving it for the very last fight against Baal.

“How are you going to do that?”

“Well, I’m thinking about playing around with attributes.”

The basilisk possessed a poison attribute that required an even stronger poison to
counter. I would have to apply poison to my bullets, then…
“Wait a minute.”

A brilliant idea crossed my mind.

What if I could extract the basilisk’s poison and crystalize it?

Of course, even aether couldn’t handle its poison. It would melt not only aether, but
my entire body.

I should be able to crystalize it with [Extraction and Permanent Materialization] if Jin

Sahyuk allowed only a small amount to pass through her Reality Manipulation.

“Hey, Jin Sahyuk.”

“What.”

The basilisk could become our gateway to mass-producing poisonous bullets.

“Just do as I say.”

The bullet made from the basilisk’s poison would surely be lethal to all monsters,
humanoid monsters, and djinns.

***

[Gwanghwamun, Korea — Tower of Hero, Highest Floor]

“The current situation in Lupiton is complicated.”

Yi Gongmyung briefed the three important individuals.

“Orden’s rage spread to Lupiton after Tigris’ death. He’s making life difficult not only
for humans, but also humanoid monsters. The harsh living conditions have freed
some of the humans from Orden’s brainwashing. It seems some monsters are also
turning against Orden. The resistance is rescuing these residents and helping them
escape Africa.”

Chae Joochul, Heynckes, and Yoo Yeonha listened attentively to Yi Gongmyung.

“We have decided to take advantage of the confusion with a second attack. Over
100,000 soldiers are currently on standby in the African fields. Surely, Orden’s elite
soldiers will also gather there to confront us.”

Orden's palace would be empty when Chae Joochul and Heynckes attacked. It
sounded like a simple and traditional plan.

“I see. That sounds fun.”

Heynckes nodded with a smile, but Chae Joochul remained emotionless. Yi

Gongmyung handed the two men a velvet pouch.

“These contain pinnacle grade medicine and magic scrolls. I wanted to prepare some
cards for you, but only players can use those.”

The conditions to use cards changed after Kim Suho cleared the Tower of Wish.
Originally, only players who reached the 21st floor could use cards. Now, any player
could use them.

“Anyways, queen of Seoul…” Heynckes smirked at Yoo Yeonha.

“Please stop joking.”

“Haha, but it’s no joke. That’s what the media calls you, the Queen of Seoul. Anyways,
I heard Oh Jaejin ran away?”

Yoo Yeonha nodded with a long face. “Yes, I delivered the pills to cure his side effect.
Afterwards…”

“I understand.”

However, Heynckes didn’t think lowly of Oh Jaejin.

“Nothing is scarier than losing yourself.”

Death would’ve been a better side effect. To lose yourself and forget all your values
and beliefs over a lifetime. What could be more tragic?

“Well then, Joochul.”

Chae Joochul remained nonchalant despite Heynckes’s friendly demeanor.

“Let’s get ready.”

“…”

Chae Joochul only needed his folding fan while Heynckes took out his armor for the
first time in forever.

“Come.”

His armor came to him with a single word.

Clunk— Clunk—

The breastplate stretched across his chest and the gaiters covered his legs. The chain
mail, gauntlets, and other parts surrounded his body. Lastly, the helmet hid his face.

Each part came together precisely. It didn’t look like any old-fashioned or crude
armor. Only armor like this could be seen in video games. The silver armor and red
cape felt quite classy.

[Steel Spirit Resistance — Will increase resistance to all attributes by 80%.] [Steel
Spirit Rigidity — Will reduce all damage by 80%.] [Steel Spirit Regeneration — Will
constantly heal as fast as time reversal.] [Steel Spirit Sword — A sword sturdier than
any metal] [Steel Spirit Intuition — The collective intelligence of 23 invincible steel
spirits.] [Steel Will — No metal in the world can defy Heynckes.]

Yoo Yeonha stared at Heynckes in a daze.

“I see your armor is still needlessly garish,” Chae Joochul flatly remarked.

“Really? Let’s turn that frown upside down, Joochul. After all, you’re on your way to
see your granddaughter.”

“Why do you care about my granddaughter?”

“She’s a memorable one, that granddaughter of yours.”

“…”

“Let’s play another game of chess later. Unlike you, your granddaughter is terrible at
chess.”

Heynckes continued to talk as Chae Joochul’s expressionless face turned into a small
frown. He enjoyed the change in his friend’s expression.

***

[Underground Fortress in Africa]

All 177 members of the special task force gathered in the plaza under a tense
atmosphere.

“Everyone, the entire coalition has gathered in Africa.”

The final operation they had been waiting for would soon commence.

“I believe we’re ready.”

Aileen stood on the podium and began her short speech. “The mission begins
tomorrow morning before sunrise. Don’t be too nervous.”

Their anxiety, agitation, and fear slowly faded thanks to Aileen’s Spirit Speech.

“Kim Suho.”

Shin Jonghak approached him during the speech while carrying [Xiang Yu’s
Conqueror Spear] that he purchased for 200 billion won. This legendary artifact
ranked second only behind [Longinus] among spears.

“Wow, that spear is…”

“Haha, that’s right. The strongest warrior of ancient times wielded this spear. It has
two effects named after his famous anecdotes, World Covering Qi and Conqueror’s
Farewell. Lu Bu is nothing compared to him. Hahahahaha.”

Shin Jonghak burst into laughter. No one knew whether he wanted to relieve his own
nerves or simply show off his new weapon.

“It’s beautiful inside out and perfectly captures a king’s supremacy.”

Indeed, it looked worthy of all the boasting in the world. This artifact originally
belonged to none other than Xiang Yu, one of the most prominent warlords in
ancient times. All the nearby heroes, including Chae Nayun and Yun Seung-Ah,
looked awestruck at the Conqueror Spear.

“Congratulations. I’m jealous.”

“Enough with the formalities. Do you want to make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“On who will kill Orden.”

Shin Jonghak lightly chuckled and tightened his grip around the spear.

“…”

Kim Suho stared at Shin Jonghak beaming with confidence. The magic power
surrounding his spear felt as courageous as its owner.

“Sure.” Kim Suho smiled.

“Let’s make a bet.”

The negative feelings they once harbored towards each other no longer existed. Shin
Jonghak didn’t act like a cowardly and narrow-minded teenager anymore. Kim Suho
also no longer considered him an arrogant noble. This butterfly effect had been
caused by a man who wasn’t there.

“Everyone!” Aileen suddenly raised her hand and shouted.

“Don’t die! We’ll fight and win!”

Her words contained powerful Spirit Speech that filled the hearts of every hero with
determination.

***

[Basilisk Dungeon]
I continued the extraction process with Jin Sahyuk. We made 55,000 [Basilisk’s
Poison Crystal] in 12 hours.

Yoo Yeonha could make tens of thousands of bullets with this or I could just shoot
the raw crystals. I would have to add an anti-poison attribute to the Desert Eagle to
do that.

“When does this end?” Jin Sahyuk asked with a sigh. The overuse of Reality
Manipulation wore her out.

“This is enough for now. The Orden Annihilation Mission will begin soon.”

I placed all the crystals in my spatial pouch and stood up. Woong— My spatial pouch
sucked up all the crystals like a vacuum.

“Can we leave now?”

“Of course.”

I realized how to defeat the basilisk a while ago. Its troublesome resiliency due to the
[Stage Effect] faintly glimmered green on its skin. The [Mystic Key] could easily
nullify this effect.

“All I need is this.”

“…?”

I took out the [Mystic Key]. Now we had to get close enough, but Jin Sahyuk could
solve that. I could simply blast my bullets after getting rid of the stage effect. I could
also synthesize and condense the basilisk’s poison. Then enhance it with the
[Random Consolidation System] and shoot it back. The stronger poison should work.

“Hey, Jin Sahyuk.”

“What.”

However, to do that…

“You go distract it.”

“Haa… Fine…”

Jin Sahyuk surprisingly stepped forward without any complaints.

Three hours later…

We obtained two amazing artifacts along with the basilisk’s body. Even Jin Sahyuk
exclaimed in awe at the sight of them.
“How should we split it?” Jin Sahyuk asked while I handled the basilisk’s corpse. I
glanced back and saw her eagerly staring at the dungeon rewards.

“I don’t know.”

Killing the basilisk rewarded us with two items.

[Pinnacle Grade Dungeon Box] — What could it possibly contain?

[Alexander III’s Cape] [Pinnacle Grade] [Ancient Legendary Artifact] — The cape worn
by Macedon’s conqueror. Its wearer will exude formless charisma. [2 Points Invariable
Stat Increase – Charm (9 points max)] [Will ignore 50% of physical damage.]
[Conqueror’s Boon — Will increase the growth rate of magic power and gifts.]

The random box had yet to be opened and Jin Sahyuk stared in awe at the other item.
A well-known general’s ancient equipment boasted much greater power than the
divine weapon of an unknown god. For this reason, weapons like Xiang Yu’s
Conqueror Spear and Lu Bu’s Square Sky Halberd could be considered two of the
strongest weapons.

Alexander the Great’s cape fell into the same category of legendary artifacts. An
eastern influence dominated this world because of Korea, but the ancient
Macedonian conqueror hadn’t been forgotten.

“Then this cape can be mine.”

Jin Sahyuk carefully picked up Alexander’s cape as I stared at her.

“W-Why? It’s okay, right?” She flinched with a guilty conscience.

“Do you even know who Alexander III is?”

“What? Don’t underestimate me. Of course, I do. Alexander the Great is one of the
few people I look up to in this world.”

She surprisingly praised him. Well, he did possess great charisma, ambition, and
character as a king. Jin Sahyuk likely viewed him as a senior who walked the same
path.

“Mmm, I see. To think my king has respect for another king. I’m touched as your
servant.”

I spoke sarcastically, but Jin Sahyuk reacted in a funny manner. She stared at me with
wide eyes like a rabbit before stepping back and murmuring.

“Don’t do that. It confuses me.”

I shrugged and went back to butchering the basilisk. Then I placed the body in my
spatial pouch and draped its skin over my Black Lotus suit with [Synthesis].

[Basilisk’s epidermis has synthesized with the Black Lotus suit.] [The Black Lotus suit
has gained the following effects: a 30% physical damage reduction and a 40% magic
damage reduction.]

“What are we doing next?”

She asked and I looked back at her.

“What do you mean? We have Orden to worry abo…”

Jin Sahyuk already wore Alexander’s cape. The way she touched it with sparkling
eyes made her look like a child on Christmas. It irked me for some reason.

“I’m letting you borrow it. It’s not yours.”

“What? What do you mean?” Jin Sahyuk immediately protested. She clenched the
cape and glared at me.

“Why would it be yours? I did at least 80% of the work in clearing this dungeon.”

“Bullshit. You wouldn’t have been able to clear it without me.”

“Oh? Without you? I didn’t expect my king to say something like that. Anyways, the
system thinks otherwise.”

I grinned since Jin Sahyuk should be able to see the [Dungeon Clear Breakdown] as
well. According to the system, I contributed 83% while Jin Sahyuk only contributed
17%. The dungeon rewards would be decided based on a dice roll proportional to
one’s contributions.

“I did what you said without any complaints, so you should at least give this to me…”

“Dice please.”

I called for the system’s dice roll without listening to Jin Sahyuk. Two 6 sided dice
immediately appeared. The rewards would be mine if they added up to anything
between 4 and 12. They would be Jin Sahyuk’s if the sum added up to 2 or 3. Dice
would be rolled for each item.

Drrrr—

Unsurprisingly, the two rolls came out to be 11 and 12. The [Pinnacle Grade Dungeon
Box] and [Alexander III’s Cape] both became mine.

“Ah…”

Jin Sahyuk turned all gloomy. Her expression looked like a mix between feeling
cheated, annoyed, and sad.

“Here, you can keep wearing it for now. I’ll let you temporarily borrow it, but only if
you listen to me.”

I consoled her and took out the basilisk’s fang. I planned to grind it into dust for
Medea’s ceremonial robe. She would descend soon after I completed her outfit.

“Don’t forget what you just said,” Jin Sahyuk reluctantly muttered.

“I won’t.”

We left the dungeon and headed towards Orden’s palace, where the long-awaited
battle would take place. The third phase would soon end.

***
[Central Africa, Orden’s Territory]

The special task force entered the 18 passageways in their respective teams when Yi
Gongmyung sent the signal. The heroes would raid all the important parts of the
palace except Orden’s royal court. This included the garden, research center, housing
facility, etc.

The chief officer of Essence of the Strait’s Tower of Wish team, Kim Youngjin. Guild
leader of Creator’s Sacred Grace, Yun Seung-Ah. Swordsman of Wish, Kim Suho. Vice
leader of Desolate Moon, Shin Jonghak. Essence of the Strait’s elite member, Chae
Nayun. Divine Archer, Jin Seyeon. Spirit Speech Master, Aileen. Hellfire Yi Yongha.

The special task force quickly infiltrated the palace.

“Is it there?”

Non-heroes also came to help on the African outskirts.

“Hmm, looks like it’ll be fun.”

Yoo Sihyuk, the Wolf of Valhalla, had been recently promoted to rank 10 among
master rank heroes. He spent most of his time raising the future generation on
Baekdu Mountain, but had returned for this special mission. He quickly crossed
Africa with his incredible skills and arrived at Orden’s palace after defeating
numerous humanoid monsters.

— Krrr.

— Grrr.

Eight white wolves stood next to him. These spirit sword beasts gave him the title,
Wolf of Valhalla. They manifested from his swordsmanship as part of his gift. A single
sword beast could match a high rank, grade 1 hero.

“Mmm, more humanoid monsters are coming. Can you feel them?”

“I can.”

Another man responded to Yoo Sihyuk’s question. He had black hair and well-
defined facial features. Master rank hero, Yoo Jinwoong, also tagged along. They
recently called him the abdicated king of Seoul because of his daughter’s success.

Only 30 of the 70 master rank heroes participated in today’s mission. The remaining
40 either died while trying to assassinate Orden, betrayed humanity like the Temple
of Justice’s Park Hanho, or officially went missing for unknown reasons.

“At least 3 judging from their killing intent and unique auras.”

Yoo Jinwoong slowly released his magic power. Pzzt! Pzzt! Crimson electricity
violently crackled.

“Agreed, they’ll be here soon.”

Yoo Sihyuk rubbed his chin and looked forward in anticipation. He could feel more
than one source of powerful demonic energy approaching.

Three seconds later…

Whooosh! Three humanoid monsters appeared with a gust of wind.

“Kurahaha! Kurahahaha! You two must have big hearts!”

“Quiet, Croxus. They’re strong. Don’t underestimate them.”

“Humans will be humans no matter how strong. They can’t match us.”

All three humanoid monsters closely resembled humans. One seemed to be a male
with a rhinoceros beetle’s outer shell, one looked like a nine-tailed fox, and the last
appeared to be a mix between a giant ogre and a troll.

“Let’s see…”

Yoo Sihyuk recalled the information from Yi Gongmyung. The Hero Association’s spy
had worked hard to obtain this information.

[Croxus] — Legendary beetle humanoid monster. — Threat level: [Master Rank] — The
toughness of its back cannot be estimated…

[Nine-Tailed Fox] — Nine-tailed fox humanoid monster. — Threat level: [Master Rank]
— An illusion and destruction magic user…
[Ogre Troll] — A monstrosity created from fusing an ogre, troll, and human. — Threat
level: [Master Rank] — Possesses supernatural strength.

“They’re all master rank threats.”

Yoo Sihyuk smiled and always enjoyed fighting strong opponents.

On the other hand, Yoo Jinwoong’s expression heavily distorted. Not because of fear,
but he always became enraged regardless of his opponents.

Guoooo!

An unexpected current of magic power suddenly shot up.

“What?”

Yoo Sihyuk, Yoo Jinwoong, and the 3 humanoid monsters momentarily stopped and
turned towards the surge of magic power.

“Steel Spirit…”

A steel-colored magic power flickered above Orden’s palace. Yoo Sihyuk and Yoo
Jinwoong had seen this before in their youth and undoubtedly recognized Heynckes’
Steel Spirit Aura.

The Nine Star’s magic power condensed into a single point before erupting and
striking down on Orden’s royal court.

KWAAAAAAA!

Steel descended from the sky.

“Hmm… Looks like old man Heynckes hasn’t grown too old yet.”

“Agreed.”

Heynckes’ juniors and Orden’s servants watched the Lord of Steel’s overwhelming
display in awe.

***
Yun Seung-Ah’s team infiltrated Orden’s research center. Her team consisted of Yohei,
Shen Yuan, Chae Nayun, Yi Jiyoon, and Shin Jonghak. They went to destroy all the
research data to prevent the birth of more humanoid monsters.

“Humans! Don’t think you’ll be able to leave alive!”

Enemies quickly arrived in less than 3 minutes. The humanoid monsters resembled
centaurs who charged with their spears.

“I’ll stop them! Everyone, keep going!”

Yohei stopped running and turned around to face the centaurs. He drank a potion
and ran towards the mob before anyone could say anything. He moved like the wind
and managed to block their charge thanks to the potion and Yi Jiyoon’s buffs.

“Keep running!”

Yun Seung-Ah continued leading the others according to their map. Another group of
humanoid monsters soon appeared, but Shen Yuan stopped to fight them this time.

“We all have return scrolls, so I’ll just escape if it gets too bad. Make sure to complete
the mission and avenge our fallen comrades. Tigris might be dead, but all humanoid
monsters are the same!”

Shen Yuan smiled before jumping into battle.

“Let’s go.”

The team continued to their destination. They had to complete this mission as soon
as possible. The path to the research center resembled a maze due to the various
illusions and barriers in place. However, Chae Nayun’s incredible intuition managed
to lead them in the right direction.

“Over there!”

The words [Research Center] soon appeared. Kwang! They burst inside.

“Haa, haa… Looks like they all escaped.”

The researchers had left, but the team intended on destroying the facility anyways to
prevent the birth of more humanoid monsters during the war.

“Destroying everything in sight! Kuhuk!”

Thwack! A powerful punch struck Yun Seung-Ah in the stomach. The sudden attack
instantly broke her qi reinforcement and she fell to her knees.

“U-Unni! You bastard!”

Clang!

Chae Nayun released her magic power and lit up the dark research center. This
revealed the humanoid monster who just ambushed Yun Seung-Ah.

“…!”

Chae Nayun’s eyes immediately widened.

— Krrrr…

Tigris stood in front of her. The humanoid monster who should’ve been dead glared
at them while drooling from his mouth.

“Can you see it now? Death is only an obstacle to be overcome by King Orden.”

A deep voice rang out from the dark. Tap, tap— Footsteps echoed and they turned
towards the voice.

“Park Hanho.”

Shin Jonghak muttered while clenching his teeth. The Temple of Justice’s former
chairman, the traitor Park Hanho, approached them.

“You only succeeded thanks to my grandfather. Is this how you repay your debt?”

Shin Jonghak cursed as he pointed the Conqueror Spear at him. However, Park
Hanho’s expression didn’t change the slightest.

“You are all heroes, but you do not know how ugly, dirty, and evil they can be. I am
here not only because I owe the monster king, but also because I want to destroy the
association.”

“Chairman… Park Hanho.” Yun Seung-Ah staggered up.

“I understand… your anger and sadness. I know you would’ve done anything to save
your daugh—”

“There’s no need. You can’t convince me. Don’t expect anything and just die like a
hero.”

“No, w-wait—”

“Tigris!”

Park Hanho shouted and ordered the humanoid monster to immediately attack. The
revived Tigris lacked consciousness and his body creaked like a wooden puppet. Still,
his strength remained.

Clang! Clang!

“Krrrrrrr!”

A fierce battle broke out as Shin Jonghak and Yun Seung-Ah faced Tigris. Yi Jiyoon
merged into the surroundings with her [Stealth] skill and shot healing arrows. Only
Chae Nayun remained to fight Park Hanho.

“Uk!”

Park Hanho also possessed steel magic power second only to the Lord of Steel. Chae
Nayun fought against him at a huge disadvantage.

“Chairman, please snap out of it! Why don’t you just take your daughter and run
away?”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t understand, kuk! Why do you want to… kuk! Raise your daughter among
monsters?”

Clang— Clang— Their swords repeatedly clashed and Chae Nayun managed to stand
her ground with Heynckes’ undefeated swordsmanship. She didn’t feel confident in
winning, but didn’t think she would lose either.

Unfortunately…

“Kuaaaaa!”

The others didn’t do so well. Tigris released his full strength and seemed like a death
god in this confined area. Shin Jonghak and Yun Seung-Ah couldn’t counterattack at
all.

“Kyaak!”

In the end, Tigris caught the hiding Yi Jiyoon and cut off her arm. She collapsed to the
ground in pain.

“Aaaah, it hurts… It hurts!”

“J-Jiyoon!”

“Where are you looking?”

Park Hanho’s attack dug into Chae Nayun while she became distracted.

Chwaak!

Chae Nayun suffered a cut on her side and fell backwards. The hot pain spread
through her body as Park Hanho quickly followed up with more attacks.

“Aggh!”

Chae Nayun blocked the attacks and couldn’t treat her wound. Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks shot up from their clashes, but she gradually slowed due to the blood loss.

“You’re getting slower.”

Park Hanho didn’t give her any opportunities to rest and continued attacking from
every direction. The attacks she blocked at first began getting through and she
suffered numerous cuts.
“Kuk…”

A strange alert popped up in the corner of her eyes as Park Hanho drove her into a
corner.

[You have used the Lv.5 Invitation Letter to the Loveroom!] [Someone else has activated
it, but ownership has returned to you.] [Please enter the player’s nickname you wish to
summon.] [Warning! A battle is currently taking place. A forced summon is not
possible.]

“What?”

What happened? Wasn’t the invitation letter in my pocket?

Chwaak—

Park Hanho’s sword shot towards her thigh and she finally realized.

“…!”

It got torn during the fight!

[Orden’s Palace]

Two rays of magic power descended like lightning where the monster king resided.

Orden calmly studied the intruders from his throne. One wore silver armor and the
other dressed in a simple martial arts uniform. The striking contrast between them,
in addition to their superhuman strength, aroused his interest.

“Heroes, I presume?” Orden’s deep voice rang out.

“Correct.”

Heynckes nodded and clutched his sword. Chae Joochul also flipped open his folding
fan. They had no intentions of talking, but Orden seemed to have a few questions.

“I heard a few select heroes are known as the Nine Stars. The name apparently refers
to the nine saints. Are you members of the Nine Stars?”

“Three of the Nine Stars are already dead, one ran away, and the remaining four went
into hiding. I’m afraid the Nine Stars no longer exist." Heynckes shook his head at
Orden’s question.

The public didn’t know about some of their deaths. The association only publicly
announced Shin Myungchul’s, but concealed the rest who died from old age, side
effects, and illnesses. The association wanted them to remain flawless in the public’s
eye.

“Is that so?”

“That’s no reason to be disappointed. We’ll be enough to entertain you.”

Orden looked at Chae Joochul, whose eyes gleamed with dark magic power. The
Immortal gathered all of Africa’s vital energy as Heynckes stalled for time.
“Looks like it’ll be fun.” Orden grinned.

Tzzzt!

A fierce whirlwind surrounded Orden’s throne. Flame blazed from within, but Orden
dispelled it with his magic power.

Chweek—

Chae Joochul waved his fan and lightning rushed towards Orden. The attack came
from every direction and forced Orden to stand.

Kwaaaaa!

Heynckes also unleashed his Steel Spirit and shot towards him. The monster king
noticed the tremendous amount of magic power surrounding the Steel Spirit Sword.

Koong!

Heynckes’ sword clashed with Orden’s fist. Suddenly, something strange happened
and the gauntlet around Orden’s fist disintegrated after being absorbed by the Steel
Spirit. The Lord of Steel prevailed over every metal in this manner.

Orden only smiled and had never felt such pressure before. The thrilling sensation
from his hand crawled to his arm. His heart pounded and he felt like he would truly
enjoy this fight.

***

[Please enter the player’s nickname you wish to summon.]

She somehow managed to activate the item, but couldn’t possibly type in the middle
of combat. Chae Nayun busily defended against the ruthless Park Hanho. His sword
reinforcement contained an indestructible attribute that complemented both offense
and defense.

“—!”

Her chances of winning would decrease as the fight prolonged. For that reason, she
gathered all her magic power to her sword and activated her gift, Sea of Magic Power.
It eliminated all the limitations on her magic power and could be considered one of
the strongest sword-related gifts.

Chae Nayun gathered the boundless magic power to her sword and even gave up her
qi reinforcement. Park Hanho couldn’t help but hesitate, and Chae Nayun didn't miss
this opportunity.

Clang!

Her magic power turned into a huge pillar of fire that quickly spread throughout the
laboratory. The magic power explosion destroyed all the lab equipment and sent
Park Hanho flying across the room.

Then Chae Nayun quickly activated the invitation letter.

[Extra7] [Warning! You may not forcefully summon in a battle zone.] [Asking the target
for permission…]

Crack!

She heard the cracking of bones.

“Ah…”

Something struck her side, but she didn’t feel any pain yet. That meant her entire
nervous system had been damaged along with her spine. Chae Nayun flew in the air
with a numbing sensation. Boom! She crashed into a wall and collapsed to the
ground.

“…”

Her arms and legs wouldn’t move. Blood spurted from her mouth after receiving a
critical injury. Chae Nayun looked at the figure across the room with hazy eyes. She
saw Tigris, the humanoid monster who attacked her, amidst the crimson flames and
black smoke. His eyes gave off a horrid glow.

— You have managed to achieve your goal.

A voice seeped into her consciousness, but she didn’t know where it came from. The
fire began to melt the floor tiles and she could feel the heat on her skin. She felt as if
her consciousness would also melt away.

— Die with pride.

Park Hanho raised his sword. Shin Jonghak and Yun Seung-Ah tried to rush over, but
Tigris blocked them.

The sword descended and she felt as if the entire world stopped. Everything
happened in slow motion. It all felt surreal. Suddenly, a question rose in her mind.

Shouldn’t my life flash before my eyes? It’s not, which means I’m not destined to die
here. I still have so much to do… No. More importantly, I can’t help but be angry at
myself. This is all I can do even after all that training. I spent so long with Yoo Sihyuk
and Heynckes to become stronger and endure everything. I can’t fall at a place like
this…

Chae Nayun recalled the promise she made to herself. She clenched her fists without
giving up and an intense anger rose from her heart.

Wooong…

A mysterious magic power responded to her will and gathered around her fists. It
glowed in all sorts of colors until it only burned white. This white magic power
enveloped her entire body and formed the brightest and strongest qi reinforcement.

At that moment…

Woooong— A portal appeared in the center of the flames with a strange vibration.
Chae Nayun, Park Hanho, and Tigris all turned to the portal.

Two people emerged, but Chae Nayun couldn’t see their faces due to the thick flames
and heavy smoke.

However, she felt sure about one thing…

Kwang!

She heard an explosion and smelled the combustion of magic power.

— Kuek!
Park Hanho screamed at the same time.

Tap, tap— The sound of footsteps disrupted their fight.

Someone paused in front of Chae Nayun and she barely managed to look up.

There, she saw Kim Hajin.

***

[Basilisk Dungeon Exit]

I gathered everything that could be useful and left the dungeon. Maybe I should head
over to Orden’s Palace— Something unexpected happened as I thought that. Guoooo…
A strange energy, neither magic power nor spirit power, appeared before me and
formed a 2 meter ellipse.

“What the heck is this?”

It looked like a portal. I frowned and scrutinized it. Suddenly, a system window
popped up.

[Lv.5 Invitation Letter to the Love Room — Nayunjajangman wishes to invite you.]
[Warning! NayunJajangman is currently in an extremely dangerous battle zone.] [This
portal will disappear in 5 minutes.]

I subconsciously flinched when I read the name Nayunjajangman. I glanced over at

Jin Sahyuk and proceeded to read the rest.

“…”

— Nayunjajangman is currently in an extremely dangerous battle zone.

This sentence weighed heavily on my mind. It seemed like Chae Nayun tried to
summon me using an effective good from the Tower of Wish. I looked at Jin Sahyuk
still swooning over [Alexander III’s Cape].

“Hey.” I tapped her shoulder.

“What do you want… Wha, What’s that?”

Jin Sahyuk widened her eyes and finally noticed the portal.

“Why don’t we go in together? I think this is connected to Orden’s palace.”

I told her while pointing to it. Jin Sahyuk carefully studied the portal as its blue glow
reflected in her eyes.

“No, I can’t.” She shook her head.

“Why not?”

“I can tell from the direction of magic currents. This is a one-way portal only
designed for one traveler. Two people can’t go through it.”

“Wow, you analyzed it that fast?”

“I’m more amazing than you think.”

Jin Sahyuk relished in her moment as I activated my authority. With the last update, I
could now activate [Settings Intervention] without any medium like my smartwatch.

[Portal to the Love Room] [Special] — A portal created by Nayunjajangman to

summon Extra7. Only Extra7 may use this portal.

I only needed to change the second description to: [Only Extra7 and his companion
may use this portal.]

[35 SP will be required to change this setting.]

I modified the settings and the portal’s shape immediately changed.

“What the…” Jin Sahyuk noticed and raised her eyebrows.

“How did you do that? The fundamental structure of magic power just changed.”

“How’s that? Now two people can use it, right?”

“Yeah, but this doesn’t make any sen—”

“Geez, you sure talk a lot.”

I checked my remaining SP.

[SP 7,045]

I accumulated quite a sum before realizing it. My recent accomplishments included

infiltrating Orden’s palace, rescuing the spy, and defeating the basilisk.

I decided to create a new gift before entering. It made sense to prepare before
entering enemy territory. It wouldn’t take long. I thought of this gift a long time ago
before [Buster Call]. I just had to copy and paste it from my head.

[Constraints and Amplifications] [Intermediate Rank] — Constraints: Will apply

temporary constraints to the user’s body. — Amplification: Will temporarily increase
the user’s strength in proportion to the applied constraints.

This gift functioned quite simply. Lose your left arm and strengthen your right. Lose
your eyesight and heighten your other senses.

I came up with this gift because I only relied on weapons. My hand could break, but I
couldn’t risk breaking the [Desert Eagle] or [Temujin’s Bow Blessed By Horus]. With
this gift, I planned to sacrifice my left arm to enhance the [Desert Eagle] and
exchange my sight to strengthen [Temujin’s Bow Blessed By Horus]. This gift would
enhance my weapons instead of me.

[This gift will require 4000 SP.] [Would you like to proceed?]

That amount only represented the bare minimum. I invested all my remaining SP to
further enhance it.

[You have spent a total of 7045 SP to create the gift, Constraints and Amplifications.]
[Congratulations! You have been blessed with good luck.] [10% of your investment has
been returned. Your gift’s rank has drastically increased.]

[Constraints and Amplifications] [High Rank] — Constraints: Will apply temporary

constraints to the user’s body. — Amplifications: Will temporarily increase the target’s
strength in proportion to the applied constraints. — Profitable Exchange: Will increase
amplification’s performance by 77%. — Side Effect Alleviation: This gift’s side effects,
including its cooldown, will be slightly improved.

“Good.”
I felt happy with the results. I also made some [Basilisk’s Poisonous Shotgun Shell]
with the refunded SP. Then I took out the Desert Eagle, transformed it into a shotgun,
loaded it with the new bullets, and activated [Constraints and Amplifications].

I placed the constraints on my left arm and my left eye to amplify the Desert Eagle. I
could feel my field of vision shrinking, but I only needed one eye to activate the
thousand-mile eyes. Not being able to use my left arm felt slightly uncomfortable, but
using only one arm didn’t decrease my power at all.

“Let’s go.”

I held the shotgun and pointed at the portal with my chin. Jin Sahyuk only stared at
me with a strange look.

“What’s that?”

“What do you mean?”

“What happened to your left arm?”

“Ah, this?”

My left arm went limp and also turned completely black because of the constraints.

“I can’t use it right now.”

“What? What does that mean—”

“Shush.” I aimed at Jin Sahyuk.

“Just go in. It’s going to hurt if you get shot.”

“Psycho.”

Jin Sahyuk wore a sour expression, but jumped in anyways. I followed behind.

Whoosh—

I expected to arrive on a heated battlefield, but the sight still managed to surprise
me. Flames surrounded us in a laboratory filled with the scent of blood.
“…!”

However, the flames trying to devour us didn’t concern me. I spotted Park Hanho
pointing his sword at Chae Nayun on the ground.

Immediately, I activated [Bullet Time] and [Pinnacle Rank Instant Acceleration]. Even
the flames stopped moving as the world slowed. Then I infused all my remaining
streaks of stigma into the shotgun.

The shotgun glowed green from the [Basilisk’s Shotgun Shell] loaded inside. I didn’t
hesitate to pull the trigger at Park Hanho.

Click.

Kwaaaaaa! The poison bullet blasted out from the muzzle and the massive wind
pressure knocked both me and Jin Sahyuk back.

“Uwoaah—”

Jin Sahyuk shouted before disappearing from view.

“Aah!”

Even I hadn’t expected so much power. Fortunately, aether protected me from the
recoil.

The bullet completely swallowed Park Hanho like the basilisk’s breath attack.
“…”

I searched for the right words, but Chae Nayun seemed quite confused. I wanted to
make fun of the look on her face, but this situation didn’t feel appropriate.

Tigris’ [Formless Tiger Punch] flew towards me, but I didn’t need to dodge. Jin
Sahyuk’s Reality Manipulation neutralized it.

“Snap out of it.”

She muttered after protecting me.

I nodded and picked up the Desert Eagle. Then I took out a pinnacle grade potion for
Chae Nayun. I opened it and placed it beside her on the ground.

Park Hanho groaned as he healed himself and Tigris glared at me with bloodshot
eyes.

“Kim Hajin?”

Yun Seung-Ah called my name and Shin Jonghak also stared at me. Tigris began
raging again when I turned towards them. I had to activate bullet time, but Tigris still
moved quite fast. I chased him with my eyes and aimed. I made the [Basilisk’s
Poisonous Bullet] from over 100 poison crystals. I even enhanced it with both the
[Random Consolidation System] and [Constraints and Amplifications]. Tigris wouldn’t
be able to keep a straight face from a clean hit.

I exchanged glances with our two new comrades and we all moved together.

First, Shin Jonghak swung his spear at Park Hanho. Yun Seung-Ah blocked Tigris. Jin
Sahyuk protected Chae Nayun while putting out the fire and I aimed at the humanoid
monster.
Click—

I calculated the bullet and the target’s trajectory. Then I pulled the trigger at the
perfect moment.

Pang!

The bullet traveled in a straight line before curving towards Tigris’ heel. Shooting
curve shots felt as easy as breathing.

Tigris tried to block, but Yun Seung-Ah didn’t allow him. Her white flower sword
split into different branches and restrained him.

— Kuaak!

The bullet struck Tigris in the heel and he collapsed to the ground.

“Whew.”

I deactivated [Constraints and Amplifications]. I only fired two bullets, but my right
arm suffered an injury.

“Jin Sahyuk, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“…”

She glanced at me and Chae Nayun before hesitantly making her way towards Tigris
and Park Hanho.

Tiriring—

An unexpected notification rang from my smartwatch.

— Lotus, where are you? We’re with your people.

It came from Wicked. She probably meant the Chameleon Troupe.

— Stay with them. I’m taking care of some business. I’ll head over soon.

I activated [Buster Call] after replying and made up for the lack of stigma with
[Overclock]. Jiiing… The magic power from my smartwatch penetrated the ceiling and
reached the sky.

[This is Horner from Genkelope. I’m responding to the commander’s request!]

I turned around after contacting the vessel. My heart immediately sank at the
familiar figure in front of me.

“Hey.”

I used to hear this clear, high-pitched voice all the time at Cube. For a brief moment, I
felt as if I’d become a student again.

“What the hell is going on?” Chae Nayun asked, obviously confused.

I silently looked at her.

“What, you’re Extra7?”

She asked again and I nodded.

“I can’t believe this. You even lied about your age? You’re really something.”

Chae Nayun brushed a hand through her hair and already began tearing up. Her eyes
contained countless emotions like embarrassment and sorrow.

“…”

She didn’t say anything else. I could tell everything that happened between us
weighed on her mind from her expression.

“Have you been well?” I spoke first.

Her face contorted into a frown and I immediately regretted asking. I should’ve just
kept my mouth shut since I always found it difficult to maintain my composure in
front of her.

“Have I been well?” Chae Nayun came closer and looked at me.

“What do you think?” She grabbed me by the shoulders.

“How could I have been well?”

She rested her head on my chest as she spoke those words. It felt slightly heavy and
painful.

“How could I?”

She muttered and condensed hundreds of words into one question. I didn’t need to
hear anything else. We simply stood there despite the circumstances and stared at
each other.

“Get a room.”

Getting a room… No, wait, that’s not right.

It felt as if someone poured a bucket of ice on me. We turned towards the voice and
found Jin Sahyuk, Yun Seung-Ah, and Shin Jonghak staring at us after taking care of
the situation.

***

[Orden’s Palace]

“You won’t be able to escape.”

Meanwhile, Kim Suho entered the palace before anyone else and became trapped in
Doloren’s barrier. This same barrier, Doloren’s concert hall, once trapped Black
Lotus.

“I perfectly fixed it after the last breakout.”

“It won’t matter if I win.” Kim Suho glared at Doloren while clutching Misteltein.

Doloren only smiled. “You won’t escape even if you win.”

“We’ll see.”

Zombies rose from the ground and surrounded the concert hall.

Ssss…
The zombies emitted a cold air, but Kim Suho realized they concealed something
much more dangerous. His heightened senses discovered the invisible humanoid
monster that resulted from the mutant combination of a ghost and human. Xphil,
another one of Orden’s four generals, also appeared.

“Don’t you think there’s too many of you? It’s almost 1 against 300. Seems a little
extreme.”

Kim Suho raised his magic power with a smile. The Sword Saint’s magic power
glowed blue and enveloped his entire body.

“So what if it’s extreme? It’s my motto to always try my best.”

Kim Suho simply nodded at those words. “Actually, that doesn’t really matter. I’m not
alone either.”

“What?”

Doloren frowned as Kim Suho took out the [Summon Ticket] he acquired from the
Tower of Wish. This ticket allowed him to summon an NPC as his ally. It turned to
ashes as he injected his magic power.

“Wait, that’s cheating—”

Kim Suho summoned the witch who once served as the demon king’s secretary. She
would be the perfect opponent against Doloren as someone who excelled in magic
and spells.

Tzzzzt!

The ticket emitted a powerful magic power that transcended space and time. The
witch immediately responded and appeared on Earth.

Kwaaa!

Kim Suho looked at the NPC who appeared from within a whirlwind. She had pale
skin, dark hair, and an ominous aura.

“It’s been a while.”

She smiled and he nodded.

“I can skip the explanation, right?”

The witch looked around the strange barrier and understood the situation. She
turned towards the humanoid monster and Doloren flinched at her distorted smile.

“Yes, rest assured. It’s my specialty to educate people like her.”

Vicious demonic energy gathered around the witch’s hands.

***

[Outside the Palace, African Fields]

“I think we’re about done.”

Yoo Sihyuk and Yoo Jinwoong’s battle came to an end. They already defeated the
master rank humanoid monsters that included Croxus, the nine-tailed fox, and the
ogre troll. These humanoid monsters sorely lacked experience compared to the two
veteran heroes.

“Should we head to the throne room now?”

Yoo Jinwoong nodded at Yoo Sihyuk’s question. Orden wouldn’t be an easy target
even for Heynckes and Chae Joochul. The monster king possessed more strength
than Jormungandr, long considered to be the strongest monster in history.

“When will we get through that though?”

Crack, crack— Yoo Jinwoong mumbled as he loosened his neck. Thousands of

monsters flooded the field in front of them.

“Hmm… Maybe a bomb will fall from the sky?” Yoo Sihyuk muttered.

Perhaps god heard his wish.

Guoooo…

A portal suddenly appeared from above. It covered half the sky and Yoo Sihyuk had
seen it before in the papers. They called it Genkelope’s Battle Cruiser.

As expected, the battle cruiser looked even more powerful than before. Its engines
roared and the people on board shouted.

“It looks like they’ll help us.”

The battlecruiser immediately responded to Yoo Sihyuk’s words.

Kwaaaaaaa!

Their bombardment began as hundreds of combat planes departed from the deck.
Thousands of Genkelope soldiers also descended.

Yoo Sihyuk chuckled while watching this unimaginable scene.

“Let’s head to the throne room.”

“…”

Yoo Jinwoong silently nodded as the two men rushed away like the wind.

***

[Orden’s Throne Room]

Humans can be so different. Orden thought as he fought against the two individuals.

One came at him at full strength while the other concealed theirs as much as
possible. The man in armor poured his soul into each swing, but the man in the
martial arts uniform did the opposite. The former proudly displayed his conviction
and the latter operated solely on logic. Their contrasting qualities amazed Orden.

He wanted to define human nature. Some humans acted loyal while others became
disloyal. Some agonized over righteousness while others blindly chased fame and
money.

Humanoid monsters acted differently from humans in that regard. They always acted
according to their instincts and their genes determined everything about them.
For example, humanoid monsters created from the DNA of rattlesnakes and lizards
possessed high intelligence, but tended to easily betray others with their safety at
stake. Humanoid monsters created from the DNA of mountain tyrants possessed
great physical strength, but always acted violent and oppressive.

Monsters could never become humans, but Orden didn’t want to give up. He wanted
to prove that humanoid monsters and humans might be the same.

However…

How can we be so different?

Orden felt profound grief and recalled when he first realized his own intelligence.
Both humans and monsters couldn’t understand him and he suffered from endless
solitude. He cursed his own existence.

Monsters can’t become humans and humans are not monsters.

What a tragic proposition. Orden emitted his magic power with great sadness. Only
his magic power possessed the chaos attribute, something he gained in the midst of
self-reflection.

Kwaaaa…

As Orden’s chaos almost exploded…

Krrr!

Eight wolves jumped at him and bit his limbs. Crimson lightning also enveloped his
waist. The attacks came from someone else other than Chae Joochul and Heynckes.

They didn’t affect Orden at all. He nonchalantly shoved the wolves aside, crushed the
lightning, and gathered magic power into his hands to destroy everything.

Chwaaaaa…

However, golden sword qi suddenly flew towards him. It destroyed everything in its
path and slashed Orden’s abnormally dense chaos in half.

“…”
Orden had never been so shocked before as his chaos disappeared. He turned to
where the sword qi came from.

A man engulfed in golden energy stood at the throne room’s entrance. Kim Suho
finally arrived with the witch after defeating two of Orden’s four elite generals,
Doloren and Xphil. Others had also arrived besides Kim Suho.

Chweeek!

A magic arrow flew from somewhere and pierced Orden’s shoulder. It belonged to
the Divine Archer. Not just one, but thousands of arrows made from the purest magic
power fell from above. Even Orden couldn’t remain indifferent against such an
attack.

“—!”

He dispelled all of them with a single cry. However, another voice resounded.

“Orden!”

A roar shook the palace and Orden slowly raised his head at the giant man who
descended from the ceiling.

“I, Cheok Jungyeong, have come!”

Cheok Jungyeong swung his fist.

KOOOONG! It slammed directly into Orden’s forehead and a huge shockwave spread
out.

“Uhahaha! He’s a lot weaker than I thought…”

Cheok Jungyeong burst into laughter, but Orden grabbed his arm and smashed him
into the ground. KWAAANG!

“Uwa…”

Cheok Jungyeong couldn’t even react. Orden threw him out of the room after he just
arrived.
“…”

The monster king rose from his throne and looked around. Only then did he
recognize all the heroes: Aileen, Yi Yongha, Kim Youngjin, Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun,
Yun Seung Ah… He hadn’t noticed any of them while engrossed in his fight.

Dozens of heroes who infiltrated his palace now gathered in front of him.
I can’t recall when it started, but I began seeing memories of the past whenever I
closed my eyes. My mom embracing me with a smile, the garden we used to stroll
around, and the sight of her body covered in blood. The rain that poured during her
funeral, my older brother holding my hand as he held back his tears, and my younger
self who pledged in front of her grave.

I decided to become a hero and entered the Military Agent Academy. One day, heroes
I didn’t recognize came to visit. They wore black uniforms to mourn the loss of a
comrade and told me oppa fell into a hopeless coma.

Shock and sorrow overwhelmed me, but I didn’t give up. The enemies still roamed
out there. I believed oppa would recover. He would wake up and hold me in his arms
if I worked hard enough.

I entered Cube with determination and hope. Then I met him for the first time. He
acted rather strange and picked a fight by bringing up oppa during our first meeting.
He called me a hopeless archer and told me to switch to a sword. I hated him to
death and wanted to beat him to a pulp.

Time passed and I came to not dislike him. In fact, I found myself constantly staring
at him and wanting to be by his side. I still never figured out why.

Kim Hajin, a man of mysteries, the bastard who killed oppa without any explanation.
Now I knew why he remained silent and bore the pain in my place. If someone asked
if I still hated him, well…

Yes, I probably still hate him to death. I might also love him to death too.

“…”

I glanced back as we ran. Kim Hajin moved a bit slower, but didn’t run away this time.
I sighed in relief and wanted to ask several questions, but we agreed the situation
didn’t seem appropriate.
Eventually, we arrived at Orden’s throne room. Terrifying energy undulated from
inside and we stopped nearby.

“Can you continue?” Kim Hajin asked. His voice sounded softer than usual. Then a
question suddenly crossed my mind. What did Kim Hajin normally sound like?

“Of course, don’t you run away.”

He bitterly smiled at my reply and his expression slightly stung my heart. “I can’t run
away. You used a card on me.”

“Oh, yeah.”

I included him with my 8 star card, [Infinite Communication], a while ago. I suspected
Extra7 had some sort of connection with Kim Hajin, but they turned out to be the
same person. In other words, Kim Hajin had saved me in the Tower of Wish. My
heart slightly ached again.

“Hey, you—”

As I prepared to say something…

— Uwoaaaah!

A huge body shot out of the throne room. He rolled like a bowling ball and crashed
into a pillar.

“Who’s that?”

I furrowed my brows at the figure and noticed Kim Hajin flinch.

“Isn’t that him? The crazy bastard who calls himself Cheok Jungyeong?”

“Uh, yeah, it is.”

“You know him too?”

“Um, I’ve seen him a few times in the tower.”

Then Kim Hajin’s calm demeanor suddenly changed. His face distorted like someone
who saw a horrible scene.

“Hey, Jin Sahyuk!” He yelled at the woman who appeared with him earlier.

“What now?” Jin Sahyuk frowned.

“Can you make a bunker with Reality Manipulation?”

“A bunker?”

“Yeah, something that can withstand a nuclear bomb.”

I didn’t know why he asked, but I happened to have something like that.

“Bunker? I think I have one.”

I took out the 8 star card that I obtained along with [Infinite Communication].

[Miracle Bunker] [8 star] Effective Good — Will construct a miracle bunker in the
designated area for 48 hours. This bunker can ignore one huge impact. ○ Forceful
Summon – You may forcefully summon up to 30 allies in danger. ○ Advantageous Time
Flow – 10 seconds inside the bunker will equal 1 second outside.

“What do you suddenly need a bunker for?”

“…!”

Kim Hajin’s eyes widened and he snatched the card out of my hand. Then he
immediately activated it and spoke with a smile.

“I just saw the future with my unique skill.”

***

[Throne Room]

Steel Spirit Heynckes, Immortal Chae Joochul, Spirit Speech Master Aileen, Wolf of
Valhalla Yoo Sihyuk, Blitzkrieg Yoo Jinwoong, Divine Archer Jin Seyeon, Sword Saint
Kim Suho, Weapon Master Kim Youngjin…
Many heroes gathered in the monster king’s throne room. They all shared a common
goal to kill Orden.

“Monster king Orden.”

Heynckes called him before the final battle began. Orden permitted him to speak by
remaining silent.

“Why do you seek to conquer humans?” Heynckes asked his first question.

“Because they cannot coexist with me,” Orden lightly replied.

“And why would that be?” Heynckes asked his second question.

“Can you humans live in a world ruled by monkeys? Can you give up your living
space to them and watch them blabber in conceit?”

Orden replied after a brief silence. He still couldn’t define his feelings towards
humanity, but he knew coexistence would be impossible. Orden couldn’t stand the
world ruled by humans and they undoubtedly considered him a threat.

“So there’s no room for negotiation.”

A somewhat childish voice rang out this time. It belonged to the special task force’s
commander, Aileen. She walked up and stood at the center.

“Indeed.” Orden nodded.

“Humanoid monsters and humans cannot coexist. That is how we were created.”

Orden resolutely concluded. The heroes raised their weapons at him in response. He
looked down at them from his throne and fell in thought.

Humans acted extremely individualistic, but could achieve a powerful will when they
came together under a common goal. This might be the biggest difference between
humanoid monsters and humans.

“I understand now.”

“Understand what?”
The monster king looked at the humans with a sharp look. He felt something boiling
inside his heart. It could be rage, sorrow, resignation, or excitement. He gathered
these squirming emotions and spat them out.

“My name is Orden!” His roar shook the earth and rang across the sky.

“I am the king of monsters!”

A wave of magic power burst from his body. Guooooo! The resonance destroyed the
ground and caused the sky to change colors. Kim Suho swung his sword at the chaos,
but a gust of wind struck down his attack.

“…!”

“Kururu…”

A humanoid monster resembling a praying mantis appeared. Orden’s most loyal

servant, Kurukuru, shot towards Kim Suho and swung his front leg.

“Kururu!”

Hundreds of scythes slashed in less than a second. Kurukuru gave his all to hinder
Kim Suho.

“Who are you? Screw off!”

Aileen’s Spirit Speech pushed Kurukuru away, but not in time.

“Tsk.”

Orden’s magic power of chaos flickered and Kim Suho had no choice but to watch the
explosion.

Chwaaaaa—

An overwhelming light swallowed the world.

***

“…”
Kim Suho slowly opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling. He didn’t know what
happened, but two familiar faces soon popped up.

“You’re awake?”

“There you go again with your cool act.”

Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun spoke to him.

“Huh?” Kim Suho shot up like a spring.

“W-What are you two doing here?”

“We can discuss that later. How’s your body?”

“B-Body? I think it’s okay.”

Kim Suho snapped out of his shock and looked around. Several heroes lay
unconscious in this bunker.

“What happened?”

“We saved everyone before Orden’s magic power went off, but it looks like being
exposed to it caused some mental damage. Everyone else is still unconscious.”

Chae Nayun answered his question.

Kim Hajin explained that an 8 star card created the bunker. They summoned most of
the important personnel here where the flow of time would help them recover faster.
The rest had been sent to Genkelope's vessel.

“What’s happening outside?” Kim Suho asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“It hasn’t even been 5 minutes, so don’t worry. The operation is still underway.”

Heynckes, Chae Joochul, Aileen, Yoo Sihyuk, Yoo Jinwoong, and Jin Seyeon all
survived the explosion and continued fighting Orden.

“Then I should also—”

“Before that…” Kim Hajin handed him a recovery and strength potion.

“Ah, thanks.”

Kim Suho drank the potion without hesitation. The hot liquid coursed through his
body and he felt his strength returning as he closed his eyes.

“Haa…”

“How do you feel?”

“Good.”

Kim Suho furrowed his brows. “Where did you come from?”

“Me?”

“Yes you, Kim Hajin.”

“Uh… well, let’s just say I was in the middle of training.” Kim Hajin grinned and
placed his hand on Kim Suho’s shoulder.

“We can talk about that later. I awakened another gift during that training.”

“Gift? Again?”

“Yep, and this one will be useful when you fight Orden.”

“Me? How will your gift help me?”

“Here.”

Kim Hajin displayed a holographic window with his smartwatch.

[Constraints and Amplifications] [High Rank] — Constraints: Will apply temporary

constraints to the user’s body. — Amplifications: Will temporarily increase the target’s
strength in proportion to the applied constraints. — Profitable Exchange: Will increase
amplification’s performance by 77%. — Side Effect Alleviation: This gift’s side effects,
including the cooldown, will be slightly improved.
“I jotted down my gift’s effect.”

Kim Suho stared at the window in a daze. A buff-type gift strengthened with luck. It
seemed like a high-risk, high-reward type of deal. Kim Hajin began explaining after
Kim Suho read the gift.

“You know how people say words have different meanings in Korean? Think about
the word target here.”

Kim Suho’s eyes fell on the sentence Kim Hajin pointed to.

[Amplifications: Will temporarily increase the target’s strength in proportion to the

applied constraints.]

“The constraints will be placed on me, but the target for amplification doesn’t have
to necessarily be me.”

Kim Suho quickly understood what Kim Hajin implied.

“The amplifications can be used on you.”

Kim Hajin smiled. “I’ll leave Orden to you, Kim Suho.”

***

I couldn’t replicate the Sword Saint’s unique ability and already used [Time Reversal],
but Kim Suho could still fight.

I placed myself under a week’s worth of constraints and wouldn’t be able to do

anything for that period of time. However, Kim Suho received an explosive
amplification.

Golden magic power, the Sword Saint’s authority, and Misteltein which carried the
power of wish. I felt confident Kim Suho wouldn’t lose against Orden now.

— See you later. I’ll be sure to win.

Kim Suho left with those words.

— Wait for me. You and I have a lot to talk about.

Chae Nayun also left with him.

I felt my heart rate slowing down after they left. I closed my eyes and my breathing
grew faint. I would fall into a deep slumber for a week.

“Pft.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. If all goes to plan, everything should be over by the time I
wake up. Kim Suho would’ve defeated Orden and Chae Nayun could potentially learn
more from her master, Heynckes. Sleeping and having the main cast clean up all the
trouble? Finally, it sounded like an extra-like progression. I didn’t feel bad at all after
doing my best.

“Hajin…”

A familiar voice rang in my ears and woke my mind.

“Boss?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

I could hear her voice, but couldn’t see anymore. I raised my hand towards her voice
and felt a soft, cold sensation. I probably touched Boss’ cheek.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, where were you this entire time? What happened to Bell?”

“Well, you know how I counter Bell. I fought him, won, and escaped.”

“Really? Haha.”

Boss happily laughed and I also smiled.

“But Boss…”

“Hmm?”

A soft sensation touched the back of my head. It felt like being in Boss’ arms. I
wanted to enjoy this feeling a bit longer, but it wouldn’t be long until I lost
consciousness.

“Um… I’m getting sleepy.”

“I know. You look tired.”

“Are Cheok Jungyeong and Jain okay?”

The bunker felt too quiet. Everyone should be asleep, so asking about them shouldn’t
arouse any suspicions.

“They’re both safe inside the bunker. Ah, well, Cheok Jungyeong left a while ago after
saying he wanted to fight Orden.”

“Then… I’m going to sleep.”

Soon, the rest of my senses disappeared. I couldn’t move anymore and my hearing
slowly faded.

“I’ll be asleep for a little longer than usual. About a week. Think of it as a winter
hibernation.”

“Yeah…” Boss’ warm hands stroked my hair.

“See you later Boss.”

“Yeah, see you later…”

I relaxed and let myself go. My consciousness scattered away in Boss’ warm embrace.
However, before my consciousness fully disappeared…

“…I missed you.”

Her final words flowed into my ears.

***

[Sky Above Africa]

Bell arrived in Africa with his comrade. Honestly, he wanted to stay inside his
sanctuary until Orden died, but Yi Yeonjun persuaded him otherwise.

“Do you really need to watch in person?”

“Trust me. The monster king’s corpse will have immense value for us.”

Yi Yeonjun didn’t bat an eye at Bell’s grumbling. He only wanted Orden’s corpse, but
Bell had no idea what he would do with it.

“What are you going to do if you meet Byul?”

“Then we’ll just meet. Why should I worry about that?” Yi Yeonjun brushed off Bell’s
worry.

“Sigh, fine.”

Bell gave up since he knew Yi Yeonjun all too well. The man wouldn’t be satisfied
until he obtained what he wanted. One could call it greed or an extreme mental
illness.

“Let’s go down, Bell.”

“Yeah.”

The two men landed on the African soil. Orden’s magic power explosion just swept
through and cleaned everything of impurities.

“What’s our plan Boss?”

Bell called him Boss for the first time in a while. Yi Yeonjun seemed to like it and
replied with a grin.

“Simple. We’ll wait until Orden dies and snatch his corpse.”
The soil burned purple and the sky turned crimson. Shattered rocks filled the air and
sparks crackled from residual magic power. Even breathing could be lethal because
of the severe contamination in the atmosphere. This all resulted from Orden’s magic
power explosion.

“These spears will penetrate your body!”

The fight continued above the devastated field. Hundreds of spears from Aileen’s
Spirit Speech flew towards Orden. Yoo Jinwoong’s electricity also clung all over
Orden’s body.

However, Orden dispelled all these attacks with a simple swing of his fist wrapped in
magic power.

“Turn into a vacuum!”

Aileen used her Spirit Speech again and attempted to disrupt Orden’s breathing. She
flipped the ground he stood on and even created a tiny black hole. This black hole
only succeeded in sucking in Orden’s cloak.

Meanwhile, Chae Joochul drew in the nearby natural energy and formed an avatar. It
stood 3 meters tall like Orden and wore a white martial arts uniform. Orden attacked
the avatar while Yoo Sihyuk rushed towards Orden to assist Chae Joochul. Jin Seyeon
continued firing her crystal arrows from a distance.

Orden’s chaos attribute could easily neutralize human magic power. He only needed
to gather and emit it all at once.

Clang!

Orden’s chaos disrupted the heroes’ magic power.

“—!”
Then he roared at the most troublesome enemy, the archer who kept shooting from a
hidden spot.

“Uk!”

The supersonic soundwave paralyzed Jin Seyeon. Next, Orden dashed towards Aileen
and reached the dwarf in a single step.

“Stop—”

Orden resisted the Spirit Speech and swung his claw. It should’ve ripped Aileen to
shreds.

Clang!

However, a sword blocked his attack. The Steel Spirit Sword didn’t look like anything
special, but it embodied Heynckes’s noble determination.

“Move along little one.”

“Thanks…”

It felt humiliating to be called little, but Aileen quickly retreated with her [Blink] skill.

Kiiiik—

Orden’s claw and Heynckes’ sword clashed. Orden kept his right arm up and
smashed Heynckes with his left arm. However, Heynckes blocked that punch with
another steel sword.

Clang!

The claw and steel swords continued to clash.

Orden outmatched Heynckes in every aspect except combat experience. The Steel
Spirit fully utilized all the experience, skills, and techniques Heynckes accumulated
over an entire lifetime. His sword penetrated the gaps between Orden’s fingers and
left a scar on the monster king’s chest. His swift and efficient movements also
disrupted Orden’s balance.
Heynckes knew he couldn’t maintain this stalemate for long.

He continues to grow as the battle prolongs.

Orden would soon surpass all the skills Heynckes accumulated over 60 years in a
mere 6 minutes. Heynckes had to admit a real monster stood before him.

“You’ve grown old.”

He heard a nonchalant voice and glanced over with a smile. Chae Joochul approached
Orden with an expressionless look and smacked Orden’s forehead with his folding
fan.

Chwaak!

It sounded loud, but did little physical damage. Orden didn’t know that these two
men had been preparing this attack all along.

“You’re the one who’s grown old, Joochul. What took you so long.”

Chae Joochul’s folding fan served as a medium to control all of nature. Every drop of
the Immortal’s magic power traveled into Orden when the fan touched his forehead.

“…!”

Orden buried his head into his hands as the particles of nature collided with each
other in his head.

“It should hurt quite a bit. I’ve briefly experienced it before.”

The cold-blooded Chae Joochul developed this technique for the sole purpose of
annihilating an existence. It caused the worst type of pain and Heynckes had
experienced it in the past too.

“KUAAAAA!”

Orden roared in agony and his cry ripped through the heroes’ ears. It disrupted their
qi reinforcement, but others besides the heroes also responded.

Tudududu…
A huge vibration shook the earth and a fierce whirlwind filled the sky. The monster
king’s loyal servants returned from the front lines to protect their king.

No good would come out of a prolonged battle. The heroes all rushed towards Orden.
However, he blocked all of them with a torrent of magic power.

“Y-You b-bastards!”

“Hurorororo! Get away from the king!”

The humanoid monsters also overlooked that the heroes had reinforcements.

“Hiya!”

A giant sword appeared and seemed to reach the sky. Chae Nayun confidently swung
this giant magic power sword and wiped out an entire mob with one swing.

A black spear also swept through like a tornado. Shin Jonghak’s black flames
synergized quite well with Xiang Yu’s Conqueror Spear.

Yi Yongha’s hellfire devoured the earth, Cheok Jungyeong hailed blows on the
humanoid monsters, Nicholas showed off his daggers, and Droon’s Mimyo chomped
on the enemies.

Then…

“Orden!”

A flash of light raced forward and golden magic power shone in every direction. Kim
Suho charged and cut down every humanoid monster in his path. His speed far
exceeded the maximum human potential and he seemed unstoppable.

“You!”

Orden shot out a pillar of magic power from his palms, but Kim Suho easily sliced it
in half. Heynckes also continued attacking as Kim Suho’s sword almost reached
Orden’s heart.

At that moment, Orden suddenly realized Kim Suho’s weakness. Kim Suho could only
neutralize external magic power. Therefore, Orden just had to contain his magic
power and smash it directly into Kim Suho like Chae Joochul’s previous attack.

Orden refined his magic power and waited for Kim Suho. A look of firm resolution
flashed across the hero’s face. He didn’t have the slightest idea as he ran into the
arms of death.

Orden reached for Kim Suho and the Sword Saint jumped into his arms.

No, he tried to reach out.

Orden felt time slow to a thousandth of a second. His gaze wandered to the side
during this inflated sense of time. Park Hanho’s daughter stood across the crumbled
throne room. She held the doll her father made and looked at Orden with big, round
eyes.

Orden knew the child couldn’t have been there. He had already evacuated her to
somewhere safe, so it had to be a trap. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but hesitate.
Kim Suho and Heynckes didn’t miss this opportunity.

Crack. Two swords pierced Orden. The Sword Saint’s magic power and the Steel
Spirit’s aura intertwined to penetrate the monster king’s heart. Orden felt an
unbearable pain as a question rose in his mind.

Why did I hesitate?

He slowly lowered his head and looked at Kim Suho. The Sword Saint’s blade
contained an unstoppable conviction and determination.

Then he looked at Heynckes’ sharp, cold blade.

Lastly, he turned towards the child who made him hesitate. Of course, she had
already disappeared. Did he just fall for an illusion or a trap? Orden couldn’t tell.

Crack—

Soon, he felt the Sword Saint’s magic power thrust into his heart and the chaos
inside him exploded.

Chwaaaaa.
The wave of chaos burst from Orden’s body and spread throughout the world.

***

“…!”

Kim Suho opened his eyes as the buildings crumbled. Debris littered the ground
everywhere with Orden at the center. Various wounds covered his body, but he
hadn’t died. He hadn’t even fainted. Orden looked straight at Kim Suho.

“Are you awake, human child?”

Orden spoke slowly, but clearly. Kim Suho nodded and couldn't even speak anymore.
However, he still raised his sword to continue fighting.

“Rest assured. You have already destroyed my heart. I don’t have much time left.”

Orden began to cure Kim Suho’s wounds and the burning pain enveloping his body
subsided.

Still, Kim Suho doubtfully looked at the monster king. He could only see unwavering
honesty in Orden’s eyes.

“I wanted to find an answer, so I brought you here.”

“You brought me here?”

A giant insect appeared from behind Orden and made strange sounds.

“Kururu, Kururu…”

“I can tell you’re not from this world.”

Kim Suho’s heart began to race at those words. Orden stared directly at the root of
Kim Suho’s existence.

“How did you know?”

The monster king faintly smiled.

“I tried to devour you to prolong my life, but you destroyed my heart to an
irrecoverable state. I couldn’t heal my injuries, but I looked into your mirror of
memories. I'm sure of one thing.”

“…”

“You are not a human of this world and you have died once before.”

Kim Suho didn’t confirm or deny Orden’s claim. He never once considered himself a
stranger in this world.

“Which made me wonder about our similarities. The only difference between us is
that I’m a humanoid monster and you’re a human.”

They stood apart from everyone else on Earth. Orden gained intelligence, but lost
everything. Kim Suho lost everything, but gained a new life. The two of them knew
solitude at one point in their lives, but diverged onto different paths.

Is it because I’m a monster and you’re a human? Is that really the only difference?

Orden needed to know.

“What made you want to live in this world?”

This might be Orden’s last question on Earth. Kim Suho felt the weight of his
curiosity and earnestly pondered why he became so attached to this world. The
reason Kim Suho could betray his country and king…

“At first, it was because of my family.”

Kim Suho never had a family in Akatrina. He lived as an orphan and only had the
sword as a friend. He became obsessed with the sword and only wanted to become a
knight that protected the king.

However, things changed here on Earth. Kim Suho had friends and family who loved
and believed in him.

“Family?”

“Yeah, I have a family as well.”

Orden looked at Kim Suho in a daze. What a silly reason.

“Haa…”

The monster king wryly smiled and recalled a certain child’s face. Park Hanho’s
daughter, Park Yeonhee, who he brought back to life.

Why did I see her at the most crucial moment and why did I foolishly hesitate?

Orden almost felt his crushed heart beat again.

“What a… a foolish reason.”

He deeply sighed and understood his emotions now. What he wanted and longed for
when he looked at that father and daughter pair. He didn’t need to stray far to find
such a simple answer.

“That was it for me at least.” Kim Suho shrugged in mild embarrassment.

“I see.”

The king smiled.

“They say life has no right answers, but if what you’re saying is correct…”

Orden bitterly smiled and admitted defeat.

“Everything was inevitable in the end.”

“What?”

Everything was inevitable? Those irresponsible words angered Kim Suho after
millions died. Kim Suho grabbed Misteltein, but soon placed his sword back down
with a sigh.

“What was inevitable?”

Instead, he chose to ask for the answer Orden found.

“Don’t you know humanoid monsters can’t make families?” Orden muttered in a low
voice.

“Uh… Cough.”

Kim Suho sunk into silence as Orden waited for death. Everything finally made sense.
He became the first monster to obtain intelligence and called himself a humanoid
monster out of admiration for humans. He combined humans and monsters to create
artificial beings. However, an individual couldn’t preserve an entire species. Only
death ever offered an escape from his pain.

“Kururu, Kururu.”

Perhaps Kurukuru realized his king’s thoughts. The servant extended his front leg
full of scars.

“Kurukuru.”

The king called Kurukuru’s name. He knew his exact condition. His heart had been
destroyed, his blood had stopped circulating, and his organs began to shut down.
Death waited just around the corner.

“Kururu…”

Kurukuru flapped his wings in disapproval at the king’s next words. The king didn’t
worry at all and knew Kurukuru would never defy his orders.

“Kurukuru, a mantis cannot stop a wagon.”

Orden had read about the story behind this proverb when he first created Kurukuru.
The story spoke of a foolish and reckless mantis who tried to stop a moving wagon.
Still, its boundless courage impressed Orden and he hoped his servant would be as
loyal and brave as that mantis.

“Live on.”

“…”

The king gave his last order. Kurukuru understood and trembled in sorrow.

“I have no regrets.”
The king slowly closed his eyes and Kim Suho staggered up.

The servant stared at the king’s lifeless body for a long time. Insects didn’t possess
the ability to cry, so Kurukuru only kneeled in front of the king and kowtowed.

The lonely king’s tale finally came to an end.

***

[Africa]

Boss deactivated her shadow armor after the colossal explosion. She could see the
blue sky and vast grasslands just beyond the horizon. Orden’s palace had been
completely destroyed by none other than Orden himself.

“Boss.”

A childlike voice called her from behind. Boss turned and her long hair fluttered in
the wind. Jain disguised herself as Park Hanho’s daughter and waved.

“What’s this? Everything is over, right?”

“Seems so. Did it work?”

“It surprisingly did.”

Jain secretly met with Rumi two weeks ago and learned that Orden admired humans.
She didn’t understand at the time, so she disguised herself as a humanoid monster
and infiltrated the palace. She finally understood after seeing Orden in person.

“I think he’s into small and cute humans.”

Unfortunately, her assumption missed the mark.

“Small and cute humans?” Boss frowned and disapproved of the implication.

“Yeah, but how’s Hajin?”

“He’s in the bunker, so he should be fine.”

“Yeah? Then let’s go find Orden’s body.”

The Chameleon Troupe originally functioned as a group of thieves. Of course, they

wanted Orden’s corpse.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The two walked down the street while tracking Orden’s scent.

Whish—

The wind carried a particular scent.

“…?”

Boss froze after noticing this scent. The same happened to Jain. They both exchanged
glances and turned towards the scent.